Subjects A-Z: Film & Television Studies

"The MSc Filmmaking and Media Arts program is a great way to get a taste for low budget experimental filmmaking. The course focuses heavily on the practical aspects of filmmaking while offering a variety of additional courses that complement the core options. In this course you will learn how to create your own film or media art piece, taking it from pitch to the final screening of your work. The course benefits from a mix of lectures, workshops and guest lecturers. I really enjoyed the variety of teaching methods, from screenings in the cinema to practical workshops and discussions. Additionally, I found the lecturers extremely helpful and were more than happy to adapt lessons and include specific workshops."

As Far As I Recall

"My experience on the MSc Filmmaking & Media Arts programme was one of experimentation, reevaluation and discovery. I was encouraged to keep an open mind, to experiment, and to remain open to alternative viewpoints, all while staying true to the essence of a project. The open and self-directed nature of the course I found to be a uniquely challenging yet rewarding experience. I was given the space and freedom to create, experiment, fail, and challenge my own practice and ideas. Reflecting and expanding upon this freeform process was a central concern in the development of my research project. Constant reevaluation of theory, practical output, and experimentation was required to fully interrogate my work and gain a deeper insight into my project, and my own practice, as a whole."

Enveloped Ecstatic

"If you are looking for a strictly technical, narrowly focused film program, the MSc Filmmaking & Media Arts might not be the best choice for you. But if you are interested in developing an independent practice located at the intersection of creative filmmaking and academic study, this is the right course. During my time in the programme, I was taught the comprehensive basics of film study & practice while also being granted the freedom to explore the things that interested me and were relevant to my personal practice and its aims. Of course, you aren't going to become a polished professional in only 12 months of study, and it is unreasonable to expect that. Instead of leaving the program an expert in the field (impossible, I'm 23), I felt that I had been handed a qualification and a well-curated toolbox that I'll be growing into and making use of for quite some time, and I am very satisfied with that."

 Emily's film, 'Sometimes Nothing Is Heaviest' won the Learning on Screen Holweger Award for Animation 2022.

Sometimes Nothing Is Heaviest

"The MSc Filmmaking and Media Arts was a truly ‘transformative’ experience for me. It
provides the tools, resources and support for students and filmmakers who are keen to learn the ‘craft’ of filmmaking in a ‘practice-based’ approach to research. In other words, it is a challenging programme that requires continuous trials and experimentation for you to produce a film or work of art that is authentic, aware and transparent, backed by evidence and documentation. It is a programme that blends science with art, boosting your ability to critique and analyse your own work (as well as works of others) based on the history of the project and the available industry research. I am proud to be a graduate of this programme, as I was able to create and develop my first short film, Mother Kingdom. The film has won Best Student Film at the Madrid Arthouse Film Festival 2023, and has been officially selected at the Around International Film Festival Amsterdam 2023 and the Geneve Awards 2023."

Mother Kingdom

"The programme attempts to guide students in making their own academically informed film projects, while experimenting with technical and artistic methods which require them to critically reflect on their own practice. While some seminars teach subjects familiar from the field of academic film studies, the course benefits from workshops conducted by industry experts and media artists, whose feedback I was able to implement in my own project. Additionally, the programme encourages you to follow your own research interests. This also means that you need to be willing to put in the effort yourself, to start with interesting questions, to push into unfamiliar territory, to independently pick up new skills, to repeatedly experiment and fail, and to constantly critically evaluate your creative choices and where you are taking the project. But I eventually realized that the more I had challenged myself, the more I was able to refine my research methods and filmmaking techniques. While the programme provides you with a solid base and a variety of insights into different aspects of filmmaking as practice based research, its success ultimately lies in what you make of your time."

Golem's Breath