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A student set up pieces of filming equipment including a large microphone, wearing headphones Photo: Theodor Solin

Postgraduate

Film Directing - MA

MA

Features

1 year
Full-time

Outline

This programme takes a practice-based collaborative approach to studying for an award in Film Directing, focused on Documentary, that integrates practical film making with analysis of contemporary practice.

You will make a creative documentary or non-fiction film that defies genre definition and pushes the boundaries of narrative, using limitations in a creative way. You will develop these through group seminars and tutorials.

You will work in an integrated framework that helps you question the form of your film and enables you to find the right language for your storytelling.

We encourage ways of working that foster the exchange of ideas, with inspiration from international filmmaking practice through support from our team of documentary practitioners.

Our tutors are top professionals currently working in the industry as:

  • directors
  • producers
  • editors
  • sound designers
  • cinematographers.

Our experience in the industry encourages us to adapt our use of technologies to the current situation, using best industry practice and safe guidelines for filming.

Graduate films do well internationally, regularly winning BAFTAs, RTS Awards and awards at international festivals. Our students and graduates have also received an Oscar nomination and an Oscar shortlist.

 

Accreditation

MA Film Directing has been awarded the ScreenSkills Tick, a rigorous assessment process conducted by experts working in the Creative Screen Industries.

The ScreenSkills Tick is the industry kitemark of quality, awarded to practice-based courses which best prepare students for a career in the industry.

This Documentary Film Directing programme is project-led and delivered through:

  • seminars
  • individual tutorials
  • lectures
  • practical workshops.

It integrates practical advice on filming with a contextual awareness of contemporary film practice.

Your work is initially organised around micro-films that enhance your awareness of film language and your technical skills. At the same time you will research and develop a documentary idea which you will film in the second semester, using whatever means are available to you.

You will prepare and shoot your graduate film, backed up by camera, sound and edit workshops - alongside project support from a tutor - before it is edited and finished with input from group crits and tutorials.

You may also attend or volunteer with Edinburgh Film Festival and the Edinburgh Pitch, to observe and engage with key players from the international documentary world.

On the MA programme you will complete a short documentary in your one-year course.

Our students often go on to tour their short films round international festivals from their MA.

 

Teaching
  • Tutorials: Each student will have a tutor assigned to them to help them with their final major project.
  • Seminars: There are seminars split into two groups where you will explore different tools related to cinematography, sound, and presentation.
  • Lectures: In the lectures, you will gain insight into various aspects of the creative documentary culture, including in-depth analysis of the diverse methods of filmmaking across the international documentary landscape. There will also be guest lecturers teaching occasionally.
  • Workshops: There are practical workshops in cinematography, sound recording, and editing, in which an experienced team of technical staff will cover the foundations. The equipment you will be using is ScreenSkills accredited, ensuring you can work with cameras, sound equipment, and editing facilities that meet current industry standards. If you already have significant experience with the technical side, these workshops will provide an opportunity to further develop your skills.

 

Learning outcomes
  • Challenge boundaries, encourage original thought, and develop intellectual and critical approaches to making films.
  • Combine the contemporary energy and discipline of current creative approaches to film practices with the professionalism of industry practices, in order to produce innovative and grounded work.
  • Facilitate the interrelationship between different cultural traditions, traditional and emerging screen technologies, and classical and non-traditional cinematic genres and conventions.
  • Ability to take risks with established forms of narrative.
  • Understanding of contemporary international documentary practice.
  • Practice-based knowledge of the tools to make a short original documentary film from conception to completion.

Careers

Our students go on to a wide range of roles, including:

  • producer
  • director
  • writer
  • production or location manager
  • researcher
  • editor
  • assistant director
  • cinematographer
  • journalist.

Graduates have found work directing for the BBC and making work internationally for top broadcasters and film funds.

Related fields include:

  • advertising
  • community films
  • academia
  • film development agencies.

Why you should choose this programme

1

The programme is housed in an art college, which encourages an art college approach where experimentation, exploration, and making mistakes are welcomed.

2

You will have the opportunity to collaborate across disciplines, such as with composers, illustrators, and sound designers.

3

Being part of a large university allows you to explore subject areas beyond the art college. For example, for your electives, you can choose something science-related.

4

All our staff in the film department also work in the film industry, sharing up-to-date practices with students.

5

MA Film Directing is ScreenSkills accredited which gives the programme the quality assurance and means that the student has a certain preparedness for the industry, both in Britain and abroad.

How to apply and entry requirements

If you'd like to study on a postgraduate programme at Edinburgh College of Art, you must apply through EUCLID, our online application system. You can find out how to do this on the University of Edinburgh website, where you'll also be able to:

  • see detailed entrance requirements for each programme on the Degree Finder
  • get information on what to expect after you apply
  • find out about study modes, start dates and fees
  • find out if, and how, you need to submit a portfolio, showreel or research proposal
  • find out where to go for further advice and guidance.

Get in touch

Edinburgh College of Art Postgraduate Admissions

futurestudents@ed.ac.uk
+44 (0)131 650 4086

View the work of our latest graduates

Field trips

Our Cohort Events offer great opportunities to connect students with each other and across disciplines.

These events are designed to inform you about the film industry, such as visiting production companies, to match your projects with collaborators from fields like Sound Design or Composing, and to inspire you by exploring different practices across the Arts, such as visiting an Art Gallery.

Additionally, there is the opportunity to get involved with either the Glasgow Film Festival or the Glasgow Short Film Festival, both of which offer valuable insights into the film industry and networking opportunities.

The Edinburgh Pitch is an important part of the programme, allowing you to see how filmmakers present their projects to an international film panel.

Lauriston campus redevelopment

ECA are excited to be undertaking a capital redevelopment of ECA’s Lauriston campus over the next 3 years, from April 2024 to April 2027.

The project aims to maximise the use of existing space, improve accessibility, and create a vibrant campus that fosters collaboration and innovation.

The project involves refurbishing and repurposing various spaces across the Lauriston campus, including technical facilities, student and teaching spaces, and the relocation of the Reid School of Music from Alison House to the Lauriston campus. New social spaces, seminar rooms, and studios are being created to accommodate our growing community.

You can find more about the project at the below link:

Building work starts at ECA’s Lauriston campus | Edinburgh College of Art

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