Falmouth University Film student using a clapperboard

Film & Television MA (Online)

Establish an impactful and enduring career in the film and TV industries.

Key details
Location
Online
Course duration
2 years
Attendance
Part-time

Course overview

Develop your unique voice and the skills and knowledge needed for the industry. Channel the spirit of radical creativity into your practice, learning from professionals to enhance your screen production and research skills in a rapidly developing field. 

From screenwriting, casting and pitching to production management, filming and editing, this online master’s in Film & Television will help you develop a technical prowess across pre-production and post-production. You will also be challenged to innovate; questioning industry traditions, conventions and creative canons to carve your own original space in the industry.

Whether you are already working in the industry, have just finished an undergraduate degree or are after a career change and want to level-up your skillset, we'll help you bring innovation and originality to your chosen specialism.

You will:

  • Establish a courageous practice through interrogating the industry and its cultural contexts, helping to determine your original contribution 

  • Take your film and TV creative practice and technical craft to the next level of professionalism 

  • Sharpen your skills across a broad range of areas within film and TV such as multimedia exhibition and distribution, project management and development, screenwriting, film criticism, curating, festival and event management 

  • Upgrade your research skills to embark on an original path while reaching out to diverse audiences and collaborators  

  • Boost your knowledge of the industry to find funding and commissioning opportunities, outlets, and audiences for transformational projects   

Request information

Apply now

Get a prospectus

Start dates:  May / September / January

(Three intakes per year)

 

 

 

Course details

You will be supported by expert staff to enhance your filmmaking craft and research skills across pre-production, production and post-production. While developing projects that mirror industry workflows, you will deepen your understanding of how global cultural, political and social contexts frame and influence audience engagement. You will also learn to work with others in a productive and collaborative environment.

Modules

This course is comprised of five modules, four 30-credit modules and one 60-credit project (180 credits in total). The modules have been specifically designed to be studied in a non-linear order, with the order in which you’ll study the modules depending on when you begin the course. All modules on the course are compulsory and must be passed in order to complete the award.

MA Film & Television (Online)

MA

You will need to complete four 30-credit modules and one 60-credit project (180 credits in total). All modules on the course are compulsory and must be passed in order to complete the award.
From module information to course aims and assessment criteria, discover the full course details for the MA.

PGDip

You will need to complete four 30-credit modules (120 credits in total). All modules on the course are compulsory and must be passed in order to complete the award. A dissertation (major project) is not required.
From module information to course aims and assessment criteria, discover the full course details for the PGDip.

Module details

With this module, you start building your film and television industry competence to shape practical projects from an initial idea to a final screen artefact. Your tutor offers step-by-step professional instruction to nurture your creativity.

You'll get acquainted with production workflows across various creative, professional and technical roles. On completion, you'll have grasped a command of essential professional skills and an understanding of the fundamental standard processes of the contemporary film and television industries. 

To complete this module, you will devise and develop a creative project pitch (industry standard treatment), a short (scene or sample) screenplay and a short pre-production portfolio with optional audio-visual samples (clips). Your submission will be accompanied by a written critical reflection on the process and potential funding and distribution strategies.

You'll be documenting your progress in an online journal, sharing ideas and your weekly tasks with your tutors and peers to help you organise your work. Weekly webinars will give you a chance to learn by example and to receive constructive feedback on your progress.

(30 credits)

Working on a case study, you develop a critical understanding of practical skills that underpin contemporary film and television industries' operations and project/business management challenges.

This industry research module uses student-centred practice, offering you an opportunity to spend time on in-depth research of a chosen sector of film and television industry, one that aligns with your interests, career plans and ambitions. Focussing on a case study of your choice you'll manage your project under supervision of your tutors and via sharing with your peers.

Starting with factual queries and gathering of information, you'll then progress to critical research to evaluate and analyse your industry data. You'll document your research journey and your findings in an online journal which will inform weekly webinar discussions.

As you progress through your course and later when you enter the job market, the in-depth knowledge of sources and informed critical arguments you acquire here, will help you gain confidence in your professional choices as well as support you making informed decisions, whether you choose pre-production, on-set work, post-production or exhibition/distribution and reception of film and television.

