Master of Arts in Screen Production (Documentary)

at University of the West of England - Bristol - City Campus United Kingdom

This postgraduate degree has been co-designed by UWE academics and producers, directors and production managers from the BBC's world renowned Natural History Unit (NHU).

Bristol is the global capital of natural history programme making and the natural place to study for an MA in Wildlife Filmmaking. On this highly popular Masters course you will learn how to develop and pitch ideas, tell great stories and make intelligent and surprising programmes to captivate and engage audiences.

Our partnership with the BBC Natural History Unit (NHU) means that, alongside your studies, you will have incredible opportunities to network with professional wildlife film makers, attend talks, film festivals and other events around the city.

Our MA students graduate with the skills, experience and knowledge needed for entry level jobs in all areas of production from online to broadcast. Graduates now work for the BBC, Icon Films, Discovery, Tigress and other top production companies in the UK and overseas.

Why study this course?
The course is based at Bower Ashton, part of the City Campus, in the creative heart of Bristol. Bower has exceptional facilities and resources which include a news studio, TV studio and post production areas which offer the latest technology.

Be inspired by watching some of the Wildlife Filmmaking videos created by students on our Vimeo site.

Alum, Lindsey Parietti, won a student BAFTA for her powerful nature documentary Blood Island, a film created for this course. In this video she talks about what compelled her to tell the story, and the success that followed.

Combine extensive practical experience with underlying theory and graduate confident, creative and ready for an exciting future as a performer.

Why study drama and acting?

• Contemporary acting is competitive. You need know your strengths as a performer and develop them to the highest level possible through practice and direction.
• When you audition for a role or drama school, you need to be able to demonstrate your range and ability in as little as three minutes.
• Being prepared isn't just about learning your lines, it's about choosing the right one and being ready for changes and questions on the day.
• Studying drama and acting prepares you for these challenges so you have the best chance to make an impression.

Why UWE Bristol?

• BA(Hons) Drama and Acting is for those who love performing live and appreciate a challenge. You'll develop your performance skills through core modules in acting for stage and screen, and physical theatre.
• Work closely with our supportive theatre community to share ideas and work as collectively on productions.
• Build your skills in all aspects of performing and gain plenty of practical experience.
• Play a part in Bristol's vibrant culture, with regular exchanges between the university and local theatre network. Get support to form your own theatre company, producing your own extra-curricular work and making the most of rehearsal and performance space.
• As an actor, you will devise and perform original pieces of theatre. Specialist workshops led by staff and industry professionals will give you the chance to develop skills such as auditioning for theatre, film and television, and you'll showcase your work at the New Performance Festival.
• City Campus is a creative powerhouse that spans the city of Bristol and is made up of Bower Ashton, Spike Island, Arnolfini and Watershed.
• BA(Hons) Drama and Acting is based at the City Campus, and uses theatres and specialist spaces at the Arnolfini and Bower Ashton Studios.
• Shaping the course towards the type of acting, or area of theatre making you're most interested in, you'll emerge as a confident and creative practitioner, ready to thrive in your career.
• Showcase your work to potential employers at the final year Creative Industries Degree Show and build an impressive portfolio of work.

Where can it take me?

• Graduate in a confident position for a career performing for theatre, television and film.
• You could also progress to further study with one of the country's prestigious theatre schools such as the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA).

Build an impressive portfolio, real-world experience, project management skills and the technical expertise needed for a successful career in interior design.

Why study interior design?

• Interior design is an exciting field that bridges the boundaries between architecture, art and design.
• Interior designers take a holistic approach to space, designing every element from structural interventions to specifying materials. Working to a level similar to that of an architect, they design for the retail industry, commercial offices, art galleries, private homes and the hotel and leisure sector.
• Working in this industry is exciting and varied. To succeed, you'll need creative flair, professional acumen and real practical skills.

Why UWE Bristol?

• BA(Hons) Interior Design degree teaches you the professional skills you need to work in the interior design industry.
• You'll be based at Bower Ashton Studios, as part of our City Campus, which includes renowned contemporary arts centres Spike Island, Arnolfini and Watershed. Exceptional facilities and resources include industry standard digital studios and fabrication workshops.
• This is a technical learning course, with a focus on lighting, heating, ventilation and acoustics. You'll learn to work with traditional tools and the latest technology, and develop the skills to design lighting, furniture, materials and entire interior projects.
• Learn to view spaces differently and seek new design opportunities within them. Push the boundaries of what interior design means and what it can achieve.
• Regular guest lectures and events will help you explore work opportunities. Develop your own independent projects and follow live briefs set and assessed by professionals in the field. This Interior Design course gives you the opportunity to spend a year in industry gaining real-world experience. You can also take on work experience and placements throughout the degree, including international exchange.
• Focusing on the areas that most interest you, you'll graduate with an impressive portfolio, and the skills to succeed as an interior designer.

