Film Production: From Script to Screen

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2013:

2 hour seminar and 2 hour screening per week

120

Admission to the Master of Cinema Management, Master of Arts and Cultural Management (Moving Image)

None

None

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For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This subject will focus on the theoretical and practical elements involved in film and video production through advanced research and critical discussion with film directors, scriptwriters, artists and practitioners. It will explore contemporary issues in the film industry and new exhibition practices in relation to video installations in exhibition spaces such as the Australian Centre for the Moving Image. Students will gain specialized theoretical grounding in issues relating to the creation, production, funding and exhibition of films and video installations. In addition, students will focus on the writing and editing of film and video scripts in relation to the pre-production and production stages of filmmaking. This subject will also examine different modes of creation and production in national cinemas with emphasis on Australia and the Pacific. Relationships between global and local film cultures will also be investigated within this subject. Other areas of focus will include: an evaluation of the varied and complex stages in the production and exhibition of a film and video installation, including script development, direction, editing, production, marketing, exhibition, censorship, criticism, the relationship between the history and theory of these processes to contemporary practices, the significance of the historical, cultural and theoretical context of film production and video installation.

Students who undertake this subject will:

• develop an advanced understanding of the nature of scriptwriting and the relationship between script and film;
• encourage a strong appreciation of the practicalities of film production in relation to the stages of script writing;
• gain a strong understanding of the role of key film culture bodies in the funding and exhibition of film;
• learn about the relationship between industry bodies and public perception of these bodies;
• be able to understand the historical, cultural and theoretical context of film production, think creatively about the artistic process, develop advanced skills of communication and public speaking and demonstrate a comprehension and an advanced capacity for research;
• be able to understand the varied and complex stages in the production and exhibition of a film, including script development, direction, editing, production, marketing, exhibition, censorship and film criticism; and
• develop an understanding of the complex relationship between public debates surrounding the philosophical and ethical issues of exhibition and the constraints of funding and government policy.

A 2000 word folio 40% (due mid-semester), and a 3000 word essay 60% (due in the examination period). Students are required to attend a minimum of 80% (or 10 out of 12) classes in order to qualify to have their written work assessed. Any student who fails to meet this hurdle without valid reason will not be eligible to pass the subject. All required written work must be submitted in order to pass the subject. Essays submitted after the due date without an extension will be penalised 2% per day. Essays submitted after two weeks of the assessment due date without a formally approved application for special consideration or an extension will only be marked on a pass/fail basis if accepted.

A subject reader will be available.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

Students who successfully complete this subject will:

• be able to demonstrate an advanced development of research skills;
• be able to define areas of inquiry and create relevant methods of research in the preparation of essays;
• be able to conceptualise theoretical problems, form judgements and arguments and communicate critically, creatively and theoretically through essay writing, tutorial discussion and presentations;
• be able to demonstrate highly developed skills in multimedia presentations;
• to be able to communicate knowledge intelligibly and economically through essay writing and seminar discussion; and
• be able to participate productively in team work through involvement in syndicate groups and group discussions.