Build your creative post-production skills to make your mark in the film and television industry. Solent’s MA Post Production in Film and Television will see you working with some of the best industry-standard equipment in a fun and creative environment, surrounded by fellow creative people.
You’ll begin by studying the fundamentals of post-production to gain a solid understanding of the core principles and techniques. You’ll then progress into other fields, such as creative editing for drama and for documentary. Here you’ll explore the creative process of editing, from story-telling and character focus for drama, to cutaways and building sequences in documentary. This is complemented by the sound and visual design unit where you’ll learn how to add aural and visual dimension to a production.
The research methods and major project units will give you the opportunity to demonstrate your research skills at master’s level and to work on a personal film or TV project that utilises the skills learnt throughout your studies.
You’ll also have the opportunity to gain professional qualifications alongside your degree studies. You’ll be encouraged sit the Avid Certified User exam - a certificate is recognised by post-production companies worldwide. You could also work towards gaining the Pro Tools Certified User certificate, if you wish to pursue a career in sound design or audio mixing.
The course team’s excellent industry links mean you’ll have access to a long-established and inspiring guest speaker programme. Students on our media technology programmes have had the chance to meet and question some of the country’s top industry professionals in film and television. Recent guest speakers include Sir Alan Parker (BAFTA winning director: Bugsy Malone, Evita, Mississippi Burning), Mick Audsley (BAFTA winning editor: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Everest, Allied, Twelve Monkeys), Eddy Joseph (BAFTA winning sound editor: Casino Royale, United 93, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), Walter Murch (Oscar and BAFTA winning sound and film editor Tomorrowland, Apocalypse Now, Jarhead), Nick McPhee (editor: The Durrells, Downton Abbey, Doc Martin), Julian Unthank (screenwriter New Tricks, Sword of Vengeance) and John Lloyd (producer: QI, Blackadder, No Such Thing as the News).
Graduates can expect to pursue jobs in many areas of the TV and film post-production industry. Entry level jobs can include edit assistant, junior editor, or runner. From here, graduates can progress to roles such as picture editor, sound editor, dubbing mixer, grader, colourist, or facilities manager.
This course is ideal for anyone wishing to pursue a career in post-production. Candidates should have a first or second class degree in a related discipline. The programme would also suit those already working in the industry with relevant experience, looking to build on their existing knowledge and skills.
We invest heavily in making sure our specialist equipment is right up to date.
Students have access to:
Graduates can expect to pursue jobs in many areas of the TV and film post-production industry. Entry level jobs can include edit assistant, junior editor, or runner. From here, graduates can progress to roles such as picture editor, sound editor, dubbing mixer, grader, colourist, or facilities manager.
There are also many post-production-related jobs outside of the broadcast industry. Opportunities within the charity sector, local and national government, emergency services, the financial sector, and the corporate and training video market are possible.
The course team have excellent links with industry which has led to a guest speaker programme with talks from inspiring and leading industry experts, including:
A number of Solent’s undergraduate media technology programmes are Skillset-approved, allowing access to a range of industry events, such as the RTS Masterclasses at the BFI in London. Close links with the Royal Television Society locally ensure students are able to attend their events, including ‘Meet the Professionals’.
Although work experience is not compulsory, you’ll be encouraged and supported to seek relevant placements wherever possible.
At Solent, we have a very strong focus on employability and work experience. Our extensive relationships with professional film and television editors, sound designers, colourists has meant that we have been able to offer unique placement and mentoring opportunities.
You’ll also have the opportunity to access some of the best work experience opportunities imaginable. We are the official university partner to the Glastonbury Festival and you will have the chance apply to work there. Likewise, our links with Bestival, Camp Bestival and Boardmasters mean you have great opportunities throughout the summer. We have close ties with some of the country’s top post-production houses and have been able to offer work experience opportunities with companies such as Envy, Halo and The Mill. Our alumni also offer work experience opportunities to current students.
A theoretical grounding in topics such as narrative and storytelling underpins technical training in the latest software and hardware, which will give you the tools to turn your ideas into reality. You will also be encouraged to develop critical perspectives on the changing media industry and to challenge current practice, developing the analytical skills required to reflect, learn and grow as a successful editor.