Where can it take me?

• This Interior Design degree course offers excellent preparation for a professional career in commercial and domestic interiors, retail, leisure and exhibition design.
• You could also choose to specialize in furniture, product or lighting design, materials or architecture-scale projects.
• You could go onto postgraduate study, including our MA Design.
• Read how Emily's three-month placement is boosting her confidence and employability.

Study in a studio environment with professional-standard facilities and the focus on the real-world skills you need to succeed in your career

Why study graphic design?

• Graphic design makes a powerful contribution to the cultural and economic life of contemporary society.
• It exists in the public domain, acts as an indicator of current cultural thinking and is a catalyst for social, cultural and political change.
• The role of the graphic designer in society and the professional world is multifaceted; designer as curator, author, craftsperson, editor, educator, collaborator and agitator.
• Studying graphic design is excellent preparation for a creative career in the UK and abroad.

Why UWE Bristol?

• BA(Hons) Graphic Design is based at the Arnolfini, at the heart of Bristol's creative and cultural community. You'll learn from practising graphic designers in a professional studio environment.
• Past students have won awards in prestigious national competitions such as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) Student Design Awards and the International Society of Typographic Designers (ISTD).
• In recent years, graduates' work has been exhibited at D&AD New Blood, London, with several being identified as 'Ones to Watch' and commendations received for several collaborative projects.
• Our students are also regularly shortlisted for the Best British Book Design and Production Awards.
• Our City Campus is a powerhouse of inspiration and collaboration, and home to our many City Creatives. It spans Bristol and is made up of Bower Ashton and renowned contemporary arts centres Spike Island, Arnolfini and Watershed.
• Our strong industry links with the thriving city of Bristol ensure ongoing input from professional designers, with extra mentoring support also on offer through the West of England Design Forum.
• You won't be working on hypothetical designs. Projects are socially and culturally relevant, whether undertaken inside or outside the university.
• Go on work placements and internships, or volunteer, to gain valuable workplace experience.
• Attend talks from studios like OK/RM, Pentagram, Moving Brands, Mother London, Muf, APFEL and Book Works.
• Showcase your work to talent scouts and potential employers at the final year Creative Industries Degree Show.
• Focus on the avenues that most interest you, and graduate with an impressive portfolio of work, ready to make your mark in the industry.

Where can it take me?

• This course prepares you for an idea-driven, sustainable and flexible freelance practice, or studio career in graphic design.
• Many of our graduates find work with highly respected design studios in the UK and worldwide.
• Others go on to further study, such as a master's in graphic design or graphic arts, or pursue a career in research or education.

Work with experienced journalists to build your skills and experience, and channel your passion for long-form writing into a successful portfolio journalism career.

Why study journalism (specialist features)?

• In today's fast-paced digital age, journalists need the versatility and skillset to create high-quality features across diverse platforms.
• As a features writer, you could be working on long-form pieces for websites, newspapers, magazines or podcasts, focusing on a specialist subject or type of feature writing, or taking on more diverse business-to-business work.

Why UWE Bristol?

• If you have a passion for journalism and long-form writing, our MA Journalism (Specialist Features) gives you the writing and audio skills to be confident in producing a variety of content across both print and online channels.
• Through a mix of practical and analytical learning, you'll develop high-quality writing, research and storytelling capabilities, alongside technical skills such as page layout, podcasting and website building.
• Unlike other MAs focusing on either news or specialisms such as sport or fashion, this course centres on feature and long-form writing for a range of media markets.
• You'll also have the chance to build up a specialism of your choice (such as sport, music, the environment, travel or fashion), ensuring you develop as a versatile, knowledgeable and employable journalist.
• You'll work with our experienced journalists, and be based at our arts-focused Bower Ashton studios, where you'll be immersed in the writing and multimedia journalism skills needed for today's media industry.
• You will build experience on placements and work shadowing, work on your own projects, and go away with a high-quality portfolio of your print, online and audio work to show to prospective employers.

Where can it take me?

• You'll be in a position to take on work on a freelance or staff basis with magazines (both specialist and business-to-business), or to write for online channels such as websites or podcasts.
• It's up to you if you want to specialise in a particular subject or type of feature writing, or use your skills to secure writing work across different fields.

This course was developed alongside industry experts and has produced Graduate Fashion Week award-winners across several categories.

Why study fashion communication?

