50916 Special Topic in Media Arts

Handbook description

Topic: Multimodality

This subject offers an in-depth study of one aspect of media production, history and aesthetics. In any given semester the focus may be on one of the following: genre studies, sound design, visual style, a television genre, a director's style, issues for the contemporary producer, editing, production design, mythic themes, poetics, new media narrative, issues in contemporary cinema, or digital special effects. Through screenings, readings and seminar presentations, students develop their skills in the critical analysis of film, video, sound and new media. The subject encourages students to develop their own technical, critical and creative skills through individual research exercises.

Subject objectives/outcomes

1. Demonstrate ability to formulate research questions
2. Demonstrate understanding of the concepts introduced in the lectures
3. Demonstrate ability to use the research tools introduced in the lectures
4. Demonstrate ability to draw interesting conclusions from the research
5. Demonstrate ability to envisage practical and theoretical applications of the research
6. Demonstrate ability to present research clearly, with good use of presentation media

Contribution to graduate profile

Students completing this subject:

• Have developed advanced professional knowledge and professional skills in media production.
• Have enhanced their knowledge of media cultures and industries.
• Are able to conceptualise and research an aspect of media production at an advanced level.
• Have developed their conceptual skills and critical thinking in relationship to the relevant area of media production.
• Have had the opportunity to develop their own innovative and creative approach to media production work.

Teaching and learning strategies

The subject will be conducted as weekly seminars throughout the semester. There will be lectures, seminar discussions, screenings and case presentations. Students will present seminar papers and workshop their individual research and creative exercises in the seminar.

Content

The subject investigates the synergies and shifting boundaries between speech, music, sound, writing, image, colour, texture and movement – all the different 'modes' which come together in multimodal texts, objects, settings and events.

Students will examine a wide range of digital and non-digital media including musical and theatrical performances, exhibition displays, websites, children's toys and computer games and investigate topics such as the relation between composition and interactivity, the meanings of movement in kinetic typography, the rhythms that bind performers and audiences together, the use of colour in corporate communication and the framing of interpersonal space in the modern city.

Assessment

Assessment item 1: In class presentation of mini research project

Assessment item 2: In class presentation of a second mini research project

Minimum requirements

Students are expected to read the subject outline to ensure they are familiar with the subject requirements. Since class discussion and participation in activities form an integral part of this subject, you are expected to attend, arrive punctually and actively participate in classes. If you experience difficulties meeting this requirement, please contact your lecturer. Students who have a reason for extended absence (e.g., illness) may be required to complete additional work to ensure they achieve the subject objectives.

Attendance is particularly important in this subject because it is based on a collaborative approach which involves essential workshopping and interchange of ideas. Students who attend fewer than ten classes are advised that their final work will not be assessed and that they are likely to fail the subject.

Indicative references

Arnheim, R. (1982) The Power of the Center. Berkeley, Ca: University of California Press

Djonov, E. (2007) 'Website hierarchy and the interaction between content organization, web page and navigation design: A systemic-functional hypermedia discourse analysis perspective'. Information Design Journal 15(2): 144-162

Gage, J. (1993) Colour and Culture – Practice and Meaning from Antiquity to Abstraction. London: Thames and Hudson

Gage, J. (1999) Colour and Meaning – Art, Science and Symbolism. London: Thames and Hudson.

Hall, E.T. (1983) The Dance of Life – The Other Dimension of Time. New York: Anchor Press.

Halliday, M.A.K. (1978) Language as Social Semiotic. London: Arnold

Knox, J. (2007) 'Visual-verbal communication on online newspaper home pages', Visual Communication 6(1): 19-54

Kress. G and Van Leeuwen, T. (2001) Multimodal Discourse – The Modes and Media of Contemporary Communication. London: Arnold

Kress, G. and Van Leeuwen, T. (2002) 'Colour as a semiotic mode: notes towards a grammar of colour' Visual Communication 1(3): 343-369

Lakoff, G. and Johnson, M. (1980) Metaphors We Live By. Chicago: Chicago University Press

Lupton, E. (2004) Thinking with type – A critical guide. New York: Princeton Architectural Press.

Machin, D. (2004) 'Building the world's visual language: the increasing global importance of image banks in corporate media.' Visual Communication 3(3): 316-336

Nowacek, N. (2005) 'Character to character'. Visual Communication 4(2): 158-165

Van Leeuwen, T. (2005) Introducing Social Semiotics. London: Routledge

Van Leeuwen, T. (2006) 'Towards a semiotics of typography' Information Design Journal 14(2): 139-155

Van Leeuwen, T. and Caldas-Coulthard, C. (2004) 'The semiotics of kinetic design', in D. Banks, ed. Text and Texture – Systemic-Functional viewpoints on the nature and structure of texts. Paris: L'Harmattan

Ventola, E., Charles, C. and Kaltenbacher, M. (2004) Perspectives on Multimodality. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.