This course builds towards a final production project. This showreel will be your calling card for the industry; it will allow you to explore and develop ideas beyond industry expectations, and produce evidence of your editorial approach, style and storytelling. As an alternative, you can choose a research-based option to present at a final exhibition of work. Working in your own postgraduate base room, you will have your own cutting-edge technology at your fingertips.
You are required to have your own Apple laptop with Avid Media Composer 6.5 or above. The Faculty of Media & Communication provides further technical tools to aid your development, including extensive network support and two Avid Media Composer Finishing Suites, where you will build your realworld skills through role-play scenarios of industry practice. We’re also proud to announce our Learning Partnership with AVID, a collaboration that will ensure graduates of this course carry even greater relevance and credibility when it comes to finding employment.
You may have an undergraduate qualification in a related subject or may be able to show your suitability for this programme of study through associated work-experience or evidence of and outputs from other related activities.
*New for 2017, subject to final approval.
The MA in Sound Design is a forward thinking course, which invites you to explore the creative use of sound within film and other visual media at an advanced level. The course focuses on the more creative aspects of sound design and post-production while providing you with the necessary technical skills.
You’ll develop your work within your areas of interest without stylistic boundaries. The content areas include:
• Sound editing (production audio, dialogue/ADR, SFX, music)
• The language and aesthetics of sound design (narrative, dramaturgy)
• Foley
• Field recording
• Sound sculpting and processing
• Working with directors
• Post-production workflows
• Dubbing
• Surround sound
• VR audio
• Industry deliverables
The course delivers a mixture of advanced technical skills related to sound design and audio post production for film and other visual media. It also provides creatively-oriented insights into contemporary sound design practice and encourages students to push the boundaries of the field. Subject areas include:
• Sound sculpting, processing and synthesis
• The language and aesthetics of sound design
• Storytelling and dramaturgy
MA Sound Design is part of a suite of postgraduate courses available across music and sound, operating alongside ‘sister’ pathways in Sound Production and Sound Arts, which allow further specialism in these areas.
For more information on the course structure, please go to: https://www.bathspa.ac.uk/courses/pg-sound-design/
In trimester one, you'll gain the skills you’ll need to fulfil the rest of the course. The Skills Portfolio module is built on the idea that you’ll already have technical skills in this area. It therefore allows you to choose a handful of skills projects from a large number of options – these cover skills right across the Sound Arts, Sound Design and Sound Production pathways and include (optional) elements of multimedia.
The Research Methodology and Context module develops skills in postgraduate-level research and writing.
In trimester two, the core module is the Sound Design Practice module. It explores the creative and practical application of Sound Design within a visual narrative and storytelling context.
Alongside this core module, you’ll be offered a wide range of options. The Post Production module explores an industry-level workflow for Audio Post within film and visual media and covers a wide range of associated skillsets. Intertextuality in Sound Production, from the Sound Production pathway, explores the overlap between Urban Music production and what are considered more experimental genres. The Visual Music module, from the Sound Arts pathway, explores the idea that musical thinking can be extended to the visual, and encourages students to develop multimedia projects that explore this idea.
There are also choices in Composition, Performance, Musicology and Professional Practice.
In trimester three, you'll complete the course with a independent research project, compromising of a large-scale practical project, supported by a reflective account.
For more information on modules please visit the course webpage: https://www.bathspa.ac.uk/courses/pg-sound-design/
The delivery of the course involves a mixture of teaching and learning activities, including lectures, workshops, seminars, online study materials and guest speaker sessions.
The workshop / seminar sessions will include ongoing peer review and tutor support opportunities. Some parts of the course are delivered using a ‘flipped classroom’ model, where students independently work through online study materials and tasks, which are followed up by practical support workshops.
The assessment is majorly based around practical coursework, with the aim to build an extensive portfolio of sound design and post production work. Practical coursework is typically supported by a written commentary or evaluation. The Research Methodology and Context module is assessed through a more substantial written paper.
