Filmmaking MA
About this course
Situated within the Nottingham School of Art & Design, the MA in Filmmaking challenges students to innovate within and beyond the boundaries of moving-image-making practices. You will be exploring and experimenting in both film production and exhibition, enhanced by intellectually stimulating discussions and workshops.
During your studies, you will create new and refreshing projects that communicate your cinematic voice, using moving image and sound to experiment with virtual production, emerging and established technologies, and drawing on analogue practices where appropriate.
Collaborating with creative practitioners across the school, you will undertake projects to advance your research and experimentation skills in moving image arts.
The MA Filmmaking is suitable for all creative practitioners keen to undertake research-informed projects in the continuously transforming field of independent and experimental filmmaking.
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If you have the desire to enhance your understanding of film and push the boundaries of the moving image, then MA Filmmaking is for you. This course supports you to artistically utilise the evolving landscape of sound and image to prepare you for a leading role in shaping the cinema of the future. -
Respond creatively with film techniques to intellectual discussions, leading to innovation in the digital manipulation and capturing of sound and moving image. -
Supported by seminars and one-to-one tutorials approach filmmaking as a creative process, involving experimentation and critical reflection. -
With an emphasis on film exhibition and distribution, influence how audiences engage with your work by taking part in the organisation of a film festival.
What you’ll study
The curriculum has flexible features to enable students to direct their own journey. It is highly personalised to support students entering from different backgrounds and experience, this particularly includes experimentation in the first part of the year and the negotiation of the personal film project.
Students may arrive with varying degrees of technical skills, and so there is a range of technical workshops and drop-in support for students to 'up-skill' and personalise their development.
Individual objectives will be discussed and agreed, with appropriate support and learning strategies in place to enable students the necessary academic and technical skills to progress their project and into their chosen career.
Culture and Collaboration, delivered at the start of the course, enables students from all post-graduate courses in the School to come together. This will support sharing of practice and networks, where students can learn from each otherto build supportive relationships extending their skills throughout the course.
Students negotiate their own project outputs providing a more personalised experience tailored not only to their individual strengths, but also to their career intentions.
Filmmaking equipment is available ensuring all students are supported.
Culture and Collaboration
(20 credits)
This module aims to enable students to; 1) Begin to develop an advanced level of understanding of the wider cultural context for current and future work; 2) Begin to develop advanced level skills in research, analysis, idea generation, critical thinking, communication, and presentation; 3) Collaborate with others around a negotiated theme relevant to current debates relevant to art & design theory and practice to produce a selected outcome contributing to a collective festival of ideas.
Film Experiments
(40 credits)
In this module you will identify your cinematic voice through making a series of film experiments centred around intellectually stimulating debates. You will creatively respond to key themes in film, literature, and art; for example, film space and time, perspectives, defamiliarisation, concept film, and expanded cinema. Through seminars, tutorial discussions, and practical skill workshops, ideas for short experimental films and moving image art will be presented, realised, and screened, using established and emerging technologies.
Film Project
(100 credits)
In this module you will undertake an individual, guided project to create an innovative film or moving image installation to be screened or exhibited at an end of year festival.
You will be encouraged to support each other’s projects to share skills and advance your practice as a creative leader and collaborator. Through guest lectures, seminars, and workshops, the module provides a platform for collaboration, research, and experimentation, and the opportunity to specialise in a discipline of filmmaking, such as camera, writing, sound or artist film and video.
The end-of-year festival is organised as part of this module to enable you to form connections and engage with the wider community through your research-informed, creative work.
Optional Modules:
Professional Futures
(20 credits)
This module aims to bring together students from all Design & Digital Arts subject areas to act as a catalyst for future gazing and cross-disciplinary debate and discussion in employment, enterprise and innovation.
Advanced Research Design: Maximising Your Methods
(20 credits)
This multi-disciplinary module provides an explorative platform for students seeking further research-based study. Students can extend their knowledge of research methods and methodologies to enhance their future professional practice, or are considering progression to PhD study.
We regularly review and update our course content based on student and employer feedback, ensuring that all of our courses remain current and relevant. This may result in changes to module content or module availability in future years.
Video Gallery
How you're taught
You will be taught through a variety of teaching and learning experiences which will include:
- Active collaborative learning
- Learning through research
- Online or Blended learning
- Autonomous learning
- Buddying
- Experiential learning
- Guest speaker
- Interdisciplinary learning
- Negotiation
- Networking
- One-to-one tutoring
- Peer learning
- Practical
- Professional practice
- Public thinking
- Reflection
- Risk-based learning (assessed on process rather than output)
- Scholarship
- Seminar
- Small group tutoring
- Wonder learning
- Workshop
How you're assessed
The assessment journey enables students to move through a sequence of Experiment - Propose - Complete - Reflect.
Formative feedback opportunities are scheduled throughout the modules to enable students to understand their progress, and where they can further develop their work ahead of final module assessments.
The course culminates in a final project, in which the outcome is negotiated between the student and tutor, and is fully personalised in the student's areas of interest.
Students will also undertake a final reflection of their learning, experience and future direction at the end of the course.
