Students

MMCC3012 – Screen Production: Documentary Filmmaking

2026 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor
Iqbal Barkat
iqbal.barkat@mq.edu.au
Contact via Email
10HA Hub: 147 Room: 160
Mondays and Wednesdays by email 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 Groupwork/Individual Short Extension AI assisted?
Creative Task 1 (minor) 35% No 22/03/26 2355 hrs Individual No Open AI
Creative Task 2 (major) 50% No 07/06/26 2355 hrs Individual and Group No Open AI
iLearn Quizzes & Tasks 15% No Weekly; Weeks 1-6 Individual No Open AI

Creative Task 1 (minor)

Assessment Type 1: Creative task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 35 hours
Due: 22/03/26 2355 hrs
Weighting: 35%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?: Open AI

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.

Creative Task 2 (major)

Assessment Type 1: Creative task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 50 hours
Due: 07/06/26 2355 hrs
Weighting: 50%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual and Group
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?: Open AI

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.

iLearn Quizzes & Tasks

Assessment Type 1: Problem-based task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: Weekly; Weeks 1-6
Weighting: 15%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?: Open AI

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.

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.

3 An automatic short extension is available for some assessments. Apply through the Service Connect Portal.

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

Unit Schedule

This schedule is indicative and may be subject to change. Any substantive revisions will be communicated via iLearn.

The unit comprises four compulsory three-hour seminars delivered in Weeks 1–4, supported by compulsory two-hour workshops across Weeks 1–4, 10, and 12. Optional technical workshops are offered in Week 6.

Weekly screenings will be scheduled (time TBC). Attendance is strongly encouraged as screenings form an integral part of the unit’s conceptual and aesthetic framework.

Students may request small-group technical sessions in camera, sound, or editing through consultation with technical staff.

Seminars are held in 10HA 189 (Screen Studio). Workshops are held in 10HA 189 or 10HA 169 (TBC).

WK

SEMINAR

WORKSHOP

ASSIGNMENT/

PRODUCTION ACTIVITIES, ETC

 

01

Unit orientation and expectations Documentary modes and traditions Observational filmmaking as method, ethics, and aesthetic practice Observation as epistemology: cinema as inquiry Screening: works by Frederick Wiseman

West of the Tracks (Wang Bing)  

Finding subjects and situations: access, proximity, and situational awareness

Single-operator observational practice Camera automation and responsiveness in uncontrolled environments Fundamentals of location sound capture Embodied handheld camera operation Working with available light Applied camera exercises

Begin work on Assessment 1: Individually Authored Documentary and Reflection (Due Week 4 22/3/26 2355 hrs)

Begin identifying potential observational subjects, situations, and thematic interests for the major documentary project, with a focus on access, proximity, and feasibility rather than predetermined narratives.

Begin forming production crews and discussing roles, availability, and collaborative working arrangements.

 

2

The subject–filmmaker relationship: proximity, power, trust, and responsibility Ethics as practice: presence, duration, and relational accountability in observational filmmaking Consent as an ongoing process (not a one-off form) Legal frameworks: consent, releases, and institutional responsibilities  

Screening and discussion: Nanook of the North (Robert J. Flaherty) Chronicle of a Summer (Jean Rouch & Edgar Morin)

Portrait of Jason (Shirley Clarke)  

Open pitching session for major documentary projects and crew formation

Working in manual camera modes: exposure, focus, and responsiveness in uncontrolled environments

Camera supports and embodied shooting: tripod, monopod, shoulder rigs, and handheld shooting Lighting and filming conversations: shaping presence without staging or performance  

Practical exercises in observational framing and duration

 

Continue working on Assessment 1

 

Consider subjects and environments for major project. Begin discussions with stakeholders.

 

Begin gathering crews.

03

Interview as encounter, listening, and co-presence Relational interviewing versus extraction Situated interviews vs seated interviews Silence, timing, and vulnerability Refusal and ethical limits

Screening & discussion:

Chronicle of a Summer (Jean Rouch & Edgar Morin) –

The Gleaners and I (Agnès Varda)

Open pitching session for major documentary projects and crew formation

Recording interviews for observational documentary: prioritising sound, presence, and continuity Framing and shooting seated interviews: studio settings and controlled interiors Adapting interviews to real locations: offices, homes, vehicles, and exterior environments Lighting for interviews without over-stylisation: shaping presence while retaining realism Camera exercises

Visit potential sites for major project and conduct discussions with stakeholders.

 

Continue crewing.

04

The creative possibilities of observational filmmaking: beyond neutrality and transparency Observation as construction: framing, duration, repetition, rhythm, and attention Authorship without narration: shaping meaning through form rather than explanation Experimentation within constraint: working creatively with limitation  

Screening & discussion: Man with a Movie Camera (Dziga Vertov)

Agrarian Utopia (Uruphong Raksasad)

Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (Chantal Akerman) Primary (Robert Drew) – Grey Gardens (Maysles brothers)

Leviathan (Castaing-Taylor & Paravel)

Dahomey (Mati Diop)

 

Final pitching session and confirmation of crews for major documentary productions

Creative possibilities with camera and sound in observational filmmaking Using movement, duration, proximity, and perspective as expressive tools Sound as structure: atmosphere, rhythm, silence, and continuity Post-production workflows for observational documentaries From footage to form: organising material, identifying patterns, and shaping meaning in the edit

Major projects and crews confirmed.

Assessment 1 due

05

No seminar

Screening (TBC)

Suggested screenings

Harlan County USA (Barbara Kopple)

For Sama (Waad Al-Kateab)

 

Practice sessions with crew and/or tech staff (self-organised)

Production commences

06

No seminar

Screening (TBC)

Suggested screenings

News from Home (Chantal Akerman)

The House Is Black (Forough Farrokhzad)

 

Practice sessions with crew and/or tech staff (self-organised)

Production immersion Field engagement and subject development Material logging and media organisation

 

Mid Semester Break

 

Production immersion Field engagement and subject development Material logging and media organisation

 

Mid Semester Break

 

Production immersion Field engagement and subject development Material logging and media organisation

07

 

 

Post production – Commence assembly

08

 

 

Post production – assembly

09

 

 

Post production – rough cut

10

 

Edit review in class

Critical review and refinement Peer feedback sessions Structural tightening

11

 

 

Refine cut

12

 

 

Refine cut

13

 

Edit review in class

Final review workshop Delivery standards and finishing

Critical review and refinement Peer feedback sessions Structural tightening and sonic shapingFinal project submission

 

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/

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Academic Success 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

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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 2026.02 of the Handbook