Module Information
Course Delivery
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | Essay (2000 words) | 40% |
| Semester Assessment | Essay (3000 words) | 60% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Essay (2000 words) - (to a new title) | 40% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Essay (3000 words) - (to a new title) | 60% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
Brief description
This module is designed to offer an understanding of the issues surrounding analysing screen performance. This will be achieved by relating individual examples to broader frameworks of textual, theoretical and historical precedents of defining and evaluating acting in the cinema. The module will situate screen performance within traditions in theatrical practice and within industrial, historical and creative contexts in film studies in order to recognise the role played by external performative contexts and the centrality of the film medium to an understanding of screen performance. It will examine the dominant discourses associated with screen acting throughout film history. It will investigate a wide-range of existing modes of screen acting and the ways in which modes of performance can be determined by various factors including casting practices, aesthetic traditions and national cinemas. It will consider issues of `quality¿ and how screen performance has been evaluated within the public sphere. It will investigate the issues associated with attempting to assign creative agency to a screen performance: the roles played by the actor, the director, and other personnel in a inherently collaborative and technical medium.
Content
Performance in silent cinema.
A question of agency: the actor and the director
A question of agency: acting in Hollywood's studio era.
Collaborative performance: leading actors and supporting actors.
'The Method'
Physical performance: music and action.
Vocal performance: animation, voiceover and dialogue.
Excessive screen performances.
Naturalistic screen performances.
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Communication | Students¿ written communication skils will be developed. They will be encouaged to produce detailed arguments about the subject using appropriate language and style. Students will develop their oral communication shills through seminar sessions which will use both individual contributions and group contributions. |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | Students will be able to develop their skills of information location and retrieval. Students will be given opportunities to develop effective note-taking skills. Students will develop their critical thinking skills. Through small group discussions and seminars students will be given opportunities to develop an awareness of the opinions of others and reconsider initial ideas if necessary. |
| Information Technology | Students will be given the opportunity to develop their authorial and note-taking skills when planning for written assignments, and will be encouraged to develop their note-taking skills in lectures. Students will be given opportunities to develop their skills using electronic search and retrieval of sources both on the web and on the AU LIS. Students will develop their skills when referencing from the web and related sources, and will focus on the selection of materials appropriate to the task. E-mail and Blackboard will be the main forms of communication and information sharing in this module, so students will be encouraged to actively engage in these processes. |
| Personal Development and Career planning | Students will be given the opportunity to evaluate current knowledge and skills and set targets for self-improvement. Students will be encouraged to take increasing responsibility for managing their own learning. Students will be encouraged to build upon the knowledge gained from lectures through developing skills in self study (supported by the general and specific reading lists and other resources distributed throughout the module) |
| Problem solving | Students should be able to identify tensions and debates in the field. They will be encouraged to engage with existing critical thought and theory and to evaluate the most appropriate material to use. Students will be given the opportunity to address the difficulties of analysising screen performance using close textual analysis. |
| Research skills | Students will be able to develop their skills of information location and retrieval. Students will be given opportunities to develop effective note-taking skills. Students will be encouraged to evaluate, interpret and reflect upon a variety of sources. |
| Subject Specific Skills | See Subject Benchmark Statement for Communication, media, film and cultural studies 2008. |
| Team work | Sessions will be provided that enable students to collaborate in small groups |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 6