TASK 1.  Communicating Screen Ideas         

Come up with an idea for a short (up to 5 minute) fictional, poetic or hybrid film.  Convey your idea through text, image and sound organised into a powerpoint presentation with at least the following slides, plus any others you consider necessary (maximum 15)

1. Title, Form (short fiction or hybrid or web-series) Genre & Theme

2. Central Problem, Issue, Conflict or Circumstance that will give rise to events and drama

3. One or Two key characters, who they are, where they stand in relation to the central problem

4. A couple of key plot points– what major action, events or changes will occur?

5. Visual Style – what might the film look like in terms of tone, period, colours, textures, light, angles or other visual aspects?  Do some research and use reference images to give indications of the look you are aiming for

6. Aural Style  - what might the film sound like in terms of tone, period, perspective, textures, or other aural aspects?  Do some research and use reference sounds to give indications of the sound world (not just music!) you are aiming for

7. Time – what is the pace or temporal dynamic of the film?  Do things move quickly, slowly, lightly, carefully suddenly…(many possibilities here, try to imagine what your film will feel like in time and movement). Is there a time structure? (eg. Flashbacks or a deadline)

8. Reflection on where you need collaborative input to develop and realise  this idea

9. What fascinates you about it - why you care, why we should

You can, and should, embed brief clips, or images and/or sounds into your slides – make the presentation look and feel appropriate to convey the visual/aural impression you would like the production to create.

Submission: Post this powerpoint to ilearn as a pdf with links to clips, if any. It will be reviewed by lecturers before class in week 2.  If selected to pitch in week 2 you must bring the powerpoint with you and use it to pitch in-class.  

Assessment Criteria:

1. Clear and succinct identification and articulation ideas
2. Effective use of research in generation and communication of ideas, themes or issues and how you intend to convey them in screen media
3. Creative and feasible response to task guidelines

Creative Role Research

Make a 5 minute video essay consolidating and communicating your independent research into your crew role this semester.  Your video should describe the key creative actions of your role and include expert insights drawn from your research into the nuances of creative responsibilities and opportunities of the role.   The video must be no more than 5 minutes long and must:

•  be cut on Avid
•  include some images you create yourself on your phone, computer or camera
•  have a bibliography, onscreen, at the end, that includes clips, sites, articles and books you have used
• have at least two  quotations from reading you have done
• prepare you for execution of your role and to develop understanding of key points of collaboration in that role.  
• go beyond technical aspects of the role
• articulate what creative decisions your role requires
• describe the craft considerations that go into cintematic storytelling within that role 
• provide insights into the artistry you can aspire to in the execution of your role

Submission:  submit a link to your video to ilearn by midnight on Sunday the 11th of September

Assessment Criteria:  

• Depth and appropriateness of research into creative role in screen production

• Synthesis of research into a succinct and clear articulation of ideas about creative execution of a role in screen production
•    

  Application of  practical, technical, creative and theoretical skills in video essay production  

CREATIVE COLLABORATION SITE

Individually you will contribute a series of exercises and ideas to a shared a Creative Collaboration Site for your major project.  These contributions are due weekly in the first half of the semester  and at the end of the break.  The exercises are designed to provide you with skills, experience in creative expression of ideas across many areas of screen and include tasks such as:                    

• Script drafts and dramaturgical responses      
• Storyworld relevant sounds and images                           
• Thematically relevant references and juxtapositions
• Participation in creation of an onscreen draft
• Creative Intentions statements      

Details of specific requirements of each task will be posted on ilearn EVERY WEEK.  The tasks each require a fast turnaround response.  You may be lateral and creative in your thinking - your responses to the tasks will most likely not be part of the final production, but they may spark ideas, discussion or development.  Process is as important as product here - just doing the exercises will increase your skills in screen production and understanding of the  decisions made in screen creativity.  These tasks are time sensitive, meaning you must do them in the weeks that have been allocated for them.

Submission:

For submission of these tasks, each group will create a wordpress site for their projects, and producers will email a link to those site to the lecturer (Karen.Pearlman@mq.edu.au) by the end of week 2.  Thereafter, tasks are to be uploaded weekly to that wordpress site, labelled with your name and date of submission.  

