Film Directing MA (eca)

This Documentary Film Directing programme is project-led and delivered through:

• seminars
• individual tutorials
• lectures
• practical workshops.

It integrates practical advice on filming with a contextual awareness of contemporary film practice.

Your work is initially organised around micro-films that enhance your awareness of film language and your technical skills. At the same time you will research and develop a documentary idea which you will film in the second semester, using whatever means are available to you.

You will prepare and shoot your graduate film, backed up by camera, sound and edit workshops - alongside project support from a tutor - before it is edited and finished with input from group crits and tutorials.

You may also attend or volunteer with Edinburgh Film Festival and the Edinburgh Pitch, to observe and engage with key players from the international documentary world.

On the MA programme you will complete a short documentary in your one-year course.

Our students often go on to tour their short films round international festivals from their MA.

Teaching

• Tutorials: Each student will have a tutor assigned to them to help them with their final major project.
• Seminars: There are seminars split into two groups where you will explore different tools related to cinematography, sound, and presentation.
• Lectures: In the lectures, you will gain insight into various aspects of the creative documentary culture, including in-depth analysis of the diverse methods of filmmaking across the international documentary landscape. There will also be guest lecturers teaching occasionally.
• Workshops: There are practical workshops in cinematography, sound recording, and editing, in which an experienced team of technical staff will cover the foundations. The equipment you will be using is ScreenSkills accredited, ensuring you can work with cameras, sound equipment, and editing facilities that meet current industry standards. If you already have significant experience with the technical side, these workshops will provide an opportunity to further develop your skills.

Find out more about compulsory and optional courses

We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

• Challenge boundaries, encourage original thought, and develop intellectual and critical approaches to making films.
• Combine the contemporary energy and discipline of current creative approaches to film practices with the professionalism of industry practices, in order to produce innovative and grounded work.
• Facilitate the interrelationship between different cultural traditions, traditional and emerging screen technologies, and classical and non-traditional cinematic genres and conventions.
• Ability to take risks with established forms of narrative.
• Understanding of contemporary international documentary practice.
• Practice-based knowledge of the tools to make a short original documentary film from conception to completion.

Our students go on to a wide range of roles, including:

• producer
• director
• writer
• production or location manager
• researcher
• editor
• assistant director
• cinematographer
• journalist.

Graduates have found work directing for the BBC and making work internationally for top broadcasters and film funds.

Related fields include:

• advertising
• community films
• academia
• film development agencies.

Field trips

Our Cohort Events offer great opportunities to connect students with each other and across disciplines.

These events are designed to inform you about the film industry, such as visiting production companies, to match your projects with collaborators from fields like Sound Design or Composing, and to inspire you by exploring different practices across the Arts, such as visiting an Art Gallery.

Additionally, there is the opportunity to get involved with either the Glasgow Film Festival or the Glasgow Short Film Festival, both of which offer valuable insights into the film industry and networking opportunities.

The Edinburgh Pitch is an important part of the programme, allowing you to see how filmmakers present their projects to an international film panel.

Lauriston campus redevelopment

ECA are excited to be undertaking a capital redevelopment of ECA’s Lauriston campus over the next 3 years, from April 2024 to April 2027.

The project aims to maximise the use of existing space, improve accessibility, and create a vibrant campus that fosters collaboration and innovation.

The project involves refurbishing and repurposing various spaces across the Lauriston campus, including technical facilities, student and teaching spaces, and the relocation of the Reid School of Music from Alison House to the Lauriston campus. New social spaces, seminar rooms, and studios are being created to accommodate our growing community.

You can find more about the project at the below link:

Building work starts at ECA’s Lauriston campus | Edinburgh College of Art

These entry requirements are for the 2025/26 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2026/27 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2025.

Normally a UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in a relevant subject area. You should have technical skills in filmmaking and experience in directing.

You must submit a portfolio as part of your application.

Your portfolio should:

• include a link to one finished film, which can be any form but must be subtitled in English
• demonstrate technical skills in filmmaking
• demonstrate experience in directing

Your portfolio should not:

• include more than one film
• be a showreel

Please also include a short written statement describing what you did on the film. This is an opportunity to contextualise your practice. If your submitted film is fiction you must include in your personal statement why you wish to make documentary films.

You should upload your video to a website of your choice (eg YouTube, Dropbox, etc) and add the link to the portfolio upload section of your online application. We do not accept film links that require a password or login to access.

If you do not meet the academic entry requirements, we may still consider your application on the basis of your portfolio and/or relevant professional experience.

Students from China

This degree is Band C.

• Postgraduate entry requirements for students from China

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

• Entry requirements by country

English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency which will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

• IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.0 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
• TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
• C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 185 with at least 169 in each component.
• Trinity ISE: ISE III with passes in all four components.
• PTE Academic: total 73 with at least 59 in each component. We do not accept PTE Academic Online.
• Oxford ELLT: 8 overall with at least 6 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

• UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

• Approved universities in non-MESC

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old at the beginning of your programme of study.

Find out more about our language requirements:

• English language requirements

Additional costs

While equipment will be provided for student film productions, such productions may also bring additional costs.

Tuition fees

Funding for postgraduate study is different to undergraduate study, and many students need to combine funding sources to pay for their studies.

Most students use a combination of the following funding to pay their tuition fees and living costs:

• borrowing money
  • taking out a loan
  • family support
• personal savings
• income from work
• employer sponsorship
• scholarships

Explore sources of funding for postgraduate study

Featured funding

• Edinburgh College of Art scholarships

UK government postgraduate loans

If you live in the UK, you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan from one of the UK’s governments.

The type and amount of financial support you are eligible for will depend on:

• your programme
• the duration of your studies
• your tuition fee status

Programmes studied on a part-time intermittent basis are not eligible.

• UK government and other external funding

Other funding opportunities

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

• Search for funding