• The fashion industry employs over 400,000 people in the UK alone, and engages and inspires global audiences through diverse media.
• Fashion brands use a range of platforms and techniques to speak to existing and new customers. To do this, they need professionals with a solid understanding of contemporary culture and fashion.
• Studying fashion communication will introduce you to a variety of roles and specialisms. The knowledge and network you develop will open the door to many careers, including art direction, fashion film, social media, advertising, marketing, copywriting, photography, event management, styling, social media, branding and more.

Why UWE Bristol?

• BA(Hons) Fashion Communication is a creative interdisciplinary course based at Arnolfini, one of Europe's leading centres for the contemporary arts.
• Our staff are industry experts and have strong relationships with the fashion industry so you'll benefit from regular input from fashion professionals.
• Exceptional facilities and resources include industry-standard digital media studios. Production and fabrication workshops offer a combination of traditional tools and the latest technology.
• Discover approaches towards communicating and promoting fashion. Work with photography, digital media and film to explore ideas around fashion and its global dissemination.
• Study and apply branding, market analysis and PR to your creative work and investigate the use of digital marketing strategies, future trends and technology's role in fashion.
• Apply new ideas through project development, which can include online marketing campaigns, promotional films or publications. Demonstrate your creativity and fashion knowledge through an extended independent design project.
• We work closely with industry specialists to keep the curriculum current and relevant to industry. Develop professional and entrepreneurial skills, and participate in live briefs and collaborative projects with industry professionals.
• Go on visits to workplaces and sector events where you'll see the fashion industry in action. Gain valuable experience through professional practice and internships.
• City Campus is a creative powerhouse that spans the city of Bristol and is made up of Bower Ashton, Spike Island, Arnolfini and Watershed.
• Showcase your work to talent scouts and potential employers at the final year Creative Industries Degree Show, and exhibitions in London.
• Focusing on the avenues that most interest you, through your modules and assessments, you'll graduate with an impressive portfolio of work, ready to take your place in the fashion industry.

Where can it take me?

• Fashion communication can take you in many directions.
• Potential careers include photographer, stylist, trend forecaster, fashion editor, brand manager, online marketeer, online visual merchandiser and events manager.

 Work alongside independent and BBC audio producers, and award-winning academics, to gain valuable experience, insights and contacts for your career in audio journalism.

Why study journalism (audio, docs and podcast)?

• Today's fast-moving digital age has opened up enticing opportunities for journalists wanting to work in audio and radio.
• Producers are needed to create high-quality programs for podcasts, radio and audio documentaries - and graduates specializing in this field will build a compelling set of skills to develop a highly versatile portfolio career.

Why UWE Bristol?

• Offered in partnership with the BBC, our MA Journalism (Audio, Docs and Podcast) is for graduates with a passion for radio, and an interest in journalism and audio documentary making.
• Working with award-winning audio producers, you'll learn to develop your own radio documentaries and podcasts, as you build experience of audio collection techniques, sound and recording, working in a studio and using digital editing software.
• Based at the arts-focused Bower Ashton studios, you'll be immersed in audio and radio for the digital age, putting your skills into practice, and delving into the cultural industry and its supply chain.
• There's a strong emphasis on developing your technical expertise, alongside the skills needed to compete as a producer, such as commissioning, pitching and getting your documentaries to air. You'll also gain useful online skills to develop your own websites and podcasts.
• You will build experience on placements in some of Bristol's most innovative cultural organizations, get to pitch your work to Radio 4 editors and work on your own projects with mentoring from industry.

Where can it take me?

• By the end of the course, you'll be equipped to secure audio journalism work on a freelance or staff basis, in production companies and post-production facilities. You could work as a broadcast assistant, junior researcher, production assistant or studio manager.

Staff from The Centre for Fine Print Research form the key teaching team on MA Design. The CFPR is one of the country's leading university research centres in Art and Design, combining a multi-technology approach towards novel surface print, design and fabrication in 2 and 3 dimensions.

The broad and practice-based MA Design takes students on a creative journey where you will explore process, materials and context. You will challenge and extend your existing design practice at an advanced level whilst developing a range of artistic and practical skills.

The course is delivered through a series of project-based modules 'Make', 'Play' and 'Live', through which you will engage with real-world problems and issues of relevance to contemporary design practice and work towards the production of a physical object.

The course attracts a diverse range of practicing designers, makers and industry professionals from a range of disciplines, including but not exclusively: ceramics, fashion design, jewellery design, product design, lighting, fine art and architecture and equally broad ranging staff backgrounds in robotics, graphics, product design and fine art. You will work both independently and collaboratively, pushing boundaries and exchanging ideas across design disciplines.

