Business of Film MA

This module will support you to develop the business-framing and entrepreneurial mindset to make things happen in practical ways in the production of films and to give students confidence about expressing your ideas and solutions under the pressure of production in an informed way. Critical knowledge in project management, leadership, IP and business plan authorship will be partnered with skills such as idea development, solution-making, pitching, public speaking, communicating value, negotiation and deal making that are needed to build a career in the film business.

This module reinforces the professional development and collaborative approach to career development in the film business. Students will join a group of six to eight people in an Action Learning Set based around one of the core themes underpinning the course in discussion with fellow students. Participants will be encouraged to form groups of varied and complementary skills with a view to developing their own career trajectory through collaboration on business ideas with others. You'll develop research skills, team working and critical analysis that shares practice and encourages cooperation and mutual support as solutions to complex challenges and professional demands.

This module introduces and explains the demands of marketing, distribution, exhibition and festivals and their role in the film business. Delivered through Regent Street Cinema, this module will provide a case study of an active cinema business and its operations, budget issues, community building exercises and responses to a competitive market for an independent cinema. This will enable students to have a hands on experience of the complexities of cinema exhibition (noting the engagement of RSC with a range of film festivals, university operations and as a venue for special releases) as well as understanding the concepts of marketing and distribution as they apply more generally, seeing the activities as a nexus of business, financing, promotional strategies that complete the value chain.

The Business of Film Final Project synthesises the skills and experience derived from modules across the course and relevant to the student's prospective career pathway/sequels. Students will be supervised by a faculty member and a film industry professional partner, via our relationship with the BFI, to carry out business oriented research agreed between the student and the module leader/s and/or industry professional. Projects might include the development of case studies, business plans for films or festivals, analyses of employment or financing or policy development addressing skills shortages or diversity issues in the sector. Students will be expected to address current film business issues and concerns and incorporate relevant film business and relevant creative industry themes into their project to inform pragmatic and creative solutions or resolve issues.

This module is designed to provide you with an understanding of film finance, financial management, budgeting, investment and funding, and reporting in the film industry. You'll gain a systematic knowledge of the business aspects of development, production and postproduction in relation to administering, reporting, and recoupment schedules including the updating and comms required for completion guarantors or investors providing a solid grounding in the principles and techniques of finance is essential for both a successful career and business venture in film.

This core module encourages students to inform and focus their studies and aspirations by undertaking a work-based placement within an existing organisation or through association with an individual. Students will be expected to show initiative in creating opportunities and self-motivation and self-promotion skills to secure placements commensurate with their aspirations. Engaging in a work placement in this way validates and challenges other work on the course, and enables students to have an informed view of the industry and the part/s they are looking to play in them and to widen their ideas about what kind of opportunities exist.

This module will offer you the opportunity to develop an advanced knowledge of the global film market and the variations in the territories within it. You'll gain a deep understanding of key territories, explore their significance, development and the differences between them. You'll also interrogate the emergence of new markets and rising national film cultures and their market position in a globalised and digitised industry. This will provide you with a holistic knowledge of the global market that enables them to understand key market dynamics, including the implications of technological, political, social, economic and cultural differences and how these are manifested in film through cultural policy and the communication of national identity.

This module aims to introduce you to the scope of subject areas, activities and contexts explored on the course, including a systematic overview of film industry organisations and international film business practice. You'll explore the complexities of the processes, stages and systems that underpin the film and entertainment value chain, as well as understanding its size and diversity. The module will contextualise organisational structures, distribution platforms and funding mechanisms within the film industry and use leading research and professional expertise to understand current and future models of practice.