57990 Developing Creative Media

UTS: Communication: Creative Practice
Credit points: 8 cp
Result Type: Grade, no marks

Handbook description

This subject teaches skills for developing and researching creative media projects. Students learn the various ways to take an idea, research it, and develop it into a form where it can be made as a media project. This form might be a proposal, treatment, script, storyboard, flow chart or interface design, lighting diagrams or floorplans, depending on what is relevant for the style of work. The focus is on finding the appropriate production form for an idea. Assessment is in the form of class presentations, analytic exercises and work on original short proposals, treatments or scripts delivered at various levels of development throughout the semester.

Subject objectives/outcomes

At the conclusion of this subject, students are expected to:

have knowledge of different styles of media works
have skills in researching and choosing a style appropriate for their own media concept or idea
have confidence and basic skills in researching and developing a short creative arts project either for film, video, new media, sound, radio, installation or performance.

Contribution to graduate profile

Students completing this subject will:

have developed some knowledge of aesthetic and industry issues as they relate to the production of media works
have had the opportunity to develop their conceptual skills and critical thinking in relation to various areas of media production
be able to develop and critically revise their own work
be able to conceptualise and research innovative creative project ideas
have had the opportunity to develop a media project to proposal, treatment or script stage.

Teaching and learning strategies

Lectures and seminars will focus on teaching the skills needed to write and develop a short media project. Students' work will involve research and analysis of a short media project and work on a proposal, treatment or script for a short media project of their own. Students should take this opportunity to gain development skills by reading and viewing media works and scripts and proposals for same. Students should read books on project research, script and project development. Students will learn to give and receive constructive feedback in a script workshop context.

Screenplay formatting
Free screenwriting software for both Mac and PCs is available on the web at www.celtx.com

Students should have automatic pin number access to the following labs, which have Final Draft software and Celtx installed: 3.439, 3.433, 3.336. If you have problems contact the subject coordinator.

Content

Skill development in research, analysis and concept development for media works
Skill development in writing proposals, treatments and scripts for media works.

Assessment

Assessment item 1: Analysis of a media project - Individual written exercise

Objective(s):	a, b
Weighting:	30%
Length:	600-1000 words
Task:	Each student writes an analysis of a short media project (not one presented in class by the lecturer, or guests, and not a recent project from a UTS student or graduate). Describe it briefly Analyse it in terms of its story form and structure, or the form of presentation of ideas and information in the case of experimental and documentary works Describe its style both visual and aural Do you find the work engaging or not? Why? Footnote any quotes or paraphrasings correctly and attach a correctly formatted bibliography (including any web references used). 600 - 1,000 words.
Assessment criteria:	Demonstrated understanding of the concepts being studied in class Ability to organise ideas and material efficiently in a written analysis Evidence of research Evidence of analysis - not just description Proper referencing, layout and footnotes

Assessment item 2: Creative media project: Final Proposal/Script/Treatment

Objective(s):	b, c
Weighting:	70%
Task:	Write a media project proposal for an original short (under 10 mins or equivalent) work of your own to be delivered at the following stages: one-page synopsis - due in class Week 3 full treatment, storyboard, interface design, flow diagram, first draft script or other relevant format for final proposal due in class on week designated by your lecturer.
Assessment criteria:	Demonstrated relevant writing and proposal presentation skills Ability to keep to length required Appropriateness of proposal, treatment or script to the idea or concept being examined or presented Evidence of media writing skills Originality of story or ideas Understanding of relevant industry layout formats Evidence of researching the subject Evidence of relating the concepts studied in class to project development.

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

Aronson, Linda Scriptwriting Updated, Sydney 2000

Cooper, P and Dancyger, K Writing the Short Film Boston, Focal Press, 1994

Dancyger, K and Rush J.Alternative Scriptwriting : Writing Beyond the Rules 3rd edition Focal Press, London, 2002

Dancyger, K Global Scriptwriting Focal Press, London, 2002

Field, Syd Screenplay Dell publishing Co. New York 1979. 1982

Garrand, T Writing for Multimedia and the Web, Boston, Focal Press, 2000

Herman, L, Practical Manual of Screen Playwriting for the Theatre and Television Films, Meridian, NY, 1971.

Iuppa, N Designing Interactive Digital Media, Focal Press, Boston, 1998.

Levy, Edmond Making a winning short: How to write, direct, edit and produce a short film. New York, NY, H. Holt and Co, 1994.

Lunenfeld, P Snap to Grid, MIT Press, Cambridge, 2000.

Mamet, David On Directing Film, Faber and Faber London 1992

McKee, Robert Story Metheun London 1999

Miller, W, Screenwriting for Narrative Film and Television, Hastings House, NY, 1980, ch 5, 'Structure Variations.'

Nash C, and Oakey, V The Screenwriters Handbook, Barnes and Noble, NY, 1974.

Nash, Dwight V Film Scriptwriting, A Practical Manual, Hastings House, NY, 1979

Phillips, W H Writing Short Scripts, Syracuse University Press 1991

Seger, Linda Making a Good Script Great, Dodd Mead and Co, New York, 1987

Sempel, Tom Screenwriting, AS Barnes, & Co, San Diego, 1982.

Smiley, S Playwriting, The Structure of Action, Prentice Hall, NJ, 1971.

Stansberry, Domenic Labyrinths: The Art of Interactive Writing and Design, Content

Development for New Media, Belmont, California, USA, 1998

Straczynski, Michael The Complete Book of Scriptwriting (includes tv, animation and radio writing) 808.2 STRA

Vanchol,Douglas J, The Multimedia Scriptwriting Workshop, San Francisco, 1996.

Vogler, C The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Storytellers &Screenwriters Michael

Wiese Productions Ann Arbor Michigan,1992

Wards, B Techniques for Digital Media and the Internet, John Wiley and Sons, 2002.

Weiss, Allen Experimental Sound and Radio, Cambridge, Mass, MIT Press 2001

Weiss, Allen Phantasmic Radio, Duke University Press, 1995 791.44WEIS

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