MA Directing Film & Television

• Developing a Directorial Vision: Here, you will develop critical and practical skills for screen directing. Building on camera-use, screenwriting competences, you learn to directorially (de)construct your story, plant themes, avoid dialogue-driven plots, and articulate a directorial vision and “voice”. You also master collaboration with actors, cinematography, and editing, as well as the importance of production design, and genre to the director. The unit assignment is a portfolio of your works, including a short film, preparatory & reflection materials.
• Storytelling: This unit aims to examine concepts of storytelling across audio visual formats, cultures and production industries. You’ll engage with practice research methodologies to critically engage with a diverse range of narrative forms and approaches. 
• Crafting Visual Stories: Here, you learn directorial skills with critical attention to producers, screenwriters, target-audiences, publics, and investors. Thus, you advance directing skills for TV, and film, by developing professional pitching skills, as well as learn how target-audience(s) and publics influence story-development processes. You will direct a 10-minute drama, or documentary. Here, drama scripts are developed by collaborating with scriptwriters, and producers, while documentaries will be developed in collaboration with producers. Once again, in this unit, you also team up with MA students of Cinematography, Editing and Sound.
• Approaches to Industry: An introduction to key skills and knowledge you'll need for employment in the media industries. An opportunity to develop your ambitions and strategies for entering the creative industries wherever you choose.
• Media Production Masters Project: This project gives you the opportunity to develop and direct a production of your choice which gives you a ‘calling card’ in the field in which you want to work. In negotiation with, and mentored by your tutor, you will plan, shoot and post-produce your project.  Taking advantage of the Faculty of Media & Communication’s collaborative environment, you can work with scriptwriting students to make exciting drama scripts, as well as producers and, once again, cinematography, sound and editing students. You can alternatively produce a practice-based research artefact supported by a written analysis, or an individually or collaboratively written thesis.

• Develop authorship skills for fiction and non-fiction film, television, cross- and transmedia productions
• Work in a collaborative environment that follows professional practice
• Network with leading practitioners from the film, television, cross- and transmedia practice
• Develop critical thinking and practice skills for reflecting, learning and growing as a practitioner.
• Master the professional skills of working in transnational/ international production spaces.

Programme specifications provide definitive records of the university's taught degrees in line with Quality Assurance Agency requirements. Every taught course leading to a BU Award has a programme specification which describes its aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, plus the teaching, learning and assessment methods used.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme specification, the information is liable to change to take advantage of exciting new approaches to teaching and learning as well as developments in industry. If you have been unable to locate the programme specification for the course you are interested in, it will be available as soon as the latest version is ready. Alternatively please contact us for assistance.

The admissions team will look at your online application including your qualifications, personal statement and any work experience. Please make sure your application stands out from the crowd and leaves us in no doubt that you want to study at Bournemouth University.

For more information, take a look at our how to apply pages.

Please see our website for the application deadlines. You should apply as early as possible to be considered for your course of choice. If you require a student visa, apply for the visa as soon as you have an unconditional offer and receive your CAS. There may be delays in visa processing in your country and you need to be in Bournemouth ready to study for the start of term.

Click the green ‘Apply now’ button to submit your application free of charge online through myHub, our application portal. You will create your own myHub account so that you can track the progress of your application. Don’t forget to save your application as you go; you can return to it at as many times as you want before you submit it. For more information visit our how to apply pages.

This course has compulsory elements involving practical production activities. When required, students must complete a health and safety risk assessment to take part in these activities, for their safety and that of others. As part of that assessment students provide information about any conditions or disabilities that might affect their ability to undertake these activities fully or safely. 

If you have such a condition or disability, please let us know as soon as possible. You can contact our Additional Learning Support (ALS) service about this before or after making an application. We will then work with you to identify any support or adjustments you would need. Our ALS team works with the Faculty to seek to put in place reasonable adjustments and health and safety plans.

Exceptionally, it may not be possible to arrange for a student to access these courses without either over-riding their core standards or competencies or creating unacceptable risks to health and safety. If that is the case we will help you explore alternative course choices.

The normal requirements for embarking upon a postgraduate taught degree are:

• A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 in any subject, or equivalent
• Applicants are encouraged to provide details of relevant work experience.

If you lack the formal academic qualifications needed to enter a postgraduate or post-experience degree, there are several alternative routes to follow - some based on experience. Contact the Future Students Enquiry Team for more information.

