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In this digital age, more people than ever are tuning in, logging on and using their mobile phones to absorb the media. A rapid surge of video content on the internet and ever-advancing mobile phone technology are evidence of an increasingly media savvy society.

Indeed, according to a recent report from Ofcom, spending on mobiles, the internet and TV is regarded as a higher priority than almost anything except food. So, it seems there really is no better time to start taking steps towards getting into a career in film and television and an MA in Documentary film could help you do just that. Not only does studying an MA in Documentary Film allow you to develop specialist skills but it also gives you the opportunity to gain that all-important ‘hands on’ experience within the film and television industry. Alternatively an MA in Media, Communication and Critical Practice will provide you with an insight into converging media and the world of communications.

Welcome to the digital revolution

In the world of media the new C word is not Credit or Crunch. It’s CONVERGENCE. The boundaries between communication via the media of print, television, radio, computers, mobile phones and iPods are dissolving.

As we speak, new modes of communication and information are changing the way we create, consume, learn and interact with each other. Anyone entering the world of media 10 years ago would barely recognise it now. The current cohort of young people about to leave university won’t remember a time when there was no internet, no digital TV channels, no iPods, no internet and daily newspapers actually made money. In just five years we have seen the explosion of social networking media with the latest fad Twitter galvanising the nation. And as content is becoming available simultaneously on television screens, computer monitors and hand-held devices, the different technologies are morphing into each other.

“What we’re seeing now is that boundaries between different media are reforming in the digital revolution. Multiple platforms mean that documentary stories for example are developed for mobile phone distribution, art galleries, cinema and television. Each reach a range of audiences through specific approaches to narrative” says Pratap Rughani, Course Director for MA Documentary Film at London College of Communication (LCC).

What skills do I need for a career in film and television?

So what does all this mean for people aspiring for a career in the media –specifically film and television? Should they be specialising as vision mixers, sound recordists or editors? Or should they be aiming to become multi-skilled? The reality is that employers want both – skilled people in specialist areas of film and television who can also work across different media, deal with marketing and multi-task. This means that students interested in a graduate career in film or television need to be flexible and adaptable – generalists as well as specialists.

“Career progression in documentary film is significantly enhanced by developing skills as a producer, director, camera operator, sound-recordist or editor,” says Pratap Rughani, who runs the MA Documentary Film at LCC. “We offer a broad grounding in the entire documentary film production process in each of these roles including practice and guidance to pitch and compete for funding and commissions.”