What Makes This Course So Special?
Since 2006 MA / MFA Film, BA Performance and BA Film & Video have developed the largest collaboration between student actors and filmmakers in the UK, involving over 800 students and a dozen members of academic and technical staff, producing over 150 filmed scenes. Since 2004, MA / MFA Film has accepted under 20 new students each year.
Newport Film School was established in 1966 by the world famous documentary filmmaker John Grierson; Drifters (1929), Night Mail (1936), making us the second oldest film school in the UK. Today, our alumni include Asif Kapadia, Director; Senna (2010), The Warrior (2002), The Return (2006) and Far North (2007), Justin Kerrigan, Director; I Know You Know (2010), HumanTraffic (1999), Kirk Jones, Director; Nanny McPhee (2005), and Phil Clayton, Director; Lesbian Vampire Killers (2009).
Storytelling, critical thinking and technical skill are the keys to distinctive filmmaking. They underpin everything we do on MA/MFA Film. Newport Film School is located at the £35 million, purpose-built City Campus in the middle of the vibrant School of Film, Photography and Digital Media in the new Faculty of Arts and Business. The new Campus houses a complete practical and intellectual ‘filmmakers’ toolbox’ of designers, photographers, actors, animators, costume makers and multimedia students all on hand to creatively collaborate with film, and vice versa.
The MA / MFA Film is further distinguished by the approval and support of the Skillset Media Academy Wales, with the additional all year-round opportunities for work experience and professional placements which that brings. Previous opportunities have included MA Film students working at The Indian Film Academy (2008), visiting the Cannes Film Festival (2007, 2008), studying for 90 days at the Andrzej Wajda Master School of Film Directing in Warsaw, Poland (2005-8) and studying for three weeks at New York University Tisch School of the Arts (2010).
As an MA/MFA student you have access to our top camera and AVID editing equipment as well as specialist masterclasses, mentoring and residencies which have included Justin Kerrigan (Human Traffic, I Know You Know), Ken Russell (Women in Love, The Music Lovers, etc.), Witold Stok BSC (Krizysztof Kieslowski’s early Cinematographer) and Mike Bradsell (Editor: Local Hero, Henry V (Kenneth Branagh), among many other internationally renowned practitioners as part of the Skillset programme.
Everyone has their own, personal reasons for doing the MA / MFA Film course, and we consciously attract a diverse range of filmmakers and film students who have stories to tell, including:
• Experienced film-makers looking to formalise their knowledge and skills into a postgraduate qualification, often with a short project already in mind
• Recent graduates from academic film, journalistic and media courses who are looking for hands-on postgraduate production education and experience
• Recent graduates from hands-on film courses who are looking to make themselves stand out in the jobs market with a high-quality, postgraduate qualification and extra material on their showreel
• Graduates from non-film related BA and MA courses who demonstrate the serious commitment and dedication required to make a serious and exciting change of professional direction and successfully complete the MA/MFA programme.
Find out more about the subject of Film & Screen Media at Newport.
Course Intro
If you have a passion for cinema, for telling cinematic stories and for communicating your passion to a cinema audience, this is the place to express it. There is a tendency for aspiring filmmakers to ‘shoot lots now and sort it out in the edit later’. That’s not what we teach at Newport, where the craft of the filmmaker is a state of mind affecting your entire approach to film production no matter what format you are ‘filming’ on. A cinematic approach organises, disciplines and channels your creativity and knowledge, putting more emphasis on rigorous script development, pre-production planning and rehearsal. This means not only producing a better film, but also makes you highly employable in the Industry with the ability to deliver creative projects consistently, on time and on budget, building your professional reputation, trust and respect.
What you study
Semester 1: (full-time) October - January, Tuesdays and Fridays (Postgraduate Certificate)
Film Screenwriting 1 (20 credits)
Production 1 (20 credits)
Film Theory and Research 1 (20 credits)
In your 1st year part-time students study on exactly the same Film Screenwriting 1 (20 credits) and Film Theory and Research 1 (20 credits) modules on Fridays only.
In your 2nd year part-time students study on exactly the same Film Production 1 (20 credits) modules on Tuesdays only.
Semester 2: (full-time) February - June, Tuesdays and Fridays (Postgraduate Diploma)
Film Screenwriting 2 (20 credits)
Production 2 (20 credits)
Film Theory and Research 2 (20 credits)
In your 1st year part-time students study on exactly the same Film Screenwriting 2 (20 credits) and Film Theory and Research 2 (20 credits) modules on Fridays only.
In your 2nd year part-time students study on exactly the same Film Production 2 (20 credits) modules on Tuesdays only.
Summer Production: July - September & Semester 3: October - January (MA)
Final Major Project (40 credits)
Critical Text (20 credits)
In year 3 part-time students undertake exactly the same modules but have longer either to lead their own productions, or to contribute substantially to others’. Part-time students typically submit their work to later, Easter, deadlines rather than the earlier, Christmas, deadlines of full-time students.
Master of Fine Arts (60 credits) MFA
Based on the people you’ve met and experiences you’ve had on MA Film, and with the opportunities you’ve taken to get production experience with Skillset Media Academy Wales, you’ll be supported next in either: - initiating your own significant professional experience through approaching contacts for work placements or internships via Skillset Media Academy Wales. This might be in film, television or new media or - initiating your own extended production project which might be in film, television or new media Both options also involve writing 4/6,000 words critically evaluating your experience, performance and the wider professional, business or commercial context of your work.
In year 4 part-time MFA students undertake exactly the same commitments but obviously on a longer, part-time basis by arrangement with the employer, Skillset Media Academy Wales and MA / MFA Programme staff.
A programme specification is available for this course.
Where Next?
Based on the quality of your work, and the number and quality of professional contacts you’ve made during the MA / MFA programme, you’re now ready to compete professionally for work in film or television anywhere in the world. If you’ve chosen to follow the Supervised Dissertation Route, then you’re well placed to apply for registration for an MPhil and / or PhD programme anywhere in the world.
Career opportunities
Recent graduates have obtained jobs at BBC Wales, Cyfle industry traineeships (assistant director, camera assistant and production co-ordinator); we have alumni on the set of Dr Who, at Working Title Films, working as 2nd assistant directors and as a researcher/assistant producer. Recent student productions have won awards at the Ffresh Film Festival, Celtic Film & TV Festival, BAFTA Cymru, and have been selected at festivals in North America and Europe. Your practical and academic skills will also support a career in media teaching as well as preparing you for opportunities for further study at MPhil/PhD level.
Interview Required
We interview all UK candidates who submit an application form with showreel, script and / or written academic work and as many EU candidates as possible if they are able to attend. International students are not interviewed but must supply substantial written evidence of their suitability to enter the Programme with their application form, including a showreel, script and / or or academic written work and up to date IELTS scores (Level 6, with a minimum 5.5 in each band)..
Assessment
You’ll be assessed on your coursework.
This course is part of the Skillset Media Academy Wales, a partnership of the leading film and media schools in Wales, offering an exceptionally high standard of education that is endorsed by industry and approved by Skillset. MA/MFA Film students benefit from close contact with the Academy’s Industry Panel, access to professional masterclasses and workshops, jobs and work placements, and the opportunity to promote work through an exclusive online network.
Student Soundbite
“Inspiring tuition, which has not only fuelled my creativity but also secured it to practical principles and ways of working that I can now apply independently; it has been an experience that I have relished from start to finish.”