This specialist programme will enable students to develop advanced knowledge and skills in film production, developing through the course a career specialism in directing, editing, production, camera or sound production.
The programme is distinctive as students will learn and study within the complex and immersive environment of a conservatoire drama school, with substantial access to highly talented acting students and the industry-standard facilities required of this high level vocational training. The skills and experience gained in their chosen area of specialism will enable them to seek employment in the professional film, television and independent film production industry on successful completion of the course.
The course will run for 38 weeks and recruitment will be limited to five students. Each will develop their own distinct specialism within a production team (director, editor, producer, camera, sound production) and they will work together as a unit across four of the five core modules.
These modules are:
1. Moving Image Production
2. Drama Production for the Small Screen
3. Short Film Production (Client-led Film)
4. Short Film Production (Drama)
5. Preparation for Working in the Film Industry
The fifth module is taken individually through a specialist industry placement related to the student’s designated specialism.
The overall aims of the programme are:
• To enable students to develop specific technical and project management skills in film production, primarily drama;
• To enable students to learn skills in leadership and creative problem-solving;
• To enable students to develop a specialism within the key areas of film production (directing, editing, producing, camera, sound production)
• To develop a high level of personal, social and environmental responsibility in working to professional schedules, disciplines and practice, including risk assessment and carbon emission reduction.
• To provide experience and build confidence to engage with industry professionals and develop their career management skills;
A copy of the rules and regulations governing the course is available consult the BOVTS policies and procedures page.
This module map provides a list of the modules that make up your course.
Each module is worth a specified number of credits, enabling you to cover key subject knowledge while developing your own interests.
Optional Modules: There are no optional modules for this award
Interim Awards: PG Cert Film Production (60 Credits), PG Dip Film Production (120 Credits)
Credit requirements: 180 credits from the above modules for MA Film Production
Award: MA Film Production
Students learn within a conservatoire environment in which they are regarded as professionals in training. At this Masters level in Film Production, there is an expectation that they will develop a high level of problem solving skills, engage at an advanced level of critical evaluation of their practice and acquire the creative thinking required of film makers working in a practical, complex creative and employment-focused environment.
Students are immersed in this challenging environment, which demands great attention to detail, independent thinking, and collaborative working combined with diplomatic negotiating and leadership skills.
The programme is practical and career focused. It is integrated with the school’s other programmes during productions, as well as within the professional environment. The programme features a high level of one-to-one teaching by specialist professionals.
The learning is immersive and singular in its focus on high level specialist professional employability as a main learning outcome.
The learning is intensive with students taught and supervised by teaching staff at least 30 hours per week across the 38 weeks of the programme.
To apply for entry to the MA Film Production programme in October 2018, you will need to use the UCAS Conservatoires.
To apply for this course please click here: click here to apply via the UCAS website in a new tab
Applications open on the 1 September 2017 and close on 28th February 2018.
Please note that UCAS Conservatoires is a different application system to UCAS Undergraduate.
Applying Through UCAS Conservatoires
Although UCAS Conservatoires (previously CUKAS) offers many advantages, it was originally designed to handle applications for music programmes at UK conservatoires and is in the process of being adapted to meet the needs of drama applicants.
We are working with UCAS Conservatoires and other drama schools to ensure this happens as quickly as possible but, in the meantime, you may find the following notes helpful.
Additional Guidance on How to Apply
Registration and Audition Fees
There is a one-off registration fee of £25 to register (for entry 2018) to use the service. The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School also charges an audition administration fee of £35 to cover the cost involved in arranging and delivering auditions/interviews. Both fees are payable through UCAS Conservatoires.
Personal Statements
We recommend that you pay particular attention to the information you provide in your personal statement on your application form in order to give us as full a picture as possible of your relevant experience and reasons for applying.
Application Dates
You can apply through UCAS Conservatoires from the 1 September 2017. The equal consideration deadline for applications to the MA Film Production programme is 15 January 2018. However our applications for this course will close on 28th February 2018.
