MA Filmmaking (Sound Recording, Post-Production & Design)

Program Overview

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MA Filmmaking (Sound Recording, Post-Production & Design)

Overview

The MA Filmmaking (Sound Recording, Post-Production & Design) programme at Goldsmiths, University of London, is designed to equip students with the fundamental technical skills necessary to begin a career in screen sound, both as a location sound recordist and post-production sound designer.

Why Study MA Filmmaking (Sound Recording, Post-Production & Design) at Goldsmiths?

• Within this MA programme, you'll expand your existing knowledge of sound. Through recording and design, you'll investigate what it means to listen with awareness and to translate that experience to your audience. And you'll study how sound is created, how you can manipulate its form, whether it’s natural, synthesised, digitised or analogue, and how to work with sound as a storytelling medium.
• MA Filmmaking is housed in a new purpose-built media facility equipped with state-of-the-art teaching spaces including a film studio for sound shooting, Pro Tools suites, Audio Postproduction facilities with Foley recording studios, Avid Media Composer, screening rooms and an Avid NEXIS network linking all teaching spaces.
• Goldsmiths is an Avid Learning Partner offering Sound students accredited training in Pro Tools and the opportunity to certify as an Avid Pro Tools Specialist, enhancing student's skills and CV.
• The Sound curriculum focuses on the structure of the soundtrack, deconstructing it from its beginnings in pre-production to the final mix, experimenting with the ways in which different components (dialogue, atmospheres, sound effects, music) allow an audience to engage with a film’s story. Through iterative exercises, group reviews and regular feedback, you gain the awareness and ability to construct soundtracks that interpret stories through sound.
• As a sound specialist, you work on one film each term, ending with a major production.
• You learn about related fields such as directing, editing, producing and documentary, and work with students across specialisms within Goldsmiths Screen School.
• You'll also benefit from guest lecturers who bring their professional expertise into our classrooms. Last year, specialist classes featured Oscar-winning sound recordist Ray Beckett (The Hurt Locker), film/TV sound editor Adele Fletcher (The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus) and composer Stuart Earl (The Secret Agent, Lilting).
• In addition, MA Filmmaking students collaborate with composers and players from Goldsmiths’ Department of Music who offer a wide range of musical styles from classical to electronic to popular. Pro Tools tuition is offered to all Sound Recording, Post-Production & Design pathway students giving you the opportunity to achieve Pro Tools Certified User accreditation.
• The Department of Media, Communications and Cultural Studies has been ranked second in the UK for 'world-leading or internationally excellent' research (Research Excellence Framework, 2021) and 16th in the world (third in the UK) in the 2024 QS World Rankings for communication and media studies.

Length

• 1 year full-time

Entry Requirements

• An undergraduate degree of at least 2:1 standard in a relevant/related subject.
• Experience working with sound and image and proficiency with Pro Tools is recommended.
• You might also be considered if you have relevant experience and can show you can work at postgraduate level.

Fees

• Home - full-time: £16,200
• International - full-time: £30,750

Department

• Media, Communications and Cultural Studies

What You'll Study

• Specialist studies
• Optional modules

You will take the following modules:

Module title	Credits
Sound Recording, Post-Production and Design: Specialist Skills	30 credits
Contemporary Screen Narratives	15 credits

You will also complete a Final Project (90 credits), assessed by a portfolio of work and a viva that reflects your practice.

Optional Modules

• You will choose three optional modules, worth 45 credits in total.
• Examples of recent optional modules include:
  • Social Activist Film | 15 credits
  • Archaeology of the Moving Image (PG, 15 credits)
  • Camera Fundamentals | 15 credits
  • Film Producing Fundamentals | 15 credits
  • Representing Reality | 15 credits
  • Sound Design Fundamentals | 15 credits
  • The Ascent of the Image | 15 credits
  • Doctor Holby: Writing for Existing Continuing TV Drama Series | 15 credits
  • Media, Law and Ethics | 30 credits
  • Practical Law for Film-makers | 15 credits

Overview

• For two terms, you will spend a full day a week in specialised contact with your specific programme convenor.
• These sessions include:
  • Practical demonstrations and exercises
  • Lectures
  • Screenings
  • Small group seminars
  • Workshops
• You will also take three optional modules, taught through practical workshops and hands-on experiences, as well as critical discussion and essay writing.
• The third term will be taken up with your substantive Final Project and you will take part in a series of progress and feedback meetings.