You can find details of the international qualifications we accept, and what level of study they apply to, on our entry requirements for non-UK students' page.

Please see below some examples of the qualifications for entry:

• India: Bachelor’s degree (three years) from a recognised HE institution with a minimum overall result of 55%  
• Nigeria: Bachelor's degree from a recognised institution with a minimum classification of 2:4  
• China: Chinese Bachelor's (Honours) degree from a recognised higher education institution with 65% or above  
• Turkey: Bachelor’s degree (Lisans Diplomasi - four years) with a minimum overall GPA of 2.3/4.0  
• Ghana: Bachelor's degrees from University of Ghana or Legon with a grade of 2.00 or above, or from Cape Coast with a grade 2.5 or above  
• USA: US Bachelor’s degree (four years), with a 2.5 GPA or above  

All applications will be subject to a minimum grade and your degree may need to be in a relevant subject area.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, you will need to provide evidence that you understand English to a satisfactory level. English language requirements for this course are normally:

IELTS (Academic) 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in writing, speaking, listening and reading, or equivalent.

View further information about our English language requirements.

Bournemouth University International College offers a number of pre-sessional English and preparatory programmes to prepare international students for postgraduate study at BU. Admission to the degree is guaranteed on successful completion of your course to the required level. 

Some of our Directing Film & Television graduates are now undertaking roles as:

• Media Specialist
• Freelancer
• Producer
• Director
• Studio Director.

• Media
• Film
• Television.

If you want to continue your studies after achieving your Master’s, you can look into our range of doctoral programmes.

What’s included in your tuition fee?

• A contribution to filming related expenses (e.g. travel, subsistence) of up to £25 for projects in semester one and £50 for projects in semester two

Production Costs

The cost of making films and television programmes on the course can vary according to what the student wishes to do. For some, the costs can be very little while others may wish to spend more: how much you spend doesn't affect the assessment of your work and some good productions are often produced for very little money. The focus and attention on the course is developing your learning, and your projects are the vehicles for that to flourish. And of course the university provides all the kit and facilities you need to undertake your work.

As a student at BU we will provide many things to support you and there will also be additional costs you may encounter whilst studying at BU. The information below will help you understand our provision and what you need to budget for.

Your tuition fee covers expenses associated with your course including tuition materials, access to facilities, mandatory field trips and the following:

• Our fees commitment means your tuition fees are fixed and your fee will be the same for each year of your course.
• Materials for laboratory and field-based teaching activity.
• Support for finding placements (UK or abroad) and fieldwork, and non-financial support whilst on placement.
• A range of student services – advisors, help desks, counsellors, placement support and careers service.
• The Library – access to a wide range of electronic resources (databases, e-journals and e-books), print and multimedia collections, subject librarians and study spaces.
• Access to Brightspace, our virtual learning environment, which offers a responsive and personalised learning experience with powerful learning analytics capabilities, integrated social media and advanced video features.
• IT labs (some open 24/7), wireless network, AV equipment to borrow.
• Free software download to your personal device of Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus while you are studying, as well as access to applications provided on AppsAnywhere, subject to licensing and compatibility restrictions.
• Disability and additional learning support, according to individual circumstances. 
• The BU Language Centre to help you develop/improve foreign or English language skills.
• 24 hours a day, 365 days a year security team.

Additional costs

We are committed to offering you value for money and ensuring there are no hidden costs while you are studying with us, therefore we have listed below any additional costs you may incur that are not covered by your tuition fee:

• Laptops, tablets and mobile devices and any software used on personal devices. Access to a personal computer is strongly recommended for your study. If you are experiencing financial difficulty, visit our website for information regarding hardship funds.
• Textbooks, general stationary and other supplies. Our award-winning Library has a large range of textbooks and online resources, free of charge. The Students Union shops stock stationary supplies on both campuses.
• Accommodation and living costs. Please visit our website for more information.
• ​Travel costs for optional field trips, outdoor wear and footwear for mandatory and optional field trips (if applicable).
• Travel costs to and from the University campus. An annual bus pass can be purchased alongside your rent if you are living in halls of residence/Unilet accommodation or may be purchased separately.
• ​Travel costs to and from your placement (both in the UK and overseas) if this is part of your course of study. Placement year funding information can be found on our website.

• You will need to meet the cost of any Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check if required by your placement setting, including any Post Office or Digital ID verification charges.

• Clothing or equipment costs required for your placement if this is part of your course of study. 
• SportBU membership.

