Module Information

Module Identifier
FM22440
Module Title
Directing and Producing
Academic Year
2024/2025
Co-ordinator
Semester
Semester 2 (Taught over 2 semesters)
Reading List
Other Staff

Course Delivery

 

Assessment

Assessment Type Assessment length / details Proportion
Semester Assessment ​​Creative Portfolio 1  ​Incorporates a 2, 000 word reflective essay, Director and Producer paperwork, Short Film Project 1 (3-6 mins) and Short Film Project 2 (3-6 mins)  50%
Semester Assessment ​​Creative Portfolio 2  Incorporates a 2, 000 word reflective essay, Director and Producer paperwork and Short Film Project 3 (12-15 mins)  50%
Supplementary Assessment ​​Creative Portfolio 1  ​Incorporates a 2, 000 word reflective essay, Director and Producer paperwork, Short Film Project 1 (3-6 mins) and Short Film Project 2 (3-6 mins)  50%
Supplementary Assessment ​​Creative Portfolio 2  Incorporates a 2, 000 word reflective essay, Director and Producer paperwork and Short Film Project 3 (12-15 mins)  50%

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

Demonstrate an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the producer and director, as well as their respective departments, in the creative and professional aspects of realising a filmmaking project.

Establish and accommodate the formal choices available to producers and directors in the process of realising their cinematic ideas and the ability to formulate relationships between these choices when making a film.

Demonstrate an understanding of the workflow from pre-production to post for all key production roles, including all the required documentation.

Effectively plan and execute all phases of production in order to realise short films as either a producer and / or director.

Demonstrate effective self-management, team working and professionalism.

Demonstrate intelligent critical reflection on the practice of others and one’s own practice.

Brief description

This module provides students with an understanding of the roles of director and producer and with an increased ability to practice these roles. The critical study of directing and producing will take place in lecture/screenings, and the practice and study of directing and producing will take place in seminars and workshops. Students will develop their ability in textual analysis as well as widening their understanding of film as both an aesthetic and social creative practice. In hands-on workshops in Semester 1, students will investigate the responsibilities of producer and director. Working as director / producer teams, students will explore this creative and practical working relationship and how this influences the work of the craft teams they assemble. Three film projects, completed as part of two portfolio assessments will strengthen students’ key skills and provide them with a portfolio of work for attaining employment and funding after their studies.

Content

​In Semester 1 lectures, seminars and workshops will alternate between directing and producing. Film screenings, with accompanying lectures, will provide a starting point for analysis and exploration of approaches to directing, with the lectures exploring key concepts and processes including: film narrative, film dramaturgy, visual storytelling, idea development, realising a film from script to screen, as well as the study of character and working with actors. Seminars will examine case studies and provide opportunities to expand an understanding of the practicalities of producing and bringing the director's vision to life on-set, as well as exploring issues around budgeting, scheduling, and location management. The weekly workshop series during Semester 1 will allow students to undertake practical exercises in working with actors, blocking for camera, staging scenes, and directing background action, as well as breaking down a script, scheduling, and budgeting. By the end of Semester 1 students must complete 2 short films, including both a short film as director and a short film as producer, submitting the films with the producer-director paperwork and a reflective essay.

In Semester 2 students will work towards the submission of a final project short film (12-15 mins), made either as producer or director, and submitted with a reflective essay and the producer or director paperwork. Weekly 2 hour seminars will provide students with guidance on performance styles, negotiation, the preparation and presentation of pitches, texture and tone and preparing for shoots. In the final seminar sessions students will reflect on the production process and review rushes prior to the completion of their projects. Additional one hour tutorials, arranged on an individual basis during Semester 2 will provide students with one-to-one guidance and advice. Throughout the production process students will be encouraged to provide critical reasonings for their decisions. They will be required to demonstrate on-going research, continued appraisal of their work, and an application of the critical and contextual learning from the module.​

Module Skills

Skills Type Skills details
Application of Number
Communication Students will be engaging in team work, learning through experience and receiving feedback on the effectiveness of their own critical communication.
Improving own Learning and Performance Via independent and group work, students will learn how to make use of the available means, how to overcome obstacles, as well as how to cope with (constructive) criticism.
Information Technology Students will be making film work using digital media technologies competently and appropriately.
Personal Development and Career planning Students will evaluate and analyse their own work and that of their peers with reflexivity and consideration. Students will be using the Portfolio as an effective working tool for academic and career development and reflection.
Problem solving Students will be challenged with both practical and theoretical problems and then engaging in individual and group activities to solve these problems.
Research skills Students will think analytically, researching in both practical contexts, and developing analytical thinking skills as a practitioner.
Subject Specific Skills Students will be able to make film work to an increasingly professional standard.
Team work Students will extensively be engaged in teamwork not only during seminars and workshops, but also in their assignment projects, gaining knowledge and experience in team co-ordination and organization.

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 5