If you have any further queries please contact the Admissions Department to discuss: [email protected]
Deferred Entry
We are unable to consider applications for deferred entry.
This highly-regarded taught programme offers the opportunity to engage in cross-disciplinary investigation of various aspects of cinema and moving image culture, and has diverse routes available via theoretical, vocational and practice-based perspectives to provide a uniquely flexible course. These routes allow students to combine vocational, theoretical and practice-based modules as preferred.
Theoretical modules involve study of British, American, European, Far Eastern and Middle Eastern Cinemas. Here, students will examine how film and television texts produced in these regions relate to their historical, social, and cultural contexts through a variety of critical and theoretical approaches, which range from aesthetics as cinematic discourse to the implications of terrorism for film and its audiences.
Vocational choices, which are available throughout, include Teaching Film and Media, Becoming an Academic, Film Festivals, Film Festivals Independent Study (that offer opportunities to attend a film festival, and to be involved in film festival organisation) and Film Journalism, supported by expert film critics, that develops skills required for the writing of film reviews and articles in journals such as Sight and Sound.
There are practice-based options to undertake experimental and documentary film production, and scriptwriting.
Full time students normally attend lectures for 9-11 hours per week, and part-time students attend 3-6 hours per week, depending on module choices. Most modules run on Thursdays so that a full time student might expect to attend from 10am – 9pm on Thursdays
Students are assessed via a diverse range of assignments including:
Course Specific Cost:
Course costs are at the usual MA rate with 20% discount for UoW graduates. The module Film Festivals requires an additional flat rate cost of £350 to over hotel, travel and festival entrance fee to a national/international Film Festival. Any additional cost for attendance at a film festival will be met by the university
Most of the modules are delivered at Light House Media centre which houses 2 purpose built cinemas. Otherwise, teaching is at other appropriate venues on City Campus. All teaching on the MA Film and Screen is informed by staff expertise, with their research directly underpinning each module. This expertise is reflected in the significant number of high-quality publications produced by Film and Media Staff who contributed successfully to REF2014.
Who will teach you on this course:
One student commented on module 7FI014 Teaching Film and Media: This course was the best course I have attended - the teaching was comprehensive and I found the content to be some of the most useful I have experienced throughout my time at university. This was a relatively new subject and I found the work challenging - dealing with new concepts and ideas, but the most important parts for me was to understand where students are educationally before they arrive in University and to develop some of the skills to engage students in their learning experience. I can't express how useful, engaging and interesting this was, I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in teaching at higher education as well as further education.
In addition to facilitating competence in a range of intellectual and social skills that will be advantageous to the majority of occupations, an MA in Film and Screen is academically relevant to careers in the arts and media, leading to employment in arts administration, film archiving, film and media research, film journalism, film festival management, lecturing and teaching. A specific and unique advantage of this course is a module enabling new lecturers to deliver Film Studies and Media to AS/A2 level. It also provides suitable grounding for doctoral research in film, television and film history.
The course offers theoretical, vocational and practice-based options throughout and you will gain a broad range of academic, vocational and transferable skills that are vital to academic employability and to the screen industries, such as the ability to organise film festivals, present papers at conferences, and publish both journalistic film reviews and scholarly publications. Core modules include Teaching Film and Media which offers unique training for teachers and lecturers in Film and Media Studies, and Becoming an Academic whereby you will acquire a range of academic skills entailing, for example, the ability to write a journal article, academic book, and funding bids. As part of your MA programme, you will independently conduct a research project to a publishable standard, which will provide good opportunities for research-based writing in various contexts. You will also develop event management skills for academic events, such as film festival programming, film curation and the organisation of post-graduate symposia.
International Film Production MA is an exciting programme delivered in partnership with Creative Media Skills (CMS) which allows you to develop your film production skills to a professional level. This course will give you the opportunity to develop a portfolio of production related skills by studying at DMU in Leicester and at CMS, an independent training provider based at Pinewood Studios in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire. This course is ideally suited to those who are progressing from undergraduate study, or professionals seeking to develop their career. The course is structured around developing skills in production management, development and other skills related to the film production process.