Why study this course?
The course is based at Bower Ashton Campus, part of City Campus, where exceptional facilities and resources include state-of-the-art digital media, production and fabrication workshops offer a combination of traditional tools and the latest technology.

Learn to create garments, accessories and textile collections for fashion and interiors through sustainably driven and digitally-enabled design.

Why study fashion textiles?

• Fashion and textiles are the UK's largest creative industries and are internationally renowned for quality and innovation.
• Today's fashion and textile designers are exploring new forms and materials and rethinking what fashion can be.

Why UWE Bristol?

• BA(Hons) Fashion Textiles teaches you about fashion textile design: from designing and manufacturing fabrics through to garments and fashion related products.
• Discover the disciplines of fashion design and traditional craftsmanship by making garments, accessories and other fashion products. Translate your ideas from 2D to 3D by building your pattern-cutting skills throughout the course. Explore and develop concepts using technologies including digital print, digital embroidery and smart textiles.
• Tailor your degree to your creative strengths by specializing in fashion design, textile design or fashion textile futures, allowing you to develop a unique pathway and identify a career path that suits your ambitions.
• Learn from visiting industry experts in the studios. Work closely with industry partners on live briefs and competitions, to apply your learning and gain real-world experience.
• Engage with research as you develop your design practice.
• Professional practice is key to this course and there are placement and project opportunities every year to help you develop your professional skills. All students have the opportunity to undertake a year out in industry as part of the course.
• Showcase and sell your design work at high profile national and international events such as New Designers and Premier Vision in Paris, the world's largest fashion textile trade show.
• Our City Campus is a creative powerhouse. It spans Bristol and is made up of Bower Ashton and renowned contemporary arts centres Spike Island, Arnolfini and Watershed.
• Focusing on the avenues that most interest you, through your modules and assessments, you'll explore different career paths and graduate with the confidence and skills to succeed.  

Where can it take me?

• Our students go on to work in industry, develop enterprise opportunities or explore further research at the postgraduate level. Whatever you want to do, our team of subject and employability experts will support you.
• Many of our graduates go on to successful careers with high profile companies like Alexander McQueen, Matthew Williamson, All Saints, Cos and Victoria Beckham.
• Choose from roles such as fashion designer, textile designer, studio manager, art director, product developer, pattern cutter and materials research.
• Follow UWE Fashion on Instagram.
• Read about some of our successes:
• UWE Bristol launches 2020 Fashion Enterprise project
• Fashion Textiles students awarded prestigious bursaries
• Fashion Textiles student wins a UWE Bristol Enterprise 'Try It' Award
• Fashion Textiles student works with couture tailor to create range of masks
• Take a look at how our graduates are changing the future of fashion.
• Read how three of our former students won prestigious bursaries from The Worshipful Company of Framework Knitters.
• Have a look at some of our students' latest work in our 2019 Graduate Showcase, as well as our 2019 Yearbook and 2020 Yearbook. See more by watching the film.

Write your own dramas and feature films, tap into Bristol's vibrant screen sector, and gain the grounding you need to succeed as a professional scriptwriter.

Why study screen production (screenwriting)?

• The boom in film drama, powered by companies such as Netflix, and the advent of streamed media and web content, is opening up new opportunities for scriptwriters.
• Imaginative and skilled collaborators are needed to work on dramas, web series and films across diverse genres and with the right skills and experience, you could get your work commissioned on TV or online.

Why UWE Bristol?

• Aimed at students with some experience of writing their own scripts already, our MA Screen Production (Screenwriting) supports you to develop scripts for your own dramas and feature films.
• Focusing on the professional practices of writing, you'll learn about the structures, relationships and business environment of the screen industry, as you hone and develop your scripts. 
• UWE Bristol has sector-leading expertise in film, standing at third in the UK in the Guardian League Tables 2020. 
• You'll be taught by award-winning film and TV screenwriters, and trained in the individual and collaborative practices of scriptwriting. 
• Studying this in Bristol means you'll be part of the city's rapidly expanding screen business sector. The city is home to the renowned Bottle Yard Studios, and many leading independent production companies, as well as being one of two Channel 4 regional hubs, and the new production base for Netflix.
• Working with Bristol Business School, you'll also gain the entrepreneurial skills to operate as a professional screenwriter, learning to work with producers, and developing skills in parallel professions such as script editing. 
• There'll be opportunities to network with other future creative leaders, working alongside students on our other postgraduate screen courses.
• The course includes guest lectures by leading industry experts.

Where can it take me?

• You'll be equipped to pursue a career as a professional scriptwriter in TV or film, to write web-series or pursue other modes of writing in the screen industries.
• You could go on to be a writer or showrunner on a TV drama, or script your own original feature films. Or move into script editing or producing.