Course Title: Write content and/or copy
Part B: Course Detail
Teaching Period: Term1 2007
Course Code: COMM5416C
Course Title: Write content and/or copy
School: 345T Creative Media
Campus: City Campus
Program: C4112 - Certificate IV in Screen
Course Contact : Adam Lovell
Course Contact Phone: +61 3 9925 4976
Course Contact Email:adam.lovell@rmit.edu.au
Name and Contact Details of All Other Relevant Staff
Drama:
Barbara Gliddon
Tel: 9925 4072
Email: barbara.gliddon@rmit.edu.au
Documentary:
Diane Charleson
Tel: 9925 4350
Email: diane.charleson@rmit.edu.au
Nominal Hours: 45
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
None
Course Description
The aim of this course is to provide students with an understanding of the craft involved in writing proposals, treatments and narration for fiction films and television.
It also includes the skills and knowledge required to write content and copy for other forms of industrial writing for production within the cultural industries.
National Codes, Titles, Elements and Performance Criteria
National Element Code & Title: |
CUFWRT05A Write content and/or copy |
Element: |
Plan and prepare to write the content and/or copy. |
Element: |
Write content/copy. |
Learning Outcomes
.
Details of Learning Activities
Classes will include planned lectures, weekly class exercise to review what has been learnt in class, workshopping of students’ own projects, screening of video/DVD excerpts to provide examples of screenwriting elements, analysis/critique of films and television programs of students’ choices.
Teaching Schedule
DRAMA:
Week 01: Orientation
Week 02: An introduction to storytelling
Week 03: The evolution of the short film.
Week 04:Particular requirements of short screenplay writing.
Week 05: The role of image and sound in film storytelling
Week 06: Characterisation: theory and practice
Week 07: Mise-en-scene, text and sub-text
Week 08: Visualisation exercises
Week 09: Is it drama? Exercises in dramatic strategies.
Week 10: Researching the idea, shaping it into a story
Week 11:Developing original ideas .Writing an original screenplay; accessing ideas
Week 12: Tone voice and style in screenwriting. Delivery of first draft
Week 13: Revising written work. Negotiating feedback
Week 14: Timing and cutting scenes.
Week 15: Experimental narrative
Week 16: One on one feedback sessions with teacher
Week 17: Group workshops and reading of the current draft.
Week 18: Finessing the final draft. Delivery of final draft.
DOCUMENTARY:
Week 1
Orientation
Week 2
Introduction
What is a documentary?
Different types of docos
Week 3
History of the Documentary
Week 4
Documentary viewing
Week 5
Doco proposal
Practical exercise
Week 6
Practical Exercise continued
Week 7
Writing the proposal
Week 8
Screening and pitching proposals
Week 9
Documentary viewing
Week 10
Practical exercise the interview
Week 11
Interview project
Week 12
Interview project
Week 13
Screening interview project
Week 14
Documentary viewing
Week 15
Documentary viewing
Week 16
Alternate forms of documentray
Week 17
Ethics and the documentary
Week 18
Marks/review
Learning Resources
Prescribed Texts
References
Other Resources
Classroom – AV facilities.
All relevant education/administration fees with this course are to be met by student (as outlines in RMIT invoice/s), plus any film/tv viewing and texts.
Overview of Assessment
Drama:
- major writing project 1, 25%
- major writing project 2, 25%
Documentary:
- Documentary Proposal Class presentation 25%
- In-class exercises & workshopping 25%
Assessment Tasks
DRAMA:
There are two major writing projects worth 50% each: a first draft worth 25% and a final draft worth 25% of a screen play of up to seven (7) minutes duration. Assessments requirements are: the delivery of a first draft screenplay of up to seven (7) minutes duration for review and feedback and the delivery of a screenplay of up to seven (7) minutes duration for final assessment. Each draft should demonstrate an understanding of characterisation, dialogue, action, subtext and mise-en-scene. Students are advised that they are likely to be asked to personally demonstrate their assessment work to the teacher to ensure that relevant competency standards are met.
DOCUMENTARY:
There are two major projects each worth 50% : filming and pitching of the documentary proposal : Filming and presenting the interview subject
Assessment Matrix
Not applicable
Other Information
Handouts given out in class by teachers
Course Overview: Access Course Overview