| CODE | MCS2120 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Introduction to Screen Direction | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Media and Communications | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | Screen-based direction is more than just the creation of an audio visual representation. Proficiency in the various associated skills come together to consolidate the singular unifying vision. In this unit, students will experiment with, compare and assess two different approaches to video production, mainly between on-the-fly studio and single camera setups. The study-unit will compare and contrast a multiple camera setup (studio) with singular camera practice. A short script will be visually envisioned and the students will demonstrate skills in the various roles in reproducing and expressing their mental visual concepts and translating others’ to a screen-based moving image, via both setups. As part of the communications degree, the emphasis upon communication and teamwork becomes second to none. Moreover, the study-unit aims to instil confidence in students to see their vision through both defence and negotiation, to be able to realise it with means and resources, and situations, which will always be far from ideal. Study-Unit Aims: The study-unit aims to create a critical understanding of visual aesthetics in association with audio in the interpretation of a short narrative script but performed under different production scenarios. Students will explore and practice in the preparation and execution of two audio visual productions, via both single camera and multi-camera setups. Students will be able to compare and contrast the strengths and weaknesses of both scenarios, allowing them to better organise their mental visual constructs for the delivery of the final screened event. Students will actively participate in both setups and perform in the various associated roles, hence relating to the full production process. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: In both scenarios, through very short prepared scripts, students will experience hands-on the production cycles of single and multiple camera environments, as part of a team with actors and camera crew. For Single-Camera: break a script down into dramatic, aesthetic and practical components; make it into a film while employing stylistic interpretation; evaluate the end product in the light of the original intentions. For Multiple-camera (studio/on-the-fly): take on the diverse roles of live direction, vision mixing, producers and production assistants, audio, floor-managing and camerapersons, mimicking a live on-tape end result. For both processes: organise and judge visual sequences at micro and macro levels in terms of acquisition, manipulation, and delivery, solving situations that arise ‘on-the-fly’, critically evaluating options available. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Analyse the benefits and constraints of the screen medium; - Execute effective screen direction for single and multiple camera situations; - Transfer an idea or script to a final audiovisual production; - Evaluate the teamwork roles in real-life client based-work; - How to deliver a higher-end audiovisual production from scratch to end product. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Arijon, D. (1991). Grammar of the Film Language (Paperback ed.). Los Angeles: Silman-James. - Katz, S. D. (2004). Film Directing: Cinematic Motion (2nd ed.). Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Productions. - Katz, S. D. (2019). Film Directing: Shot by Shot - Visualizing from Concept to Screen (Anniversary ed.). Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Productions. - Mercado, G. (2019). The Filmmaker's Eye: The Language of the Lens: The Power of Lenses and the Expressive Cinematic Image. Oxford: Focal Press. Supplementary Readings: - Bordwell, D., Thompson, K., & Smith, J. (2017). Film Art: An Introduction (11th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Education. - Brown, B. (2016). Cinematography: Theory and Practice (3rd ed.). London: Routledge. - Utterback, Andrew (2007) Studio Television Production and Directing: Studio-Based Television Production and Directing, Amsterdam: Routledge. |
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| RULES/CONDITIONS | Before TAKING THIS UNIT YOU MUST TAKE MCS1110 | ||||||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||||||
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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