MCH2002 : Filmmaking: Ideas to Screen
- Offered for Year: 2024/25
- Module Leader(s): Dr Ian McDonald
- Lecturer: Dr Geetha Jayaraman
- Owning School: Arts & Cultures
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
- Capacity limit: 35 student places
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
The practice-led module is designed to allow the students to draw on the knowledge from MCH1034 Introduction to World Cinema and theories, concepts and ideas introduced in Film Theory for Practice 1 and Film Theory for Practice 2 to make an ideas-led short non-fiction film. Working in small production teams if possible, otherwise independently, students will develop their understanding of film praxis, the coming together of theory and practice, in the non-fiction short film format. Students will be encouraged to be innovative in their use of form to produce both conceptually and visually creative content.
This modules aims to:
1. Outline the principles and practices of producing a proposal that demonstrates relationship between ideas, concept, theory and story.
2. Develop students' abilities in a range of advanced technical skills required in a group production
3. Develop students' abilities in working as part of a production team, or if not possible then as a solo filmmaker.
4. To produce an appropriate length short film of a high standard, working within the practical constraints of environment, equipment, and technical ability.
5. Develop the ability of students to reflect critically on their own creative work, drawing on a recognised body of theory, or the work of one or more recognized filmmaker/s.
Outline Of Syllabus
- History and practices in avant-garde documentary
- Developing ideas into film projects
- Production and craft skills for experimental filmmaking
- Cinematography, shooting processes, lighting, audio, editing & postproduction
- Problem-solving approaches to the different aspects of making a short film
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 11 | 2:00 | 22:00 | Theoretical frameworks and debates. On campus. Can be delivered online if necessary. |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 49:00 | 49:00 | N/A |
| Guided Independent Study | Skills practice | 1 | 32:00 | 32:00 | N/A |
| Guided Independent Study | Project work | 1 | 75:00 | 75:00 | Students work in groups or independently on film |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Workshops | 11 | 2:00 | 22:00 | Project-led explorations of theory and practice. On campus. |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
This module will be delivered through a combination of lectures that set out and test key theories and concepts and student-led workshops that seek to use these theories and ideas as source material for ideas-led film. Lectures can be delivered non-synchronously online if necessary.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Design/Creative proj | 2 | A | 70 | Group production of a small film (5 – 10 mins). Can be individual film if public health dictates |
| Reflective log | 2 | A | 30 | Individual submission – 1,500-word essay that reflects on the concepts, ideas and theories underpinning the film. |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The rationale for the assessments is to enable the students to demonstrate their intellectual grasp of a=vant-garde documentary theory, concepts and ideas and to illustrate this through the production of a short non-fiction film. Given the emphasis on practice, the production of the film forms the major part of the assessment, but the reflective essay provides the students an opportunity to articulate the theoretical underpinnings that informed their practice.
Each student's mark for the creative project is made up of both group (if applicable) and individual role marks. Peer assessment may be used to discriminate individual contributions. Any peer assessment used is not designed to assess quality of individual contributions to any group work but is designed to identify the quantity of work dedicated to the project by each student. In essence this is a mechanism to identify students who have not made a full contribution to the group production.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- MCH2002's Timetable