Students

MMCC3012 – Screen Production: Documentary Filmmaking

2025 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Karen Pearlman
karen.pearlman@mq.edu.au
rm 157, 10HA
Tuesdays 5:30 to 7 pm drop in sessions weeks 1-6 and 9-12, all welcome, room 284, 10HA
technical director (cameras, lights, mics, etc.)
Alex Ryan
alex.ryan@mq.edu.au
Contact via email
10HA
by appointment
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
130cp at 1000 level or above including MAS213 or MMCC2013
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

The special focus of this unit is documentary as a mode of screen storytelling. Students encounter different modes and forms of documentary production and analyse the impact of the strategies used to shoot and compose them. Students practice core documentary making skills such as observation, interview, image composition, dramatisations and structuring stories. Through practical work, students address a range of artistic  choices available in representing the real. By engaging with the opportunities this unit offers, students can produce work suitable for their professional portfolios and for entry into film festivals.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: synthesise practical, technical and conceptual skills through the research, development and collaborative realisation of creative non-fiction screen production.
  • ULO2: develop and implement strategic creative and technical pathways towards the production of non-fiction screen works.
  • ULO3: analyse technical and creative strategies through a critical appraisal of non-fiction screen works.
  • ULO4: evaluate critically one's own and other's creative screen works.

General Assessment Information

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day an 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 through email correspondence and/or special consideration application.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Creative Task 1 (minor) 35% No 11/04/2025
iLearn Quizzes & Tasks 15% No weekly, weeks 1-6
Creative Task 2 (major) 50% No 30/05/2025

Creative Task 1 (minor)

Assessment Type 1: Creative work
Indicative Time on Task 2: 35 hours
Due: 11/04/2025
Weighting: 35%

 

Creative Screen Production Task. Refer to iLearn for further information.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • synthesise practical, technical and conceptual skills through the research, development and collaborative realisation of creative non-fiction screen production.
  • develop and implement strategic creative and technical pathways towards the production of non-fiction screen works.
  • evaluate critically one's own and other's creative screen works.

iLearn Quizzes & Tasks

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: weekly, weeks 1-6
Weighting: 15%

 

Students will respond to a series of low-stakes iLearn activities such as quizzes, short practical exercises, or critical viewing tasks. Students will be expected to draw on resources informing these tasks for their productions and reflection statements.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • analyse technical and creative strategies through a critical appraisal of non-fiction screen works.
  • evaluate critically one's own and other's creative screen works.

Creative Task 2 (major)

Assessment Type 1: Creative work
Indicative Time on Task 2: 60 hours
Due: 30/05/2025
Weighting: 50%

 

Creative screen production task. This is a creative project incorporating advanced production techniques discussed in the unit. Refer to iLearn for further information.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • synthesise practical, technical and conceptual skills through the research, development and collaborative realisation of creative non-fiction screen production.
  • develop and implement strategic creative and technical pathways towards the production of non-fiction screen works.
  • evaluate critically one's own and other's creative screen works.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

This unit is delivered on campus, in order to facillitate skills development in collaboration and use of professional standard equipment.

For Creative Task 1 students are generally expected to work independently using their phones and laptops, but may request access to gear by submitting production approval forms through the booking system.

For Creative Task 2 students work in teams, with each person performing an individually assessable role on a crew and using Macquarie University cameras, lights, sound recording gear and editing software.

All editing must take place on campus in the specially designated editing suites allocated to third year student to ensure professional level skills. 

Unit Schedule

This schedule is provisional and any substantive variations will be posted on ilearn.

NOTES:

  • ATTENDANCE IS REQUIRED FOR ALL SCHEDULED SEMINARS, PRACTICALS AND WORKSHOPS
  • ALL EDITING WILL TAKE PLACE ON CAMPUS. Your Creative Task 2 productions will have access to individual edit suites and we will review productions there in weeks 10 and 12.
  • For the first 6 weeks of semester, the unit convenor will be available for consults in room 284 of 10HA from 5:30 to 7pm on Tuesdays. 

 

Week

Activity

Notes & Due dates

1

SEMINAR

Monday 4pm Feb 20 (ONLY),

  • Everything you need to know about the unit and how to get the most out of it
  • Meet the cohort and start the brainstorms

 

AND

 

Practical Class

Tuesday 10am, 12 pm or 3pm, or Weds 10 am, or 1pm – according to your enrolment

 

  • PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
  • PITCH PRACTICE

 

PREP:

 

Bring your ideas this week!

Could be an idea for a character, or

an incident or event, or

an issue or idea, or

a feeling or experience,

or a place with some history or story.

 

We want lots of ideas to workshop!

 

Online readings & screenings & assessable activities

 

2

Practical Class

 

 

  • PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
  • PITCHING AND CREWING

 

 

PREP:

 

Individually or with others

Prepare a powerpoint to help you and/or your colleagues pitch a documentary production idea

 

Individually

Choose themes/ideas for individually authored documentaries

 

Online readings & screenings & assessable development activities

 

 

3

WORKSHOP

 

  • INTERVIEWS
  • CAMERAS & MICS

PREP:

 

As a crew:

Production meeting:

  • set schedule,
  • allocate research tasks
  • create Milanote or google drive
  • discuss theme, approach & resources

 

Individually

Researching & writing Individually Authored documentaries

 

Online readings & screenings & assessable activities including upload of contribution to Crewed Doc.

