Film and Television Production – (M.A.)

This new MA Film and TV Production offers you an exciting opportunity to learn how to produce and direct factual programmes for broadcast, and for a range of other purposes including documentary, education, training, public relations, current affairs, marketing, and for campaigns.

The degree teaches, through practice and its theoretical underpinning, how programmes are made in ways which have the greatest effects on audiences, in terms of awareness, attitude or behaviour. You will learn how to conduct qualitative research into the audiences and markets for programming, and then how to use that research to design, and produce, programmes or series of programmes that will effectively reach, engage and motivate them.

With links with 4Rights, Channel 4's commercial arm, talks and seminars are provided by members of Channel 4's Commissioning and Business staff, both in Cambridge and at Channel 4's headquarters in London.

You will have the opportunity to pitch your Major Project to 4Rights, Channel 4's commercial arm. 4Rights may make development funds available to you if your work, in 4Rights' opinion, justifies investment.

To prepare you to maximise on such opportunities the course imparts an understanding of the macro-economics of the media world. Where does funding come from? How is it best accessed? This element of the course enables students to prepare a fully-professional pitch, either for commissioners, or to those who will invest in a sound media idea.

The course also teaches the skills of micro-economics: how to design, monitor and manage your programme budgets so that you maximise the effects of your spend for the best communicative effects.

Throughout, you will continually put into practice the new skills as you learn them: approximately 75% of your time is spent making programmes, in small groups, which exemplify and test the principles of design, directing, production management and creativity which you are learning.

It is the combination of these creative, technical, practical and management skills which make this course unique; skills which are highly sought after in the industry and which make our graduates highly employable. However, these skills are also essential for those who wish to work as independents programme makers, alone or in small companies.

All teaching and practice takes place in Anglia Ruskin's Cambridge School of Art. You will be taught and supported by a specialist team, all of whom have worked in the production and broadcasting industries.