Social and Advertising Video Production
Postgraduate
MA
Digital Video Production and Marketing
Salford School of Arts, Media and Creative Technology
Attendance
Full-time
Course
One year
Next enrolment
September 2024
In a nutshell
Digital video is the driving force of the digital marketing and e-commerce businesses, which are large and growing employers of media graduates who have a knowledge of both the practical and theoretical side of how video content sells.
On this course you will gain a unique blend of the theory of digital marketing, analytics and e-commerce with practical experience of filmmaking and influencer marketing to be gained in producing and distributing actual content for brands.
By directly pointing your career at what is a vibrant, fast-growth job market, the University of Salford offers you a perfect and relevant skillset to directly design your career for current and future opportunities.
Find out more by signing up to an upcoming Open Day, or contact the programme leader: Sarah Hodgetts.
You can also find helpful stories on the course Instagram account.
International applicants: Please check the international intakes page for the latest information and application dates.
You will:
- Experience a blend of theoretical and practical approaches to digital marketing and video production
- Dissect the key tenets of the role of a digital video marketing professional, moving on to apply these to real-life industry scenarios
- Study at MediaCity, one of the country's key digital and creative hubs
International
students accepted
All about the course
MA Digital Video Production & Marketing is a balanced course - half theoretical/analytical, and half practice-based. This balance reflects the nature of the career itself, where data-driven content is rooted in both creativity and analysis.
Each intensive module will tackle different aspects of either the analytical or practical side of the skillset.
Heavily informed by industry practice and professionals, students will dissect the key tenets of the role of a digital video marketing professional, moving on to apply these to real-life industry scenarios.
Problem-based learning and collaboration will be central to this programme, which mirrors industry practice. Students will develop their communication skills, and will develop and acquire new skills as each module progresses.
To complement the focus on analytics and practice-based learning, students will also develop autonomous learning skills through theoretical classwork, individual and group-based production practice and real-world industry experience.
Video – from Instagram to Amazon - is the new mainstream, for the millennial and post-millenial generations, in both their editorial enjoyment and retail use of technology. This course will therefore be conducted with strong industry engagement and visitors at its core. Guest speakers will be drawn in from major social providers within Manchester, such as The LADBible, one of the world’s major social video channels, and Money Supermarket, Auto Trader, AO.com, Missguided, Manchester United FC and other major users of social video.
Meanwhile the final trimester will be specifically built around a piece of industry work by the students, where they will be given the opportunity to work with a specific company and product. They will get to the heart of both its marketing analytics and its creative needs, in order to produce a well-planned piece of creative work. The process will directly replicate the actual job they would be doing in industry after leaving for digital video marketing jobs. Further, their wider study of marketing analytics will give them the basics of a toolkit which is directly used by technology driven media producers such as BBC iPlayer and Channel 4 within the north of England.
Just as in the real world, marketers and creatives need to collaborate, so that will be the case on this course.
The University of Salford is tremendously proud to have been the premier partner for the Asian Media Awards over the last ten years and is determined to play its part in inspiring the next generation of Asian talent to consider and pursue a career in the creative industries.
Trimester one
This is the first of three modules in the course which develop your ability to interpret a client brief, respond with a variety of creative concepts, and then go on to pitch and produce a commissioned idea. Lectures take you through each element of the process in detail and you are assessed throughout the module. In Production Craft sessions you will get teaching and practice sessions on camera, sound and editing. You work in teams up to the pitch, and then you will work as Producers/Directors on your own productions, and as crew on your colleagues productions.
Digital Marketing and Analytics
The module combines two interesting topics in the field of digital marketing:
(i) Digital Marketing strategies
(ii) Marketing/Digital Analytics.
To start the module, we look at digital marketing strategy development, the critical components of a digital marketing strategy and its strategic significance. Interesting topics like digital marketing intelligence, social media and search analytics, big data, customer centric digital strategy etc. will form this part of the module. You will be required to develop a digital marketing strategy for a company of your choice. This provides a platform to apply the principles and frameworks that you have learned.
Next you will work with business simulation as part of your learning process for strategic decision making. Working in a group of fellow students, you will act as an entrepreneur of your own company and, as a group, will actively make strategic decisions on a weekly basis for all components of business. Your decision-making will include digital elements to ensure they align with the overall strategy.
