Filmmaking

Module title	Filmmaking
Module code	EAF2513
Academic year	2020/1
Credits	30
Module staff	Professor Linda Williams (Convenor)

Duration: Term	1	2	3
Duration: Weeks	11

Number students taking module (anticipated)	30

Module description

This module will introduce you to the basics of film production, including story construction, camerawork, digital editing, sound recording and editing, and directing, as a pathway towards delivering a short film. The course will focus on ‘above the line’ talent, the producers, writers and directors who develop film ideas, pitch them, oversee and direct the production of a film, as well as the role of the editor who will ultimately make the cuts that make the film come alive. You will be taught by expert tutors with experience in the world of filmmaking. In addition to creative and practical skills, the module will introduce you to the basics of some organisational aspects of film production, including pitching the project, raising a budget, legal rights and (if the project is a fiction film) auditioning and directing actors. Small groups of students will work on films within focused teams, each taking on technical and creative roles. Time management will be essential. Though the practical component involves teamwork, you will also write up an individual critical reflection which will be submitted with your final film.

Module aims - intentions of the module

You will have acquired key filmmaking skills, and built your own creative pathway, including developing a stronger sense of your preferred specialism.
You will have experienced working in a tightly focused group and will experience practising a variety of filmmaking skills.
Teamwork is essential to this module, so those applying for a place on it will need to be comfortable working as part of a group.
Feedback will be given on the pitch (in the first few weeks of the module), and on the draft films showcased in a work-in-progress session later in the module, so that as developing filmmakers you will experience the process of showcasing a rough-cut and workshopping creative materials for improvement.
You will also work on an individual critical evaluation of 2000 words, which will reflect on the skills you have developed, the kinds of film forms and/or genres and styles with which you have chosen to work, how the group dynamic functioned to enhance or develop the creative process, and what your individual contribution to the project was, amongst other areas. The critical evaluation will also incorporate up to 1000 words taken from your work-in-progress diary which you will complete throughout the module and which we hope will inform your creative practice.
The finished film may be used as a calling card for future work, for entry into film school after graduation, or as a ‘proof of concept’ for a longer project.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

1. Learn and practice key filmmaking skills such as directing, producing, cinematography, digital editing, sound recording and editing. Possibly also directing actors, if the chosen project is a fiction film requiring performers and if this can be done safely within the contexts of Covid-19 restrictions and safe practice.
2. Become confident in the use of filmmaking equipment and software
3. Plan a film from pitch through production and post-production through to exhibiting the complete final edit.
4. Critically reflect on the creative process of making a short film.

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

5. Demonstrate a greater understanding of film form and film history through practical work.
6. Reflect on the work of key filmmakers both filmmaking influences from film history and contemporary film culture, and the work/experience of the module tutors.

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

7. Demonstrate creative and organisational skills of marshalling a film project and seeing it through to completion, including skills in directing, producing, editing.
8. Demonstrate the ability to pitch a convincing and compelling film idea, deploying compelling communication skills
9. Demonstrate the ability to work with other students in a team in service of the finished film and in order to complete the task.
10. Demonstrate the ability to liaise with lecturers, technicians and industry professionals, working in co-operation with their timetables and resources, and benefitting from their feedback and instruction.

Syllabus plan

This is an indicative list of potential areas for focus, and subject to change. Teaching workshops might split between focus on learning practical skills, focus on what makes a compelling and convincing story, and critical reflection on one’s own practice.

