THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2022/2023

Timetable information in the Course Catalogue may be subject to change.

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : Edinburgh College of Art : Design

Undergraduate Course: FTV 3A: Experimentation in Short Film (DESI10150)

Course Outline
SchoolEdinburgh College of Art CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits40 ECTS Credits20
SummaryThrough a series of time-limited assignments, students will research, develop and produce both individual and group films.

This course will stimulate and challenge students to push the creative boundaries of their filmmaking and to consider how they can experiment with framing, camera movement, lighting, editing, set design, sound, etc. to create an imaginative vision with limited resources.

The aim is to introduce students to work in a time-based professional creative industry framework which still encourages innovation and playfulness within the short film format. This course will develop collaborative relationships in the filmmaking process and invites peer feedback throughout the semester.
Course description During this course students will develop a sense of their own particular aesthetic approaches as film makers and will be equipped to progress to more ambitious film productions (such as those undertaken in fourth year).

Students will become familiar with the process of development, how to discuss their ideas, how to collaborate, honing their communication skills in both written and verbal forms. Students will learn and develop their problem solving and project management skills in relation to best use of available resources. They will be given a framework in which to experiment, explore and develop their interests in a practical and creative way.

This course will principally take the form of weekly, 2-hour seminars or lectures throughout the course of the semester. Alongside these core sessions, students will be supported by workshops in areas such as editing, sound, camera and film production management.

The course will cover:

Research - development of a creative idea

How to apply creative aspects of film making to the short film format - cinematography, sound, design, editing, for example

How to apply structure and meaning

How to push creative boundaries within practical limitations

How to communicate ideas in written form such as a treatment document/ concept outline, etc

How to effectively present film projects verbally using visual resources

How to collaborate on a creative project and generate ideas

How to project plan in a professional manner to work within time and resource limitations.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesVisiting students must have completed at least two practice-based courses that have included the production of a short film. These courses should be similar in form and content to FTV 2A and 2B; 'cinematography', 'working on a film set' and 'exploring film language'.

Visiting students should be prepared to demonstrate this level of competence through a written reference.
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2022/23, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  17
Course Start Semester 1
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 400 ( Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 8, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 392 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Formative

For Formative assessment students will submit a research document developed during the first 5 weeks of the course which will also address how they will apply creative aspects of their specialism to the short film format such as cinematography, sound, design etc.

Summative
Students should submit a portfolio at the end of teaching including the following elements:

1. A Portfolio (70% of final grade) containing:

- Links from an agreed online platform to finished short films which can be documentary, drama or experimental, which they have contributed to.

- Supporting materials:

a document outlining the student's individual creative vision (500 words) along with appropriate visual materials.

These supporting materials are an opportunity for students to demonstrate the intended vision for their work, and to provide written (and - if appropriate - visual) material that evidences their creative process. This should not include critical reflection or contextualisation of the work (which should appear in the written reflection) but rather, should convey a sense of the preparatory development work undertaken by the student, presented in an industry-appropriate format.

2. A written reflection of 1000 words (30% of the final grade) which mounts a critical reflection about what students have learned about directing, cinematography, editing, sound or producing etc and places their work within a wider cultural context.

The Portfolio will be worth 70% of the final grade and will be assessed against Learning Outcomes 1 and 2. The written reflection will be worth 30% of the final grade and will be assessed against Learning Outcome 3.
Feedback There will be two stages of feedback:

- Formative:
Students will receive verbal feedback on their formative submission in class mid-semester.

- Summative: final summative
Students will receive written feedback on their summative submission within 15 working days.
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Develop their own film aesthetic through the making of short films.
  2. Demonstrate the ability to resolve project ideas within available resources (such as time and equipment).
  3. Reflect critically upon their decisions as a film practitioner and place their work within a wider context of other filmmaking work, theories of practice and relevant interdisciplinary work.
Reading List
Rabiger, Michael, 2016. Developing Story Ideas: The Power and Purpose of Storytelling, Routledge.

McKee, Robert. 1999. Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting, Methuen Film.

Tarkovsky, Andrei, 1988. Sculpting in Time: Reflections on the Cinema, University of Texas Press.
Bresson, Robert, 2017. Notes on the Cinematograph, New York Review Books Classics (New Edition). First published in 1975.
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Communication; collaboration; teamwork; resource-management; script development; project management; film editing; ability to reflect critically upon practice.
Keywordsfilmmaking,short film,hothouse,collaborative practice
Contacts
Course organiserMs Tracey Fearnehough
Tel:
Email: tfearnho@exseed.ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMs Sophie O'Shea
Tel: (0131 6)51 5448
Email: soshea@ed.ac.uk
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