During the MA in Screenwriting for Television and Film (in Retreat) you will cover writing for feature film and television as well as new developments such as web drama. You will develop a range of ideas, then go on to write film and television outlines, and several drafts of a feature film screenplay, a TV single drama, or a TV series or serial bible and sample episodes.
Commencing in September, you will be taught through a mixture of intensive writing retreats and distance learning techniques, including Skype and our dedicated online learning environment, Moodle. The course includes four week-long residential retreats throughout one year (full time), with some taking place in Central London and others at our beautiful Egham Campus, near Windsor. This structure immerses you in a creative atmosphere conducive to concentrated learning and group interaction, with Development Lab as a core module, where you will present your work in progress to the group for criticism and feedback, and experiment with co-writing.
Between retreats the course is run via distance-learning with a website, chat room and e-tutorials. This makes it possible for those living outside the UK, and those with busy working lives, such as freelancers and those in full-time employment, to take time out to attend. The course attracts a wide variety of students including those wishing to make a career change from other sectors through to established actors, comedy writers, editors, producers, novelists and many others.
You will also meet and work with industry and independent producers, directors, agents, writers and actors to provide a production context.
Assessment is carried out by a variety of methods including script outlines and scenes, a completed feature film screenplay and/or TV series episode and ‘bible’, and marketing and pitch documents.
You'll be set for a career in television and feature film screenwriting and script development. Graduates with work in film and TV include:
Other students from our department have gone on to work in independent television and film production, for broadcasters like the BBC and ITV, and for distributors, exhibitors, talent agencies and entertainment lawyers.
The Master in International Screenwriting and Production is a graduate program that aims at creating professional scriptwriters, story editors and producers, providing them with a thorough understanding of the audiovisual industry and a strong knowledge of the storytelling techniques, which are the heart of every project of feature film and television series.
The MISP is a full-time intensive course, with a maximum enrollment of 42 students. The diploma, issued by Università Cattolica, is recognized as a first level Master’s degree by the Italian Government.
The MISP will allow students to acquire the required knowledge to work in the entertainment industry, both as writers and/or professionals working in production or distribution companies, TV networks, talent agencies or as production assistants.
Students will receive a comprehensive and high level training which effectively combines the academic expertise of university professors with the professional know-how of high-ranking professionals with international profiles.
Graduates from the MISP are exposed to a wide range of career opportunities. Graduates have both the theoretical knowledge and the methodological tools suited to pursue professional and managerial careers as:
● Screenwriters or creative producers of television series and feature films;
● Authors of TV entertainment programs and documentaries, copywriters, creators of video games and web series, writers of comic books and novels and fiction editors in publishing companies;
● Story editors and script consultants;
● Supervisors of evaluation, acquisition and programming of TV shows;
● Professionals working in different areas of the television and film industry (physical production, distribution, acquisition, product placement, etc.)
Here is a list of some Professors and Guest Lecturers:
● Eleonora Andreatta - Director TV series and TV dramas for Rai Fiction
● Luca Bernabei, CEO Lux vide, Rome
● Armando Fumagalli, Director of the Master, professor of Semiotics and History of Cinema, UCSC; script consultant for Lux vide
● Robin Lyons - Animation Writer and Producer – Calon (UK)
● Luca Manzi - Writer for novel, theatre and television, and co-founder of the Master Program
● Cristiana Nobili - Director, Original Live Action Production, Disney Europe, Middle East and Africa (London)
● Paolo Sigismondi, professor of Global Entertainment, Annenberg School of Communication, University of Southern California, Los Angeles
● John Truby - Screenwriter and script doctor for Disney, Universal, Sony Pictures, Fox, HBO, BBC
● Screenwriting theory (8 ECTS/ CFU)
● Script analysis and project evaluation (8 ECTS/ CFU)
● Writing techniques for audiovisual products (12 ECTS/ CFU)
- Screenwriting practice: treatments, scenes and dialogues, scripts, pitches.
- The writing of genres and adaptation.
- Writing for different formats: comic books, novels, documentaries, entertainment TV shows, advertising, the web, mobile media, and transmedia projects.
- Screenwriting and production of animation projects.
● The audiovisual industry (4 ECTS/ CFU)
- Industries and audiences.
