MA Post Production Editing

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Full time according to Funding Council definitions

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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.

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 2019, September 2020

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.

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.

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 each component, 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.

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:

One set of study-related consumables such as a memory stick/ DVD
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.

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.