Filmmaking, a multi-film process; a career-focused look at filmmaking ;
Forms: Documentary, Fiction, Experimental and beyond
Critical reflection skills: creative diaries or vlogs; the critical evaluation; Learning from feedback;
Idea Development and Story Construction ;
Creative Collaboration, Practicalities and Ethics
Practical Workshops: Camera & Sound Recording / Eliciting great performances / Editing & Post Production.
The End? Getting your film seen and your profile boosted.
Critical reflection skills: creative diaries or vlogs; the critical evaluation; Learning from feedback;

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
43	257	0

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching	33	Filmmaking workshops, including the Pitch workshop and the Work-in-progress workshop.
Scheduled Learning and Teaching	10	Individual contact with module convenor: The module convenor will be available for a dedicated office hour each week of the course for consultations with any student who needs further support and guidance.
Guided Independent Study	257	Film construction in teams and independent work following workshop teaching sessions by film practitioners (see above). If Covid-19 restrictions are lifted you will work on your films in the practice-based spaces at Exeter, including the media facilities (camera loan; digital editing suite), in collaboration with the technical team based in Drama who will also show you how to book into these. If Covid-19 restrictions are in place you may need to use your own equipment (a smartphone and a modestly specified computer will be sufficient) This work is an integral part of the process, but quantifying it will be dependent on the individuality of each film itself, the production stage it is at, and the balance between group work and individual focus.

Formative assessment

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Pitch of film idea	5 minutes, presented to tutors and other students	1- 4, 6-10	Oral, on the day, and written feedback a week later
Work-inprogress showcase of rough cut in Week 8	Rough cut of 3 or more minutes, presented to tutors and other students	1-4, 7-10	Oral, on the day
Work-in-progress diary	Written (or filmed) throughout the learning and creative process. If filmed as a work-ion-progress blog, the student would need to transcribe the content so it forms part of the written submission and word count.	4-8	This will not be checked by tutors (unless the student feels that this would be useful, on an individual basis). However elements of it are to be included in the Critical Evaluation so it is formative in the sense that it should help the student to reflect on their learning, but it then becomes part of the summative submission, in edited form (see below).

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
40	0	60

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Short film	60	3-5 minutes	1-10	Written feedback
Critical evaluation, including up to 1000 words from the work-in-progress diary.	40	2000 words	4-6, 8, 10	Written feedback

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
Short film	Repeat Study/Mitigation	1-10	N/a
Critical evaluation	Critical evaluation	4-6, 8, 10	Referral/deferral period

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

This is an indicative list, and likely to change:

Brown, Blain (2002) Cinematography: Theory and Practice: Image making for Cinematographers, Directors and Videographers. Focal Press.
Honthaner, Eve (2001) The Complete Film Production Handbook (3rd Edition). Focal Press
Nash, Patrick (2012) Short Films: Writing the Screenplay. Oldcastle Books
Pincus, Edward, and Steve Ascher (1999) The Filmmaker’s Handbook – A Comprehensive Guide for the Digital Age (Revised and Updated Edition). New American Library
Proferes, Nicholas T. (2001) Film Directing Fundamentals: From Script to Screen. Focal Press
Rabiger, Michael (2003) Developing Story Ideas. Focal Press
Rabiger, Michael (2003) Directing: Film Techniques and Aesthetics. Focal Press
Reisz, Karel and Millar, Gavin (1977) The Technique of Film Editing. Focal Press
Sonnenschein, David (2004) Sound Design. Michael Wiese Productions
Thompson, Roy (1998) Grammar of the Shot. Focal Press
Thompson, Roy (1993) Grammar of the Edit. Focal Press
Watkinson, John (2002) An Introduction to Digital Audio (2nd Edition). Focal Press

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

NB This is a practice-based module which in its original format relied on filmmaking work in physical teams and with University-owned camera equipment and editing facilities based in the Drama building. If Covid-19 restrictions affect the ability to teach live, teamwork and workshops will move online. If students have no access to camera and editing equipment under these circumstances, they will be taught to work with their phone cameras, and to use editing software installed on their computers.

Key words search

Film practice; directing; screenwriting; film studies; production

Credit value	30
Module ECTS	15
Module pre-requisites	None
Module co-requisites	None
NQF level (module)	5
Available as distance learning?	No
Origin date	10/02/2020
Last revision date	19/08/2020