Course syllabus

 

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SCREEN 797A: Production Project

SEMESTER 1, 2018

60 points

 
Course Convenor: 

 Dr Shuchi Kothari - s.kothari@auckland.ac.nz

Teachers:

 Dr Shuchi Kothari - s.kothari@auckland.ac.nz

Dr Annie Goldson  a.goldson@auckland.ac.nz

Mr Brendan Donovan bc.donovan@auckland.ac.nz

Mr Jake Mahaffy  j.mahaffy@auckland.ac.nz

 

COURSE SUMMARY AND SYLLABUS

SCREEN 797A&B: Production Project 

Seminars: Semester 1: Fridays between 11 AM and 4 PM (6 sessions) Semester 2: Fridays between 11 AM and 4 PM (2 sessions) [see calendar below]

Venue: Black Box 201E-149

 

Seminar Objectives: The objective of these seminars is to expose students to various aspects of working as writers, producers, and directors in the industry. As lecturers discuss their own approaches to important aspects of production including specific skills needed to work in the industry, students may extrapolate from these approaches and ideas and apply them to their final project. Please note that students' primary point of contact for their MA project is their supervisor. Depending on student commitments and opportunities available, we also place MA students in a series of prestigious internships either at the end of your year of study, or time permitting during your year.

Requirements: Attendance at seminars (outside of self study) is essential. These seminars function not only as a place to acquire useful information and advice about your projects and careers but also to foster peer networks and relationships for the future. The success of these seminars relies on your engagement with the speakers. While the "self study" aspect of the course is not mandatory, we encourage you to stay in touch with each other and use this opportunity to create a cohort that is supportive of your ambitions beyond the course. These "self study" sessions were requested by former students and therefore integrated in the syllabus.

Over the course of the year, in addition to regular scheduled individual meetings with your assigned supervisor you will attend the scheduled Friday seminars.

Calendar:

02 March Friday

11 AM to 2 PM Shuchi Kothari

Introductions, Planning the year, MA projects

09 March Friday

11 AM to 3 PM Shuchi Kothari

Screenplay writing

16 March Friday: FILM SCREENING

12 noon

Le Concours/Graduation (2016)

Documentary by Claire Simon

The Graduation review – La Fémis in the spotlight | Film | The Guardian

Courtsey of Alliance Francaise New Zealand

 

23 March Friday 

11 AM to 3 PM Annie Goldson

Documentary Producing & Directing

 

30 March Friday: Good Friday Holiday

6 April Friday: Easter Holiday

13 April Friday: Easter Holiday

 

20 April Friday: Self Study

27 April Friday: Self Study

 

4 May Friday: ARRI, Australia

11 to 4 PM

Camera Workshop

 

11 May Friday: Self Study

 

18 May Friday: Brendan Donovan

11 AM to 3 PM 

Directing Actors, Preparing for your shoot

25 May Friday: Self Study

1 June Friday

11 AM to 3 PM Shuchi Kothari & Guest Speaker

Topic to be Confirmed

Semester Two:

17 August Friday

11 AM to 3 PM Jake Mahaffy

Post Production & Funding NZFC/Future Goals


5 October Friday

11 AM to 4 PM Work in Progress Day presentations

Self Study: You are encouraged to meet in peer groups in the black box on designated self-study days. In the past students have used these sessions to workshop, develop and critique each others work and projects. The sessions can be designed as writer’s rooms, screening times, production meetings or any other form of useful project oriented peer group. Please plan accordingly. We have enabled several opportunities for industry networking for you. Please set aside time for the Big Screen Symposium and other Script to Screen Writer’s Room and other Auckland film events where applicable. The black box is booked for Fridays all year, reserved for PG Screen use. But individual bookings are essential and required. You must contact Tim Signal for approval: t.signal@auckland.ac.nz

 

MA SCREEN PRODUCTION: ASSESSMENT CRITERIA, REQUIREMENTS, OBLIGATIONS AND DELIVERABLES

  1. Attendance at 797A/B seminars (informally known as Advanced Production Techniques, APT) 

  2. Current First-Aid Certificate 

  3. Maintaining all safety obligations including those in the Safety Manual. 

  4. Crewing on TWO projects other than your own. If one of your ‘crewing’ role is 
producing a fellow student’s project, or director of photography, you are exempt from the second crewing role. Or providing written feedback on TWO stages of TWO feature screenplays (total approximately 3000 words per writer). 

  5. Regular communication with your supervisor. The onus is on the student. 

  6. Timely submission of all final deliverables (Research Portfolio) 

  7. Quality exegesis, discussed and approved by supervisor.
  8. Presentation at the Screen MA Work-in-Progress Day 


MA SCREEN RESEARCH PORTFOLIO: 120 POINTS DUE DECEMBER 10, 2017 4.00PM (TBC) SCREEN 797 A & B 2017

  • PRODUCTION PROJECT: 110 POINTS 

  • EPK: FOR CREDIT 

  • EXEGESIS: 2000 words 10 POINTS 
Please note that extensions shall be not be granted except for medical or bereavement reasons. For example, not having enough time to complete post-production, or not being able to get the best deal until after submission date is not the reason to ask for an extension. Should you believe you have a compelling case (other than medical or bereavement) to seek an extension, please first seek your supervisor’s permission/support first and then email A/P Shuchi Kothari (kothari@auckland.ac.nz). 