(30 credits)

In this module, you'll pre-produce a short cinematic or televisual form or a screenplay. Practice informed by a critical study of selected examples will help determine your potential contribution to film and television culture.

Designed for you to excel in film and television practice in an informed, professional way, yet crafted to help you follow your interests, this module offers two options: pre-production or screenwriting.

You'll explore critical frameworks and screen practices as they pertain to fields of cinema, television, online viewing platforms, art galleries, transmedia, social media and citizen journalism. Active participation in practical project development will take you through the typical stages of film and television production, making you aware of real-world industry workflow. An overview of the contemporary industry and its commissioning, distribution and exhibition channels will help you situate your original ideas and skills within the current film and television market.

(30 credits)

This module helps you expand your knowledge of how global cultural, political and social contexts frame and influence both production/distribution strategies and contemporary audiences' engagement with various available screen texts.

You'll explore inter-disciplinary contexts interrogated by scholars and critics who now examine film and television as focal points in a wide range of socio-cultural analyses. The shift from modernism to postmodernism followed by the arrival of the internet served as catalysing moments for the emergence of new critical approaches to the contemporary film and television industries. This module will introduce you to the most impactful and recent among such debates.

Every week, you'll sample examples from media studies and cultural studies as disciplines that build on previous academic thought, but exemplify new strategies of understanding creativity in the digital age. Next to analysing traditional film and television texts, you'll discuss transmedia as well as the broadly understood moving image that is available online.

You'll consider relevant contexts of funding, commissioning, production, distribution and exhibition and their impact on today's screen representations and storytelling tactics.

Not only does this module encourage you to use these recent research strategies and methodologies in your investigations of selected film and television examples, but also to apply them to your developing film or television practice.

(30 credits) 

This module culminates your academic and creative learning, providing a bridge for your professional aspirations. Working on your portfolio with your supervisor, you advance your chosen film and television expertise in one of the following areas: production, screenwriting, or academic research.

You'll have the opportunity to excel in practising the following skills that can be used in professional settings in film, television and the creative industries, as well as in academia and beyond.

Using student-centred practice, your tutors will start by discussing your project proposal with you to advise on the format and the option that would best suit your interests, ambitions and career plans.

You'll work on the same project across two study blocks, the first of which will be dedicated to preparation (research, writing, conception), and the second to execution (compiling and presenting your portfolio).

(60 credits)

The modules above are those being studied by our students, or proposed new ones. Programme structures and modules can change as part of our curriculum enhancement and review processes. If a certain module is important to you, please discuss it with the Course Leader.

How you'll learn

You'll learn through a blend of lectures, webinars, guest talks, tasks and discussion forums, which you'll access via our dedicated virtual learning environment. This is also where you'll find all key documentation, get course announcements and access extensive learning resources.

You'll be supported academically by Online Tutors, who will also deliver weekly webinars and facilitate the online forums. As you progress through the course, formal teaching will gradually shift towards more independent exploration and learning.

If you need assistance with anything that isn't directly related to course material, a dedicated Student Advisor team will be on hand to help. You'll also have access to Falmouth University's excellent employability service, RealWORKs

You'll refine dynamic filmmaking practices, spending 20-25 hours a week working on your craft. We incorporate optional face-to-face events for all our online students. There will be up to two per year, and they'll typically run over weekends, to fit around your other commitments.

Find out more about learning online

Study hours

A postgraduate student should dedicate at least 20-25 hours per week for study.

Assessment methods

Assessment provides the course team with a means of offering tailored guidance alongside advice on how to progress knowledge and skills in key areas that relate to the course Learning Outcomes. The course team will identify your strengths and weaknesses as an individual and discuss them with you throughout your time on the course.

You will be assessed via coursework at the end of each module in the form of visual, verbal and written assignments. You will also receive regular feedback via webinars, Q&As and workshops with your peers.

Staff

You'll learn from a team of award-winning film and television practitioners, expert academics and technicians with specialist skills in lighting, cinematography, lighting, post-production, sound editing and more.