Teaching: you will learn through:
- Interactive lectures, seminars and business simulation activities
- Group working on a case study or article with group presentation of solutions
- Industry guest speakers and live project case studies to develop campaigns for
- Guided personal study supported by associated reading list, lecture notes and relevant research articles
Assessments:
40% Group Simulation Performance score
60% Individual Strategic Marketing Plan
Trimester two
Creation of Video for E-commerce
In this module students will be using all of the core skills learned from SAVP to deliver campaigns for a minimum of three live clients. Clients from previous courses have included Salford Red Devils, Duolingo, ALDI, Salford Foodbank, and many others.
Across the course students will continue to be sequentially upskilled in camera, sound, and editing, with a further focus on vfx in this trimester. Students will again work as Producer/Directors and employ their student colleagues as crew, and this work will form your portfolio which will now be well developed with real-world briefs, acting as your calling card for future work.
Search and Social Media Marketing
This module aims to develop your core skills in social media-based targeting and communication strategies. We will consider a host of topics that look at the strategic analysis of social media platforms from a communications perspective, key metrics, tools, techniques and strategy development frameworks.
You will look at search engine optimisation and search engine marketing, site audit, content optimization etc. We will use intensive case discussion sessions, group activities, practitioner lectures and insightful study materials to look at how marketing communication through social media is achieved. This module is accredited by the Institute of Direct and Digital Marketing (IDM).
Teaching and learning reflect real-world industry needs and offer you the opportunity to practise your skills on your own digital profiles as well as mini projects. You will learn through:
- Interactive lectures and seminars
- Small group learning sets will be used as the basis for problem-based learning scenarios designed to include case studies, class-based activities, research articles and web-based materials
- Guided personal study supported by associated reading list, lecture notes and relevant research articles
Assessment:
25 minute video presentation
Trimester three
Digital Video Production and Marketing in Practice
In this final module you will work directly with an employer or mentor to develop a response to a real world brief, producing content for a digital platform that helps to realise a specific business objective. Previous students have found placements at THG, McCann Manchester, Northern Roots, Graystone Action Sports, Holdens Broadcast, and more.
From market analysis through to practical production and results review, you will critically evaluate the effectiveness of your campaign with respect to its distribution and marketing analytics results and present those findings in a convincing end-of-course presentation to a panel of academic and industry experts.
Please note that it may not be possible to deliver the full list of options every year as this will depend on factors such as how many students choose a particular option. Exact modules may also vary in order to keep content current. When accepting your offer of a place to study on this programme, you should be aware that not all optional modules will be running each year. Your tutor will be able to advise you as to the available options on or before the start of the programme. Whilst the University tries to ensure that you are able to undertake your preferred options, it cannot guarantee this.
BE A PART OF A CREATIVE, SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY
All our Film, TV and Media courses are delivered by the Salford School of Arts, Media and Creative Technology.
Our focus is to ensure that you have the skills you need to pursue your dreams, and we encourage our students, past and present, to collaborate with each other and achieve great things.
Each year - through the Create Student Awards – our School rewards the incredible achievements and successes of our final year and postgraduate students.
Whatever you choose to study with us, you’ll be mentored and supported by experts. And once you graduate, it won’t end there. You’ll join a thriving alumni network across Greater Manchester and beyond, meaning you’ll be supported professionally and personally whenever you need it.
MEDIACITY FACILITIES
The three video modules in the MA in Digital Video Production and Marketing is based at the MediaCity campus. Students working on site have access to TV, digital video and podcast-recording studio space. The two digital marketing modules are taught within the Business School at Salford University’s main campus, where students will also have access to facilities in New Adelphi Building.
Our MediaCity facilities are industry-standard, so much so that they are used by our industry partners themselves. You’ll learn from our experienced tutors and demonstrators, who’ll teach you how to use our facilities. These include:
TV studios - our TV studios have been used by the BBC for a variety of broadcasts, such as the Olympics and Christmas music concerts, and they’re equipped with the same audio-visual systems used by ITV and Sky too.
Green screen facilities - these allow you to create effects such as those you see on weather reports and incorporates a camera system and 3D graphics software.
Audio production - we’ve got all the hardware and software you need to make sure you’ll know just how to create, edit, mix and master audio for film and television. Our main studios feature Avid S6 consoles – a similar set up to those at our MediaCity neighbours, such as Dock10 and ITV.