- TV acquisition and programming and film distribution
- The physical production: pre-production, shooting, post-production, contracts and budgeting.
● Communication ethics (4 ECTS/ CFU)
Three months before the end of theoretical classes, the students will have to choose between one of the following careers: screenwriting or production. The students, who choose the screenwriting career, will have to write and deliver a final project from which the writing abilities developed during the program should emerge. Typically,the final project takes the form of a script for a feature film, which can either be an original idea or an adaptation.
The final project can be written in English, Italian, French or Spanish. The students, who choose the production career, will have the opportunity to undertake an internship within an established production or distribution company, a TV network, an advertising agency or on a film set.
The MISP aims at providing its stu- dents with the adequate knowledge, wide-ranging skills and contacts to meet the requests of an increasingly global and varied audiovisual industry.
In previous years, alumni from MISP (which, until 2015, was taught in Italian: Master in Scrittura e produzione per la fiction e il cinema) have been working as writers and producers for top rating TV series and highly successful feature films, or as writers of best selling novels, published in many countries; many of them have been working in high-ranking audiovisual companies such as Cattleya, Disney, Endemol, Focus Features, Freman- tle, Lux Vide, Mediaset, RAI, SKY, among others. They work not only in Italy, but also in London, Los Angeles, Madrid, New York, Paris, etc.
Graduates from the MISP are exposed to a wide range of career opportunities. Graduates have both the theoretical knowledge and the methodological tools suited to pursue professional and managerial careers as:
All scholarships are assigned on a merit basis and will be mostly given to students who apply by the priority deadline. Some scholarships may also target specific geographic regions.
Scholarship value: €4500
Module outline:
Compositional Techniques: Styles and Genres
You will focus on the acquisition of specialist compositional and orchestrational techniques, structures and processes across a broad range of historical and contemporary styles and genres.
Programming, Production and Studio Technologies
You will explore sampling and the programming of convincing hybrid orchestral ‘mock ups’. We also explore advanced productional, mixing and mastering techniques and investigate the complex technologies that allow the contemporary studio to operate.
Composing for the Moving Image: Film, TV and Games
This is a training module concerned with the practice of composing commercially viable music for the Film, TV and Games industries
Collaborative Project
You will work collaboratively with postgraduate directors, screenwriters, editors, animators and producers in the department and have the opportunity to contribute to both professional and postgraduate film projects.
Research and the Industry
This module prepares you for the critical and analytical aspects of study at Master’s level, and lay the groundwork for further potential study at Doctoral level within the department.
Independent Study: Specialist Project or Research Project
In this independent, project driven module, you will pursue your own enthusiasms and developing specialisms. This will usually take the form of a portfolio of work, a short film or a substantial written research project.
MA Composition for Film, TV & Games will be delivered in the new £30m Engineering and Digital Technology Park being constructed at the Bognor Regis campus.
Students will use industry standard equipment in CAD labs, edit suites, professional recording studios and a dedicated green screen stage.
Our commercial sound stage is one of three in the UK and will be used industry professionals including the London Metropolitian Orchestra.
This innovative course examines the different ways in which broadcasting is organised around the world. It has a particular emphasis on the production techniques of British television, approaching them through a comparative international lens.
The course has regular visiting lectures from leading figures in the UK's television industry, including the department's own VIsiting Professors James Quinn (Commissioner for Sky Arts) and renowned producer, director and writer Tony Garnett. In the past, we've had visiting lecturers including Alex Graham (Executive Producer of Who Do You Think You Are), James Quinn (Documentary Commissioning Editor, Sky) and Karen Mullins (Project Manager for London Olympics, Rugby World Cup).
You'll study a major BBC drama series from conception through to scripting and production, such as the series Casualty, with time to visit the production base in Cardiff. You'll study with scholars with experience of TV industries around the world, and hear from guest lecturers from London's TV industry.
Core modules
Structures of Broadcasting
In this module you will develop an understanding of public service and commercial models of broadcasting. You will look at the organisation of broadcasting, considering the differing markets for TV programmes, and commission and production regimes around the world. You will examine the nature of global flows in programming, the market system that enables them, and the major broadcasting organisations. You will also explore the structure of the global programme sales and co-production markets.
