MA Post Production Editing

Visit us at an Open Day

Delivery:
Full time according to Funding Council definitions

Apply now
Visit us:
Visit us
Call us:
Contact us
Request a prospectus:
Request a prospectus

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.

This course builds towards a final production project. This showreel will be your calling card for the industry; it will allow you to explore and develop ideas beyond industry expectations, and produce evidence of your editorial approach, style and storytelling. As an alternative, you can choose a research-based option to present at a final exhibition of work. Working in your own postgraduate base room, you will have your own cutting-edge technology at your fingertips.

You are required to have your own Apple laptop with Avid Media Composer 6.5 or above. The Faculty of Media & Communication provides further technical tools to aid your development, including extensive network support and two Avid Media Composer Finishing Suites, where you will build your realworld skills through role-play scenarios of industry practice. We’re also proud to announce our Learning Partnership with AVID, a collaboration that will ensure graduates of this course carry even greater relevance and credibility when it comes to finding employment.

You may have an undergraduate qualification in a related subject or may be able to show your suitability for this programme of study through associated work-experience or evidence of and outputs from other related activities.

As a student on this course you'll have the chance to take advantage of opportunities with RedBalloon, an award winning professional production unit based in the Faculty of Media and Communication.

Please watch the recorded BU webinar, ‘MA Post Production Editing’, presented by Karl Rawstrone, Lecturer in Digital Media (Theory & Practice), to get an insight into the degree.

Image description — Post-production suite

Key information

Next start date:

September 2020, September 2021

Location:

Bournemouth University, Talbot Campus

Duration:

1 year full-time

Accreditations:

The International Moving Image Society (IMIS)

Required subjects:

All subjects considered

Entry requirements:

A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 in any subject, or equivalent

International entry requirements:

If English is not your first language you'll need IELTS (Academic) 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in each component. For more information check out our full entry requirements.

Accredited by:

Course details

On this course you will be taught by a range of staff with relevant expertise and knowledge appropriate to the content of the unit. This will include senior academic staff, qualified professional practitioners, demonstrators, technicians and research students. You will also benefit from regular guest lectures from industry.

Download the programme specification (pdf 870kb)

Core units

Approaches to Editing: Gain professional, industry-standard skills in planning and completing edits under different conditions and time restraints. By working on individual projects and collaborating with students on the MA Directing Film & Television course, you'll develop creative skills. You'll also complete the AVID Media Composer 101 Editing Essentials qualification.
Narrative Constructions: Establishing a social, cultural and intellectual context for production work on the course, in combination with the other practical and professional skills taught, this unit offers a critical foundation for the effective realisation of production work. You'll collectively engage with narrative theory in a critical and analytical forum.
Developing Editing Principles & Practice: Develop industry-level thinking and practice as an editor through collaborative projects and a programme of negotiated independent practice-based research and experimentation. This unit is where you'll find your voice as an editor and explore, challenge and extend the language of montage and the professional practice of creative collaboration. There will be group discussions, critiques, workshops and screenings.
Professional Practice: An introduction to key concepts, skills and knowledge you'll need for employment in the media industries.

Option units

Choose one of the following option units:

The Master's Production Project: This is where you can create a calling card for the industry, showing your editorial approach, style and storytelling ability. You'll develop a brief through negotiating with a tutor, and research an aspect of editing that links with narrative and produce edited material. This is about exploring and developing ideas beyond industrial expectations. Collaborating with MA Directing and Producing students is recommended as these courses, along with Editing, form a tight group of disciplines where collaboration benefits everyone.
The Master's Research Project: You can produce a practice-based research artefact supported by a written analysis, or an individually or collaboratively-written paper. The latter consists of a written investigation into an aspect of practice, supported by media artefacts. Whichever option you choose, you'll present your findings at a final exhibition.

Please note that option units require minimum numbers in order to run and may only be available on a semester by semester basis. They may also change from year to year.

Programme specification

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.

Your application

For MA Post Production Editing we are looking for applicants who:

Have prior experience of editing or working within a post-production environment
Are creative and enthusiastic
Can adapt to varying demands/workloads.

We are looking for candidates who want to develop their craft skills while investigating and furthering their understanding of the intellectual underpinning so necessary for quality work. We expect that you can already demonstrate competence within the field of editing and that you are comfortable with the terminologies and working practices found in post-production.

Selection methods

How and when to apply

There is no application deadline for this course. However, if you will need a visa to come to the UK to study, think carefully about the length of time it will take for your visa application to be processed and make sure your visa will be ready in time for the beginning of your course.

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 section.

Supporting your study

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.

Entry requirements

General entry requirements

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

A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 or equivalent in any subject, or equivalent

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.

