| Unit name | British Cinema and Television |
|---|---|
| Unit code | DRAM20049 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Professor. Street |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
DRAM11007 Production Skills for Film or equivalent |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of Film and Television |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This unit examines the history, constraints and characteristics of British cinema and television since the early twentieth century. Key areas to be studied include issues such as gender relations and social issues; film/TV stars and performance; popular genres including heritage, comedy and gangster films; television drama and its hybrid forms; indigenous and exportable qualities of British film and television; audiences; distribution, exhibition and public service broadcasting; relations between the film and television industries and the impact of new media in contemporary global contexts. As part of this unit, students create a short film that develops out of and engages with these issues.
Unit aims:
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
(1) respond to major debates, themes and problems in British cinema and television, in relation to the past and to contemporary trends;
(2) evaluate different interpretations of British films and television programmes and their contexts of production, distribution and reception;
(3) analyse and write about films and television programmes at a detailed level;
(4) engage with and make critical use of primary and secondary sources;
(5) work within the disciplines of production and project processes, working to deadlines and within set production limits;
(6) reflect on individual work within a collaborative production context.
Weekly 2-hour seminar/workshop + weekly 3-hour screening/workshop, production tutorials (within workshop sessions) and practical work (both independent and partially supervised)
2000 word essay (40%) ILO (1-4)
3-5 minute film engaging with the historical and critical work encountered on the unit (40%) ILO 1, 5
1000 word reflexive account of practical work (20%) ILO (1, 5-6)
Films can be made either individually or in groups, at the unit convenor’s discretion and within a defined range (i.e. individual projects and small groups, or larger groups and no individual projects). The required length of the film will vary, depending on the number of students involved and the specific nature of the project. Films made in groups will be awarded a single grade.
Justine Ashby and Andrew Higson (eds), British Cinema, Past and Present, London: Routledge, 2000.
Andrew Higson, Film England: Culturally English Filmmaking since the 1990s, London, I.B. Tauris, 2011.
Sarah Street, British National Cinema, London: Routledge, 1997, 2nd ed, 2009.
Lez Cooke, British Television Drama: A History, London: BFI, 2003.
Robin Nelson, State of Play– Contemporary ‘high-end’ TV Drama, Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2007.
Andy Medhurst, A National Joke – Popular Comedy and English Cultural Identities, London: Routledge, 2007.
