Course Catalogue

The MA Film develops students’ theoretical skills in film criticism, practical skills in filmmaking, and organizational skills related to film festivals delivered by staff who are at the forefront of academic discipline, professional creative practice and by industry guests. Depending on assessment choices, students prioritise a theoretical or practical approach for their learning and research, but they all develop their academic research and/or crafts skills to produce traditional film-studies research and/or ‘practice as research’ outcomes. The programme aims to build a cohort of practice-informed academics, and theory-informed practitioners, while offering the opportunity to develop the relevant skillsets required by employers within the film and creative industries, including in the realm of film festivals, distribution and exhibition. The programme also fosters the development of the necessary critical and practical skills for those who wish to pursue further postgraduate study related to film analysis and production.

The MA Film develops students’ research skills both via traditional scholarly means (film studies) and through practice (filmmaking). This hybrid approach to both teaching and assessment allows students to specialise in either practice or theory, or a combination of both. This allows a degree of flexibility in terms of skills acquisition and assessment output. It enables those students who wish to pursue traditional (written) approaches in researching film to select this path, while offering opportunities to those who wish to acquire or hone skills in areas of practical filmmaking and audio/visual production to do so, thus addressing the whole range of learning outcomes.

The programme offers an innovative range of mixed mode delivery, which includes lectures, workshops, demonstrations, seminars, tutorials, field trips, event planning and delivering, and screenings. A diverse range of assessment types are available for students, some of which are optional. These include making an audio-visual artefact, conducting an academic written research project, creating a video essay, delivering presentations, and organizing events. While most assessments are individual, the programme also involves teamwork, especially in the context of the film festival organization.

Formative feedback is given by staff during individual tutorials and production group meetings. Peer review sessions will also be an important element of formative feedback, with these being facilitated during student-led seminars and student presentations of research and work. Summative feedback is normally made available via the university’s VLE and meets the 15-day turnaround threshold. Students are encouraged to discuss their feedback with tutors, either during office hours, PDP sessions or at mutually convenient times outside of scheduled hours.

The Liverpool Screen School and the Film Studies team have forged effective links with industry partners, including Liverpool Film Office, BBC, ITV Northern Lights Partnership, Lime Pictures, Envy post-production (London), FACT, Creative England, and the Bafta award-winning, Liverpool-based, companies Hurricane Films and LA Productions.

Opportunities for internships with some of these companies are open to MA Film students. Students are encouraged to engage with the facilitators and curators of exhibition facilities such as FACT, Tate and the Liverpool Museums, where they may publicly exhibit their film projects, and/or gain industry experience via relevant placements. Students are strongly encouraged to sign up to Production Unit Liverpool Screen School (PULSS), which presents them with opportunities to work on professional projects initiated by professional bodies and clients. The organization and delivery of the public facing LJMU MA Short Film Festival as part of the module Exploring Film Festivals, Distribution and Exhibition is a live brief, as students work to fixed deadlines and deliver an event of professional standards with external stakeholders (student filmmakers from around the world, their associated higher education institutions, local and global audiences). The materials (posters, trailers, social media/marketing campaign and the related assets), as well as the ‘live events’ that the students host (from interviews with the local media, to Q&As with the filmmakers, to screenings and awards ceremony) are all work-related learning. Furthermore, the programme team invites industry professionals to give seminars to students focusing on their line of professional activity, as well as giving students the chance to ask questions and network with industry contacts. LJMU’s Centre for Entrepreneurship have close ties with the Film Studies department, and they will be invited to give workshops on how to foster the development of entrepreneurial activity within the creative industries.