Stop-frame studio – we have animation booths equipped with industry-standard lighting, grip, software and cameras and learn just what it takes to make your ideas and storyboards a reality.
Computer Suites and Editing Studios – our computer suites are equipped with the latest industry-standard software. You’ll learn from our experienced demonstrators, who’ll teach you the skills needed to turn your concepts into a reality.
Equipment stores - cameras, lighting kits and mics – they’re all essential to media production. But don’t worry, you won’t need to spend thousands of pounds to get the set-up you need – we have a fully equipped equipment store available for you to use and take out industry-standard kit.
Meet your Programme Leader
Sarah Hodgetts runs this course and also directs content for brands such as Bentley, Magnet, British Cycling, and more. Her aim is for the course to be known by it consistently strong graduates.
As your programme lead and personal tutor, Sarah will guide you through the course and help with any personal and pastoral issues you may need to discuss.
What about after uni?
Students will receive direct induction into a vibrant and growing industry. As a Prolific North list of the top e-commerce companies in the North demonstrates, the industry is particularly strong in this region.
There is strong, double digit growth in this market at the moment, much of it at the expense of linear TV advertising, which declined in 2018 by over 10%. E-commerce as a whole is a $2.3 trillion industry this year, enjoying double digit growth. Students will gain valuable overview and insight into the field.
Already in Manchester there are hundreds of jobs in the field of e-commerce-driven content, since Manchester is a strong hub for e-commerce as a whole. Channel 4 have stated that they are creating their Digital Production Unit in Leeds, with a thrust towards social and digital content. The Hut Group are creating an e-commerce content production centre in Manchester. BBC Sport and BBC iPlayer are both on site at MediaCity.
Career Links
This course is designed to put students into direct contact with companies that are pioneering this new form of video output. That can include the traditional media employers – BBC, Channel 4 – as they pivot to new forms of output. It can also be new fast-growth digital players like The Hut Group, BooHoo.com and other fast-fashion companies, major charities, and major commercial companies like AO.com.
The course will strive to put students into the contemporary forefront of the field, both regionally in the North West, and globally.
What you need to know
This course is for committed video or marketing practitioners who wish to develop their personal practice to a higher, professional level. Whilst it focuses on delivering a core skillset, equally it actively encourages the pursuit of individual agendas for study and for personal choice of marketing projects to study and shoot. All students joining this course need to demonstrate a commitment to an ongoing career as a practicing digital marketeer and/or video producer.
Applicants will be invited to interview, and you will need to demonstrate evidence of engagement with and/or work in the digital video production, advertising, TV or digital marketing spheres.
As part of the application we will need to see:
- A portfolio of your previous video work.
- A recording of yourself answering these three questions:
-
Can you give us a breakdown of a specific advertising campaign you’ve been inspired by, and tell us why you felt it was effective?
-
What marketing skills do you expect to gain and how would you apply them to creative video work?
-
If you could get your ideal job today, what would it look like?
Standard entry requirements
Standard entry requirements
A relevant undergraduate degree, normally at 2:1 or above, and supporting portfolio of practice.
Applicants with an undergraduate degree of 2:2 will be considered where a high quality portfolio of practice is presented.
International students
If you are an international student and not from a majority English speaking country, you will need IELTS 6.5 with no element below 5.5. We accept qualifications from all around the world. Find your country to see a full list of entry requirements.
We also accept a range of other English language qualifications. If you do not have the English language requirements, you could take our Pre-Sessional English course.
Alternative entry requirements
Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL)
We welcome applications from students who may not have formal/traditional entry criteria but who have relevant experience or the ability to pursue the course successfully.
The Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) process could help you to make your work and life experience count. The APL process can be used for entry onto courses or to give you exemptions from parts of your course.
Two forms of APL may be used for entry: the Accreditation of Prior Certificated Learning (APCL) or the Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL).
How much?
| Type of study | Year | Fees |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time home | 2024/25 | £8,820.00per year |
| Full-time international | 2024/25 | £16,380.00per year |
Additional costs
You should also consider further costs which may include books, stationery, printing, binding and general subsistence on trips and visits.
Scholarships for International Students
If you are a high-achieving international student, you may be eligible for one of our scholarships. Explore our international scholarships.