Masters
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Key details

Location Beaconsfield

Duration 2 Years

Commitment Full-time

Next intake January 2019

Application deadline 27 Sep 2018

Scholarships available

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Overview

Could you make the next Blue Planet or Wonders of the Universe?

This is the only MA course of its kind in the UK, designed to fast track you into the industry. It aims to give students the skills and expertise needed to direct science, natural history and wildlife productions, the know-how to produce entire shows and the ability, confidence and know-how to generate and pitch ideas and formats to commissioning editors.

“You are the future. It’s up to you to change things about the way you look at the natural world, using formats I haven’t dreamed about.” Sir David Attenborough, NFTS Masterclass 2017

The course includes masterclasses from industry experts, including the world-renowned BBC Natural History Unit, and work experience is available at major wildlife production companies. Our graduates have the opportunity to build a brilliant list of industry contacts and relevant skills for a career as a Producer/Director.

All NFTS students can attend the School’s masterclasses programme, with recent guests including Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk, The Dark Knight, Interstellar), Lynne Ramsay (You Were Never Really Here) and Armando Iannucci (The Thick of It, Veep, The Death of Stalin).

An exclusive scholarship is available for this course with RSPB and other partners.

What you will study

This course will give you the skills to direct science and natural history productions, the know-how to produce entire shows, and the ability to generate new programme ideas and formats. Students gain a practical working knowledge of current television production methods and insight into how the business works and current trends.

There is a strong emphasis on professional practice.  This means that student projects will be expected to measure up to scientific scrutiny, as well as exhibition and broadcast standards.

Students will carry out assignments in the specialist skills of long-lens, time-lapse and macro photography. In the 1st year, students will not only produce and direct, but also shoot and edit their 10-minute film. In the 2nd year they may opt to shoot their films, but they can also collaborate with composers, editors and sound designers when they make their 25 to 30 minute graduation films.

As part of the course students will be exposed to the development and production challenges of specialist factual genres, such as Landmark/Blue Chip (interchangeable terms for high budget, high production value programming mainly used in a pure wildlife context), mini landmarks, Children’s, People and Nature, Live, Expedition films, Magazine formats, Obs-doc etc. In addition, there will be a focus on promoting cross-genre ideas to foster creativity.

 

Download programme specification

Download course outline

 

Current or recent tutors

Paul Reddish

Paul Reddish

Course Leader, Science and Natural History

Credits include Attenborough in Paradise, The Future is Wild

Fees and funding options

Fees for this course are as follows:

Home/EU/EEA £14,300 per year

Overseas £30,000 per year

We also welcome EU/EEA students on the same rate as our UK students – and those enrolling onto a two-year MA in January 2019 will continue to pay home fees for the second year of their MA.

In the last year, 8 in 10 UK MA students received support, with more than £800,000 given out in total.

There is a compulsory, non-refundable £60 application fee for each MA application. A non-refundable deposit of £500 is required against the cost of your fees on confirmation of your place. 

All production costs are included in the course fees, including the use of School facilities and equipment. Students will need to provide their own laptops and will be expected to pay for their travel for work placements, recces and occasional off-campus events. While it is not a requirement, students may find it useful to  provide their own DSLR camera.

The NFTS is committed to ensuring it is open to students of genuine ability, no matter what their background or financial circumstances. We don’t want anybody to be put off applying for a place at the NFTS because of the cost, which is why we award more scholarships and bursaries to British students, relative to the size of our student body, than almost any other educational institution in the UK.

At the NFTS you will get far more time learning directly from tutors, in real production facilities and on real projects, than in the vast majority of film schools or universities – and we won’t charge you extra for the cost of productions or materials. The specialist nature of our courses mean that our students gain the relevant skills and experience they need to go straight into the industry.

Showcase

Every year, our students work on a number of short films.

Entry requirements

Applicants must be able to demonstrate their passion, commitment and talent for developing a career in television. Typically, applicants will have a proven interest in science and natural history, which, typically, may involve a background in Physics, Chemistry, combined Natural Sciences, Zoology, Biology, Psychology, Mathematics etc. But other educational backgrounds are not excluded.

While many applicants will have a degree from a British or overseas university, we will consider applicants who do not have a degree if they have an impressive portfolio, a creative track record or an alternative qualification.

For international students, more information about our entry requirements, including Visa and English language requirements, can be found here. 

If you are not sure whether your experience or qualifications are appropriate, please ask the Registry for advice - info@nfts.co.uk.

How to apply

Application deadline: 27 Sep 2018

 

Applicants must complete the online application form and submit the following supporting materials:

  • A short proposal for a science or natural history television programme (one side of A4)
  • Optional: A digital portfolio containing samples of your work specifying your exact role in each.
    This work does not need to be in the science and natural history area, as some applicants may not have a film or other programme-making background.

We are happy to receive applications at any time up until the midnight of the application deadline date.

Begin your application

More content that you may be interested in...

NFTS Announces RSPB Scholarship

London, 14th March 2017: National Film and Television School (NFTS) announces it is partnering with the RSPB, the UK’s largest nature conservation charity, on its Directing and Producing Science and Natural History MA.

Natural History students get to grips with Telephoto Lenses & hide building at RSPB Sandwell

NFTS Directing and Producing Science and Natural History MA students recently experienced filming wild birds at an RSBP Reserve in Sandwell Valley.

NFTS Announces Inaugural RSPB Scholarship Recipients

The inaugural recipients of the RSPB Scholarship for students on the NFTS Directing and Producing Science and Natural History MA are announced as Gisela Sepulveda and George Pretty.

Students Enjoy Q&A of a Lifetime with Sir David Attenborough

Whilst many may dream of following in Sir David Attenborough’s footsteps, not many get the chance to spend two hours in the iconic Natural History presenter’s presence and fewer get the opportunity to get their individual questions answered in person.

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