MODULE SPECIFICATION TEMPLATE MODULE DETAILS Module title Screen Industries Module code HD459 Credit value 20 Level Level 4 x Level 5 Level 6 Level 7 Level 8 Mark the box to the right of the appropriate level with an X Level 0 (for modules at foundation level) Entry criteria for registration on this module Pre-requisites Specify in terms of module codes or equivalent Co-requisite modules Specify in terms of module codes or equivalent Module delivery None None Mode of delivery Taught x Distance Placement Online Other Pattern of delivery Weekly x Block Other When module is delivered Semester 1 x Semester 2 Throughout year Other Brief description of module This module looks at the industrial and professional aspects of screen content and/ or aims Overview (max 80 words) media institutions, and is therefore concerned with issues of economics, politics, creativity and cultural labour. It relies on theories of political economy as it draws on contemporary examples across a range of areas including film, television, video games, and digital media and it will be taught with input from industry practitioners. Consideration will also be given to the pressing issue of media convergence. Module team/ author/ Dr Douglas McNaughton coordinator(s) School Site/ campus where delivered Humanities Grand Parade (Dorset Place) Course(s) for which module is appropriate and status on that course Course BA (Hons) Film and Screen Studies Status (mandatory/ compulsory/ optional) Compulsory MODULE AIMS, ASSESSMENT AND SUPPORT Aims The module aims to: introduce students to critical perspectives on the ways in which various screen industries work; encourage students to understand how the various activities of the screen industries complement each other; introduce students to some of the real jobs which exist in the screen industries enable students to carry out a practical project which can be used as a portfolio item for their future career development. Learning outcomes On successful completion of the module the student will be able to:
1. an understanding of the structure and functions involved in diverse screen industries 2. an appreciation of the ways in which screen production and consumption have been critically understood in scholarly research 3. awareness of some of the potential screen industries career paths available to them 4. the ability to prepare a practical marketing project based around the screen industries Content This module aims to introduce students to the workings of various aspects of the screen industries, including production, consumption, exhibition and distribution. Topics for investigation include: funding, sponsorship, advertising; production development and research; the production process; screenwriting; media corporations, conglomerates, and globalisation; reviewing and film criticism; exhibition and distribution; Marketing and promotion; festivals; archives; audiences modes and methods of consumption; market and government regulation. The module content draws on both relevant published research (such as scholarship on marketing and event management, which is seldom applied in screen studies) and on the input of industry professionals from a range of areas including production, research, screenwriting, marketing, exhibition and archiving. Students will also benefit from our relationship with the Duke of York s cinema, the Cine-City film festival, and the British Film Institute. Learning support Alongside traditional academic teaching and learning, the module will help students to develop an understanding of the mechanics of the screen industries, which they can apply to their practical project. Students will be required to produce a marketing plan for a screen media product. The project will require students to consider strategy, timescale, budget, audience, media outlets, release patterns, and to provide documents such as a marketing report, budget spreadsheet, and draft press release and ad copy. This project shifts focus away from production in order to consider the diverse peripheral activities surrounding any screen text. The project will also give students an item for their portfolio which will help to demonstrate to industry employers the skills and potential they can bring to a professional opportunity. The skillset acquired by students will be valuable to the screen industries, but could also be applied to a broad range of different fields such as PR, tourism, publishing, event management, and other areas, which could be applicable later in their careers. The module will enable students to make sense of the screen industries from critical, practical, and commercial perspectives; to start to build a practical portfolio; and also to develop links with industry. one-hour lecture, followed by two-hour seminar; tutorials; electronic learning environment; bibliography Indicative Bibliography: Albarran, A.B. (ed.) (2013) The Social Media Industries. New York: Routledge. Banks, M.J. (2014) Oral History and Media Industries: Theorizing the