 

4

WORKSHOP

 

  • VISUAL STYLE
  • DESIGN & LIGHTING FOR STORY/IDEAS

PREP:

 

As a crew:

  • Production meetings:
  • Discuss research & references each team member has contributed on characters, issues, and/or contexts.
  • Outline scripts 1 (Identify locations, expectations, questions, characters, imagine a sequence)
  • Producers: if team members are not contributing or participating fully please notify convenor.

 

 

Individually

Selecting or shooting material Individually Authored documentaries

 

Online readings & screenings & assessable activities including upload of creative contributions & production documents for Creative Task 2

 

 

5

WORKSHOP

 

  • SHOOTING ON THE FLY
  • EDITING DOCUMENTARY

 

PREP:

 

As a crew:

Production meetings:  

  • Refine script outline
  • Confirm sourcing of locations, characters, props/sets
  • Shoot an onscreen draft

 

Individually

Shooting/recording/generating

Individually Authored documentaries

 

Online readings & screenings & assessable activities including upload of creative contributions & production documents for Creative Task 2

 

6

WORKSHOP

  • IN CLASS PRODUCTION MEETING WITH CONVENOR
  • In-class mini ‘onscreen draft’ (trying out ideas) & work with Alex on technical challenges

 

 

 

PREP:

As a crew:

Production meetings:  

  • confirm schedule, & locations & cast 
  • plan shotlist & shooting schedule
  • allocate transport
  • prep & submit production approval forms
  • book gear

 

 

Individually

Editing & Sound – individually authored documentaries

 

Online readings & screenings & assessable activities including upload of creative contributions & production documents to Crewed Docs.

 

 

 7

No scheduled classes this week

 

INDIVIDUALLY AUTHORED DOCUMENTARIES

(CREATIVE TASK 1)

DUE ON THE 11TH OF APRIL!

 

 

As a crew:

Production meetings:  

  • finalise plans
  • submit revised production approval forms as needed
  • book any unbooked gear you require

 

 

 

 

Mid sem break

Production week 1

 

  • Production period – shooting & sound recording of Creative Task 2

 

Mid sem break

Production week 2

 

  • Production period – shooting & sound recording of Creative Task 2
  • Ingesting, viewing & sorting material already shot
  • Create paper edits/plans

 

8

Production week 3

 

  • Production period – shooting & sound recording of Creative Task 2
  • Ingesting, viewing & sorting material already shot
  • Create paper edits/plans

 

9

FINAL PRODUCTION WEEK & EDIT WEEK ONE

 

  • Production period – shooting & sound recording of Creative Task 2
  • Ingesting, viewing & sorting material already shot
  • Create paper edits/plans
  • MOVE INTO EDIT SUITES, SET UP PINBOARDS

 

 

10

EDIT WEEK 2 & Practical Class

Edit Suites building 10HA

 (attendance is compulsory)

  • 1st assembly screenings
  • Feedback and discussion of material’s strengths and possibilities
  • Debrief on shoots

 

EDITING – all post-production work must take place on campus.  See post-production pathway guidelines.

11

EDIT WEEK 3 & Practical Class

 

  • Rough cut screenings,
  • Feedback and discussion of structure and storytelling
  • Attendance is compulsory for all students
  •  

 

EDITING & SOUND

all post-production work must take place on campus.  See post-production pathway guidelines.

 

12

EDIT WEEK 4 & Practical Class & SUBMISSION

Edit Suites building 10HA

 (attendance is compulsory)

  • Fine cut screenings
  • Discuss rhythm, character, tone
  • Feedback and discussio

 

Reflections and EXPORTS are due on ilearn on 30 May at 11:55pm

Producers and directors are responsible for ensuring that they or the editors or sound designers on their team check their sound mix and grade before exporting, export to the correct folder on the server and also save a copy of the film to an external drive of their own (for your portfolios or festival submissions)

 

Before you finalise your grade and sound you must meet, in the edit suite, with Alex Ryan or Tom Benson to ensure that your work meets standards. You may get support for exporting during that meeting. You must ensure that your export settings are for ProRes422HQ as a minimum quality standard, and you must export to your Exports folder on NEXIS. More details on ilearn under assessment task details.

Attendance is required at all practical classes.

A minimum of 12 hours of your editing time (4 hours per week in weeks 10, 11, and 12) must be on campus working collaborativelly with editor and director in the same edit suite at the same time. More collaborative on campus work is recommended so that you can get appropriate input on the creative direction of the work from your team as well as input from lecturers or technical staff.

A minimum of 4 hours of sound editing time must be on campus working collaborativelly with sound editor and director in the same edit suite at the same time. More collaborative on campus work is recommended so that you can get approrpiate input on the creative direction of the work from your team as well as input from lecturers or technical staff.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Unit information based on version 2025.03 of the Handbook