You can use the course to develop an individually-tailored portfolio of skills. This will equip you for the current employment landscape, where a combination of traditional audio post production roles are required alongside broader practice in sound, music and other media.
Our graduates have range of successful careers in production, composition, music for film and TV, sound design for moving image and games, sound art, software development, engineering, further education, higher education and research.
This course will equip you with a solid grounding in the specialist skills and advanced theory that apply to post-production practice.
During your time with us, you will tackle self-directed and team-orientated industry briefs. This will give you a practical understanding of the creative processes, production workflow and industry techniques looked for by employers.
The teaching of this course is comprised of seminars, workshops in storytelling and production practice, study of broadcast and editorial guidelines, independent research, collaborative project work and film screenings.
The aim is to support your learning with an effective blend of theory and creative practice and to encourage ownership of your learning through self-directed projects.
Methods of assessment depend on the module and elective pathway you are taking. They include:
Each module has its own assessment package and this is structured appropriately to reflect the module content. Practical-based modules are assessed by project and a reflective critical evaluation.
This course is your route to careers across media. Roles could involve audio and video editing, special-effects work and audio dubbing. Past students have taken work placements with 360 Media, Granada, Sumners Post Production, Films @ 59, Flix Facilities and the BBC Natural History unit.
To develop your skills and employability, there are opportunities on our Media Production courses to work on live briefs and gain valuable work experience. Previous students have worked with:
The following prominent speakers have delivered guest lectures:
“Science fiction, fantasy, musicals, and period films offer the most obvious platform of eye-catching design, but it should be remembered that even if the subject is contemporary, or the style emulates documentary, we are still witnessing an illusion which has been designed.”
Peter Ettedgui — Production Designer
The MA Film Production course is for gifted and emerging filmmakers seeking to learn on the job, to go beyond the short film, to define themselves as artists within a working film production crew, and to gain that vital production experience demanded by the industry.
Work Placements | In line with the courses’s emphasis on industry experience, you will be encouraged to undertake, seek out short-term work opportunities in your field. These can occur when your pathway is normally not involved in a particular production stage, for example with production designers during post-production. This opportunity is available for all students, Home/EU and for International, details can be found on our Working during and after page. The experience you and other students gain through this work out in the industry enhances and -compounds the learning and collaboration on the course.
MA Film Production (Producing)
MA Film Production (Directing)
MA Film Production (Production Design)
MA Film Production (Cinematography)
MA Film Production (Editing)
MA Film Production (Sound Design)
MA Film Production (Documentary)
MA Film Production (Screenwriting)
Mirroring the working patterns of film production these named awards also reflect the degree of physical production engagement for these disciplines. With Producers, Directors and Documentary makers taking their films through all the stages from first idea, through to development, pre-production, production, post, and on right through to delivery to the audience. Whilst the disciplines of Production Design, Cinematography, Editing, Sound Design, and Screenwriting, over that same time period, will be engaged in the physical production, post of two or more films.
For the Portfolio Short Films made on the course, the budgets are seed funded. For other units, all the basic costs of materials and equipment are covered.
This course is part of Bournemouth Film School, along with BA (Hons) Film Production, MA Animation Production, BA (Hons) Animation Production, as well as BA (Hons) Visual Effects Design and Production. Together we make up the largest film school outside of London and one of few UK CILECT members.
All students are taught on specific discipline-focused and dedicated pathways. Allowing students to enhance their skills and knowledge and their ability to focus on their chosen pathway, together with its specific relation to the key aspects of the work of film production. Between course production blocks, all students are encouraged to seek out short work opportunities in the industry.
The experience gained enhances group learning and collaboration on the course. In their fourth term students undertake an industry pitching process, designed to overlap with the new student intake further increasing opportunities for group learning.
Structured in a way that builds systematically and in a logical sequence that mirrors the film industry, the course consists of four overlapping units, each building in complexity and demand. For the producing, directing and documentary pathways this will involve six or more shoots, and twelve or more shoots for the other pathways, as their numbers on the course are organised to facilitate this production engagement. This again mirrors industry experience for these pathways.
