Course Title: Adapt fiction and nonfiction work for the screen

Part B: Course Detail

Teaching Period: Term2 2018

Course Code: COMM7325

Course Title: Adapt fiction and nonfiction work for the screen

School: 345H Media and Communication

Campus: City Campus

Program: C6125 - Advanced Diploma of Professional Screenwriting

Course Contact: Program Administration

Course Contact Phone: +61 3 99254815

Course Contact Email: mctafe@rmit.edu.au

Name and Contact Details of All Other Relevant Staff

Nominal Hours: 70

Regardless of the mode of delivery, represent a guide to the relative teaching time and student effort required to successfully achieve a particular competency/module. This may include not only scheduled classes or workplace visits but also the amount of effort required to undertake, evaluate and complete all assessment requirements, including any non-classroom activities.

Pre-requisites and Co-requisites

Required Prior Study

At RMIT, you are required to have completed all first year core courses before enrolling in this course.

Course Description

A large proportion of produced screen drama is adapted from pre-existing material: novels, short stories, stage plays and non-fiction books and articles. This course develops the skills and knowledge required to write an adaptation of a fiction or nonfiction work as a screenplay either as a commissioned script or as a speculative venture.

National Codes, Titles, Elements and Performance Criteria

National Element Code & Title:	ASWADT612A Adapt fiction and nonfiction work for the screen
Element:	1. Evaluate fiction or nonfiction work for suitability as an adaptation
Performance Criteria:	1.1 The strengths and weaknesses of story, characters and overall narrative structure are assessed 1.2 Translations or editions together with any previous film versions are compared where necessary 1.3 Potential markets are identified 1.4 Copyright issues are identified
Element:	2. Determine the film story
Performance Criteria:	2.1 Essential story for adaptation and suitable genre are identified in the film story 2.2 Premise and themes are identified in the film story 2.3 Essential character arcs are described in the film story 2.4 Story problems are noted 2.5 Additional story development is mapped out 2.6 Elements to be cut, elided or combined in the film script are included in the story development
Element:	3. Develop a treatment
Performance Criteria:	3.1 Story structure is developed or translated into a different medium 3.2 Characters are developed in the treatment 3.3 Problems of time and place are resolved in the treatment 3.4 Story structure is designed in the treatment 3.5 Effective subplots are developed where needed in the treatment 3.6 Unnecessary subplots in the source material are eliminated

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to adapt pre-existing material for the screen

Details of Learning Activities

In this course, you learn through:

1. In-class activities:

• lectures 
• teacher directed group activities/projects 
• class exercises to review discussions/lectures 
• peer teaching and class presentations 
• group discussion 
• class exercises to review discussions/lectures 
• analysis/critique of students’ writings

2. Out-of-class activities:

• independent project based work 
• writing and reading assignments 
• online and other research 
• independent study

Teaching Schedule

Week and date beginning	Topics	Assessments due
Week 1 5 July	Introduction to the course. Principles and problems in adaptation. Reconciling other story forms (and actuality) with screen stories. i.e. the suitability of material from theatre, prose, history, etc. for adaptation. Discuss Assessment Task 1: Choosing your source material to adapt. Exercise: Investigate the potential of the short story Cooper's Creek for adaptation into a short film.
Week 2 12 July	Adapting prose. Exercise: Using the short story A Taste of Spring, map out a strategy that deals with the interior life of the narrator/protagonist, the dual time zones, backstories and metaphors.
Week 3 19 July	Show don’t tell. The primacy of image in screen stories. Tools and tricks - narration, flashbacks, etc. Adjusting stories and characters to suit screen story structure.
Week 4 26 July	Workshopping: Students will present their adaptation proposal (Assessment Task 1) to the class for feedback.	Assessment Task 1 due
Week 5 2 Aug.	Workshopping (cont.): Students will present their adaptation proposal (Assessment Task 1) to the class for feedback.
Week 6 9 Aug.	Finding your script in the story. (Structure and characters.)
Week 7 16 Aug.	Embracing the form. (Visual story telling, dialogue, screen conventions.)
Week 8 23 Aug.	Case study: From The Grandmothers to Adoration
Week 9 30 Aug.	Case study: From The Grandmothers to Adoration (cont.)
Week 10 6 Sep.	Workshopping (cont.): Students will present their 2-page treatment (Assessment Task 2) to the class for feedback.	Assessment Task 2 due
Week 11 13 Sep.	Workshopping (cont.): Students will present their 2-page treatment (Assessment Task 2) to the class for feedback.
	Semester break: Monday 17 September – Friday 28 September inclusive
Week 12 4 Oct.	Individual feedback sessions: One-on-one feedback with your teacher.
Week 13 11 Oct.	Individual feedback sessions: One-on-one feedback with your teacher.
Week 14 18 Oct.	Seminar: Review of strategies and perspectives regarding adaptation.	Assessment Task 3 due