Some members of staff only teach on specific modules, and your course might not feature every staff member who teaches on the course.

Dr Jem Mackay

Course Leader, Film & Television MA (Online)

Dr Jem Mackay is a filmmaker/artist who has been exploring collaborative systems within creative pro...

Dr Jem Mackay

Dr Anna Misiak

MA Film & Television Course Leader

Former Fulbright Scholar at the University of Southern California, Anna Misiak holds a PhD from the ...

Dr Anna Misiak
Kingsley Marshall book cover Philosophical Reflections on Black Mirror

Dr Kingsley Marshall

Head of Film & Television

Dr Kingsley Marshall is Head of Film & Television at the CILECT accredited School of Film & ...

Dr Kingsley Marshall

Jane Pugh

Associate Lecturer, School of Film and Television

I live with friends and my dog by the sea. I write, teach and facilitate because my job is to create...

Jane Pugh
Denzil Monk staff picture

Denzil Monk

Lecturer in Film

Denzil is a lecturer in Film specialising in producing at the School of Film & Television at Fal...

Denzil Monk

How can an online master's in film and television help you to excel in the industry?


In this article we explore three ways that online postgraduate study can help you to excel in the dynamic world of contemporary film and television.  

Read more

Stories from our community

Studying Film & Television online means you'll be part of our renowned School of Film & Television community. Check out the stories below to discover more about our amazing students, graduates and staff.

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Enys men Mark

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Enys Men, the latest feature film to be written and directed by Falmouth University’s Distinguishe...

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Edinburgh Film Festival

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Students on Falmouth’s online Film & Television MA course recently gathered at the Edinburgh Inter...

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20 May 2022

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Enys Men premieres in Cannes
MA Television Production students Rich Mulryne and Tim Connell
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Resources and Support

  • Dedicated easy-to-use virtual learning environment (VLE)
  • Accessible online audio / visual content
  • A Student Advisor to support you throughout your studies and access to our Student Support Services
  • Access to our careers and employability service RealWORKS
  • 24/7 access to Falmouth's extensive online library of contextual books, journals and resources
  • Access to online software tutorials at LinkedIn Learning
  • Students' Union community
  • Optional face-to-face events
  • Invitation to attend alumni events

Although online students don't have access to on-campus facilities as part of the course, you can hire equipment and access facilities by paying a charge. Find out more about availability and prices here.

Film student standing holding pieces of paper
SOFT Student Headspace

Careers

As a graduate of this Film & Television MA, you will become a competent, original player in the contemporary film and television job market. You may decide to work solo, in collaboration with other creatives, or undertake a role in production, distribution or curating.  

You could go into roles such as: 

  • Production designer 
  • Senior producer  
  • Senior camera operator  
  • Production assistant  

Research skills embedded throughout the modules and with the Major Project could also allow you to successfully progress into postgraduate research programmes, PhD and MPhil studies. 

Recent graduates from the School of Film & Television have had their work featured at world-class festivals, secured development from the BFI and BAFTA, and been published in titles like Film International, MAI: Feminism & Visual Culture, Total Film, The Telegraph, The Guardian and Little White Lies. 

How to apply

Speak to us about the course

If you'd like to talk to an Advisor about this course or your application, get in touch with us via the form below.

Request information

Apply now

Ready to apply for postgraduate study? We have three start dates a year: May / September / January. Select the start date you'd like to apply for in the drop-downs below and then click the relevant apply button to begin.

 

You can apply to begin your studies in May 2023 by selecting the relevant course route below:

Apply for MA

Apply for PGDip

You can apply to begin your studies in September 2023 by selecting the relevant course route below:

Apply for MA

Apply for PGDip

You can apply to begin your studies in January 2024 by selecting the relevant course route below:

Apply for MA

Apply for PGDip

An honours degree or Level 6 equivalent qualification is desirable. However, candidates without a degree or formal qualification are still encouraged to apply. If you'd like to discuss our entry requirements, speak to an advisor.