Developed in partnership with Creative Media Skills (CMS)
CMS is DMU’s partner in developing and delivering the programme. It works hand in hand with government organisations, as well as the industry, to identify skills gaps and provide high-level targeted training in many areas of the film industry. CMS bring professionals and department heads into the classroom, and provides students with access to the UK film industry’s most valuable knowledge base – its staff.
Develop a range of production management skills
At DMU, these skills include scriptwriting, lighting and cinematography, image processing, directing and post production. At CMS you will focus on pitching, budgeting, production development, and fine skills. You will also gain core business expertise, such as an understanding of research and development, and wider careers planning.
Benefit from DMU’s expertise
At DMU, you will develop your filmmaking and camera based skills, learn about the UK film industry and shoot your major production. You will benefit from our outstanding studio spaces, and the skills and expertise of established research groups such as Cinema and Television History (CATH) Research Centre and Institute Of Creative Technologies (IOCT)
Learning off campus at CMS
The second semester of your learning will take place in the Creative Media Skills centre. While there, you will manage the development of a production and receive masterclasses on a range of fine skills from the CMS team and respected professionals actively working in the film industry.
During the first semester, you will work at DMU. This semester involves developing core skills in storytelling, screenwriting, directing, producing, image processing, sound recording and other camera based skills. You will take four, 15 credit modules during semester one:
First semester
• Key Roles in the Film Industry
• The Production Process
• Screenwriting
• Realisation
Second semester
• Pre-Production
• Fine Skills
Third semester
• Dissertation
You will be taught by DMU’s team of production experts and filmmakers in our studio space, and you will begin the process of developing a major project, and specialising in a production role.
During the second semester, you will work in the Creative Media Skills centre. Here you will finesse your skills in a more diverse range of areas, including Production management & Coordination, Pitching, Assistant Directing, Production Management, Script Supervision, Hair, Makeup, Costume, Art Department; Working with Actors and Working in Teams. You will also enter pre-production under the guidance of our expert staff. At Creative Media Skills, you will take two, 30 credit modules, which cover these various areas:
During this semester you will be expected to pitch film ideas to a panel of industry experts. The best will be selected as the major projects, which will become your focus in the third semester. During the third semester you will work more independently at DMU to manage and deliver your final film project, with an accompanying reflective commentary. This project will demonstrate the skills and knowledge developed on the course, and will form the basis of your professional portfolio. You also have the option of taking an academic dissertation.
In addition to the major project, assessments take the form of practical coursework, written reports and presentations.
To learn more about this course and DMU, visit our website:
Postgraduate open days: http://www.dmu.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-study/open-evenings/postgraduate-open-days.aspx
Applying for a postgraduate course:
Funding for postgraduate students
Our MA in International Film Business aims to train the next generation of innovative executives for the international film industry.
We will teach you about film finance and sales, distribution and marketing, creative management and development, digital strategy and festival curation and programming.
You will learn about the impact technology is having on the industry and gain insider access to a range of events including the Berlin Film Festival and European Film Market.
The London Film School is a world leading postgraduate filmmaking school and you will have the opportunity to access their extensive expertise, attend master-classes and industry events organised by the school as well as the opportunity to benefit from working with an industry mentor as part of the dissertation.
As you might expect from a ground breaking programme of study, assessment will be more than just essays. Instead you will give presentations, pitch ideas, and take on negotiation exercises. During your first term at the University of Exeter you will design, promote, and deliver a pop-up cinema event in the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum.
If you’re serious about pursuing a career in the film business this MA will give you the chance to develop the key business skills and networks you will need, and benefit from mentoring by leading UK and European industry professionals.
The MA in International Film Business is co-directed by Angus Finney, of The London Film School and Professor Will Higbee at the University of Exeter.
Angus is the author of The International Film Business, Project Manager of the Film London Production Finance Market, and a former Director of Renaissance Films. A well-known authority on the industry, he has executive producer credits for films such as Candy (2006), Dear Frankie (2004), and Disco Pigs (2001).
