FT3COM: Commercial and Community Filmmaking

Module code: FT3COM

Module provider: Film, Theatre and TV; School of Arts and Comm Design

Credits: 20

Level: Level 3 (Honours)

When you'll be taught: Semester 1

Module convenor: Ms Shweta Ghosh, email: shweta.ghosh@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s): BEFORE TAKING THIS MODULE YOU MUST TAKE FT1ITF (Compulsory)

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 27 June 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

The module aims: to develop students' filmmaking competencies through the realisation of a short film-based project; to enhance students' professionalism and develop specialisms in film; to extend research skills and develop critical understanding of film and industry practices and community contexts so as to apply relevant knowledge to the practical project; to create a practical project that responds clearly to the needs of community partners or commercial clients; to apply skills of analysis and evaluation to practical decision making; to engage with and apply perspectives and practices in film accessibility, sustainability and social engagement to the practical project. 

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Develop, present ideas and articulate critical and practical intentions for a collaborative short film project based on independent research;
2. Demonstrate the creative, technical and organisational expertise required to conceptualise and execute a short practical project in a creative team;
3. Document the creative and collaborative process, and reflect upon learnings to identify future applications in professional work;
4. Critically evaluate and analyse the practical outcome, its professional qualities and/or community impact;
5. Develop skills of teamwork, collaboration and leadership, in addition to project planning and organisational skills. Written, verbal and audio-visual communication skills will be key to developing valuable collaborative relationships with crew, clients or community partners;
6. Develop awareness of social issues, diverse community experiences and how these relate to professional filmmaking contexts. You will extend your independent research skills developed during the degree, and engage with library resources and film practice examples as appropriate to develop ideas, workflows and outputs for the practical project.

Module content

Students taking this module pursue short form filmmaking which may include collaboratively developed short fiction films, documentaries, promotional videos, among other possible film/video-based outputs. Early parts of the module will consist of independent research and reading to develop critical and creative ideas in response to client/community briefs. It will also offer preparatory workshops to develop critical understanding of concepts such as collaboration and community engagement, and workshops to enhance students’ professional competencies to work with clients/communities responsively, develop their creative skills and professional networks. 

Based on the chosen route for the practical project (a community-based or commercial), the later part of the module will support students to develop the practical output in collaboration with the community or for the client via workshops, project tutorials and community visits, as required. 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching styles will be flexibly used and may vary week by week. While initial parts of the module are likely to consist of workshops and short exercises to support ideation, research and critical understanding, practical project development and realisation of final outputs will be facilitated via group tutorials, project supervision and local trips, as required, to engage with commercial clients or community partners. 

Study hours

At least 64 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Practical workshops and tutorials throughout the module provide opportunities for formative feedback. Presentations to tutors/clients/community partners on a range of topics and approaches may also provide opportunities for formative feedback. 

Reassessment

Additional costs