Contact hours
20% lectures/seminars/workshops/tutorials, 80% independent study.
Careers and employability
The course is designed with various opportunities for engagement with the creative industries and integrates work-like experiences.
Guest lectures will be delivered by experts in their field. The course has contacts with independent filmmakers who draw on research and experimentation, producers who are successful in obtaining funding for moving image art, curators of works that sit outside the mainstream, and specialists (sound, camera, etc.) frequently working in the field of independent or experimental cinema.
The 100-credit module Film Project follows a work-like trajectory from development to exhibition. Students present a proposal to an industry panel and will receive advice on how to progress. After the completion of their projects, an end-of-year festival will be organised following a guest lecture on film festival curation. The festival itself is an outward-facing event to further support engagement with industry and networking with the wider community, locally and internationally.
Campus and facilities
Entry requirements
What are we looking for?
- 2.2 honours degree in a related subject.
- Applicants with non-standard entry qualifications and / or relevant work experience will be considered on an individual basis.
Other requirements:
Getting in touch
If you need any more help or information, please contact us at Ask NTU or call on +44 (0)115 848 4200.
Getting in touch
If you need more help or information, get in touch through our enquiry form
You will need one of the following:
- 2.2 honours degree in a related subject
Other requirements:
International qualifications
We accept qualifications from all over the world – check yours here:
Postgraduate preparation courses (Pre-Masters)
If you don’t yet meet our entry requirements, we offer Pre-Masters courses through our partner Nottingham Trent International College (NTIC), based on our City Campus:
English language entry requirements
You can meet our language requirements by successfully completing our pre-sessional English course for an agreed length of time, or by submitting the required grade in one of our accepted English language tests, such as IELTS:
Would you like some advice on your study plans?
Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world. We also have members of staff based in Vietnam, China, India and Nigeria and work with a worldwide network of education counsellors.
- Complete this simple form to keep in touch with the International Office.
Fees and funding
Mode of study | Home tuition fee |
Student fee | £10,700 |
Fee amounts are per year and will increase each year in line with inflation, capped at no more than 5%. Please note that if you are considering a course that runs over more than one year, the tuition fee stated is for the first year of study. The course fee for the second year may be subject to annual review.
Alumni Loyalty Scheme - 20% fee discount
We're happy to be able to offer a 20% fee discount to most current NTU students and recent NTU graduates.
See if you're eligible.
Postgraduate loans
The government introduced a new postgraduate loans scheme in the 2016/17 academic year for Masters degrees. The loan will be a contribution towards the costs of study and it will be at the student's discretion to use the loan towards fees, maintenance costs or other costs.
Scholarships
We are offering a number of scholarships for Masters study.
Mode of study | International tuition fee |
Student fee | £18,050 |
Fee amounts are per year and will increase each year in line with inflation, capped at no more than 5%. Please note that if you are considering a course that runs over more than one year, the tuition fee stated is for the first year of study. The course fee for the second year may be subject to annual review.
Alumni Loyalty Scheme - 20% fee discount
We're happy to be able to offer a 20% fee discount to most current NTU students and recent NTU graduates.
See if you're eligible.
International scholarships
You might be able to get a scholarship to help fund your studies. We award scholarships to international students who can demonstrate excellent achievement, passion and dedication to their studies.
Please take a look at our International students page for information about fees, scholarships for international students, visas and much more.
Getting in touch
For more advice and guidance, you can contact our Student Financial Support Service.
Tel: +44 (0)115 848 2494
How to apply
Ready to join us? Then apply as soon as you can. Just click the Apply button at the top of the page and follow the instructions for applying.
Application deadline
You can apply for this course throughout the year, but we'd recommend that applications should be received by the end of July for entry in September.
Examples of work
In order for us to consider your application, we need you to submit examples of your practical work. Please upload these as part of your online application.
For full details on what we require, please read our Masters Work Submission information.
Writing your application
Be honest, thorough and persuasive in your application. Remember, we can only make a decision based on what you tell us. Make sure you include as much information as possible, including uploading evidence of results already achieve, as well as a personal statement.
Keeping up to date
After you've applied, we'll be sending you important emails throughout the application process - so check your emails regularly, including your junk mail folder.
You can get more information and advice about applying to NTU in our postgraduates' guide. Here you'll find advice about how to write a good personal statement and much more.
Getting in touch
If you need any more help or information, please contact us at Ask NTU or call on +44 (0)115 848 4200.
Apply online through our NTU applicant portal.
Application advice
Apply early so that you have enough time to prepare – processing times for Student visas can vary, for example. After you've applied, we'll be sending you important emails throughout the application process – so check your emails regularly, including your junk mail folder.
Writing your personal statement
Be honest, thorough, and persuasive – we can only make a decision about your application based on what you tell us:
Your portfolio
If your initial application is successful, you may be asked to upload a portfolio of your work and you may also be asked to attend an interview.
Would you like some advice on your study plans?
Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world. We also have members of staff based in Vietnam, China, India and Nigeria and work with a worldwide network of education counsellors.
- Complete this simple form to keep in touch with the International Office.
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