Professor Higbee has particular expertise in French and African cinema as well as broader issues in national and international film. His research has been widely published and he is a regular participant in film festivals and events around the world.
Together they will guide you through an intensive year that goes beyond the course content and into the reality of working in the international film industry.
As an MA International Film Business student you will have access to the world-renowned expertise of the London Film School and the academic excellence and research resources of the University of Exeter.
Your first term will be taught by leading film and business academics at Exeter where you will undertake a global survey of international film production, distribution and exhibition strategies and trends, and study business strategy, accounting and finance, intellectual property and entertainment economics. You will have the opportunity to examine innovative business models and the rapidly changing digital landscape of independent film.
At the London Film School you will take part in talks, master classes and question and answer sessions with film makers, as a graduate of the MA you will have access to the knowledge and contacts few programmes can offer their alumni. You’ll study the entertainment value chain through seminars delivered by London Film School staff and industry professionals, and a further series of intensive full-day seminars exploring film business innovation.
While there is no requirement to make a film as part of the MA, you can take the initiative in the second and third term to work independently, outside of the programme, with other LFS students who are studying on the MA screenwriting or filmmaking.
In your second term you will take part in our field trip to the Berlin International Film Festival, including access to the European Film Market, which is a business to business event not open to the public.
The Berlinale takes place in February and is one of the world's oldest and most important international film festivals. About 400 films from all around the world are screened each year at the festival, most of which are international or European premieres.
As well as the excitement of premieres and the films in competition, the Berlinale is an important place for film industry executives to do business. The Berlinale hosts both the European Film Market and the International co-production market, where around 400 companies are represented. The festival also organises a variety of workshops, panel discussions and film programmes.
From start to finish producers are the driving force behind the film and television industry. They generate new projects and ideas, secure finance, manage production and strategically market the result. The producer’s role has been transformed by the advent of globalisation, digital technology and the multi-channel environment. Now more than ever, the entertainment industries need creative leadership.
Our Masters offers aspiring producers the opportunity to acquire the creative and entrepreneurial skills required to enter the rapidly changing universe of film and television. You will learn to create script ideas, work with writers and directors, manage a production thoroughly and market across platforms, we'll teach you how to navigate the financial and legal aspects of the industry, too.
The course is taught from our creative hub at Royal Holloway's central London campus, 11 Bedford Square. Our proximity to the media industry means that we can draw upon professionals for outstanding master classes, industry panels and careers events. Students are encouraged to attend The London Film Festival, MIPCOM, Berlin, and Cannes international festivals. You will also try out interning at a production company or work on the crew of a professional production.
You will learn from top talent and practice what you learn by making films, and TV programmes. The ‘Role of Producer’ and ‘Script Development’ courses are taught by Professor Jonathan Powell, one of the UK's most respected and experienced drama producers, having previously worked as Controller of BBC1 and Head of Drama for the BBC. The course leader is award winning producer and executive, Gillian Gordon who brings thirty years’ experience in Hollywood and the UK to teaching ‘Producing Workshop’.
Through master classes, industry internships and alumni partnerships, students are provided with opportunities to network with international talent and expertise, as well as building links with current Royal Holloway students and academic partners.
Core modules
The Role of the Producer
In this module you will develop an understanding of the role of the producer as the driving force in creating, managing and selling film and television products. You will look at how the independent sector works, and consider how to programme and pitch ideas. You will also examine approaches to working with creative talent.
Script Development
In this module you will develop an understanding of how to write an industry standard script report. You will learn how to analyse both film and TV scripts, and produce reports that constructively engage writers with the process of script development. You will consider the analysis of structure, character, dialogue, genre, and how to transfer feedback verbally.
Producing Workshop
In this module you will develop an understanding of how to create and pitch ideas to film, television and new media executives and financiers. You will learn the basics of script development, set procedure, scheduling, camera work, audio equipment and post production. You will consider how to develop and identify viable fiction projects and lead and manage the production of a short video, . You will work with creative talent, writers, directors, casting agents, and key craft team members, and examine how to finance and market your short film. You will put together a viable presentation package and pitch to a panel of industry professionals.
