Film and Television Industries

Learn from world-class researchers, tap into Bristol's vibrant creative sector and gain the knowledge, skills and networks you need to forge a career in the film and television industries.

Why study the film and television industries?

There has never been a more exciting time to study the screen industries. The UK's screen industries are booming. Streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon are investing huge sums in original drama and documentary. This is transforming the way programmes are commissioned and how they reach audiences, and has major implications for the production, distribution and exhibition of both commercial and independent film and television. These changes pose a range of new opportunities as well as unprecedented challenges for audiences and industry professionals alike.

This MA Film and Television Industries course equips students with cutting-edge knowledge of the key drivers of change in the film and television industries. You'll study new and emerging structures and business practices, and learn how leading industry professionals are navigating the changes across finance, production, distribution, marketing and exhibition. You'll also gain the entrepreneurial skills needed to set up a screen business of your own, whichever sector you wish to work in. For those interested in pursuing PhD research, the course also provides the knowledge and skills required to study at that level, or to pursue a teaching career.

Why UWE Bristol?

You'll learn from world-class researchers and will study in the heart of Bristol, a UNESCO City of Film and home to world-famous institutions such as Aardman Animations, the BBC's Natural History Unit, Channel 4's Creative Hub and a Netflix production base. Bristol is also home to nearly 200 production companies in what is now the largest independent production sector in the UK outside London. Bristol is truly one of the best locations in the world to study the structure and operation of the screen industries.

The MA Film and Television Industries course is delivered in partnership with Watershed, one of the UK's leading independent cinemas and the home of the British Film Institute's (BFI's) Film Hub South West. Our students network with leading industry professionals across production, distribution, marketing and exhibition, learning what it takes to be a creative entrepreneur and the practicalities of establishing a successful screen business. You'll work alongside students on our other MA Screen Production courses (Documentary and Screenwriting) and will share modules, ideas and perspectives. You'll also be able to build valuable networks with the next generation of screen industry creatives and executives.

This MA also offers a trip to a major European film festival, which provides students with first-hand, practical experience of how this critical part of the industry works. Please note that the film festival trip will be at additional cost.

A series of company visits and guest lectures by leading screen industry professionals also takes place throughout the course.

Where can it take me?

The MA is aimed at graduates looking to build careers in the film and television industries, as well as existing industry professionals seeking to further their knowledge or build towards PhD-level research.

For those at the start of their careers, the programme equips students with the knowledge and skills required to work in a range of roles across the screen industries. This might be in one of the less technically specific roles in production (such as a producer, researcher, talent executive or commissioner), in the marketing, sales, film festival or exhibition sectors, or in the development of your own production business.

For more information, including the most up to date module listing, see the entry for this course on the UWE Bristol website, by clicking on the ‘Visit website’ button located further down this page.