Berlin

Masters Documentary & Factual

Metfilm School

Metfilm School

MetFilm School is a world-leading film, television and online media school which offers undergraduate, postgraduate and short courses in London and Berlin. The London campus is based at the famous Ealing Studios, known for the production such as The Ladykillers, Notting Hill, Downton Abbey and The Theory of Everything. “Our mission is to inspire a new generation of creative professionals. We bring the education and screen industries together in a creative environment, driven by great teaching and practical, hands-on experience, led by inspiring role models. Whichever course you choose, whether it’s for 3 years or a weekend, general filmmaking or a specialist discipline, we look forward to welcoming you to the School and giving you our full support in your next steps as a smart screen creative.” Jonny Persey, Director, MetFilm


Masters Documentary & Factual


Today’s audiences can watch documentaries and factual programming at cinemas and art galleries, on television and iPhones, or via YouTube and Vimeo. Technological innovation and the digital revolution have changed the way we think and talk about factual content. This MA course focuses on the creative, technical and industry skills you need to develop documentaries and factual programming across the contemporary media landscape. We will teach you how to film reality from a variety of perspectives, understanding and sometimes challenging traditional interpretations of the documentary and its delivery. The course will equip you with the necessary skills, conceptual approach, and mindset for a career in the creative media industries.
• Hands-on practical experience. Gain training and production experience in producing, directing, camera operation, sound and editing
• Learn how to film reality. Through practical work explore the creative, conceptual and ethical approaches to filming reality and documenting the experiences of real people
• Industry awareness. Build your understanding of the contemporary industry landscape for documentaries and factual programming, including commissioning, financing, distribution and exhibition, festivals, and the emerging world of interactive and transmedia digital content
• Professional feedback. Pitch your projects to industry professionals and receive ‘real world’ feedback and guidance to further develop your projects
• Real-life experience. Produce a documentary/factual project in collaboration with an external industry client.

• Screen Lab. You will participate in seminars and workshops covering a range of topics, including practical filmmaking skills, creative brainstorming, a survey of concepts underpinning moving image theory, and the state of the creative industries. At the end of the module you will shoot a mini filmed project on an iPhone/Android, focusing on the primacy of content in the Say Something! exercise.
• Documentary and Factual Boot Camp. This is an immersive module which covers the conceptual and historical developments associated with traditional and contemporary modes of practice, while also teaching key creative and technical skills required by today’s media platforms. Explore and interrogate the discourse around the concept of realism as it applies to various documentary genres, complete practical exercises and develop a small project on this module.
• Authorship and Point of View. This module looks at the various conventions and methods for developing and making compelling content. Explore the theory of authorship and alternative paradigms, analyse and engage in how ‘point of view’ impacts the structure, form and genre of non-fiction storytelling. Through practical workshops, you will develop ideas for a variety of platforms, including film, TV and online.
• Production Practices. Learn and apply the core skills and principles that anchor contemporary documentary and factual production, including the importance of proposals and pitching skills, budgeting and scheduling, and what’s required of producers and directors across a variety of platforms. Through practical workshops, this module will also explore the crucial creative roles of directing, camera, editing and sound in the development of dynamic content.
• The Business of Documentary and Factual. This module turns towards the business of getting documentary and factual programmes to the audience – in cinemas, on air or via the Internet. Through case studies and seminars with industry guest speakers, students will analyse the various financing and commissioning structures and look at emerging distribution avenues, including cross-media platform development, web-based marketing, publicity and social media. Students will write and pitch project proposals, shoot a filmed trailer and begin planning their final Master’s projects.
• Research in Screen Practice. During this module, you will begin to prepare for your final Master’s Project by exploring key research methods including defining problems, identifying areas of academic enquiry, formulating hypotheses, collecting, organising and evaluating data; developing and assessing conclusions. This enquiry could be in the form of a visual portfolio with mood boards, location details, and other filmic references to demonstrate the value of preconceiving visual work.
• Master’s Project. This is a largely self-directed module during which you will work under the guidance of a faculty advisor towards the completion of a short documentary or factual project for which you assume the role of producer and/or director.

• All applicants must be 18 years or older at the time the programme begins
• A 2:1 honors degree from a UK university or overseas equivalent
• EU students -If English is not your first language, or if your previous education was not conducted fully in English, you will need to provide documented evidence of your English language competence to study a course with us.
• Students who are from outside the EU (and EEA countries) must provide evidence that their English language ability is up to standard for the programme they have applied. For postgraduate programmes we require an IELTS overall score of 6.5: with at least 6.5 in writing and at least 5.5 in listening, reading and speaking. Prior to applying for your Tier 4 visa, you will need to demonstrate a B2 English Level which is upper intermediate. The following tests are satisfactory to demonstrate this: IELTS, TOEFL, Cambridge PET, ESOL Skills for Life Level 1 and 2, Trinity Level 1.

Requirements to get a Spanish student visa?
Before you schedule an appointment at the Spanish Embassy in your country there are a few documents you need to have ready. These visa preparation documents highly vary per nationality and sometimes even per state department of your country. See here a list of requirements that usually need to be presented.
• National visa application form
• Biometric pictures
• Passport with expiry date at least 6 months past the date you are applying for
• Health Insurance Letter from Spanish provider
• Medical Examination, following the current requirements of the Spanish Health Association
• Accommodation Letter
• Bank statement, showing that you can financially sustain yourself during your whole stay in Spain (this amount varies every year, contact us for the up-to-date requirements)
• Invitation and offer letter from a Spanish academic institution
• Visa fees paid
• Most of these documents need to be translated into Spanish by a sworn translator and legalized by the notary or Spanish authorities, depending on your country of origin.

LEAP has a visa success rate of 95%. Contact one of you educational experts to enlarge your acceptance chance

Course Preview
  • Degree type: Masters
  • Duration: 1 year
  • ECT's: 60
  • Language: English
  • Start date: Oct
  • Study type: Full-Time
  • Tution fee: 16.500 €/year
  • Delivery mode: On-Campus
  • Ranking: Accredited by CILECT, QAA and Creative Skillset
More questions about this course? How to get started with the admission process? Send us a message and we will get back to you within 24 hours!

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More questions about this course? How to get started with the admission process? Send us a message and we will get back to you within 24 hours!
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