International Media Business
In this module you will develop an understanding of the global film and TV business. You will learn how to plan and conceptualise the creation and management of a sustainable media enterprise. You will examine the critical issues affecting the success or failure of film and television businesses, considering the role of financial planning in the life-cycle of visual media projects. You will also explore the wider context of finance in the development, marketing and distribution of film and television to investors, partners and government bodies, with a focus on the challenges faced by business startups.
Production Management
In this module you will develop an understanding of basic production accounting and the line management skills needed for film, TV and transmedia production. You will learn how to set-up a production company and budget, schedule, manage cash flow, and supervise a quality fiction production. You will consider how to manage 'below-the line' deals on a drama production and identify financial issues and their implications for day-to-day management. You will also examine how to manage a film crew and supervise the daily operations of a production team, and manage production costs, equipment and facility deals.
Marketing and Media Law
In this module you will develop an understanding of media marketing and promotion in film and television distribution and exhibition. You will look at social media and new trends in the global marketing of films and media projects, including cross-platform marketing. You will consider the fundamental principles of media law, including contract and intellectual property law, and examine issues of content and regulation.
Dissertation
You will produce a 10,000 word dissertation or media project on topic of your choice. You will carry out an investigation that has a clearly defined aim of study and arrive at a carefully argued set of conclusions derived from original research covering print, internet and first hand interview sources.
Assessment is carried out by a variety of methods including essays, script reports, treatments, pitching exercises, studio exercises, production papers, practical film-making, business reports and presentations.
Our close links to the film and TV production industry make this a practical course – and one that gives you building blocks for your future.
While you're on the course, we'll encourage and guide you into work placements and internships. Past students have secured placements with industry leading organisations including:
Graduates from the Department of Media Arts have gone on to work in independent television and film production, for broadcasters like the BBC and ITV, for distributors, exhibitors, talent agencies and entertainment lawyers.
This course provides the opportunity for you to develop as a thinking practitioner of film-making or television programme-making, someone who is able to innovate while questioning and interrogating existing values and traditions. The emphasis is firmly on practical film-making and television production work, underpinned with contextual theory throughout, engaging with contemporary issues and emerging trends in film and television production, as well as established film/television theories and practices.
The first two semesters of study provide a range of modules which will allow you to develop your film/television “craft skills” – this may include work with camera, lighting, sound, editing, directing and producing – while working on short film/TV projects of your own devising. There will be opportunities to collaborate with other students, and you will be encouraged to make contact with, and work with, contributors (e.g. interviewees, actors) from outside of the university. You will also develop your skills as an academic researcher by carrying out research which feeds directly into your film projects.
The course culminates in the Masters Project, where you will be the key creative leader of a film or television production, taking on the role of producer or director.
In a typical week, a full-time student on this course will have up to ten hours of class time which will be a mixture of lectures, seminars, tutorials and practical workshop sessions. Most course modules will blend these different teaching methods within a given timetabled session, so there will be plenty of variety.
In lectures, you will typically be given ‘food for thought’ in relation to your own project ideas. In workshop sessions you will get to practice film-making techniques related to your own project work needs. In seminars you will share ideas and discuss with tutors and fellow students. In tutorials you will have one-to-one or small group discussion about your works in progress.
The general flow of the course for a full time student is to start with production skills, research skills and scriptwriting in the first semester. In the second semester you move on to a small personal project which will combine all that you have learned from these three areas. In the final semester, you bring it all together in a personal film/TV production project which is seen as the culmination of your studies.
Part-time students experience exactly the same course modules and course content, but necessarily broken down into smaller groups of modules.
Opportunities:
The course is built upon negotiated production work, which means you get to propose and develop your own ideas for film and television. The teaching staff are experienced with production across documentary, drama and social action production, and will guide you according to your ambitions, skills and needs.