  • PRODUCTION PROJECT DELIVERABLES
  • Writing Students:

Screenplay: 90-120 pages :ONE spiral bound copy submitted to Arts Assignment Centre (4th floor HSB) PLUS one pdf copy emailed to arts-thesis@auckland.ac.nz with your full name and ID number in the subject line 


Exegesis: 2000 words :ONE hard copy submitted with screenplay and one pdf version emailed to arts-thesis@auckland.ac.nz with your full name and ID number in subject line. Required format is one-sided, 12pt font, 1.5 or double- spaced. 


An exegesis is a critical examination of the screenplay in the light of contemporary theory and practice. An exegesis is best written after a substantial part of your screenplay is complete, but don’t treat it as an afterthought. It is not a litany of all decisions and revisions that went wrong or right. A quality exegesis requires critical analysis, careful reading, and an engagement with the genre/world/discourse within which your screenplay sits. It also needs some objective distance from your own work. Please use an approved academic citation style, edit mercilessly, and proofread rigourously. This 10% of your final grade is often the difference between first and second class. Please refer to the useful exegesis tip-sheet on the 797 canvas page. 
 


Additional Deliverables without which your project cannot be considered completed for examination:

Press Kit: submit pdf of the whole EPK (merged documents) via email to arts- thesis@auckland.ac.nz with your full name and ID number in the subject line.

Must contain: A) Writer’s statement: 200 words B) Synopses of screenplay: 60 words & 200 words C) One sentence logline D) Writer’s Head-shot (MCU): high- resolution E) Biography of writer

Should you choose to send ONE email containing all three items (screenplay, exegesis, and EPK please label subfolders appropriately).

2) Directing and Producing Students:

Dramatic Short Film 8-15 minutes (ONE copy on labled usb flash drive submited to Arts Assignment Centre, HSB 4th level)

OR

Documentary: 15-25 minutes (ONE copy on labled usb flash drive submited to Arts Assignment Centre, HSB 4th level)

Exegesis: 2000 words (ONE hard copy AND one pdf copy on the same labled usb flash drive). Required format is one-sided, 12pt font, 1.5 or double-spaced.

An exegesis is a critical examination of the film in the light of contemporary theory and practice. An exegesis is best written after a substantial part of your film is complete, yet is not an afterthought. It is not a litany of all the processes that went wrong or right. A quality exegesis requires critical analysis, careful reading, and an engagement with the genre/world/discourse within which your particular film sits. It also needs some objective distance from your own work. Please use an approved academic citation style, edit mercilessly, and proofread rigourously. This 10% of your final grade is often the difference between first and second class. Please refer to the useful exegesis tip-sheet on the 797 canvas page.

 

Additional Deliverables without which your project cannot be considered completed for examination:

  • Music Cue Sheet
  • Press Kit (on same labeled usb flash drive): A) Synopsis: 60 words B) Bios of director and producer and writer C) Complete crew list D) Director's statement: 200 words E) Production Stills: 2-3 high-resolution production stills from film F) Director’s Head-shot: (MCU) high resolution G) Photo of Director directing on set (WS - with crew/cast/etc.) H) Crew List I) 1-2 minutes trailer/teaser of your final project
  • A QuickTime version of the final project must be submitted to Peter Simpson, who will issue a letter of compliance that you need to hand in with your deliverables.

ADDITIONAL MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS

  1. Students specializing in directing must edit their own final project. They may consult a professional editor at rough-cut or fine cut stage, but the student must hold sole editing credit on their final thesis project. 

  2. Students specializing in producing may use an external editor since it is not mandatory for producers to edit their own thesis projects. 

  3. Students may not credit supervisors as anything but “university supervisor/s.” Alternatively, you may simply include them in acknowledgements section of your film or screenplay. University supervisors are not Executive Producers of your final project. 

  4. Each film project must end with the appropriate UoA logo & the Screen Production programme. Please liaise with Peter Simpson or Martin Hansen to acquire the file. 

  5. All thesis film projects that are shot with ARRI camera MUST include ARRI logo at end of screen credits. Please contact Peter Simpson for the ARRI logo. 

  6. All audio-visual-textual material in your final film must be copyright compliant. 

  7. A student’s final submission must be their original work. There are serious penalties for plagiarism and scholastic dishonesty. 


POST SUBMISSION OUTREACH

We encourage you to remain in touch with your cohort and us. Please join the Facebook page: University of Auckland Graduate Production. If not on social media, email us your newsworthy accomplishments (jobs, funding, awards, interviews, collaborations) so we may help you publicize further.

 

Course summary:

Date Details Due