Cinematic Storytelling
This unit consists of two production blocks. The first block involves a number of exercise shoots in which student also involve themselves in script continuity and first AD roles.
The second block is a location/studio shoot of a script devised and developed by students during the unit. For this block and other productions; the BA (Hons) Film Production course students and graduates will be a valuable crewing option. All MA pathways collaborate together on these shoots.
Virtual Effects Project
This explores the realisation of expansive, action, cast heavy, costly sequence, beyond the scope of the short film. Scenes normally only possible on a large budget production which even then would be achieved by a mix of live action and computer generated imagery, such as in the opening scene of Les Miserables.
Through collaboration with the BA Visual Effects and MA Animation courses, the MA Film Production students produce a virtual action sequence using the industry standard software to cover a demanding and expansive scene of this scope.
This will then be edited, reviewed and analysed by the cohort together with experienced practicing directors, editors, producers, VFX designers and stunt arrangers. Use of green screen is an integral part of the unit. AUB has a branch of Framestore, Europe’s leading VFX company, on campus.
Portfolio Short Film
A short film shot over a week, or number of days to be determined by budget and negotiation. Using studio and/or location and image capture with Arri Film or Alexa Digital cameras. This film will be based on a script, or devised material that has been developed on the course. The expectation is that these films will have the potential to be entered into festivals.
Research and Project Development
This unit is about the genesis and development of long form/feature projects, beyond the scope of the short film. Graduates will take this out into the industry as part of their career progression. Over the first three terms this story/theme driven work for the pathways, includes research into process, feasibility and practice studies.
Bridge to the Industry
A two-day production block for this unit enables the shooting of a teaser or pilot scene. Furnished with these active projects, with industry networking, with a Portfolio Short Film and the experience gained on the course, graduates of the MA Film Production course will have a real bridge to the industry and to career development and progression.
On this course, you’ll gain practical, theoretical and creative experience of sound engineering, music production and audio technology.
You’ll explore the design, manipulation and production of audio across many platforms, using our state-of-the-art audio-post recording, radio and TV studios to study a mix of sound engineering and theory modules.
The aim of the course is to develop the skills that you’ll need to create and deliver professional audio, whilst under pinning these skills with a sound theoretical background.
94% of our postgraduates go on to employment and/or further study within six months of graduating.DLHE 2009 and 2010
This course entails both practical based and theory modules. The modules are delivered in the recording studios, the audio technology suite, audio post production suite and lecture theatres.
DURATION
September start
MSc (one year full-time or up to three years part-time)
PgDip (nine months full-time or 18 months part-time)
January start
MSc (16 months full-time)
PgDip (one year full-time or up to two years part-time)
Teaching and learning involves a mix of lectures and practical sound engineering work, involving individual and group learning, There is an emphasis on motivated students' self-study.
Assessment involves a mixture of practical work, report writing and project work. By the end of the course students will have built up a substantial portfolio of audio, video and new media work.
Assessment is approximately divided across the course as follows:
This degree is based in MediaCityUK,the new home for the BBC, ITV, Coronation Street and parts of the University of Salford. MediaCityUK is located at Salford Quays on the banks of Manchester's historic ship canal. The University has the first four floors of a new, purpose built facility that looks over the water to The Lowry theatre, Imperial War Museum North and the new Coronation Street set. ITV occupy the floors above us, with the three BBC buildings on one side of us and Peel Media Studios on the other.
A number of BBC departments are based at MediaCityUK, having moved from London, including BBC Breakfast, BBC Children's, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Future Media and Technology, BBC Learning, BBC Sport and BBC Academy. All of the BBC Manchester operations have also moved to MediaCityUK, including BBC Religion and Ethics, Current Affairs and the BBC Philharmonic.
For more information, check out the Salford MediaCityUK site and the main MediaCityUK site.
Here is a summary of our relevant facilities at MediaCityUK:
On the main campus, we also have a Pro Tools equipped studio recording complex consisting of four control rooms and recording areas. Please see this brochure for more detailed information brochure.
The wide range of skills provided on this course will enhance your employability. Possible career paths include: audio manufacturer research and design, broadcast engineer in audio for radio or TV, audio and visual design and installation, education, interactive media and sonic arts.
