SCREEN 712 : Advanced Drama Directing

Arts

2025 Semester Two (1255) (30 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Focuses on the directing of actors for screen, and the relationship between this and blocking for camera. Students direct in front of the class and create a short piece of work as a group using improvisation. Students first focus on directing and presenting a 10-minute excerpt from a play and then direct and edit an original dramatic short film of 8-10 minutes. Crewing on fellow students' projects is a compulsory requirement.

Course Overview

An advanced course designed to teach skills in directing performance, blocking, visual narrative and production for Screen. Emphasis will be placed on narrative, performance, and intention. Students will direct a staged performance in front of the class and workshop, write, direct and edit an original, five to seven-minute short film.

Building on SCREEN 701 you will take the screenplays you wrote last semester in SCREEN 700 to prepare visual and performance-based assignments that lead to producing and directing a final short film. An intensive first 6 weeks (2 seminars per week) leads to a 4 week shooting block when students crew on each other’s projects, with the remainder spent in editing and post-production.

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: SCREEN 701

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: People and Place
Capability 2: Sustainability
Capability 3: Knowledge and Practice
Capability 4: Critical Thinking
Capability 5: Solution Seeking
Capability 6: Communication
Capability 7: Collaboration
Capability 8: Ethics and Professionalism

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Improve on principles of visual narrative, complex performance and bold creativity (Capability 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8)
  2. Familiarise students with filmmaking tools and techniques (Capability 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8)
  3. Give students an understanding of the complex manner in which technical components and performance come together to tell a story (Capability 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8)
  4. Establish core principles of the discipline required for ongoing, personally meaningful, filmmaking practice beyond the achievement of a single short project (Capability 1, 2, 3, 7 and 8)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Project 90% Individual Coursework
Coursework 10% Individual Coursework

Teaching & Learning Methods

Hands-on, practice-based. Individual effort is required within group settings; your ability to collaborate and to both receive and give constructive criticism is critical. Seminars are discursive and interactive - with attendance required. Workshops enable engagement with equipment and technical staff, who will practically guide you and build your technical confidence.

Exam Mode

There is no final exam for this course.

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 30 point course. Students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in. Therefore, this course carries an expectation of 20 hours per week.

For Screen 712, you can expect 4 hours of lectures (twice per week for the first 6 weeks, then 4 weeks of shooting, and 2 weeks of editing and post-production under supervision), 4 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 12 hours of work on assignments.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance is required at scheduled activities including classes/workshops/exercises/tutorials/studios to complete/receive credit for components of the course.

The course will not include live online events.

The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

There are core texts you will be referred to, which are listed in Canvas on the reading lists.

Health & Safety

Safety reports are required for all final project shoots.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Will introduce further advanced technical workshops on lighting. 

Other Information

Screen Production, especially in this second semester, will require your FULL commitment to the course - so please come prepared to live and breathe the course. The FULL 20 hours per week will be required!

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework, tests and examinations as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Well-being always comes first
We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - for more information, look at this Canvas page https://canvas.auckland.ac.nz/courses/33894, which has links to various support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.

Published on 07/11/2024 10:19 a.m.