Course summary

Documentary filmmaking is one of the fastest growing sectors of the screen economy. From feature length films to short online content, documentaries offer a powerful tool for storytelling, and engaging audiences in diverse subjects and causes. Aimed at students with at least some experience of film and video-making already, UWE Bristol’s MA Screen Production (Documentary) gives you access to expert support and industry-level facilities to take your work to the next level. Covering the huge breadth of forms of documentary, you’ll study wide-ranging filmmaking practices and apply these to producing your own films. The course is practice-focused, so you’ll get to expand your experience, and learn to be a ‘thinking documentary filmmaker’, as you learn from the work of great documentarists. UWE Bristol has sector-leading expertise in filmmaking, standing at third in the UK in the Guardian League Tables 2020. This course is integrated into the buoyant documentary sector of Bristol’s audiovisual economy, where Channel 4 recently opened its regional hub, and some of the fastest growing indies in the UK are based. You’ll work closely with local companies, as well as the BBC; go on company visits; attend guest lectures with leading industry experts; and have the chance to experience the Berlin Film Festival. Working with Bristol Business School, you’ll build the skills to operate as a freelance, self-employed documentary filmmaker, and there’ll be opportunities to network with students on other postgraduate screen MAs. By the time you graduate, you’ll be equipped to follow a wide range of careers, working for broadcasters or setting up your own independent film company. You’re most likely to first secure work as a researcher or production team associate in a larger production company, before seeking commissions to make your own content.