Personal in Production History. Cultural Studies 28:4, pp. 545-560. Crisp, V. and Gonring, M.R. (2015) Besides the Screen: Moving Images through Distribution, Promotion and Curation. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Deuze, M. (2007) Media Work. Cambridge: Polity. Deuze, M. (2009) Media Industries, Work and Life. European Journal of Communication 24:1, pp.467-480. Evans, D. (2012) Social Media Marketing: An Hour a Day. Indianapolis: Wiley. Fortmueller, K. (2015) Performing Labor in the Media Industries: Editor s Introduction. Spectator: The University of Southern California Journal of Film and Television 35:2, pp.5-9. Grainge, P. and Johnson, C. (2015) Promotional Screen Industries. Abingdon: Routledge. Greenwald, S.R. and Landry, P. (2009) This Business of Film: A Practical Guide to Achieving Success in the Film Industry. New York: Lone Eagle. Hesmondhalgh, D. (2013) The Cultural Industries. London: Sage. Hesmondhalgh, D. and Baker, S. (2011) Creative Labour: Media Work in Three Cultural Industries. London: Routledge. Holt, J. and Perran, A. (2008) The Media Industries: History, Theory, and Methods. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. Mayer, V., Banks M.J., and Caldwell, J. (2009) Production Studies: Cultural Studies of Media Industries. London: Routledge McDonald, P. (20130. In Focus: Media Industries Studies: Introduction. Cinema Journal 52:3, pp.145-149. Media Industries (ejournal) Morgan, S. (2013) Development Dynamics Within Creative Media Industries: The Case of Television and Digital Media in Wales. Regional Science Policy & Practice 5:4, pp. 385-400. Winseck, D.R. and Jin, D.Y. (2011) The Political Economies of Media: The Transformation of the Global Media Industries. London: Bloomsbury Academic. Teaching and learning activities Details of teaching and learning activities This module is taught through a one-hour lecture and two-hour seminar. This might include short lectures, screenings, group work, discussion, guided reading, academic posters, and debates. The lecture content is intended to give a broad overview of the history and practical aspects of various screen industries, offering students an understanding of the possible career trajectories available to them. The assignments are structured to encourage applied project work and the development of practical skills in, for example, budgeting, campaign planning, copywriting, design, and event planning. The teaching environment will be enhanced by the input of practitioners from a range of screen industries, such as screenwriting, production, exhibition,
marketing, and archiving. Allocation of study hours (indicative) Where 10 credits = 100 learning hours SCHEDULED This is an indication of the number of hours students can expect to spend in scheduled teaching activities including lectures, seminars, tutorials, project supervision, demonstrations, practical classes and workshops, supervised time in workshops/ studios, fieldwork, and external visits. Study hours 39 GUIDED INDEPENDENT STUDY PLACEMENT All students are expected to undertake guided independent study which includes wider reading/ practice, follow-up work, the completion of assessment tasks, and revisions. The placement is a specific type of learning away from the University. It includes work-based learning and study that occurs overseas. 161 0 TOTAL STUDY HOURS 200 Assessment tasks Details of assessment on this module Assessment will be in the context of the University of Brighton Assessment Policy, and students will be required to complete the following tasks: Task 1: 1,000-word theoretical essay based on scholarship around a particular aspect of the screen industries (30%) [LO1, LO2] Task 2: 2.000-word media marketing portfolio (70%) [LO3, LO4] Referral task(s) Reworking of original task or equivalent Assessment Criteria General criteria for assessment are framed by the SEEC descriptors for level 4. Against specific criteria credit will be awarded for: 1. an understanding of the structure and functions involved in diverse screen industries 2. an appreciation of the ways in which screen production and consumption have been critically understood in scholarly research 3. awareness of some of the potential screen industries career paths available to them 4. an ability to prepare a practical marketing project based around the screen industries Types of assessment task 1 Indicative list of summative assessment tasks which lead to the award of credit or which are required for progression. % weighting (or indicate if component is pass/fail) WRITTEN Written exam 0 COURSEWORK PRACTICAL Written assignment/ essay, report, dissertation, portfolio, project output, set exercise Oral assessment and presentation, practical skills assessment, set exercise 100 0 1 Set exercises, which assess the application of knowledge or analytical, problem-solving or evaluative skills, are included under the type of assessment most appropriate to the particular task.
EXAMINATION INFORMATION Area examination board Literature, Screen, Media Refer to University for guidance in completing the following sections External examiners Name Position and institution Date appointed Date tenure ends Dr Joe Kember Senior Lecturer, University of Exeter 1/9/2014 1/9/2018 QUALITY ASSURANCE Date of first approval Only complete where this is not the first version Date of last revision Only complete where this is not the first version Date of approval for this version Version number 2 April 2016 Q&S Approved UCC 9 May 2016 Modules replaced HD455 Screens and Society Specify codes of modules for which this is a replacement Available as free-standing module? Yes No X