International entry requirements

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:

China: 学士学位 (Bachelor degree) with a minimum of 65% overall.
Nigeria: Bachelor's degree from a recognised institution in Nigeria.
Thailand: Thai Bachelor's (Honours) degree from a recognised higher education institution.
Vietnam: Bachelor's degree/Bang tot nghiep dai hoc with an average score of at least 7.0, or a Master’s degree/Thac si.
Turkey: Bachelor’s Degree (Lisans Diplomasi -four years) to be considered for a postgraduate course at BU.

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 minimum 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.

RedBalloon opportunities

RedBalloon Productions is an award-winning professional production unit based in the Media and Communication Faculty at BU. RedBalloon offers paid work to second and final year students and graduates, including opportunities for editors, production managers, sound assistants and runners, a great way to enhance your CV with professional credits and networking. Students work alongside professional crew and for a wide range of clients from local charities to national organisations such as The National Trust, Exeter Cathedral and Bournemouth Courts of Justice.

Read about some recent projects our students have been working on.

Visit the RedBalloon website to find out more

Read about Sam's experience

Sam Drake BA (Hons) Television Production student worked with RedBalloon on the Body Parts Exhibition, London.

"I joined RedBalloon in the summer of 2019 and was able to get involved with the Body Parts Exhibition, London. RedBalloon had created a documentary looking at the reality of living life as a Paralympian, to be showcased in London. I was a runner at the exhibition and got some hands-on experience liaising with clients and conducting interviews with some of the artists. Executive Producer, Stephanie Farmer, was aware I wanted to pursue the career of a Television Producer and gave me the opportunity to get involved with the filming of the event, discussing narrative points with me. Once back from London, I worked in the RedBalloon office editing suite to create a cut of the exhibition film. This was a challenging task, working under the guidance of Stephanie and the client to ensure the film accurately showcased the event.

"My time at RedBalloon was both enjoyable and challenging. I felt like I was getting involved in the production thoroughly, as opposed to being used to do menial tasks. I enjoyed the production of the Body Parts event in London as I got to try a selection of roles and work alongside talented professionals.

"RedBalloon has equipped me with invaluable practical skills and experience I can apply to future productions. Having an award-winning production agency enhances my CV, showing potential employers a strong work ethic with a reputable company. RedBalloon allows students to work with a professional production company to experience what working in the industry will be like. It is a great feature of the Media and Communications faculty at Bournemouth University, equipping students with skills beyond graduation."

Read about Dimitra’s experience

Dimitra Margaritidou MA Sound Design for Film and Television student worked with RedBalloon as a sound designer.

"I worked in RedBalloon as a sound designer in two different projects. The first one was an animation with a battle scene taking place in a medieval castle. The second one was an augmented reality project in a tin mine with a focus on ambient sounds. My main role was to help source sound FX, record some additional Foley sounds, edit them and work with the professional RedBalloon editor to lay down the final mix.

"Working with RedBalloon was a great experience. I enjoyed being part of a professional team and developing my skills at sound design. Also, combining studying with a work placement helped me develop my time management skills. Furthermore, working in collaborative projects with students from other departments is a good way of having new contacts for future projects.

"While working for RedBalloon I developed my professional and communication skills as I was part of a professional project. Moreover, apart from the skills that I acquired, my CV is more enhanced.

"I believe that having RedBalloon in the faculty is very beneficial as it provides students with an insight of how the media industry works before they graduate. Also, it gives them the chance to actively participate in the field and get hands-on experience with working conditions.

"I would highly advise other students to look for opportunities offered by RedBalloon as they can gain relevant experience on their filed of interest whilst studying, work under a professional environment and enhance their CV at their same time."

Read about Jemma's experience

Jemma Wood BA (Hons) Television Production had the opportunity to work as a mentor on the Breda University of Applied Science project (BUAS) as part of RedBalloon Productions.

"The BUAS project involved mentoring a group of 40 Dutch students from the University of Breda, completing one of their university units in BU’s live television studio. My role was to facilitate the students in any way I could as most of them hadn't been in a studio environment before. I supported them to source contributors and locations, assisted with paperwork in order to film field segments, helped them to buy props and advised in the studio.

"I really enjoy working for RedBalloon, it’s a great way to be able to get some really valuable experience and meet some amazing people at the entry level I am currently at. I enjoy being able to share my passion with other like-minded individuals. Throughout the project, I found taking a step back most challenging and letting the students learn from their mistakes. It was great after to help them understand why they made that mistake and how to prevent doing it again. It is also great making contacts with students from other countries, I have many of them on LinkedIn so we can stay in touch for the future."

Jemma has also worked for RedBalloon as a Producer, creating a charity promo film for children who have survived brain tumour.

"RedBalloon is a great thing to have in the faculty, often in this industry getting work experience is very difficult as you have to have experience to be able to get experience. RedBalloon gave me the chance I needed to get some real experience and enhance my CV to help me stand out from the crowd. It's an amazing thing to get involved with at university, it could be the first ‘real‘ (production) experience you get which can lead onto further opportunities."