Assessment Criteria:

• Clear and succinct identification and articulation ideas, themes or issues and how you intend to convey them in screen media
• Depth and appropriateness of research and planning for the realisation of a short screen production
• Insightful and clear demonstration of how ideas, themes or issues could be represented through your choices of techniques and creative devices for the production
• Thoughtful and sophisticated articulation of how practical, technical, creative and theoretical skills will be applied to convey ideas in screen media
• Relevant and salient synthesis of theoretical concepts in screen media to reflect on your own and others’ screen productions.

Task Details are on ilearn, and you must login to ilearn each week to retrieve the specific requirements for that week's task.   

MAJOR SCREEN PRODUCTION

From the 'pitch' presentations completed in Week 2, a number of projects will be selected to go into production. A student whose pitch was selected will be designated as ‘director’. Students will then choose from the following crew roles: Producer, Development Producer/1st AD, Director of Photography, Sound Recordist/Designer, Editor (Continuity/Script Supervisor), and Production Designer. Once teams have been selected, students will collaborate on the development of their screen works during the pre-production phase in readiness for going into production. Through tasks on the Creative Collaboration site, teams will be expected to research their themes, generate a strong script, pre-plan the visual and sound elements of their screen production through story-boarding, shot-listing, casting, rehearsing and other exercises on the Creative Collaborations Site. Teams will also be expected to familiarise themselves with their production equipment, hold regular production meetings, and perform camera and sound tests.

Over the course of the semester you will work collaboratively and individually to research, develop, plan, execute and present to the world a short (up to 5 minute)  film or web-series of, for example 3 x 2 minute episodes.   Your work on this production will be experiential learning, problem solving and application of theory to practice, and you will be individually assessed for your contribution.  Everyone in all roles will be expected to help identify the themes, ideas and perspective on the work and come up with ideas and examples for how these can be communicated in a short media production.  You will use your research and analyses of techniques and devices in screen media to support the process of making decisions about your contribution and executing those decisions effectively.  Your collaboration skills will be developed through this process, in particular your effective communication with others, your reliable, timely and thorough execution of tasks you are allocated, and your creative contribution to enhancing, supporting and realising the intentions of the project originators.  As you work on this project you will be expected to draw on knowledge from MAS212, MAS202 and if you have taken it, MAS205, as well as the research and learning of this semester and to synthesise concepts into your practice, your communications with others, and your reflections on your own work.

Your reflective essay of approx. 500 words should comment on your specific work or contribution in each of the points above.  Note: things do not always run smoothly in film productions, in fact they rarely do.  You are encouraged to reflect on things that were less than ideal however please note: you will be marked down for blaming outwards.    If someone on the team does not fulfil their agreed responsibilities what action did you do to SOLVE the problem?  If communications were tricky how did you adjust your tone, approach or perspective to make them clearer?    If you meet challenges you were not able to overcome on your own what actions did you take to get help?  These should be noted in your reflective essay. 

Each team will be responsible for providing a full set of production documents including, for example; schedules, call sheets, location agreements, music copyright agreements and performer contracts.

Each student involved in the production group will receive an individual mark for their work in the role they performed in the overall finished production. 

Submission:

Submit your reflective statements via the link on ilearn

Submit your final screen production by working with the technical director, Mr Marcus Eckermann to finalise and output the media

Producers: Scan and submit portfolios of paperwork directly to the lecturer: Karen.Pearlman@mq.edu.au  

Assessment Criteria:

1. Demonstrated skill in effectively conveying ideas, themes and issues through screen production
2. Effective collaboration and on time delivery of in the realisation of short film 
3. Thoughtful and sophisticated applications of practical, technical, creative and theoretical skills in image and sound creation, such as cinematography, lighting, production design, sound design, editing and skills related to working with performers as appropriate to your crew role
4. Synthesis of theoretical concepts in screen media to reflect on your own and others’ screen productions.

Your work-in-progress screen productions will be viewed in workshops in weeks 10 and 11.   Full attendance is expected for feedback and development of the productions.  

The intensive week is designed to emulate the intensity and focus required in professional production processes.  The strength of your own energy, curiosity, commitment, willingness to try new things and support for others who are trying new things will directly contribute to your achievement of the learning outcomes.

Submission:

Your attendance and participation in each day of the Intensive will be noted and you will receive a group mark for the screen exercises your group completes. 

Due at 5pm on Friday, 23-09-2016

Assessment Criteria:

1. Effective collaboration and on time delivery of in the realisation of exercises  with fellow students within MAS 213
2. Creative choices and exploration of techniques and creative devices in exercises 
3. Thoughtful and sophisticated application of practical, technical, creative and theoretical skills