BA, MA, PhD
You are using an outdated browser. Most of this website should still work, but after upgrading your browser it will look and perform better.
- Home
- Postgraduate Courses
- MA Film Practice
MA Film Practice
- Mode of study: Full-time
- How to apply: Apply directly to us
Overview
MA Film Practice is a course for passionate and curious filmmakers, individuals who seek to think through making and develop their practice and professional aspirations.
This course is delivered full-time and starts in the autumn term.
Course information
MA Film Practice offers you the chance to develop your practice, specialist awareness and creative potential within a unique and dynamic filmmaking culture, which is supported by an experienced staff team, within a well-resourced environment.
This course is part of Bournemouth Film School, along with BA (Hons) Film Production, MA Animation Production and BA (Hons) Animation Production. Together we make up the largest film school outside of London and make for a unique learning.
If you prefer learning digitally, we also offer MA Film Practice (Online).
MA Film Practice is a dynamic and inclusive place to learn. It's inspired by a diverse understanding of film culture and its potentiality. Its practice-based research ethos encourages reflection and experimentation, recognising invention and creativity, within individual and collaborative contexts. The programme of study facilitates a body of work that can address critical and timely questions, develop filmmaking skills, focus personal practice and refine professional awareness.
MA Film Practice offers distinctive and exciting opportunities for aspiring filmmakers within a supportive course framework. It encourages you to create innovative ideas and be inventive through practice-based research, and addresses how this work relates to contemporary ideas, working methods and potential professional pathways.
The course encourages you to be reflective practitioners; individuals who desire to interrogate the context and position of their work, to develop a reflective awareness of their practice and the wider creative industries. Your study originates in your passions, the practice-related questions you want to ask, and this enquiry generates the initial research, which then orientates the development of your ideas and the work that's subsequently produced, which in the final unit can have a myriad of different filmmaking outcomes ranging from short dramas to documentaries to artist films.
Our ethos positions your practice within your chosen cultural and social context, emphasising a personal approach and the application of ideas, which generates diverse and individual practice-related outcomes. This also enriches related opportunities and develops the transferable skills that are required by the contemporary media environment. We support this through our engagement with interdisciplinary and collaborative, specialist, and universal practices, which integrate research and practice, art, and technology throughout the course’s three units, which are designed to offer a stimulating and productive pathway towards the course’s Resolution and future professional aspirations.
Master's 1: Defining Practice (Research and Contexts)
The first unit is designed to orientate you and offers an introduction to all that follows. Through a series of seminars, practical exercises, workshops and critiques, film and its production are explored and examined. The unit starts with you presenting a research proposal, which relates to your practice – the related questions that you want to answer and the work that you desire to make.
This unit encourages independent study and collaborative work, experimentation, and expansive thinking, which aims to facilitate more authorial awareness and direction. This practical enquiry is complimented by sessions, which address historic and contemporary film discourses that consider aesthetics and technology, form and content, cultural and social concerns.
Master's 2: Exploring Practice (Methods and Investigation)
The second unit encourages the further development of specific practice related interests, which are outlined by you in individual presentations that propose Resolution projects. The subsequent research, through film exercises and applied research, will expand professional understanding and further focus their projects.
The proposed Resolution projects decide the direction of study; for instance, a film drama requires a different formulation to that of a documentary. These considerations determine approach, the creative, logistical, and budgetary requirements that will facilitate intentions. This preparation integrates professional development, such as crowdfunding, production protocols, crewing and production procedure, technical awareness, are all key parts of preparing for the Resolution project and all that may follow graduation.
Master's 3: Resolving Practice (Application and Evaluation)
The third unit facilitates the implementation of the Resolution project plan, which was initially identified in the first unit and then developed and refined in the second, and results in the production of a completed major project of audio/visual work. The productions happen in accordance to exact film protocols, production standards and operational procedure, which are designed to produce a professional environment that relates to industry practices.
This project includes consideration of the project’s means of production, also its presentation (e.g., single screen and/or installation) and dissemination (e.g., festival and/or digital platform). The unit culminates in a critical and analytical evaluation of procedure and progress, which considers how it developed through research and practical exercises, all of which considers what you've learned and how it can apply in the future.
Meet the course team
MA (Oxon), BA
BA(Hons), PGCAP
PhD, MA, PGCE, FHEA, SEDA
The course celebrates a diverse and evolving understanding of film practice and professional awareness. It recognises individuals - our students are passionate, reflective, imaginative - and engages with their aspirations. We offer distinctive and challenging opportunities, which facilitate practice development and future opportunities.
Chat to a student
Our student ambassadors are here to answer any questions you might have on university life, our courses and all things AUB.
Chat on UnibuddyApplication process
When you're ready to apply, you'll need to head to our online application form to apply directly to us.
