Screen Industries Practices

Code

CULT4050

School

Cultural, Media and Visual Studies

Level

4

Credits

20

Semesters

Spring UK

Summary

The film, television and screen industries offer a huge variety of areas of practice and future research and/or employment to our students. However, most of them know only a restricted number of these opportunities. This module will address this knowledge gap by providing students a grounded understanding of both i) the core areas of practice available in the screen industries and ii) the many ways in which students can engage with them.

A combination of staff-led workshops, industry speakers and individual supervision will ensure students get a balanced set of perspectives not merely on what is available in terms of jobs and employment, but also the relative debates and challenges that those areas distinctively face. From gender bias to lack of diversity, to name but two crucial areas of debate on practice and jobs, this module will afford student the opportunity to focus on one specific area of practice in which they will have developed an interest in the first semester. thus placing firmly the more theoretical work done then within a necessary industrial contextualisation.

Topics discussed will involve areas of practice such as show running, producing, directing, below-the-line practices, guilds and professional organisation and more.

Target Students

Only available to students on MA in Film, Television and Screen Industries.

Classes

• One 2-hour workshop each week for 11 weeks

Workshops and individual supervisions (the module will work on a mix of taught classes (including external speakers) and individual supervision sessions (once students have selected the area of practice they wish to research and write on).

Assessment

• 100% Coursework: Coursework - Portfolio of work including written work or equivalent not to exceed 4,000 words

Assessed by end of spring semester

Educational Aims

Learning Outcomes

Students completing the module will be able to:

• Identify and understand the core processes and people involved in the production of film, television and screen products today.
• Map key areas of distinct practice onto wider industry dynamics in so doing developing one of the industry’s most sought-after ability, namely that of being able to collaborate effectively with different constituencies across a number of platforms for collaboration (e.g. being able to make the transition from film to TV, from executive to creative, whenever the need arises, etc.)
• Relate specific concerns of one area of practice to professional issues, such as unionisation, legal representation, and socio-cultural debates, including equality, representation, gender bias, etc.

Intellectual Skills

Students completing the module will be able to:

• Further their understanding of the key processes that comprise what is collectively referred to as ‘the screen industries’
• Critically evaluate, package and present research and a variety of types of information and evidence
• Argue effectively a case (e.g. research paper) with non-academic, industry specific audiences
• Employ all necessary electronic and other scholarly resources to produce research and facilitate debate

Professional Practical Skills

Students completing the module will be able to:

• Identify and analyse the core areas of practice in the film, television and screen industries both from the executive side of the business (e.g. studio operations, etc.) and the creative side (e.g. film and TV makers, etc.)
• Identify and assess the key debates around those areas of practice, including reflexive modes of learning (e.g. what does it mean to work in this sector, what are the key challenges facing new entrants etc.)
• Develop the ability to engage and potentially collaborate with industry leaders (via both our industry speaker guests and the industry internship schemes we run in the department, both in the UK and Hollywood).

Apply critical concepts to industrial settings and learn to appreciate the important role that research plays in the screen industries (including direct experience of teaching and research staff in the department who work regularly with industry)

Conveners

• Professor Gianluca Sergi