Television as a Cultural Industry
In this module you will develop an understanding of the interrelation between the organisational forms of broadcasting and the programmes that they produce. You will look at the structuration of broadcasting texts and what makes them distinctive, and examine the major genres of TV production through international examples. You will also consider the nature of innovation in programme making.
Production Study
In this module you will develop an understanding of the key challenges of producing a long running, high-volume, British television drama series. You will look at the role such series play in the television landscape, and examine the organisation, management, funding, budgeting and scheduling of drama productions. You will explore audience profiles and see how these fit within the economic and cultural priorities of television. You will also have the opportunity to meet writers and directors from an ongoing drama series, and learn to use production software packages such as Final Draft Scripting, Movie Magic Budgeting and Movie Magic Scheduling.
Production Practice Dissertation
You will produce a short video or radio piece to UK industry-standards. You will will create work which communicates with its intended audience, and manage all aspects of the production process, including self-direction and the direction of others. On completion, you will refect on your production, using knowledge gained in other areas of the course to analyse its success.
Assessment is carried out by a variety of methods including:
Televsion continues to be one of the most dominant global media forms, continuing to attract huge audiences and leading creative talent around the world.
You'll leave our course understanding television in different cultures and contexts and you'll be in a perfect place to find employment in those countries where the TV industry is rapidly growing - backing up your portfolio with knowledge of how programmes are marketed and sold, and how important they are to the creative industries.
We're based near London, so you'll have privileged insight into the UK television industry. You'll have the chance to get familiar with London production businesses – we have regular guest lecturers from production and management. Students from our department have gone on to work in independent television and film production, for broadcasters like the BBC and ITV in the UK as well as international media agencies such as CCTV and Hunan, and for distributors, exhibitors, talent agencies and entertainment lawyers.
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:
This course is suitable for students with a first degree, looking to become well-rounded broadcast journalists. You will have a keen interest in TV and radio news and current affairs plus sport, lifestyle and national and international politics. Though this course is NOT about presenting on screen or on air, you must be prepared to present your material on camera or mic, and write and direct material for others to perform. The MA in Broadcast Journalism is essentially about visual and audio communication of topical information, and requires a desire to communicate through essential team working. City provides an alumni network second to none in the UK broadcast industry; and provides possibly the best employment opportunities of any postgraduate broadcasting course in the UK.
Professor Sir Paul Curran, President says this about Journalism at City:
"Journalism at City began as a postgraduate department in 1976 and has developed some of the most respected MA Journalism courses in the country. Alumni include the BBC¹s Sophie Raworth and BBC Head of News James Harding, Sky News' Dermot Murnaghan, Editor of The Sun Tony Gallagher, Justine Picardie, Editor-in-chief of Harper's Bazaar UK, Channel 4's Ramita Navai and Al Jazeera's Barbara Sheera. Recent graduates are reporters, producers, editors and web content providers, across platforms ranging from the Financial Times and the BBC to Buzzfeed and Vice TV."
The MA in Broadcast Journalism produces award winning young journalists and has a superb reputation. You will learn learn comprehensive TV and radio skills. The course benefits from a large cohort of between 50 and 60 students with great networking and peer support. Teaching groups of 15 ensure personal contact with Professor Lis Howell; TV reporter Colette Cooney; Dr Abdullahi Tasiu; and key staff like radio practitioner Sandy Warr.
New from autumn 2016 Broadcast Journalism aims to offer 45 minutes long TV news programmes on news-days produced by students gaining practical training. Newswriting, television and radio journalism are taught in groups of fifteen and larger groups through lectures, workshops and broadcast simulation.
This degree is accredited by the Broadcast Journalism Training Council (BJTC)
Work placements are an integral part of the Broadcast Journalism MA. MA Broadcasters arrange their own placements - with help from academics if necessary. You must have 15 days of work experience whilst on the course. This usual happens during the the Christmas break. The size of the City cohorts past and present means unique networking opportunities with present students and 4,000 alumni.
Organisations who have hosted City students in the past include:
In 2014 we completed a £12m development project for our Journalism facilities. These facilities were developed in consultation with experts from the BBC and ITN and were praised by the BJTC. They include:
Some courses are taught in lecture theatres, but most are small-group workshops that allow you to develop your journalistic skills and knowledge with the support of our expert academics.
