Documentary Practice
The University of Bristol has distinguished traditions in documentary study and practice across a range of media and forms, with expert scholars and practitioners working on the programme, a wide network of alumni at the forefronts of their fields, and strong relationships with the international community.
Students wishing to pursue documentary are able to enrol for the MA in Film and Television Production which contains a strong documentary element and permits specialisation in documentary at the dissertation stage. This option is suitable for students who do not have an advanced grounding in documentary techniques.
For those with a more advanced background, the preferred option is the MPhil Degree. This can be taken full or part time over 1 or 2 years. This is not a "taught masters" degree and falls under the category of postgraduate research. So it assumes that you are functionally competent in the technical aspects of the medium in which you wish to work, and have some conceptual and theoretical grounding. While key areas of work in the subject focus on moving-image screen-based forms, award actively embraces and supports interests in other forms, including photography, writing, audio/radio, web-sites, site-specific installations, and live performance.
In the MPhil you will develop awareness of core debates around issues in the field of documentary, and will be guided in reflecting on your own practice. You will also develop greater familiarity with media-specific production methods and conventions, and knowledge of the intellectual, industrial and cultural environment. This will be supported by appropriate understandings of theory, and the history and contemporary potential of documentary. Each student produces documentary work or an extended piece of writing as the major component of the degree submission.
Course Structure:
There is no set structure for this award as each student is individually supervised. However, you are able to audit several appropriate units that are offered at MA level. These include:
- How films work (Teaching Block 1)
- Screen Histories (Teaching Block 1)
- Writing and Directing for the Screen (Teaching Block 1)
- Film and Production Technologies and Techniques (Teaching Block 1)(more than one of the above may also be taken as an option)
The following units run across both teaching blocks and are subject to availability and not all may run in any given year:
- Performance, Place, Space
- Performing the Body
- Action Direction
- Scenography
- Screen Style and Aesthetics
- Screening Nations
Relevant units offered within the Arts Faculty (these will be identified before enrolment)
Staff:
- Peter Metelerkamp (Senior Teaching Fellow in Film and Television Production)
- Angela Piccini (Lecturer in Screen Studies)
- Jacqueline Maingard (Senior Lecturer in Film and Television Studies)
- Sarah Street (Professor of Film)
- Alex Clayton (Lecturer in Film and Television Studies)
- Kristian Moen (Lecturer in Film and Television Studies)
- Katie Mack (Professional Teaching Fellow in Film and Television Production)
- Peter Milner (Professional Teaching Fellow in Film and Television Production)