Course summary

On our MA Filmmaking course, you’ll discover how to bring stories to life, developing technical and production skills including camera work, postproduction and single camera directing techniques. You’ll be taught by experienced media professionals on state-of-the-art equipment, and study the practical skills, contemporary technical knowledge and problem-solving ability for a range of production roles. The course is split between our High Wycombe Campus and our teaching base at Pinewood Studios, where you can get a feel for life on set and develop your skills and understanding of this fast-paced industry, all right in the heart of this famous creative hub. Why Study at Buckinghamshire New University? This is a highly vocational and hands-on course that will help develop your understanding of the creative, editorial, commercial, and practical aspects of digital film production. This degree will enable you to gain key skills for employment in the film, tv and media industries. The teaching team hold a hugely diverse range of industry experience, with film academics, practitioners, producers, directors and other industry professionals. To further enhance your education, guest lecturers from industry will be invited to share their expertise. We also hold masterclass events which will give you the chance to put your knowledge into action. There are also opportunities for applied learning in real or simulated work contexts. Working in production teams on major film projects simulates real-world environments and exposes you to the complexity of collaborative working. The course has been developed in consultation with leading film industry professionals, and underpinned with reference to industry benchmarks, to help ensure you are learning relevant skills. The course also adheres to the current findings of the UK’s skills body for the screen industries, ScreenSkills. What Will I Study? You will be introduced to fundamental and advanced creative camera techniques and to camera peripherals. Across the twelve months of the course, you will work together with other students across three core modules and choose from a selection of optional modules. Creative and technical areas of advanced editing and post production will be explored, including software, standards for media production delivery and workflows. You will have the option to study advanced lighting techniques for specific environments that include studio, greenscreen and location. Depending on the modules you choose, you may also study screenwriting, writing a professional treatment and freelance writing skills, as well as script and screen analysis. Other options include the in-depth practice-based study of leading industry roles, with opportunities to focus on the creative and organisational roles of the director, the producer and production manager. Studying techniques of virtual production will prepare you for a crucial, developing area of the industry. You will initiate and create a short film each term, and collaborate with fellow students on creative production work, making all aesthetic, editorial and production decisions while solving problems like those faced by real-life production crews. These projects mean that you will graduate with a portfolio of writing, directing, cinematography, sound recording, editing, producing and production credits. What Facilities Can I Use? Our green screen studio, video studios and editing suites are all kitted out with the professional-standard equipment you need. Our audio-visual editing suites include Adobe Creative Cloud suite, Final Cut Pro X, Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve and Avid Media Composer. The suites are acoustically treated and sympathetically lit. For specifications on our extensive range of HD broadcast cameras, specialist cameras, live broadcast set up, video edit booths, extensive lighting kit, sound studios and sound equipment, check the full listing on the course webpage.