Learning Resources

Prescribed Texts

References

Other Resources

Short Stories

Cooper's Creek (supplied)

A Taste of Spring by Richard Hall (supplied)

 

Overview of Assessment

Assessment is on-going throughout the course. Assessment will incorporate a range of methods to assess performance and the application of knowledge and skills and will include: participation in class exercises, oral presentations and practical writing tasks.

Assessment Tasks

To demonstrate competency in this course you will need to complete the following assessment tasks to a satisfactory standard. You will receive feedback on all assessment and where indicated, you will receive a grade.

The objective of this course is to provide you with the ability to identify original texts suitable for film adaptation, and with the skills necessary to formulate a conceptual approach to the adaptation. To this end, your assessment for this course will focus on an original text that you will choose to adapt. The progress of the adaptation will be assessed in three stages.

Assessment Task 1: Evaluating the source text – due Week 4, Sunday 29 July

Write a half-page description of the story in the source material you are choosing to adapt and a half-page description of the problems you expect to confront in writing the adaptation. See Canvas for full details.

Assessment Task 2: The work-in-progress screen story – due Week 10, Sunday 9 September

Write a two-page description of the structure of the story. This structural summary will define the overall shape of the story, e.g. its beginning, middle and end. See Canvas for full details.

Assessment Task 3: Outline of the adaptation – due Week 14, Sunday 21 October (graded)

Deliver a five-page prose document that will expand on the one-page description you prepared for Assessment Task 2. This will be an outline of the script you intend to write. It should be a well-written and precise presentation document that can be shown to a producer. See Canvas for full details.

______

Once you have demonstrated competency, your final assessment task will be graded (refer to Canvas for the grading rubric). Grades used in this course are as follows:

• CHD Competent with High Distinction
• CDI Competent with Distinction
• CC Competent with Credit
• CAG Competency achieved – graded
• NYC Not Yet Competent
• DNS Did not submit for assessment

Assessment Matrix

The assessment matrix demonstrates alignment of assessment tasks with the relevant unit of competency. These are available through the course contact in Program administration.

Other Information

Please refer to the RMIT student page for extensive information about study support, assessment, extensions, appeals and a range of other matters.

Attendance 
Your learning experience will involve class-based teaching, discussion, demonstration and practical exercises. It is strongly advised that you attend all timetabled sessions. This will allow you to engage in the required learning activities, ensuring you the maximum opportunity to complete this course successfully.

Assessment Feedback
You will receive spoken and written feedback on all your work. Where relevant, this feedback will also include suggestions on how you can proceed to the next stage of developing your projects.

Student Progress
Monitoring academic progress is an important enabling and proactive strategy designed to assist you in achieving your learning potential.

Adjustments to Assessment (eg. applying for an extension of time): 
If you are unable to complete any piece of assessment satisfactorily by the due date, you can choose to apply for an adjustment to your assessment. RMIT University offers a range of adjustments designed to support you in your studies, including an extension of time to complete the assessment.

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
RMIT University has a strict policy on plagiarism and academic integrity. Please refer to the website for more information on this policy.

Credit Transfer and Recognition of Prior Learning
Credit transfer is the recognition of previously completed formal learning (an officially accredited qualification).

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is an assessment process that allows you to demonstrate competence using the skills you have gained through experience in the workplace, voluntary work, informal or formal training or other life experiences

Course Overview: Access Course Overview