Possible career paths include:
Staff have strong links with industry either through collaborative R&D projects with industry through the Acoustics Research Centre and our commercial test laboratories. Our research department is a Centre of Excellence for BBC Research.
Some students could go on to study a PhD at our world-class Acoustics Research Centre. We have been carrying out acoustics and audio research for over 30 years. Our research is funded by research councils, government bodies, and industry. It has fed into audio products that companies make and sell worldwide, as well as regulations and standards used in the UK, Europe and beyond. We are also involved in public engagement - getting more people aware of and interested in acoustic science and engineering.
*New for 2017, subject to final approval.
Develop your own signature sound and production style, through this forward-thinking, cutting edge music composition and production course. The MA Sound Production programme is tailored towards individuals who are keen to hone their composition and production skills inside an intertextual and cross-disciplinary framework that pushes at the stylistic boundaries of genre.
The content will cover aesthetic considerations as well as technology and techniques utilised in modern music making. The award is deliberately unbounded by genre and there are opportunities to take an interdisciplinary approach to sound production, including contemporary electronic music, studio and field recording, experimental music and sound design for composition.
The programme encourages interdisciplinary and collaborative working methods with students from the wider music community at Bath Spa, as well as visual media and other departments within the University. While the programme has a music production focus, it also covers key areas of practice such as:
• Sound design
• Electronic music composition
• Soundscape and field recording
• Traditional studio practices
• Sound engineering
• Spatial audio and sound design
• Composition for visual media
You won’t be expected to cover all of these areas. You’ll be able to use the course to develop an individually-tailored portfolio of skills, experience and top-level work across them.
The course is part of a suite of courses available across music and sound, operating alongside ‘sister’ pathways in Sound Design and Sound Arts, which allow further specialism in these areas.
For more information on the 'sister' pathways please refer to the website: https://www.bathspa.ac.uk/courses/pg-sound-production/
In trimester one, you'll gain the skills you’ll need to fulfil the rest of the course. The Skills Portfolio module is built on the idea that you’ll already have technical skills in this area. It therefore allows you to choose a handful of skills projects from a large number of options – these cover skills right across the Sound Arts, Sound Design and Sound Production pathways and include (optional) elements of multimedia.
The Research Methodology and Context module develops skills in postgraduate-level research and writing. It is designed to give you the tools for an onward journey in academia, but not to be, in the colloquial sense, ‘academic’.
In trimester two, you’ll advance the knowledge gained in the the first trimester and begin exploring the intertextual possibilities of music composition. In addition, you’ll develop a creative project that will further extend the work undertaken on the trimester 1 Skills Portfolio module.
The module Intertextuality In Sound Production aims to capture and contextualise emerging trends and innovation at the forefront of sound production and composition, and develop composition skills that extend beyond the limits of genre.
Alongside the Sound Production modules there are additional optional modules that you can study from the other pathways. From the Sound Arts pathway, the Visual Music module explores the idea that musical thinking can be extended to the visual, and encourages students to develop multimedia projects that explore this idea. From the Sound Design pathway the Post Production module explores an industry-level workflow for audio post production for picture.
In trimester three, you'll complete the course with a independent research project. While most Masters level courses consist of a substantial written dissertation component, the MA Sound Production programme focuses more on high-level practical work and the concept of ‘practice as research’ through the creation of a large-scale practical project.
The project will fulfil the same function as the traditional dissertation; you’ll develop individual and original research, but through the creation of a portfolio of works, rather than through the written word.
For more information on modules and course structure please visit the course webpage: https://www.bathspa.ac.uk/courses/pg-sound-production/
Most modules are taught through small-group seminars and workshops, where you’ll benefit from close interaction with tutors and peers. The Major Project and parts of the other modules are taught through individual tutorials where the focus will be entirely on your own practice.
You’ll be assessed entirely on coursework. The majority of this will be practical and creative work, including the dissertation-equivalent Major Project. Some practical projects are accompanied by short informal written assignments, and the for the Research Methodology and Context module you’ll produce a more substantial paper.
