MA in Sound Design für Film und Fernsehen

Overview

Graduates of this course win BAFTAs and multiple other awards every year. Our students have won the student section of the Los Angeles based Golden Reel Awards for best sound 13 times since 1996 (we won it again this year)! Sound Design students train in all aspects of audio post-production, developing the techniques and creative awareness required as dubbing editors, sound designers, and dubbing mixers.

The components of the soundtrack – dialogue, atmospheres, Foleys, ADR, designed fx and music – are explored in detail using facilities rivaling those of the best audio post-production houses. With a firm emphasis on storytelling, students develop an aesthetic awareness integrated with technical expertise, encouraging them to be collaborators from an early stage in all productions and throughout the whole post-production process.

• Most comprehensive course in sound available.

• A study in a collaborative filmmaking environment.

• Aesthetic and technical skills developed.

• Facilities rival professional post-production houses.

• Work on both live action and animation films.

• Unlike other schools, all production costs are met by the School.

We welcome EU/EEA Students. Those accepted onto the course starting in 2018 and 2019 will have their fees guaranteed at the UK rate for both years of the course. Postgraduate students can apply for a loan to help with their studies via the Student Loans Company Loans. A £10,609 loan is available to contribute to course and living costs. The Postgraduate Loan is only open to EU/EEA and UK Students who normally live in England. It is not currently available to Scottish, Welsh or Northern Ireland Students. Find out more here.

LAST FEW PLACES AVAILABLE – CONTACT US

Entry Requirements

In the Post Production department, we are looking to assemble a group of students with diverse and varied backgrounds. There is no 'typical' student or perfect candidate who conforms to a mandatory list of qualifications. Applicants are likely to have some industry experience, or training in their chosen field. Your background may be in the arts or other media, you might be looking for a further professional qualification or wish to broaden your knowledge of sound production, taking you to a higher level of work.

Application materials must include visual materials (video or stills) with an associated soundtrack that you have constructed; and a sound montage including speech, that you have created and post-produced.

Apply With

Your application must be accompanied by two pieces of supporting material.

• Submit your own complete sound design for one of the clips provided (full details/access to clips is outlined in the materials sheet)

• In addition please submit one other piece, preferably a short film you have worked on, or alternatively, an audio-only piece is also allowed. Additional Short Film Material: This could be a professional production, a student project, or a piece specifically created for this application. The maximum duration of each project: 10 minutes. (You may submit a 10-minute extract of a longer piece if required) All video files must be in QuickTime format (any standard codec), with stereo audio. Additional Audio Only Material (if unable to provide a second short film piece): Ideally, there should be an emphasis on spoken word and/or sound design content. Music should not form the dominant part of any audio-only material. The maximum duration of each project: 5 minutes. (You may submit a 5-minute extract of a longer piece if required) All audio files must be stereo interleaved WAV file (48KHz).

• A copy of the Supporting Materials Sheet

File format and delivery: Please send a copy of your clips as QuickTime movie files or WAV file, as a downloadable link via either WeTransfer or Dropbox to registry@nfts.co.uk

HOW TO APPLY Last few places remaining! Please contact registry via email stating your name, course of interest and contact details to be considered for one of the last remaining places on this course: info@nfts.co.uk

History

The National Film School (as it was first named) opened in 1971, the culmination of a major effort by the Industry and government to create an institution to educate and train talent for the British Film Industry.

In 1970, Colin Young, a Scot then chairing the University of California's Department of Theater Arts, co-founded the NFTS and was appointed as the School's first director. With a loan from Rank, the NFS bought the old Beaconsfield Film Studios in Buckinghamshire - which had been home to organisations as diverse as British Lion Film Corporation, The Crown Film Unit and the North Thames Gas Board - and set about refitting it to professional industry standards. Young established four permanent departments - production, camera, editing and sound - and in 1971 the first intake of 25 students passed through the studio gates. Directors Mike Radford (The Merchant of Venice, Il Postino), Bill Forsyth (Local Hero) and Ben Lewin (Ally McBeal), pioneering documentarist Nick Broomfield (Aileen: Portrait of a Serial Killer), and visual effects specialist Dennis Lowe (Cold Mountain, The English Patient) were among their number.

Production Facilities

The NFTS is the only UK film school with its own industry standard film studio, 4k Television and rehearsal studios. With a recent £20 million investment in the School, we offer cutting-edge dedicated workspaces for all courses, making our student experience unparalleled at any other UK creative institution.

NFTS students are given 24/7 access, 364 days a year to the largest production facilities at any UK film school. Not only do these include our studios, but also our sound and dubbing theatres, over 50 top of the range cameras, the latest editing software in dedicated suites, our Dolby Digital Surround Cinemas, and more. These unique facilities enable our students to create BAFTA, Royal Television Society, CILECT award winning and Oscar-nominated productions.

Curriculum

There is no other film school in the world that offers so many individual specialist practical filmmaking courses. 18 Masters, 14 Diplomas, 4 Certificates and a wide range of short courses.

NFTS Courses are based on learning and applying the crafts and skills of the medium. Students are encouraged to develop a solid understanding of how their specialist role fits into the overall process of project development, production and programme-making. All practical learning is carefully integrated with seminars and other activities that place film, television and games in a historical, cultural and business context.

Alumni Network

Just because you've graduated, doesn't mean it's over!

The NFTS has a very active Alumni Network, with many graduates staying in touch and working together long after they have left the School. There are also an increasing number of recent graduates working on projects with graduates from many years back.

As part of the Alumni Network, you will receive regular emails containing information about jobs, Bridges to Industry projects and news from the school. We also have our Annual NFTS Alumni Party that takes place in Central London every January – be sure to keep an eye out for your invitation!

Don’t forget to keep us up to date with contact details and let us know about any credits or festivals you are involved with!

To contact our NFTS Alumni team, please email alumni@nfts.co.uk

To help you stay connected, reunite with old classmates or meet graduates from other years why not join us online on Facebook and Linked In.

Partners

The NFTS is indebted to the many organisations, companies and individuals who support our work, many of whom have supported the School for the majority of its existence.

PLATINUM PARTNER SPONSOR

KEY PARTNER FUNDERS

KEY PARTNER SPONSORS

KEY PARTNER ACCREDITATIONS

Bridges to Industry

The NFTS works with a range of partners in the Industry to provide opportunities for NFTS students and graduates.

The NFTS Bridge to Industry Schemes are designed to help NFTS students and graduates into the Industry - providing opportunities to create shorts, films and promos with our Industry Partner sponsors, whilst continuing to be supported by the NFTS.