In this introductory module, we’ll help you evaluate your experiences and knowledge to further inform your creative development. You’ll position your practice, establish or reinforce a critically informed grounding in filmmaking, and start a reflective journal practice to support your studies.

During this module, you’ll develop new working methods and specialist techniques to enhance your practice. You’ll consider the contextual factors that shape your filmmaking, and get to experiment with different creative approaches to strengthen your practical abilities.

This module will help you gain the expertise necessary to analyse film as an art form. We’ll explore different styles and forms of moving imagery, the history of creative techniques, contemporary developments in film theory, philosophical perspectives, and more.

Together, we’ll look at the challenges and possibilities of performance and cooperation in filmmaking. This module will encourage you to think about how your practice involves and relates to other people in order to expand your understanding of diverse creative techniques and produce culturally relevant work.

Co-lab is an interdisciplinary module that focuses on discovering collaborative ways of working and exploring new areas or creative approaches outside of your comfort zone. You’ll learn how to engage with ideas and processes that are unfamiliar to you and consider how your work is impacted by the contribution of others.

This module will help you understand how to apply research and specialist practical techniques to inform and support the construction of narrative in your filmmaking. We’ll investigate key concepts within film studies to help you consider structure, form and meaning in your work.

Your studies here will broaden your understanding of film’s cultural and political role in relation to the wider creative industries. You’ll look at how films are made in commercial and artistic environments: production, distribution, marketing processes, and much more.

In this module, we’ll focus on important issues around representation and ethics in filmmaking. You’ll be challenged to critically consider who you choose to work with at each stage of your film practice, how your present them, and the perspective from which your work is created.

The Thesis Film Proposal module will guide your through the development process of your final project, giving you an opportunity to create and present your ideas and plans. Throughout the module, we’ll support you in researching, conceptualising, refining, and planning your project.

As the final part of the course, this module revolves around the creation of your individual, research-informed project – typically a fiction, documentary, experimental film or similar audio-visual artwork. You’ll also document the practical processes and produce a critical reflection.

AUB Film Practice Careers Video – Transcript 

[upbeat music plays throughout]

MA Film Practice Careers 

Careers and opportunities for graduates 

The MA Film Practice programme will help you to think outside the box, explore new ideas, techniques and directions in your creative work.

You’ll be able to analyse and appreciate the work of others, and hold a deeper understanding of the disciplines involved in filmmaking. The skills you learn on the course will enable you to pursue a number of roles, including…

Independent Filmmaker 

You could turn your talents to creating independent films. As part of this, you could take on tasks from budgeting, scripting and casting, to production, post-production, and managing distribution and exhibition.

Documentary Filmmaker 

Documentary film jobs can cross both independent and commercial sectors. In this field you could explore a range of areas including ethnographic, wildlife, unscripted/reality, and interview based projects.

Producer or production coordinator 

A producer in film will oversee all production elements from conception to completion. You'll work closely with directors and other production staff to ensure the success of a finished film.

Freelance film industry roles 

The skills you'll learn on your course make you well-suited to freelancing in the film industry. Roles could include assistant director, cinematographer, editor, or sound designer.

Film researcher 

Also called a media researcher, this position involves conducting research for film or TV projects. Typical tasks include collecting and verifying both factual and picture information to ensure its accuracy.

Cinema or festival programmer 

Programmers curate content for film festivals or theatres typically based off audience research, and considering the vision of the organisation. You may work with artists, organisations, and communities, to help shape projects.

Lecturer and other academic roles 

MA Film Practice graduates would be well suited for pursuing a career in teaching or film-based academia. Passionate filmmakers can choose this route to support the next generation of creators.

We’re a creative community 

Arts University Bournemouth Online is committed to helping students everywhere turn their talent into careers. As one of the top ranked specialist art and design universities in the UK, you can trust that you’ll have us by your side as you head into this exciting new chapter.

Want to learn more? 

We're here to help. If you have any questions about our online, part-time MA in Film Practice, get in touch with a course adviser.

• +44 1202 122 883
• info@studyonline.aub.ac.uk

Video transcript - Course overview video

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Alex Nevill: Hello my name is Alex Nevill and I am the programme leader for this MA Film Practice online degree at Arts University Bournemouth.

MA Film Practice is an online course aimed at students with some experience in film or related areas and who are looking to develop their practice by exploring new creative approaches and ideas. We recognize an expansive understanding of film practice, which extends to your engagement with audiences and the sites or contexts in which film can be presented. During the course, students are supported to define their own career path and creative focus.

For example, you may choose to concentrate on the creation of independent fiction, documentary or experimental films. Or you may explore a specific disciplines such as sound design, cinematography or editing through collaborative work. Whatever your focus or background, the course welcomes students that are ready to take the next step in their filmmaking journey, and with a strong commitment to exploring moving image, form and content.

The MA Film Practice course builds on AUB's art school context to challenge established modes of making and thinking about film. Students are encouraged to explore all angles of their work and to integrate practice and theory while trying out new ways of working. Due to its online nature, the course also provides an international learning community that foregrounds peer feedback and supports this research driven experimentation.

It's ultimately focused on developing a creative voice, generating opportunities for exchange or collaboration between the cohorts, and enhancing the career prospects for each student's chosen specialization. Throughout the course, you're encouraged to apply your thinking through images and sounds in ways that respond to the contemporary world and to challenge established mainstream modes of filmmaking. The course builds on any experience and knowledge that you may already have as you establish and expand a body of work through a series of modules that offer structured, creative projects. Each project requires a different type of critical interrogation of your work and aims to push your filmmaking to New areas of expression or levels of professionalism.

The final stage of the course is a development and creation of your thesis project, which would typically be a 10 to 15 minute film or comparable creative work. Industry relevance and artistic context is emphasized throughout the course, so you will also be equipped with the knowledge and insight to share your films or pursue different exhibition avenues. And ultimately, students should emerge from this course as reflective and committed practitioners that can innovate in the evolving fields of film, creation and exhibition.