Producing Film and Television

Code

CULT1026

School

Cultural, Media and Visual Studies

Level

1

Credits

10

Semesters

Autumn UK

Summary

This module is designed to engage students with a series of perspectives on certain aspects of the narrative histories of film and television, from their origins to the present day. This is a period of well over a hundred years which saw a series of significant transitional moments in production histories. The module will look at such moments as the coming of sound, the rise and demise of the Hollywood studio system, and the emergence of the network system. It will ask what transition means at different historical moments by raising a number of questions such as: What are the industries producing at these moments and why? How are the industries doing this? How are the cultural products marketed and distributed? The module is also designed to introduce historical method and the idea of historiography. To this end, the course will provide examples of different critical approaches to film and television history and interrogate some of the key debates around the periodization of that history. In each case, specific case examples and materials will be used to examine the various kinds of evidence used by film and television historians and the particular forms of knowledge these produce.

A single coursework assessment will replace all failed assessment components at the reassessment stage.

Target Students

Available for students on BA Joint Honours Film and Television Studies and American and Canadian Studies. Available as subsidiary to all Year 1 and Year 2 students not registered on the BA International Media and Communication Studies and BA Film and Television (single honours) and BA History of Art. Available to Exchange students.

Classes

• One 3-hour workshop each week for 11 weeks

Assessment

• 100% Coursework: Coursework - 1,500 words of written work and equivalent

Assessed by end of autumn semester

Educational Aims

Learning Outcomes

A: Knowledge and Understanding of: 
A1 the place and roles of film and television in everyday life both as industry and as cultural practice
A2 the political, economic and cultural contexts from which cinema and broadcast productions and institutional practices have emerged
A3 the role of technology in shaping the development of practices in film and television production, distribution and consumption
A4 the historical development of film and television as cultural and industrial practices
A5 the structures and dynamics governing the relationships between cinema, television and other cultural industries

B. Intellectual Skills
B1 reason critically and independently
B2 apply theoretical approaches to specific case studies
B3 identify and solve problems
B4 organise and present relevant research material
B6 be reflective about the strengths and weaknesses of their own work and the learning process

C. Professional/Practical Skills
C1 identify, plan and undertake research involving the gathering and selection of relevant material from a variety of sources
C2 manage time and resources effectively by drawing on planning and organisational skills
C3 produce work that is informed by, and contextualised within relevant theoretical concepts and debates
C4 employ relevant technical and analytical vocabularies in writing cogently about film
C6 identify and explore new or emerging areas in the study of film

D. Transferable/Key Skills
D1 plan and carry out work in an independent, self-reliant manner
D2 put to use a range of relevant IT skills, such as word processing and using the Internet as a resource for research
D3 communicate effectively in written form
D5 manage time and work to deadlines
D6 reflect upon and assess own progress, identify strengths and weaknesses, and act to rectify possible problems
 

Conveners

• Dr Julian Stringer