MA Producing and Directing

University of Bristol

This MA in Producing and Directing at the University of Bristol offers integrated, high-level training in both producing and directing, reflecting contemporary shifts in the industry where the two roles increasingly overlap. This practice-led, industry-focused Master's is designed for students who want to develop across both roles and prepare themselves for a career in the creative industries, and it is one of only a few programmes at a Russell Group university to take this combined approach. Students develop original screen projects of their own devising, working in film, television, and digital-first/online formats. Two core units run throughout the year – Creative Digital Production and Working in the Screen Industries – and are taken alongside optional units in Editing, Cinematography, Sound, or Screenwriting. The curriculum also critically engages with the emerging technologies reshaping the industry, learning how to integrate these into creative and production workflows to better support and enable original screen projects. Teaching draws on both academic staff and active industry professionals, through masterclasses, live client briefs, and structured mentoring. This is one of the most distinctive elements of the programme – students are paired with industry mentors from day one who will support and guide them throughout the programme and for a full year after graduation. Assessment on the MA is designed to reflect real industry practice: pitches, development dossiers, budgets and schedules, and completed screen projects, alongside critical and reflective writing. The programme suits recent graduates and early-career practitioners moving into producing or directing, as well as professionals from adjacent creative fields – e.g. theatre, digital media, marketing – looking to build production skills. Its dual focus gives graduates a real advantage for roles in smaller production companies and digital-first environments, where producing and directing responsibilities are often held by the same person. Graduates are prepared for roles such as Production Assistant, Assistant Producer, Assistant Director, Content Producer, or Development Assistant, across film, television, digital platforms, and corporate/event production. In the final stage of the MA, students choose either a Final Major Project – a substantial independent screen production – or an Industrial Placement with an industry partner, where they can fully showcase all that they have learned on the programme.