Activities include lectures, practical work in groups and individually, personal tutorials, and independent learning
This pathway is taught by professors, senior lecturers and lecturers, with industry practitioners as visiting lecturers, and a number of key industry visiting speakers.
All MA Journalism courses at City are practical, hands-on courses designed for aspiring journalists. As a result, much of your coursework will be journalistic assignments that you produce to deadline, as you would in a real news organisation.
Assessments vary from module to module but include coursework, practical work both in groups and individually, a Final Project, a written timed test, and essays.
All of our Broadcast Journalism MA students must undertake core modules in Ethics, Rules and Standards and a Final Project. As a Broadcast Journalism student you will take a module in Newsgathering for TV and Radio; a module in Newsdays and longer form film-making; and a module in Data Journalism. Teaching hours are between Monday to Friday during working hours, and occasionally outside those times.
According to the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey (DLHE), 96.8% of previous graduates from this course were in employment six months after completing the course earn an average salary of £23,000.
Previous graduates go on to work as journalists, producers, or Head of Media & Communications.
Alumni include famous names such as:
Recent graduates of the MA Broadcasting include:
This course is suitable for students with a first degree looking to become good all-round television journalists capable of working in newsrooms, on multi-media and in documentaries and current affairs. Applicants should have an interest in video and TV films and have a broad general knowledge including lifestyle, sport and politics. While this course is NOT about TV presenting, it’s important that you aren’t afraid to be in front of the camera and even more important that you are keen to write and provide material for others to present. Vitally, you should want to communicate using moving pictures and be excited by the wonderful world of television!
The MA in Television Journalism has unparalleled contact with the TV industry and each Wednesday in term one and two, students work in the TV journalism industry. The course is designed for a cohort of between 30 and 40 students subdivided into teaching groups of around 15 with personal contact with Professor Lis Howell, and Sally Webb, film-maker on award winning programmes like Tonight with Trevor McDonald and documentary series including Panorama. Students make half hour documentaries in teams of three in term three and these films have won awards like Guardian Young Journalists of the Year; The BJTC documentary award; and been re-worked for broadcast on BBC 2’s ‘Newsnight’. The course is grounded in news production but also branches out with a Question Time programme which has included guests such as Jeremy Corbyn; Stephanie Flanders; Jon Snow and Yasmin Alibi Brown plus may more.
This degree is accredited by the Broadcast Journalism Training Council (BJTC)
MA TV have tailored placement each Wednesday. There is no doubt that the size of the City cohort means unique networking opportunities with present students and 4,000 alumni.
Organisations that have taken our students for placements include:
In 2014 we completed a £12m development projects for our Journalism facilities. These facilities were developed in consultation with experts from the BBC and ITN, and were praised by the BJTC. Our facilities include:
All MA Journalism courses at City are practical, hands-on courses designed for people that want to become journalists. As a result, much of your coursework will be journalistic assignments that you produce to deadline, as you would in a real news organisation.
Some courses are taught in lecture theatres but most are small-group workshops that allow you to develop your journalistic skills and knowledge with the support of our expert academics.
Teaching hours are between Mondays to Fridays during working hours, and occasionally outside those times.
Assessments vary from module to module but include coursework, practical work both in groups and individually, a Final Project, a written timed test, and essays.
Activities include lectures, practical work in groups and individually, personal tutorials, and independent learning
This pathway is taught by professors, senior lecturers and lecturers, with industry practitioners as Visiting Lecturers, and a number of key industry visiting speakers.
All of our Television Journalism MA students must undertake underpinning core modules in Ethics, Rules and Standards and a Final Project. As a Television Journalism student you will have specialist core and elective modules that complement these projects.
Core modules
Elective modules
Our postgraduate television journalism course has 100% employment rate according to graduates responding to the 15/16 DLHE survey.
Alumni include BBC’s Sophie Raworth and famous names such as :
Recent graduates of the MA Broadcasting include:
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:
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:
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:
Edinburgh College of Art: Postgrad study in Art, Design, Architecture, Music, History of Art
