MA by Research Film, Theatre and Television

Compulsory modules

Dissertation or Practical Project 

Conduct independent research, with the advice and support of teaching staff, and demonstrate your knowledge and skills in in film/television and/or theatre through an extended project. Your project will focus on a particular critical/theoretical issue or subject in the form a practical project, with supporting analytical documentation or an extended piece of writing. 

Optional modules

Exploring Screen Practices

Develop production and filmmaking competencies through short practical projects supported by workshops and masterclasses. You’ll gain an understanding of the way in which creative processes relate to critical analysis, while enhancing a wide range of professional skills in field of screen media.

Film: Creative Peaks and Industries 

Explore common tropes and cross-pollinations across the creative peaks of film productions and movements from around the world. You’ll focus new cinemas and waves, and booms of production, analysing blockbusters along with indigenous landmarks to demonstrate how they compare and interrelate through portrayals of shared desires and concerns. 

Screen Bodies

Explore how diverse bodies move on screen and how their representation is shaped by culture, society, creative traditions, and conditions of production and reception. You’ll examine how the screen body generates meaning, as well as ethical issues of access to representation, visibility, marginalisation and consent.

Film Programming and Film Festivals 

Study different modes of programming and organising arthouse, alternative and experimental venues, as well as film festivals, exploring how the pool of world festivals influences funding and distribution of different productions. You’ll be taught through a range of dynamic seminars, workshops and group projects, led by academics and industry representatives. 

Adaption across Stage and Screen

Explore the processes of artistic adaptation in film, television and theatre, and engage with the critical, cultural, and political considerations surrounding this practice. You’ll gain an understanding of a broad range of adaptation practices, including page to stage/screen, fanfiction, intercultural retellings and documentary theatre.

Performance and Design

Engage in critical and practical exploration of theatre and performance design in relation to historical and contemporary scenographic practices. You'll explore the role of designers in shaping and re-imagining performance, encounter visual, aural, spatial, material, and technological design elements, and examine diversity among international designers, methods, and environments. Visits to archives and masterclasses from visiting designers will enhance your learning.

These are the modules that we currently offer for 2024/25 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them.

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