You can use the course to develop an individually-tailored portfolio of skills. This will equip you for the current employment landscape, where a combination of traditional music roles are required alongside broader practice in sound and other media.The course also provides the breadth necessary for FE and HE teaching in the field, and provides the basis required for PhD research and beyond.
This course will equip you with innovative creative skills in the exciting field of TV Drama Production.
During your time with us, you will learn specialist production crafts and gain a detailed knowledge of the fiction form.
You will receive informed, professional guidance throughout the course. To unlock your full creative potential, you will also collaborate with other students on production projects and team-up to form production teams.
The teaching of this course is comprised of seminars, workshops in storytelling and production practice, study of broadcast and editorial guidelines, independent research, collaborative project work and film screenings.
The aim is to support your learning with an effective blend of theory and creative practice, and to encourage ownership of your learning through self-directed projects.
Methods of assessment depend on the module and elective pathway you are taking. They include:
Each module has its own assessment package and this is structured appropriately to reflect the module content. Practical-based modules are assessed by project and a reflective critical evaluation.
Past students have gone on to senior producing and commissioning jobs within television, while others now work as researchers, directors, producers, camera operators, editors and sound designers. The course has strong links with leading media organisations, including ITV, Channel 4, the BBC and the independent production sector.
To develop your skills and employability, there are opportunities on our Media Production courses to work on live briefs and gain valuable work experience. Previous students have worked with:
The following prominent speakers have delivered guest lectures:
This course will equip you with creative-content and production skills in the exciting field of children’s programming.
You will develop an in-depth understanding of what it is that children and young people want to watch, why they watch certain programmes, films and moving images, and how they view them. You will also learn how to apply your knowledge to the production of creative content for this age group.
Throughout your time with us, you will be encouraged to develop your own creative ideas to a professional standard. Being based in the heart of MediaCityUK, and next door to BBC Children’s, this course will provide you with many opportunities to learn alongside, and engage with, experienced industry producers and practitioners in children’s content production.
At the end of the course, you will have gained a thorough, practice-based knowledge of the media industry, with particular emphasis on children’s creative content production.
The teaching of this course is comprised of seminars, workshops in storytelling and production practice, study of broadcast and editorial guidelines, independent research, collaborative project work and film screenings.
The aim is to support your learning with an effective blend of theory and creative practice and to encourage ownership of your learning through self-directed projects.
Methods of assessment depend on the module and elective pathway you are taking.
They include:
Each module has its own assessment package and this is structured appropriately to reflect the module content. Practical-based modules are assessed by project and a reflective critical evaluation.
Links with the BBC and other well-known and respected production companies could lead to work experience that will significantly enhance your CV. The course combines practical and theoretical elements that will appeal to a broad range of employers.
To develop your skills and employability, there are opportunities on our Media Production courses to work on live briefs and gain valuable work experience. Previous students have worked with:
The following prominent speakers have delivered guest lectures:
On this course, you will learn how to research and produce original television documentaries.
During your time with us, you will receive expert instruction and guidance on the concepts, techniques and processes key to the documentary form. And you will produce your own documentaries, collaborating with your fellow students in production teams.
With opportunities to engage closely with industry, the course develops the skills and techniques required to work in the media, while encouraging independent creative content production.
The teaching of this course is comprised of seminars, workshops in storytelling and production practice, study of broadcast and editorial guidelines, independent research, collaborative project work and film screenings.
The aim is to support your learning with an effective blend of theory and creative practice, and to encourage ownership of your learning through self-directed projects.
Methods of assessment depend on the module and elective pathway you are taking. They include:
Each module has its own assessment package and this is structured appropriately to reflect the module content. Practical-based modules are assessed by project and a reflective critical evaluation.
In previous years, a large number of graduates from this course have moved into broadcasting jobs as camera operators, editors, sound assistants, researchers and assistant producers. Former students are currently employed at the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and independent companies across the UK.
To develop your skills and employability, there are opportunities on our Media Production courses to work on live briefs and gain valuable work experience. Previous students have worked with:
The following prominent speakers have delivered guest lectures:
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