MA Film and Media Production
Attendance
Full-time, Part-time
Full-time – 18 months Part-time – typically three years.
Starts September
At a glance
This production-based course is designed to help create the next generation of outstanding filmmakers. It gives you the technical ability and creative confidence to produce original, challenging and bold projects for independent cinema, television and galleries.
Key points
• Develop your creative and technical ability on this production-based course.
• Train to a professional level in three skill areas using industry standard facilities.
• Play a key role in producing at least four films for your showreel.
• Benefit from our excellent links with the film and TV industry.
About this course
During the course you gain experience of the full film-making-process including writing, directing, producing, shooting, editing and sound design. We encourage creativity and experimentation between different technologies and conventions, as you work across fiction, documentary and experimental film genres. You complete projects using an intensive production process.
We focus on independence and creating new cinema, emphasising the distinction between creative, conceptual skills and technical industry training. You discover the common ground between fiction, documentary and experimental genres, and explore innovative approaches to creating work with a bold cinematic vision.
Showreel creation
This course gives you significant practical experience and allows you the space to be innovative and creative. You play a key role in producing at least four films during 18 months, enabling you to create a substantial body of work for your showreel.
Professional skill development
You choose three skill areas to train to a professional level in from • direction • producing • screenwriting • post-production • cinematography • sound.
You develop your ability through workshops which involve exercises based around documentary, fiction and experimental. For example the fiction workshop involves you working with professional actors to deliver a cinematic interpretation of a script.
Projects involve you working with students from other skills areas to form a production team with each member contributing expertise from their skill area. Film projects are chosen via competitive pitching sessions, where students on the directing route pitch their ideas and the projects and crews are chosen. The directing route includes a substantial production budget which enables films to be produced to a high standard.
We also give you media training which allows and encourages you to create your own showreels and DVD's for future employment and to submit to festivals. There is a public screening of the final films to showcase your work to representatives from the media and other companies.
Broadcast standard facilities
All our films are originated on high definition digital video using broadcast standard sound recording equipment. Post production facilities include Final Cut Pro and AVID digital editing, and Pro tools HD surround sound. This enables films to be created and completed to a high professional standard.
Industry placements
We have excellent links with the television industry which helps enable some of our students to gain work experience with major TV productions such as the BBC 1 drama Prisoners Wives.
Sheffield Doc/Fest links
We have a close working relationship with Sheffield Doc/Fest, which is one of the world's leading documentary festivals. This provides our students with many unique benefits from attending master classes and real pitching sessions to meeting internationally renowned film and television experts.
Award winning teaching team
You are taught by a team featuring international award winners and active professional filmmakers in contemporary independent cinema, television, sonic and visual arts.
Staff include
• Steve Sprung – director, editor and cameraman who has won awards including best short fiction 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
• Ron Wright – sound designer who has worked on films that are regularly broadcast on major TV channels and that have won awards at Raindance and Berlin film festivals
Associated careers
Many of our 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
For full-time students this runs from October to February and has 14 weeks of contact and 1 week of assessment.
Core skill options
Choose three from • direction • producing • screenwriting • post-production • cinematography • location and post-production sound.
Integrated workshops
We take you through practical skill training early on, allowing you to progress quickly towards self sufficiency and competence in operational skills. You take part in integrated workshop projects, which are exercises based around documentary, experimental and fiction.
The fiction exercise runs over an intense continuous period. Typically, this involves working with professional actors and is focussed on the use of lighting to create atmosphere and the choreography of actors with the camera. You direct short scenes with teams from other skill areas to deliver a cinematic interpretation of a given script in four-hour blocks over a week.
The documentary exercise is a three-minute film on a common theme, such as "telling lies". The intention is to make a poetic non-synch film, creating a marriage of image and sound to understand the power of this format.
During the screenwriting and research/project development modules, you prepare, write, develop and pitch your film project for production at postgraduate diploma stage.
Feedback and review screening
Towards the end of the semester there is a group review screening attended by all students and tutors, where you show your projects for feedback and discussion.
For assessment you hand in your practical production work. This is usually with a log book showing your notes and research for each skill module, and a short self-assessment essay.
Research module
You take a research module where you align a research topic to a skill option. This runs through both semesters and informs your postgraduate diploma project.
We introduce you to the benefits of research, and give you grounding in key themes and ideas in documentary, experimental and fiction film making. You produce a research proposal which identifies research themes and the nature and motivation for your project. In the second semester you produce a research report.
We assess you based on your written work and a presentation to your tutor and fellow students. This is a good opportunity to share your knowledge with each other and stimulate a group discussion. It also helps you to develop vital communication skills.
Postgraduate diploma
For full-time students this runs from February to June and has 12 weeks of contact and 3 weeks of assessment.
During this semester you focus on the pre-production, production and delivery of your film projects. You attend a mix of workshops and tutorials. We deliver most of the workshops early in the semester, to enable you to focus on your film projects, which are typically short production 5-10 minute films.
Currently, we give each project a budget of up to £500.
Film projects are chosen via pitching sessions which start in semester one, where you can pitch your ideas. Following feedback from your tutors, the projects and crews are chosen.
During semester two, you pitch your ideas for the MA project. There is a review screening attended by all students and tutors, where you screen your project for group discussion.
We assess you based on your practical work through a log book showing your notes and research for each skill module and a short self assessment essay.
Sheffield International Documentary Festival
You attend the Sheffield Doc/Fest and market in June. This is now recognised as one of the world's leading documentary festivals. We sponsor the event so you receive free passes to film screenings, master classes and industry networking events.
MA
For full-time students this runs from June to March
By this point, you should be self-sufficient in your study. Contact time with tutors generally takes the form of tutorials. We ask you to produce short films averaging 10-15 minutes. If you are an international student, you may prefer to make your film in your home country.
Script proposal selection is competitive and made by a course production team. We encourage you to seek outside funding and distribution for this work and to work in partnership with external agencies, but this is not a requirement.
Currently, we give each project a budget of up to £2,000. We also give you media training which allows and encourages you to create your own showreels and DVD's for future employment and to submit to festivals. We encourage you to develop creative strategies for engaging in the new media cross-platform landscape
There is a public screening of the final MA films in May or June to showcase your work. We invite representatives from the media and other companies to the screening.
Assessment
Continuous assessment for course modules, production portfolio and critical review of production work
Entry requirements
We encourage applications from an international field of potential candidates. To be considered for the course we expect you to have basic skills in your chosen options.
Selection is determined by
• range of appropriate experience
• quality of showreel or single film – particularly in the expression of ideas
• a flexible approach to learning
• evidenced enthusiasm and interest in the particular philosophy of the course
Normally you need one of the following
• an honours degree in an area of film and television production
• an honours degree in a related discipline
• relevant media or cultural industry experience, plus appropriate evidence of preparation for the course, for example a showreel, a single film, a production portfolio, scripts or treatments
An IELTS score of 6.0 with a minimum of 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
With directing module
Typically £7,490 for the course. This includes a £2,500 film budget.
Without directing module
Typically £4,590 for the course
International students
2013/14 academic year
Typically £13,500 for the course with the directing module (including a £2,500 film budget), £10,980 without the directing module
2014/15 academic year
Typically £13,825 for the course with the directing module (including a £2,500 film budget), £11,250 without the directing module
How to apply
To apply for this course, you need to complete an application form www.shu.ac.uk/study/form and an additional information form www.shu.ac.uk/_assets/docs/fmpform.doc
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