Unit information: Writing and Directing for Film and Television in 2015/16

Unit name	Writing and Directing for Film and Television
Unit code	DRAMM0014
Credit points	20
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12)
Unit director	Mr. Metelerkamp
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	Department of Film and Television
Faculty	Faculty of Arts

Description including Unit Aims

This unit introduces the craft, conventions, and key understandings in writing and directing for film and television. Each student makes several short films in directing, and produces a short fiction or documentary script. Teaching and learning cover:

• the form of the fiction screenplay and documentary script
• where ideas come from, and the process of adaptation  newspaper adaptation exercise
• how to make Pitches and write proposals and treatments
• telling stories in pictures
• location and how to make use of the character of place
• the function of character in drama and documentary
• dialogue for the screen and in performance
• key conventions in the structuring of screen narratives

As a foundation for the understanding of the languages, techniques and processes of storytelling in film (both fiction and non-fiction) the unit a valuable option for students from many pathways, while being mandatory for the MA in Film and Television Production.

The unit offers a broad and very practical foundation in the conventions and processes of writing and directing for the screen. It enables personal expression and requires students to work in groups as part of the secondary aim of creating a course culture and establishing and ethical and procedural foundation for course work.

Intended Learning Outcomes

On successful completion students will have: written a script for a short fiction or documentary project, that shows awareness of dramatic conventions and professional techniques presented proposals and pitched treatments, demonstrating a capacity to summarise and persuasively articulated ideas for film and television production made a number of small films engaging with narrative challenges worked together with others from varying backgrounds to achieve common objectives against deadline engaged in the reflective and analytical review of their own and others work

Teaching Information

Lectures and workshops, practical instructional sessions, sessions of student presentation, script tutorials, short student films produced to structured brief, analytical screening/review of student films

Assessment Information

3x short films and script for short film; all mandatory for credits. Unit as a whole assessed by pass/fail.

Reading and References

• Dancyger, Ken and Cooper, Pat (1997) Writing the Short Film (Focal Press)
• MacKendrick, Alexander (2004) On film-making : an introduction to the craft of the director (Faber)
• Mamet, David (1992) On Directing (Penguin)
• McKee, Robert, (1998) Story: substance, structure, style and the principles of screenwriting (Methuen)
• Vogler, Christopher (1999) The Writer's Journey - Mythic Structure for storytellers and screenwriters (Pan)