• The Faculty policy in relation to late assessment submissions is as follows: Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a mark of ‘0’ (zero) will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue. This late penalty will apply to written reports and recordings only. Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs will be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special consideration application.
• Any instance where a student uses the University’s electronic learning management system (iLearn) to submit for assessment a written response that comprises more than 250 words in total will be subject to plagiarism detection software.

Lectures, tutorials, readings, and screenings are all core modes of delivery of the content of this unit.  Active engagement with these is facilitated through weekly quizzes that support consolidation of learning.  The assessment tasks are scaffolded to support application of knowledge and insight you develop through this active engagement with all four core modes -  lectures, tutorials, readings and screenings.  Lack of engagement with any of these is likely to have a detrimental effect on your learning and achievement in the unit.  

Lectures

Lectures will be via Zoom.  Recordings of the Zoom lectures will be made available via ilearn after they are delivered live, however, live attendance is strongly encouraged! Being present in the 'room' energises the dialogue with your lecturer, tutors and peers, gives you a chance to do quick exercises, comment and respond to questions via chat or verbally, and ask questions.  This participation makes the learning more immediate and rewarding. Attendance at lectures is not assessed and there is no need to request special consideration if you miss one.

Tutorials

Tutorials are designed to give you live, in the moment, opportunities to develop knowledge via exercises, and dialogue with tutors and peers.  Attending gives you opportunities to try things out, get informal feedback, learn by sharing your responses to other's work, and develop your assessment tasks.  Every tutorial is directly aimed at improving your screenwriting ability and is directly relevant to an aspect of your assessment tasks.  Attendance is not assessed and there is no need to request special consideration if you miss one, however repeated or consistent lack of attendance will mean missing core learning and is likely to impact on achievement in the unit.  Tutorials are NOT recorded. 

Readings

Readings for this unit will be available through ilearn.  Comprehension will be tested via weekly quizzes.

Videos:

Key videos relevant to assignments will be available through the MMCC 1025 iLearn page. They form part of the unit content and your observation skills will be developed through weekly quizzes asking questions about them.  

Technologies/resources required:

Students will be required to use their own computers for research, development and writing of assignments in this unit. It is recommended that MMCC1025 students become familiar with Celtx (free script software) or other industry standard script formatting tools, which will be discussed in class or in information on ilearn. Microsoft Word can be used for scriptwriting, however it is not as effective a tool. 

Students are encouraged to consider downloading and exploring one or more of the widely available free screenplay formatting tools before the start of semester, so that you are familiar with the principles.  Because these are automated processes when using the free, widely available software we do not spend a lot of time in class on them.  Rather, our focus is on ideas and content.  Tutors often note that because using formatting software improves legibility and gives students a better understanding of the ways that scripts work dramatically and logistically, students not using correct formatting often do not achieve at higher levels.

The outline below may be subject to some variations.

Week 1: generating ideas

week 2: character

week 3: storyworlds

week 4: structure/plot

week 5: theme & research

week 6: containment

NB: Comprehension and application of principles from ALL of the first six weeks of the unit is expected to be demonstrated in the Outline assessment task due at the end of week 6. This includes the principles of 'containment' which will be discussed in the lecture in week 6. 

week 7: genres

week 8: writing and formatting documentaries

week 9: writing and formatting fiction

week 10: dialogue

week 11: summation and application