There is always the opportunity to work on ‘live’ project briefs, which can be used as the basis of a module project, or alternatively as an extra-curricular experience which informs your development on the course and allows you to network with students on related courses.
The course is taught in the School of Media, which houses a three-camera live television studio, fifteen editing suites with Premiere Pro, After Effects, Final Cut Pro X and other professional software packages, and a sound-recording/foley production suite. It also has an equipment store from which you can borrow all the camera, sound, lighting and other equipment you need to produce your work.
Who will teach you on this course?
The course teaching team includes four active doctoral or postdoctoral researchers – Adam Kossoff, Tracy McCoy, Phil Nichols and Gavin Wilson – whose interests include documentary film, social action video, screenwriting and adaptation, and cinematography. They are all qualified higher education teachers, and have many years of experience of teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate level. They are also experienced film and programme makers.
Our students and graduates have a track-record of success in competitions and festivals, such as the prestigious Royal Television Society Student Awards, the Midland Movies awards, and the Business Disability Forum's Technology Taskforce Film Festival.
Film-maker and editor Andrew Webber has had his films screened at international festivals in the UK, Jamaica and West Africa. He says, “The University has been extremely supportive, through my studies and after graduation.”
Niki Gandy has pursued a teaching career, and now teaches photography and art in a High School. Calling herself a “proud graduate” of our related undergraduate course, she says, “I chose it for its practical content and which helped furnish me with numerous transferable skills necessary to forge my career in teaching. Almost a decade on, my lecturers continue to provide me with support and guidance - I feel certain that my relationship with the university will continue for many years to come.”
Actor and director Brian Duffy, creator of TV series Small World – a comedy series about a group of deaf flatmates which has been shown on TV and online – says, “Studying at the University of Wolverhampton helped me with networking and organisation – especially as filmmakers came to Wolverhampton for Deaffest, the UK’s leading deaf film and arts festival. My lecturer could also sign which was a great help and a huge weight off my shoulders – I could talk to her one-to-one. That’s something I never had the pleasure of pre-university.”
Lauren Shinner has been working in media production ever since graduating. She says, “My time at the University was invaluable, I wouldn't be where I am today without it. The tutors were always helpful and push students to do their best with plenty of support and understanding and the course prepares you well for your prospective career. I've gone on to work as a video editor in education, ran my own media business and have done videos for high end charities and new bands, and am now working in media in another area. Without my degree, none of this would have been possible.”
On this programme, students develop a practical and critical approach to the relationship between film production workflows, digital film technology, and creative practice. The programme seeks to develop students' creative abilities to a high professional standard, preparing them for employment in increasingly dynamic film and media sectors, and to facilitate film projects that foreground the importance of practice-based research, expertise and experimentation.
The MA route allows students to refine a critical approach to creativity in areas such as writing, directing, and producing; the MSc focuses on creative technological agendas in areas such as cinematography, editing, and VFX. To find out more about the MA/MSc in Film Production visit our blog at http://blogs.gre.ac.uk/filmproduction.
From October to April, you will attend three core courses (Cinematography 1, Production Practice, Film Research Workshop) and choose four courses from the following options: Cinematography 2, Film Screenwriting, VFX, Directing Screen Performance, Sound Design and Editing. From May to September you will undertake a final project.
You will use digital camera equipment current in the industry, including RED, Canon C300 and Arri Alexa systems. Teaching takes place in brand new film production facilities in the Stockwell Street building, which includes studios, post-production suites, and a sound studio.
Year 1
Students are required to study the following compulsory courses.
Students are required to choose 30 credits from this list of options.
Year 1
Students are required to study the following compulsory courses.
Year 2
Students are required to study the following compulsory courses.
Students are required to choose 30 credits from this list of options.
Students are assessed on their film project work and creative portfolios.
This programme is aimed at students preparing to make the transition from education to employment in the film industry. The film sector needs graduates with specialist expertise, but also creative thinkers who are deadline-driven and project-minded; capable of managing digital workflows in an enterprising manner, and taking initiative. This is the kind of approach we encourage and help our students to develop.
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