Film and Drama

For many people the thought of settling into a dimly lit room to critique all of Hollywood’s greatest flicks or  parading about on stage in front of their peers would seem like a weekend well spent, let alone a Monday morning. The courses of Film & Drama Studies are very popular for this reason and are often highly competitive on an admissions basis. However postgraduate courses in either of these disciplines are not for the faint hearted and applications should not be made lightly. Both subjects are studied at an intense level and require a considerable amount of time and commitment.

I think in art, but especially in films, people are trying to confirm their own existences – if you agree with the genius of Jim Morrison then what could be better use of your time than watching and learning from the lives of all the greats from the world of film.

The most important requirement for any to a Film Studies course at postgraduate level is, unsurprisingly, a love of films. A further extension of this characteristic should be a passion for analysis. If your usual response to a film is, ‘eh, yeah that was alright’, then you might not be ideal. But if you regularly bore friends to sleep with rants about the use of lighting in Apocalypse Now, then you may have found your heaven on earth (and a solution to your rapidly diminishing social circle).

However a postgraduate course in film will involve much more than film screenings and class discussions. These courses aim to investigate the different theoretical and historical approaches to a range of cinematic materials including that of the documentary, Irish cinema and biopics - to name just a few. Students will consider how external influences such as the economy, the environment or history can have on what, when, and how films are made, and by who. In addition to these aspects of film, attention will also be afforded to the effect films have had on society. One example of this would be the representation of Irish rural life in John Ford’s The Quiet Man and the international stereotypes that emerged as a result. Students will evaluate the relationship between film and society, considering the medium as a unique point of contact between culture, political and social life.

Typical modules in a postgraduate Film Studies programme may include European Cinema, Hollywood Cinema and Silent Film, with the option of specialisation usually available through a dissertation. The aim of this project is to make an original contribution to the area of the student’s knowledge.

There is a number of Film Studies learning opportunities at postgraduate level. The Huston School of Film & Digital Media in NUI Galway for instance, has a MA Diploma in Arts (Film Studies [Film, Culture & Society]), while UCC offers a MA in English (American Literature & Film), which delves into a wide range of film, literature and related texts. For those who groan at the limp storyline in the latest Hollywood blockbuster, Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design & Technology offer an MA in Screenwriting. A one-year full time course, applicants need to have accumulated a substantial portfolio of writing (scripts, poetry, stories, etc) and at least two ideas for scripts.

DCU’s MA in Film and Television Studies is available in one-year full time and two-year part time options. UCD runs a variety of programmes with the intention of catering to more specific elements. For example the Graduate Diploma in Film Production concentrates on the more technical, day-to-day side of the film industry, while the MA in Film Studies is a more theoretical research programme.

Cinema brings entertainment, information, discussion and escapism to our lives. A postgraduate qualification in Film Studies will prepare you for a wide and interesting range of careers such as teaching, programming and exhibition work, curatorial work and arts journalism. It will also lend a lot of weight to your opinion of the new Bond film. Visit Postgrad.ie for the perfect choice for you.

Drama Studies postgraduate programmes help graduates to develop skills in analysing, exploring and reflecting on modern and contemporary theatre and performance; both in theory and in practice. The choices made within the course content will gear you towards theoretical or process fields. This means that whether it’s working in the thick of a dramatic production that you are after, or you prefer to sit in the wings and with a critical eye, you will find your interests catered for.

Participants will gain experience in reading a variety of theatre texts for performance, while also learning to critique performance style, space, body and design in today’s theatre. Opportunities are given to engage with contemporary and historical drama practice and criticism through seminar and studio work, productions and individual literary research (and the odd theatre trip of course). The emphasis is on assisting creative development and aiding the construction of ideas from conception to finished work.

Most courses concentrate on at least two core modules (e.g. Contemporary Irish Theatre) and one elective, which may focus on a directed research project and dissertation. As a response to the high demand for courses in this area, many universities are now offering MAs in Drama Studies in specialised areas. UCD for instance, offers programmes in Anglo-Irish Literature & Drama, Directing for Theatre and Drama & Performance Studies.

Those with a broader range of interests can opt for the M.Phil in Irish Film, Music & Theatre provided at Trinity College Dublin. Considering the regular successes of Irish film (Once was named by Steven Spielberg and Bob Dylan as their favourite film of 2007), music (Celtic Woman is our greatest export since Riverdance) and drama (Stones In His Pockets earned rave reviews on Broadway) there has never been a more exciting time to be a qualified critique of any of these areas - let alone all of them. This is almost exclusively a text-based and non-technical course.

NUIG concentrates on an all-encompassing course with its MA in Drama & Theatre programme, which comprises research, internships, writing workshops and the traditional seminars. Admission to these courses requires a good honours degree in any subject, related or otherwise.

Career opportunities for those with qualifications in the aforementioned courses are as diverse as they are creative. Typical paths go towards performance and criticism in television, theatre, film or radio. Other options lie in self-employment as speech and drama teachers or as a voice or movement coach. One absolute certainty is that the confidence, presence and skill learnt in a Drama Studies course will be of recurring benefit to you in the duration of your life, whether it be on the stage or during a late night game of charades.