Careers

This course will prepare you for the technical, challenging and creative world of video editing in an evolving digital marketplace. It has been awarded accreditation by the International Moving Image Society (IMIS) in recognition of its professionalism and industry relevance in moving image education and training.

Typical starting job roles

Industries worked in

Further study

Costs and fees

You can find full information about the deposits required and how to pay your fees in our postgraduate fees and funding section, including details of the Postgraduate Loan (subject to fee status).

All fees are quoted in pounds sterling and are per year. Fees quoted are for tuition only unless stated otherwise. Your tuition fees will be the same for each year of your course.

No hidden extras

What’s included in your tuition fee?

AVID Media Composer Fundamentals 1: Training and examination

Please note: it is mandatory for all students on the course to supply a laptop and certain essential software. We will send you further details nearer the start of the course and it is expected that it will cost approximately £2,000.

Production costs

The cost of making films and television programmes on the course can vary. 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. BU provides all the kit and facilities you need.

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:

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
IT labs (some open 24/7), wireless network, AV equipment to borrow
Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) scheme
Disability and additional learning support
The BU Language Centre to help you develop/improve foreign or English language skills
24 hours a day, 365 days a year security team.

Costs of living and other expenses you need to consider

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:

Accommodation and living costs. Our accommodation price guide can be found on our website.
Optional fieldwork travel, outdoor wear and footwear (where applicable)
Text books, general stationery and other supplies. Our award-winning library is stocked with a large range of text books and online resources, free of charge. The Students’ Union shops stock a wide range of stationery supplies on both campuses
Travel costs to and from your placement (both in the UK and overseas). Information about funding your placement year can be found on our website.

Repeat units

Financial help available from BU

Deposits

International (non-EU) students need to pay a non-refundable £2,000 deposit to secure their place on a postgraduate course. 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.

Our staff

On this course you will be taught by staff with relevant expertise and knowledge appropriate to the content of the unit. This could include senior academic staff, qualified professional practitioners and research students, many of whom are actively engaged in research and/or professional practice which is integrated into the teaching of this course. Please note that teaching staff can change.

Karl Rawstrone - Programme Leader

Karl began his career in broadcasting as a Trainee Tape Operator for the BBC at London’s iconic Television Centre in 1990. While the intervening years have seen many major technological developments – stereo sound, widescreen, digital and HD broadcasting – the technical and creative grounding this gave him informs his approach to teaching the next generations of production and post-production talent. Karl’s time working in television production included editing a vast range of content, from drama and sitcom to documentary and current affairs to children’s and entertainment programmes for all of the major broadcasters. Karl went on to direct and produce both pre-recorded and live children’s television. As an educator, Karl has taught school, college, undergraduate and postgraduate students from across the UK and around the world who have gone on to forge their own careers in broadcasting and film.

View Karl Rawstrone's staff profile

Course changes

Changes in 2018

Date	Changes to this course
13/11/2018	Where the change was made: Selection methods Change: Show-reel requirement removed Previous text: We’ll be selecting the candidates for this course by looking at their applications and show-reels. We may also interview applicants, either at the university or over Skype for international students.The interviewer will mark you on the following criteria, on which you can request feedback on afterwards: • Potential for further development • Professional understanding/ambition • Familiarity with professional editing software • Appreciation of editor’s role • Collaborative ability capacity for masters level inquiry. • It is assumed that, prior to embarking upon this course, you will have engaged with the editing process at a practical level. Therefore, we ask you to submit a short show-reel of your work exhibiting what you perceive as being the best examples of your craft, along with your application form. • Your examples should include live action drama and/or documentary. Short-form trailers and promotional pieces are also of interest. Showreels comprising animation only are not appropriate. Show-reels should last no more than 20 minutes, as we are not able to view many long-form edits • Wherever possible, we would prefer you to submit the show-reel via a web-link on our online application form. However, if this is not possible we will also accept the show-reel submitted on DVD/CD.

Date

Changes to this course

13/11/2018

Where the change was made: Selection methods
Change: Show-reel requirement removed
Previous text: We’ll be selecting the candidates for this course by looking at their applications and show-reels. We may also interview applicants, either at the university or over Skype for international students.The interviewer will mark you on the following criteria, on which you can request feedback on afterwards:

• Potential for further development

• Professional understanding/ambition

• Familiarity with professional editing software

• Appreciation of editor’s role

• Collaborative ability capacity for masters level inquiry.

• It is assumed that, prior to embarking upon this course, you will have engaged with the editing process at a practical level. Therefore, we ask you to submit a short show-reel of your work exhibiting what you perceive as being the best examples of your craft, along with your application form.

• Your examples should include live action drama and/or documentary. Short-form trailers and promotional pieces are also of interest. Showreels comprising animation only are not appropriate. Show-reels should last no more than 20 minutes, as we are not able to view many long-form edits

• Wherever possible, we would prefer you to submit the show-reel via a web-link on our online application form. However, if this is not possible we will also accept the show-reel submitted on DVD/CD.