MA in Film Studies: Popular Cinema

Establish a historically-informed and critically aware understanding of popular cinema and how it reflects and shapes the world we live in.

You’ll develop a strong working knowledge of analytical and theoretical contexts. We take an innovative, academically rigorous approach to the analysis of film culture. Areas of study include:

• Digital humanities - analysis of big data to explore cultural responses to cinema
• Scriptwriting and story development
• Narration in classical Hollywood
• Popular European and East Asian cinema.

In your final semester, you will undertake a dissertation on an area of your choice utilising the research skills you’ve gained.

You’ll be taught by an academic team who are leading researchers and widely published across a range of specialisms. Oxford Brookes is home to a rich film culture research community. Industry experts, from technical specialists to leading directors and journalists, contribute directly to the course.

Study modules

Compulsory modules

• Narration in Classical Hollywood Cinema (40 credits)
  'Classical' film narration evolved in Hollywood during the 1920s and became the standard way to tell a story through film in the succeeding decades. This approach has been particularly successful and has had a strong influence on 20th-century storytelling. In this module, we analyse the rhetorical, narrative and visual devices that make up the classical Hollywood model and consider the contexts for the rise of this system of narrative conventions. Topics to be explored include continuity editing, use of lighting, screen acting, genre and convention.
• Research Methods in Film (40 credits)
  In this research module, you learn the research conventions and practices of humanities scholarship. It is specifically organised to guide students in developing a successful research topic for their MA thesis in Film Studies.

Optional modules

• Popular European Cinema (20 credits)
  This module analyses the history and organisation of European popular film production and the role of audiences within the broader context of national identity in European cinema. You will gain an understanding of the European film industries as well as insight into notions of national cinemas. You will also study critical and historical approaches to the idea of European Popular Cinema and its relation to the field of film audiences.
• Story Development (20 credits)
  This module focuses on the creative aspects of writing for the screen and working with scripts. The module is split into two parts spanning the first and second half of the semester:
  • Part 1: Based on tutorials and case studies including film screenings, readings and analyses of screenplays, you will learn about narrative aspects (themes, plot, structure, sequences and scenes, characters, dialogue) and technical skills (tone, style, dynamics) of scriptwriting, reading and editing, drawing upon both traditional and alternative models (with particular emphasis on popular film genres, such as the romantic comedy, the film noir and melodrama).
  • Part 2: You can choose either to develop your own script from an original concept or to analyse, edit and doctor existing scripts considered for development.
• Popular Cinema in East Asia (20 credits)
  This module offers a comparative study of contemporary Japanese cinema with cinema from China, Hong Kong, South Korea and Thailand. It explores popular genres such as horror and gangster films, focusing on their themes and styles, and examines how cultural and national issues are portrayed. You will also have the opportunity to examine gender representation, visual analysis, and the question of national versus transnational cinema.

Independent study and/or work experience

• Professional Film Cultures (20 credits)
  At a national level, the term 'film culture' is used to encapsulate debates around the film as art or commerce, media literacy and screen heritage to name but a few. You can select either to design and implement a research project which builds on these elements, or undertake a professional placement or short internship within the film industry which aims to help you understand the varied career opportunities available within the UK's professional film cultures. Examples include cinema management, festival administration, archives and museums, distribution companies or local multimedia production houses.
• Independent Study (20 credits)
  This module gives you the opportunity to design a course of research and writing to suit your own interests and concerns; organise and carry out a work schedule set by yourself, and determine a set of learning outcomes and assessment criteria. Support will be provided by a module leader and a supervisor. Registration on the module requires the production of a Learning Contract, to be completed no later than six weeks in advance of the start of the semester in which the study is to be undertaken.

Final project

• Dissertation (60 credits)
  MA students are required to complete an advanced work of independent research on an approved topic, appropriate to the MA in Film Studies. The dissertation is taught via individual tutorial support. The module follows on directly from the Research Methods Seminar, in which you will develop advanced skills in research skills and techniques. You are asked to work on your initial proposal during Semester 2. The main work on the dissertation will normally take place from June to early September.

Having a master's qualification helps you to stand out from the crowd, whether you are joining the MA straight after graduating or returning to study after a break of several years.

Our MA will provide you with the skills and knowledge to embark upon a career in the creative and media industries or to improve your current position. However, an MA in Film Studies can also lead to careers in many other sectors, including:

• teaching
• lecturing
• publishing
• arts administration
• journalism
• museum work
• fundraising
• higher education management.

The transferable skills you acquire through studying for an MA also open up wider opportunities in business and law. Many MA students continue on to further research and careers in academia, and our course provides the necessary research training required for doctoral work. Graduates of this course will be well placed to pursue a range of careers within the film industry and academia. Many go on to PhD study, in the UK and abroad. Other examples include cinema programming and marketing, animation, teaching, journalism.