We encourage you to apply early so that you have time to organise accommodation and to arrange for a visa (if required) before you enrol.
We encourage applications from students with a broad range of qualifications and experiences. We'll take into consideration the knowledge and skills that have been developed inside and outside the classroom, as well as your previous qualifications. We aim to interview all applicants who demonstrate the potential to succeed on the course. Interviews are used to assess whether you have the necessary skills and capabilities and whether this programme is appropriate to your interests and aspirations.
The tuition fees you pay will vary depending on the subject area and the type of postgraduate study you're embarking on. The fee that you pay AUB provides the necessary equipment and training for you to complete your course.
We also have a number of progression discounts and bursaries available to go towards paying for your studies.
Computer equipment
You may also choose to buy some items or personal equipment such as a laptop, tablet or computer. This isn't a requirement as desktop and laptop computers are available for you to use in common study areas, including a loan system in the Library.
As part of your application to this course, we’d like to see your portfolio.
You can find out more by viewing our Portfolio Guidelines.
Course gallery
You can browse through this gallery to see some of our MA Film Practice students in action. Also take a look at what some of our alumni have achieved, including Peter Engelmann's recent win at the National Television Society awards for his graduate film Triangle.
When I came to AUB for my MA, I transformed as a filmmaker, and throughout the process, the course team let me (and highly encouraged me) to experiment, to think outside the box while I'm exploring my idea and how I could make it work; I truly believe that I couldn’t have done it anywhere else.
Studios and resources
As a film student you’ll have access to state-of-the-art, industry-standard equipment and well-equipped studios.
Studio 1: Sound-proofed, purpose-built 12.2 m x 7.4 m
24 Channel Zero88 Lighting Grid with Dimmers and Pantographs | 164 amps of power available | Full Wrap-Around Black Curtains | Green Screen and Blue Screen Facility | Drive On Access | Smooth Tracking Studio Floor | Record and Rehearsal warning lights | Extraction | Water and Smoke Use on Stage
Studio 2: Dual-purpose, 70-seat lecture theatre and film studio
Smooth Tracking Studio Floor | 64 amps of power available | Lecture Theatre with Retractable Seating for 70 | 120” 16 x 9 Motorised Projection Screen | Multi Source Digital Projection | Epson Full HD Projector | Onkyo 5.1 AV Amplifier | Mordaunt-Short Front, Middle and Rear Speakers | BK Electronics Monolith Sub-Woofer | Air conditioned
Studio 3: (Elliott Road Studio Complex): stage area space 274.1 sqm
Height: 6 m approx. | 300 amps of power available | Drive on | Make-up and Dressing Rooms | Small Kitchen Facility | Production Office | Prop Store | Lighting Scaffold Rig | Car Parking spaces
Large Designated Production Hub | Three separate spacious Production Offices, each equipped with one iMac, two PC Workstations and phones | Large shared Meeting Area with two iMac and two PC Workstations | High Volume Colour Photocopier and Scanner | Lounge/Waiting Area Seating 15
Cameras
ARRI Alexa Digital Cinema Camera Kits | Arriflex SR3 Super 16 mm film camera kits | Sony FS7 | A7s | EX3 | Z5 | HVR-270 | Canon 5D and 600D HD DSLR Cameras | Full Shoulder Rig Kits | Lenses include Canon, Samyang, Sigma and Zeiss Primes and Zooms
Location Sound
Microphones; Neumann | Schoeps | Sennheiser | Audio Limited Envoy Radio Mics | Mixers; Sound Devices 302 | 442 | SQN-3M | SQN-4S | Recorders; Sound Devices 702 | 744 | Selection of Tascam Pro Audio Location Recorders | Ambient carbon fibre boom poles
Lighting and Grip
Arrilite | Filmgear | Kino Flo | Tungsten Fresnel’s | HMI Fresnel’s |Dedolight Kits | Two Elemack Spyder Dollies c/w Moy Focus Track | Egripment Jib Arm | Ronford Baker / Sachtler / Vinten / Manfrotto Tripods and Heads | Large Selection of Lighting Stands and Lighting Grip equipment
Picture and Sound Post-Production
Eight Avid Media Composer Editing Suites | Two Avid Media Composer and Pro Tools dual-purpose Editing Suites | One Online Avid Symphony Nitris DX Editing Suite | Avid Teaching Lab c/w 21 Workstations running Media Composer and Pro Tools | Avid NEXIS E4 120 TB Media Server, Connected to all Edit Suites | Four Avid Pro Tools Audio Editing Suites with Avid Artist Mix audio control surfaces | Three Sound Recording Booths for Voice Over and Foley | DaVinci Resolve Digital Picture Grading Suite | Two Full HD Screening Rooms with 5.1 Surround Sound Systems | Two Lecture Theatres each equipped with a Barco 2K DCI Projector and 5.1 Surround Sound System
