MA in Documentary Practice
This pioneering MA program will enable you to integrate the practice and theory of documentary film and develop your voice as a documentary filmmaker. You will learn about the many forms, discourses, and approaches of the documentary, drawing upon the current research of prominent filmmakers, theorists and historians.
Your studies will involve a dynamic schedule of workshops, lectures, guest speakers, events and field trips, working in a productive, collaborative context with students from around the world.
Access to specialist production and post-production equipment, black box studio spaces, along with the advice and support offered by experienced practitioner staff, will ensure you gain in-depth production skills.
By completing the MA you will have produced a unique portfolio of documentary films and assisted on numerous other productions.
If you want to become a practicing documentary filmmaker then MA Documentary Practice is the ideal course for you. And if your ambition is in the area of factual film research, or to embark on a theory-practice academic study, then the program is also a perfect fit.
Resources
MA Documentary Practice is based in the nationally high-ranking Film Studies Department within Queen Mary University’s School of Languages, Linguistics and Film. Located in the Arts One and Two buildings, the school boasts a bespoke 41-seat cinema, state-of-the-art black box film studio facilities, up-to-date camera and post-production technology. Film Studies has great links to the film industry, film festivals, the art world and theory-practice research, and is home to the Think Tank film philosophy research group and the Screening Nature series. The MA regularly welcomes guest speakers from the industry as well as hosting special events and lectures. The campus is ideally located as a jumping-off point for East London’s vibrant film and arts culture.
Areas of Study
The philosophy of MA Documentary Practice is to explore the diverse ways in which documentaries can be made. Areas of study include: the observational documentary; artists’ moving image documentary; documentary ethics; the non-human subject; new ethnographies; the visual essay; activist filmmaking; the animated documentary; fact-fiction hybrid filmmaking; community, advocacy and the NGO film; the diary film; the archive and heritage film.
Intensive practical workshops, group sessions and one-to-one guidance will help you locate subjects and stories that matter to you, find a method of making and a mode of encounter with your subject, develop distinct shooting and editing strategies, and evolve your own unique visual language.
We train you to be an all-rounder, with valuable expertise in directing, production managing, camera operating, recording sound, editing, and also pitching your projects to funders and promoting your films to festivals.
Film Studies has several PhD research-led projects in film and there will be opportunities to develop your postgraduate research interests.
Campus Information
Mile End Campus
It contains the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Faculty of Science and Engineering, the Queens' Building, the main college library, the student union, Draper's bar and club, several restaurants, a number of halls of residences and a gym. The educational and research sites of the Arts Research Centre, Computer Science, the large Engineering building, G.E. Fogg Building, Francis Bancroft Building, G. O. Jones Building, Joseph Priestley Building, Lock-keeper's Graduate Centre, and the Mathematical Science Building, are all located within the Mile End campus
Intakes
- Sep
Application Processing Time in Days: 30
Application Process
Minimum English Language Requirements
| English Level Description | IELTS (1.0 -9.0) | TOEFL IBT (0-120) | TOEFL CBT (0-300) | PTE (10-90) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expert | 9 | 120 | 297-300 | 86-90 | |
| Very Good | 8.5 | 115-119 | 280-293 | 83-86 | |
| Very Good | 8 | 110-114 | 270-280 | 79-83 | |
| Good | 7.5 | 102-109 | 253-267 | 73-79 | |
| Good | 7 | 94-101 | 240-253 | 65-73 | |
| Competent | 6.5 | 79-93 | 213-233 | 58-65 | |
| Competent | 6 | 60-78 | 170-210 | 50-58 | |
| Modest | 5.5 | 46-59 | 133-210 | 43-50 | |
| Modest | 5 | 35-45 | 107-133 | 36-43 | |
| Limited | 4 | 32-34 | 97-103 | 30-36 | |
| Extremely Limited | < 4 | < 31 | < 93 | < 30 |
Job Opportunity Potential
Careers support
The services we offer to support your career development include:
- one-to-one appointments to help you with your career direction, give feedback on job applications, offer insight into the job market and prepare you for interviews
- workshops to support your career development and job hunting
- employer events attracting recruiters and alumni from a rich range of sectors
- support for finding internships and parttime jobs
- specialist careers consultants to support PhD students through appointments, events and workshops.
Support for international students
- We offer a programme of support for international students throughout the year, which involves talks on how to find graduate work in the UK and an International Students Week featuring external speakers.
- Students can search for jobs across the world with our international jobs database, as well as browse our guides on getting work in particular markets.
- All students have access to a rich programme of employer events and career development workshops, running across the University year.
Support after graduation
Our careers support continues after you leave Queen Mary.
- All graduates have access to our Careers and Enterprise services for two years after graduation.
- You can have -
free one-to-one appointments in person, over the phone or via Skype
Attend our employer events
use our online psychometric testing and mock-interview software
access our jobs board – over 3,000 employers uploaded vacancies in 2018/19.
Queen Mary graduates have gone on to work in these organisations:
• Accenture • Allen & Overy • Arup • AstraZeneca • Baker McKenzie • Barts Health NHS Trust • European Central Bank • Fintech Innovation Lab • Google • HSBC • IBM • Institute of Cancer Research • Institute of Dentistry • J.P. Morgan • Jaguar Land Rover • Lloyds Banking Group • Natural History Museum • Penguin • PwC • Queen Mary • Save the Children • Shell • Stella McCartney • Thales • Thomson Reuters • World Economic Forum ...and many more!
Careers success
93% of our postgraduates are in work and/or study six months after graduation. 84% of those in work/study are in highly skilled work/study (most recent DLHE Survey of 16/17 leavers)*
Enterprise support
Many students and graduates across Queen Mary start or grow their own business or social venture each year. In 2018/19, Queen Mary gave out £45,000 in seed funding to help students start new, or grow existing businesse
PSW Opportunity
- 2 Years PSW is applicable after the course completing (Bachelors level or above).
Admission Requirement / Eligibility Criteria
Degree requirements
- A 2:1 or above at undergraduate level in Humanities or a creative arts discipline.
India
We normally consider the following qualifications for entry to our postgraduate taught programmes: Bachelor Degree (minimum 3 years) from selected institutions.
- UK 1st class degree: 70% to 80%
- UK 2:1 degree: 60% to 70%
- UK 2:2 degree: 50% to 60%
Offer conditions will vary depending on the institution you are applying from. For some institutions/degrees we will ask for different grades to above, so this is only a guide.
- Course Type: Full Time
- Course Level: Masters/PG Degree
- Duration: 01 Year
-
Total Tuition Fee:
19250 GBP
Annual Cost of Living: 12006 GBP
Application Fee: N/A
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