100-level

CINE104
The Oscar for Best Picture: The Envelope Please!
Description
This course will trace the trajectory of the Academy Awards: from 1930s screwball comedies and backstage musicals to celebrated wartime classics; from 1950s Minnelli musicals to 1980s post-Vietnam war films. It will provide a concentrated, thumbnail history of American Cinema, which challenges students to consider and question the formal criteria (cinematography, acting, sound, editing) upon which critical judgement is based. It will introduce students to the canonical classics of American Cinema, inviting them to explore diverse film genres and even the occasional Academy extravaganza.
Occurrences
Semester One 2024
Points
15 points

200-level

TITO202
Kiriata: Maori film and media
Description
This course is about Maori and Indigenous film, media and other creative works. It examines the political, historical, social, cultural and ideological influences that have shaped dominant mainstream constructions and counter-hegemonic representations of Maori and Indigenous peoples in film, media and creative works. It also highlights the roles of artist, director and industry to produce Maori stories and aesthetics. A number of films will be screened throughout the course.
Occurrences
Semester One 2024
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
Any 15 points at 100 level from CINE, MAOR, TITO, TREO, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA or BDigiScreenHons.
Restrictions
MAOR268, CINE213
DISC210
Film project 1
Description
This class is a film making workshop focused on conceptualising, designing, shooting, and editing a very short film.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2024
Points
30 points
Prerequisites
DISC102 and DISC211
DISC211
Lights, lens, mics
Description
This course introduces students to the basic principles of light and sound as they are employed in film production. Students will acquire the necessary skills and gain practical experience with operating lights, camera and sound equipment through a series of exercises and the production of a short project. They will also learn about the development of the technology of film, ranging from the camera obscura and the invention of synchronous sound to digital cameras, smartphone, gimbals, and GoPros and drones. Topics covered include focus and filters, lens length, lighting set up, moving the camera, types and functions of microphones, sound recording technology and location mixing.
Occurrences
Semester One 2024
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
DISC102
DISC212
Screenwriting: research and story development
Description
Students focus on the work of screening that takes place before the actual drafting of a script, including: initial concept or story idea, research, character exploration, dialogue, scene structure and plot development. Written work includes character profiles, plot outlines, a treatment and initial draft. An important feature of the course is feedback, whereby student’s critique and support each other’s projects. Finally, students will learn the essential elements of the screenplay format.
Occurrences
Semester One 2024
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
DISC102
DISC213
Editing and postproduction
Description
Editing is a conceptual and creative process as much as it is a technical skill. What happens when two film images are brought together on the editing bench? How are they cut to advance the story, to establish or undermine point of view, to bring different spatial and temporal locations into relation or opposition, to enhance or frustrate the spectators’ expectations? This course teaches conceptual and practical aspects of editing. Students acquire hands-on experience of the techniques and aesthetics of film editing and related post-production processes. Additional emphasis is placed on workflow, file management and the latest software tools. Students will study scenes and sequences from exemplary models (Hitchcock, Renoir, Buñuel, etc) and complete a series of exercises and workshops that culminate in the production of their own short project using extant footage.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2024
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
DISC102

300-level

CINE302
Documentary: From the Margins to the Mainstream
Description
This course examines the artistic, ethical and political principles that govern the representation of reality in contemporary documentary film.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2024
Points
30 points
Prerequisites
Any 30 points at 200 level from CINE or CULT, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
CULT322

Not Offered Courses in 2024

300-level

TITO301
Indigenous Stories, Digital Realms
Description
This course considers the representation of Indigenous narratives within the digital world. By closely analysing a series of case studies from various media including gaming and VR (virtual realities), as well as trends in film, television, and other media, we discuss thematic and stylistic trends in Indigenous texts as well as production methods and ethics utilised in their creation and development.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024
For further information see TITO301 course details
Points
15 points
DISC311
Preproduction and production for documentary
Description
Exploration of a variety of non-fiction filmmaking practices with an emphasis on integrity, transparency and objectivity. Students will learn and apply a variety of documentary production and post-production techniques, from interviewing to the use of archival footage and animation. Students will make a short, single-subject documentary using a two-camera set-up. The emphasis will be placed on ethical and community-based filmmaking.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024
For further information see DISC311 course details
Points
15 points