While all aspects of the programme, including required field trips, are included in the fee, additional, optional or extra curricula activities may be available for which a student contribution is required.

If you need to repeat one or more units during the course of your studies (with or without attendance) the pricing will be pro-rata of the full time fee.

International (not Rep. of Ireland) students need to pay a non-refundable deposit to secure their place on a postgraduate course. For January 2025 entry, a £5,000 deposit is required. You will need to pay your deposit by the date stated in your offer letter. The remainder of your fee will be payable on registration/enrolment. There are two exceptions to the non-refundable rule on the deposit:

• You fail to meet the academic or English requirements of your offer
• You are refused a visa to enter the UK, provided the reason for the refusal is not a fraudulent application.

We offer a range of scholarships to eligible students who are beginning their studies at BU. Please visit our funding pages for details on living costs, budgeting and paying your tuition fees.

Filmmaker, Samantha Iwowo, is a screenwriter and director who commenced her career as a commissioned screenwriter with South Africa’s largest cable network, M-Net, writing several episodes of the daily drama series, Tinsel (2008 – present), from 2013 to 2014. She has written fifty published screenplays. These include the internationally celebrated feature Oloibiri (2016): Made in collaboration with Student Emmy and Academy awards winning director, Curtis Graham, it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, in 2015. Her most recent screenplay, The Tyrant (2019), is a biography on Zimbabwean dictator, Robert Mugabe; commissioned by Theatron Media Inc., Canada, it stars British-Nigerian actor, Hakeem Kae-Kazim and is due for release in summer, 2019. She has also directed four films; her works often situate within themes of postcolonialism, and transnational cinema. Her most recent directorial piece, Go Get Milk, is due for release in the first quarter of 2019. This is an advocacy piece on the teenage knife-crime incidents in South-East London...

Sue started her television career as a researcher on documentaries and current affairs programming, working with major names such as Ken Loach, John Pilger and Peter Watkins. She was also the archive film researcher on the feature film, 1984, starring Richard Burton and John Hurt.

Sue’s first film as a director, A Day in May, was screened at the Barbican and at the London, Sydney, Leipzig and Nyon film festivals. She went on to produce and direct over twenty broadcast documentaries. Her film, Moving Out (Channel 4), won the RTS Educational Award, and A Home for Clare (Channel 4) won the New York International Film and Television Finalist Award. For Channel 4 she also directed The Tale of Bugs Bottom, which went on to win the Prix de Basle.

Sue joined the academic staff at Bournemouth in 1999.  For her doctorate, she made a participatory 45-minute film, Village Tales, with a group of women in rural India. She recently made a short animated documentary, Hunger by the Sea, with students through Bournemouth University’s Student Research Assistant and she is now in post-production with her first feature documentary, Indian Space Odyssey, about the people behind the launch of India’s first astronomical satellite.

Dror has been part of the academic staff at Bournemouth University since 2017. He studied cinematography in the Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF, Germany, where he also successfully finished a postgraduate programme. He has worked as a director of photography, assistant camera or lighting electrician on numerous film and TV productions in Germany, and several shorts for which he was DoP have gone on to win prizes and festivals. Since 2014, he has focused on documentary films which he directs, shoots and edits himself. His debut feature documentary Even Though My Land is Burning was shown in various festivals in Europe and the US.

Dror has recently completed his practice-led PhD thesis in the Bournemouth University entitled The Manifestations of Political Structures in Documentary Film.

Dr Dror Dayan now works for the Faculty of Arts Professional and Social Studies at Liverpool John Moores University.

Rebecca is an experienced producer director specialising in factual television, documentaries, current affairs and commercials. She has made many award-winning (Bafta, Emmy, RTS) television series including Brat Camp for Channel 4, Little Angels (BBC), That’ll Teach ‘Em (BBC), A Place in Italy (Channel 4) and The Hotel Inspector (Channel 5) for which she was instrumental creating the primetime format.

As a series producer at Al Jazeera, she was part of the network’s launch in 2006 and responsible for its flagship current affairs show. Rebecca has also worked on many high-profile television commercials including Johnnie Walker’s Personal Journeys: Keep Walking campaign broadcast globally on CNN and Discovery and Nissan’s Adventures on the 24th Parallel campaign produced by RSA Films and sponsor of TV drama 24.

Filming work has taken her all over the world and she has made documentaries and television commercials in French, Italian, Spanish, Turkish and Arabic.