Department of Media Production

The Department of Media Production is an incredibly collaborative, creative and industry-focused department.

As the UK’s largest centre for professional media in Higher Education, we’re proud to be at the forefront of sustainable media practice, as well as fostering a culture of inclusivity and openness.

The department holds a Bronze Athena Swan Charter award which recognises our gender equality efforts. We are committed to promoting inclusive working practices and to providing an equitable working environment for both students and staff.

We are one of the very few full UK members of CILECT, a global network of the world’s top film and television schools, and as such we pride ourselves on the global outlook of our work with students.

Our courses

Educating media professionals since 1985, our courses enable you to work closely with other students in related disciplines in a way that mirror industry practice.

We’ve specifically designed our courses in collaboration with industry experts to ensure you graduate with all the necessary knowledge and skills required to work in professional Film, TV and other screen-based media.

Undergraduate courses

Our BA (Hons) Film course predominantly focuses on location filmmaking as opposed to studio, and so you’ll often film away from the campus. You’ll use contemporary digital film cameras (such as Canon C300/ Panasonic GH5) and editing programmes (Adobe Premiere and Avid)

BA (Hons) Film (with Foundation Year option)

On this degree, you will be exposed to an exciting range of experiences within film culture, from industry practice through to experimental cinema. During the course you will examine film through a variety of different approaches, building an understanding of filmmaking through both practice and theory. This includes topics such as the distribution, marketing, buying and fundraising for films, alongside film production.

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BA (Hons) Immersive Media (with Foundation Year option)

This programme is aimed at developing future project leaders, producers, storytellers and experience-designers in virtual-reality, augmented-reality and mixed-reality media.

BA (Hons) Media Production (with Foundation Year option)

This industry-focused course has core disciplines of film, audio production and digital media design, underpinned by scriptwriting.

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BA (Hons) Photography (with Foundation Year option)

On this course, you'll explore photography as a craft and a business, through a combination of practical and theoretical approaches.

BA (Hons) Television Production (with Foundation Year option)

On this course, you’ll produce your own programmes, fictional as well as factual, both in the studio and on location, giving you crucial hands-on experience.

Postgraduate courses

MA Cinematography for Film and Television

This course provides high-level industry staff-expertise and image capture technologies, which will enable you to flourish in the continually evolving arena of imaging for film and television. During the course, you will develop key intellectual and practical skills that meet, or challenge and exceed, current industry practice and expectations. It seeks to develop in parallel; your artistic eye, your technical skills, your team-working skills as part of camera crews, and your collaborative skills working with directors.

MA Directing Film and Television

The Director is central to the creative process in media production. This Master’s is designed to build and develop your knowledge in that field, enabling you to step up to the challenge of delivering award-winning productions. It’s a hands-on course which provides many opportunities for practical production across different platforms and genres in both factual and fictional filmmaking.

MA Post Production Editing

A theoretical grounding in topics such as narrative and storytelling underpins technical training in the latest software and hardware, which will give you the tools to turn your ideas into reality. You will also be encouraged to develop critical perspectives on the changing media industry and to challenge current practice, developing the analytical skills required to reflect, learn and grow as a successful editor.

MA Producing Film and Television

This Masters is for students who want to complement their ideas and aspirations with the practical skills needed to make film and television programmes. Whether you plan to join the production team of a film crew, shape a career as a researcher, associate producer or development exec, or even run your own independent production company, this course will give you the practical training and theoretical grounding to help you to achieve your ambitions in the dynamic world of media production.

MA Scriptwriting

With a uniquely collaborative emphasis, this course offers opportunities for some of the scripts you develop over the course to be produced, through close collaboration with students from MA Producing Film and Television, MA Directing Film and Television and MA Radio Production. This equips you with the skills and attitudes required for successful script development processes in the industry. The course is busy, intensive and involves much teamwork alongside individual writing practice.

MA Sound Design for Screen

This master's will advance your sound knowledge in a variety of different genres, ranging from documentary to drama and animation. Relevant industry practice underpins teaching and learning methods on this course, which aims to enable you to develop creative opportunities in sound. You will have the advantage of working in a range of tailor-made facilities, including specially built post-production sound studios, foley/commentary recording suites, as well as other facilities.

Courses in development

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MA Production Management

Learn to understand and manage the entire production process, from planning and pre-visualisation, through to working on location and overseeing creative post-production work.

MA Film & Television

As screen-based media play a more central role in our lives, this course nurtures an advanced critical understanding, combining rigorous contextual and conceptual interrogation of film and tv with innovative, hands-on engagement with their inner workings.

Student opportunities

Industry links and accreditations

We prepare you for work in the ever-evolving media production sector, with employers valuing the practical approach we take to developing courses that not only reflect the realities of the current media landscape but also help shape the future of Film, TV and screen-based media. We work closely with a number of leading media organisations; find out more about some of our industry links and accreditations.

Our facilities

As a student within the department, you’ll have access to industry-standard facilities including a 200msq soundstage studio, green screen studio and two 4K TV studios. You’ll also have access to radio and foley studios, as well as video and sound post-production facilities and screening theatres. Explore our facilities on Talbot Campus.

Image description — The new Poole Gateway Building opened in spring 2020 and provides a range of high-quality technical facilities to support undergraduate and postgraduate courses as well as research. It is used predominantly by students from the Faculty of Science & Technology and the Faculty of Media & Communication, although it’s also open and accessible to students from other faculties.

More about the Media Production Department

Guest speakers

We pride ourselves on our links with industry and our regular guest speakers, providing you with opportunities to learn from real-world professionals, including some of our very own alumni.