Group Film Projects

• You will work with other students from across the five MA Filmmaking fiction pathways to create film crews in a professional structure.
• This allows you to develop realistic industry experience while making work with extremely high production values.

Entry Requirements

• You should have (or expect to be awarded) an undergraduate degree of at least second-class standard in a relevant/related subject as well as a level of practical experience from work in the arts or the media.
• Experience working with sound and image and proficiency with Pro Tools (equivalent to Pro Tools 101) is recommended.
• You might also be considered for some programmes if you aren’t a graduate or your degree is in an unrelated field, but have relevant experience and can show that you have the ability to work at postgraduate level.

International Qualifications

• We accept a wide range of international qualifications.
• Find out more about the qualifications we accept from around the world.

English Language Requirements

• If English isn’t your first language, you will need an IELTS score (or equivalent English language qualification) of 7.0 with a 7.0 in writing and no element lower than 6.5 to study this programme.

How to Apply

• Apply directly to Goldsmiths using our online application system.
• Before submitting your application, you’ll need to have:
  • Details of your academic qualifications
  • The email address of your referee who we can request a reference from, or alternatively a copy of your academic reference
  • Copies of your educational transcripts or certificates
  • A personal statement – this can either be uploaded as a Word Document or PDF, or completed online.
  • Examples of your recent work in a related field (e.g., moving image samples), preferably via a web link to your online portfolio – please upload this under 'additional' in your online application (NB the maximum file size you can upload is 20MB)
  • IELTS 7.0 at the point of application

References

• Our departmental preference is for referees to upload a confidential reference to the online admissions system.
• Please make sure to select the option for your referees to be automatically notified of the need for them to submit a reference on your behalf.

When to Apply

• We accept applications from November for students wanting to start the following September.
• We may consider late applications if there are vacancies.
• Complete applications are considered in batches from February onwards.
• Please note, assessment of MA Filmmaking applications can take several months as there are a limited number of places on the programme.
• Due to the unique selection process, we ask that all applicants wait to be contacted by the Admissions Team regarding their application.
• Unless there are still vacancies, it is unlikely applications received after 30 June will be considered.

Selection Process

• Admission to many programmes is by interview, unless you live outside the UK.
• Occasionally, we'll make candidates an offer of a place on the basis of their application and qualifications alone.

Fees and Funding

Annual Tuition Fees

• These are the PG fees for students starting their programme in the 2025/2026 academic year.
• Home - full-time: £16,200
• International - full-time: £30,750

Funding Opportunities

• Explore the Goldsmiths scholarships finder to find out what funding you may be eligible for.

Paying Your Fees

• Find out about paying your tuition fees.
• If you are a UK student, you may be eligible for a postgraduate loan.

Additional Costs

• In addition to your tuition fees, you'll be responsible for any additional costs associated with your course, such as buying stationery and paying for photocopying.
• You can find out more about what you need to budget for on our study costs page.
• There may also be specific additional costs associated with your programme.
• Please check the programme specification for more information.

Careers

Where This Programme Can Take You

• The programme is a gateway to any career that involves sound, particularly those that concentrate on narrative storytelling.
• Our graduates go on to work in a range of fields from film, theatre, radio, and web design, to advertising, documentary, and animation.

Skills

• As a sound specialist, you work on one film each term, ending with a major production.
• You learn about related fields such as directing, editing, producing and documentary, and work with students across specialisms within Goldsmiths Screen School.
• As well as developing your awareness of the discipline and learning software such as Pro Tools, the optional modules provide the opportunity to learn the concepts and debates informing the wider filmmaking industry.
• This means you have the chance to explore your craft with other filmmakers and get used to the unique dynamics of the industry.