A LEARNING PORTFOLIO [1]:
comprises of acting contribution to production clips, evaluative essay and draft proposal of performance (50%)
Learning Outcomes 1-5

A PRODUCTION PORTFOLIO [2]:
comprises of acting contribution to a finished film/programme production, production notes, evaluative report (50%)
Learning Outcomes 1-5

This module aims to develop your performance skills in the processes involved in creating a recorded film or television drama. You will develop the techniques and crafts required to successfully work with a team of students on a parallel award completing a drama as a location or studio based programme/film which could be screened to a specific target audience. You will be involved in the research, planning and development of a production within the basis of its theoretical application and acting considerations. You will be working with a creative production team providing acting input to allow for the realisation of a dramatic performance through sound and visual recorded media. There will be a number of practical assignments to develop your creative ideas on a research and your involvement in the pre-production work and acting skills for camera in the first semester. You will research and identify how scenes are created and how the content of the drama can be enhanced through the choice and construction of shots and the development of the actor within the mise-en-scene. Following on from preparation and pre-production stages the project continues in the second semester with its actual production, post-production and evaluation. You will develop an understanding of the relationship of the actor to production processes involved in the making of recorded drama and the key specific creative job roles needed to articulate these.

A series of contact workshops and tutorials will introduce the key practical and theoretical
concerns of producing a drama for film or television and the role of the actor within this. There will also be a combination of screenings and group workshops to examine and discuss the characteristics of a range of film genre and performance skills. You will be involved in technical instruction sessions and creative production skills learning how the craft of acting can work towards a production’s aims. Guided independent study forms an important aspect of the module with on-going research, teamwork, group meetings, personal development panning, skills development, attending screenings/exhibitions.

Your learning in the second section of the module will mainly focus on the experience of your involvement in the production of the film/programme and workshops with group tutorials with your project supervisor. Throughout the project you are encourage to keep an individual production diary in which you systematically record and reflect on your production meetings and your own individual learning. This process of reflection on the production process, along with discussion of the finished text with your peers, informs the project evaluation with which you conclude the module.

Churcher, M. (2011) A Screen Acting Workshop, London: Nick Hern.
Comey, J. (2002) The Art of Film Acting, Oxford: Focal.
Lawson, D. (2014) The Actor and the Camera, London: Nick Hern.
Rooney, B. & Belli, M. (2011) Directors Tell the Story, London: Focal.
Thomas, J. (2009) Script Analysis for Actors, Directors and Designers, London: Focal.
Willett, A. (2013) Media Production, London: Routledge.

See module handbook for a full listing of reading texts.

Media Centre facilities
Portable location camera equipment
Sound recording equipment
Editing suite facilities
Library resources online eResources
TV/DVD playback facilities

The Blackboard virtual learning environment will be available to support this module. Details will be supplied in the module handbook.