We’ll ask you to provide a piece of work that relates to the moving image, which you have been involved in making. This could include an example of a screenplay, a film, a showreel, or a piece of writing that demonstrates your commitment to the theory of the moving image. It could include previous project work and/or your current work in progress and could take the form of a link to your blog or website. Please also provide a statement of approximately 250 words that gives information on what your contribution was to this work. 

If English isn't your first language, you'll need to demonstrate English language skills that are sufficiently developed for successful completion of your studies. We accept a range of recognised English language qualifications that are equivalent to the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic minimum score of 6.5 overall, with a minimum of 6.0 in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening.

What we're looking for

We welcome both experienced professionals looking to refine their existing film and television practice, and ambitious newcomers with no previous industry experience, but with the ambition to challenge conventions and advocate creative shifts in the global film and television landscape. 

This course has three intakes per year: May, September and January.

Academic start date* Application deadline
29 May 2023 8 May 2023
25 September 2023 4 September 2023
22 January 2024 10 January 2024

Please note:

*Virtual Welcome Week begins the week before the academic start date. During this time, our Student Advisor team will host Welcome Webinars and be in touch with practical information on how to study online.

An Early Bird discount is available for early applications. The scheme offers a £300 MA tuition fee reduction if you apply by the Early Bird discount submission deadline.

Early Bird discount submission deadline* Academic start date
3 April 2023 29 May 2023
1 August 2023 25 September 2023
27 November 2023 10 January 2024

To discuss all our discount opportunities, contact an advisor.

Speak to an advisor

Fees, costs & funding

Tuition fees

£11,795 total fee (incl. acceptance fee) - 2 years part time - MA/MSc course

£7,865 total fee (incl. acceptance fee) - PGDip course

£12,150 total fee (incl. acceptance fee) - 2 years part time - MA/MSc course

£7,921 total fee (incl. acceptance fee) - PGDip course

Tuition fees are set annually and are subject to review each year. The University may therefore raise tuition fees in the second or subsequent years of a course, in line with inflation and/or the maximum permitted by law or Government policy. Students will be notified of any changes as soon as possible. 

The figures above don't include accommodation and living costs

Typical course costs

As part of studying Film & Television MA (Online) you will require:

Laptop/Computer (essential)

You need to be able to connect with the course material and run editing software like Davinci Resolve(free), Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro or iMovie(free). See recommended system requirements (Windows & Mac) for Premiere Pro.

Entry level DSLR camera (essential)

You will require the use of an entry-level video camera capable of filming in HD, which allows manual control of focus and exposure settings. It is possible to use a DSLR or even a smartphone if it can utilise an app like Filmic Pro. It is preferable that the camera features a mic-in port for connecting an external microphone.

Video Editing Software (essential)

You'll need to be able to access video editing software for the practical projects of the course. Da Vinci and iMovie are free, but software like Adobe Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro may well be worth buying. Students can use their preferred video editing software.

Reliable internet connection (essential) 

You will need to reliably connect to the online course material for around five hours a week. It is recommended that you participate in the weekly webinar with a webcam and a mic. 

Adobe Creative Cloud (optional) 

You will need access to Adobe Creative Cloud. You may be eligible for discounted licenses through Adobe's education pricing and Falmouth University seeks to provide further discounts when possible. If any discounts are available, we will communicate these to you. For more information please visit Adobe Creative Cloud.

Movie Magic (optional) 

During the course you may wish to use Movie Magic production software to support any practical projects. This is a recommended piece of software, not compulsory. The cost of this is currently £85.00 for an annual student subscription.

Audio Recorder (optional)

A separate sound recording device, like a Zoom handheld audio recorder H1 capable of recording 24 bit & 48kHz, is recommended but not absolutely essential.

Optional face-to-face events

You will be expected to cover your own travel, accommodation and subsistence costs to attend these events. Some elements of these events will be subsidised. 

Ask a student

What better way to find out about life at Falmouth University than by asking our current students?

From course details and academic support, to the social scene and settling in, our students are ready and available to answer any questions you might have. Simply set up your account, send them a question and they'll get back to you within 24 hours.

Request information

Do you have questions about the course or studying at Falmouth? Fill in our simple online form and we'll get in touch to support your application journey.

Submit form
Student funding staff at a table with palm trees

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