MA International Documentary Production
Attendance
Full-time, Part-time
Full-time – 18 months
Part-time – one year to certificate, two years to diploma, three years to masters with a maximum of six years
Starts September
At a glance
Develop your skills and knowledge studying on a unique course that is run in association with the internationally reknowned Sheffield Doc/Fest. This course focuses on developing, directing, financing and producing documentary films – the core activity of documentary production companies.
Key points
• Develop your creative and technical ability on this production-based course.
• Train to a professional level using industry standard facilities.
• Play a key role in producing at least three films for your showreel.
• Benefit from our excellent links with the film and TV industry, including Sheffield Doc/fest.
About this course
We run this course in association with Sheffield Doc/Fest, one of the world's leading documentary festivals. The course aim is to help you to become a creative documentary director who understands how international documentary funding works. You learn to apply documentary filmmaking skills in the context of cross-platform convergent media.
During the course you
• focus on project development and production financing to create market-ready packages
• understand the core skills of documentary filmmaking
• learn about the process of researching and developing short films into longer documentaries to the point where they are ready to market
• form production teams and partnerships, shooting and editing visual material as part of the development process
Award winning teaching team
You are taught by a team featuring international award winners and active professional filmmakers, together with key guest speakers from Sheffield Doc/Fest.
Staff include
• Steve Sprung – director, editor and cameraman who has won awards including most creative documentary film at the Berlin film festival and was a founder member of Faction Films which has produced over 30 documentaries
• Virginia Heath – writer and director who has won awards including Best Short Film at the Berlin film festival and had work screened at Cannes and on Channel 4
Broadcast Standard facilities
You have access to the school’s production facilities including • HDV cameras • lighting • sound • digital post-production. Your studies are also supported by the Doc/Fest’s master classes that have been delivered at the festival by leading directors and producers for the past 10 years.
Sheffield Doc/Fest links
Our relationship with Sheffield Doc/Fest provides you with many unique benefits from attending master classes and real pitching sessions to meeting internationally renowned film and television experts.
Sheffield film culture
You study in the heart of Sheffield with its vibrant mix of world class music and film culture. We have close links with • the Showroom cinema • Warp Films • Lovebytes Digital Arts Festival • Site Gallery.
Associated careers
This is a new course that has developed out of the MA Film and Media Production.
Many of our MA Film and Media Production graduates have built successful careers in the film and television industry and independent cinema working as • directors • producers • screenwriters • cinematographers • editors • sound recordists • sound designers.
Some of our previous graduates include
BAFTA award winners
Justin Molonikov, director, winner of Scottish BAFTA for best feature film for Crying with Laughter. He has also directed Shameless (Channel 4 TV) and Merlin (BBC One).
Rob Hardy, director of photography (DOP), winner of a BAFTA for best cinematography for Boy A. Now recognised as one of the UK’s top DOPs, his credits include Red Riding TV series and Broken starring Tim Roth.
Gregor Lyon, editor, winner of BAFTA for Secret Life of The Berlin Wall and Tsunami 7 hours on Boxing day and BAFTA nominated for Breaking Up with the Jones.
Barry Ryan, head of production at Warp Films,winner of BAFTA for best film with Four Lions, and winner of BAFTA best mini TV serieswith This is England 86 and 88.
Television series director/DOP/sound recordist
Samuel Donovan has directed Secret Diary of a Call Girl (ITV), Skins (Channel 4) and Last Tango in Halifax (BBC One).
Stuart Dunne is a director of photography on major documentary series for BBC1 such as Secret Britain and Serious Explorers, Inside Nature’s Giants (Channel 4), Norman Conquests (BBC4) and many television documentaries.
Susan Pennington, sound recordist and designer, was dialogue editor on Shane Meadows’ This is England and other credits include Channel 4 TV series This is England 86 and 88 and Tyrannosaur.
British Independent Film Award winner
Stevie Haywood, won the British Independent Film Award for sound design with Berberian Sound Studio. Stevie was also the sound recordist on Warp Films' Dead Man’s Shoes and Donkey Punch, and The Only Way Is Essex (TV Series).
International co-producers
Vicky Miha went on to produce with Boo Productions whose credits include Dogtooth, OSCAR nominated for Best Foreign Language Film 2011and Prix Un Certain Regard, Cannes Film Festival 2009.
Vicky is currently co-producing fellow graduate, Latvian director, Juris Kursietis’ debut feature film Modris. The director of photography is the Oscar nominated, Bogumil Godfrejow.
Abhiram Suresh Unnithan has won the Bhaskaran Memorial Award for best debut director in South India for his first feature film Yakshi Faithfully Yours and is currently in pre production for his second feature film.
Commissioner/funder
Keith Potter has recently been appointed project manager responsible for development and production at the Irish Film Board.
Course content
Postgraduate certificate
Producing – workshops
You attend a series of practical workshops and learn the contemporary professional working practices of the film and video production process. You are introduced to a range of genres and develop your conceptual understanding of the producing process.
Directing – workshops
You learn how to work as a director to bring documentary films to life from script to screen. This includes creating meanings and stories with pictures and sounds, crossing genre boundaries, and the practical side of directing.
Developing documentary – workshops
You examine the history of documentary filmmaking through theoretical and practical work leading to the development of a proposal for a short documentary film that will be shot for the postgraduate diploma. You develop documentary synopsis, treatments and practising pitches as well as self-shooting, sound recording and editing skills.
Film/video-making – research and project development workshops
You study the benefits of research and gain a grounding in researching the subjects for documentary filmmaking and focus on giving your work depth and integrity. We introduce research methods and you develop a proposal for a research project.
Postgraduate diploma
Creative documentary producing
You produce a proposal for a documentary finance and distribution package that you develop in the final project module. You also apply the skills you have learnt in a production schedule of short documentary films, and develop your knowledge of international digital documentary.
Directing documentary
You learn how to lead the direction of a short film from treatment/script to final cut within a process of tutored critical reviews. You develop your approaches to visual and aural storytelling, together with your critical thinking towards screen works, through the production of a short documentary film.
Developing documentary projects
You develop a proposal(s) for your final documentary project(s). You are introduced to the contemporary international documentary environment and the range of social media tools required to support it.
Filmmaking – masters research and project development
You develop your understanding of and ability to apply an investigative, researched approach towards documentary work at a professional level.
Masters
Final project – programme of production
This final project enables you to realise the project(s) that you started to develop during the postgraduate diploma. You actively lead each project, replicating the professional environment.
Assessment
100 per cent coursework
Entry requirements
Typically you need a BA (Honours) degree or relevant media industry experience.
Overseas applicants from countries whose first language is not English must normally produce evidence of competence in English. An IELTS score of 6.0 with 5.5 in all skills (or equivalent) is the standard for non-native speakers of English. If your English language skill is currently below an IELTS score of 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in all skills we recommend you consider a Sheffield Hallam University Pre-sessional English course which will enable you to achieve an equivalent English level.
Fees
Home and EU students
2013/14 academic year
Typically £4,590 for the course
Part-time study should be calculated pro rata.
International students
2013/14 academic year
Typically £10,980 for the course
2014/15 academic year
Typically £11,250 for the course
How to apply
Complete the application form available at www.shu.ac.uk/study/form
Contact details
For further information please contact the Faculty of Arts, Computing, Engineering and Sciences, Sheffield Hallam University, City Campus, Sheffield S1 1WB. Phone +44 (0)114 225 5179 or email aces-helpdesk@shu.ac.uk