57684 Studio: Unscripted

Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.

Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.

Subject level:

Postgraduate

Description

This subject equips students with an understanding of documentary filmmaking, blending theory with practical skills to explore storytelling in non-fiction filmmaking and hybrid industry practices. Students develop expertise in narrative techniques, ethical considerations, and innovative approaches to unscripted content. Learning occurs through a mix of study materials, assessments, and hands-on experience, ensuring students expand their understanding of how to work innovatively and impactfully with unscripted content.

Subject learning objectives (SLOs)

Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)

This subject engages with the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs), which are tailored to the Graduate Attributes set for all graduates of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences:

• Analyse, develop or produce creative media projects within a framework of specialised practice-oriented knowledge and skills. (1.1)
• Engage critically with your creative practice research through the application of established theory. (2.1)
• Apply collaborative practice, research, and entrepreneurial skills to business, curation and understanding audiences (3.1)
• Critically reflect on ethical practices to work effectively with and for Indigenous peoples and communities as professional screen arts practitioners. (4.1)
• Engage screen audiences and communities for impact and change. (5.1)
• Demonstrate high-level abilities and self-awareness as an oral, written and audio-visual communicator. (6.1)

Teaching and learning strategies

This subject is delivered in block mode incorporating a range of teaching and learning strategies; including lectures, short presentations, in-class discussions, experiential activities, case study analyses, screenings, collaborative work and project-based learning. These will be complemented by flipped activities, including preparatory work prior to block mode classes using a range of resources provided on the online subject site, and out of class collaborative and project development activities. Additionally, students will be given formative feedback prior to the census date and to submission of assessment tasks. Students are expected to regularly check and engage with subject materials on the online subject site to effectively manage their learning experience in this subject. The subject has workshops facilitated by MediaLab which introduce new technical and software skills.

An aim of this subject is to help you develop academic and professional language and communication skills to succeed at university and in the workplace. To determine your current academic language proficiency students must complete OPELA in the first two weeks of their commencing session. Students who receive a Basic or Intermediate result for the OPELA must attend additional Language Development Tutorials in order to pass the subject.

Content (topics)

This subject is designed to offer students practical opportunities to explore documentary production. The course covers both the theory and practice of documentary-making, including the study of documentary history, modes, ethics, and relevant case studies. Professional production skills covered in this subject include documentary development and planning processes, and the role of the director, producer and crew in preproduction, production and postproduction. Professional production skills introduced include the art of the interview, location sound recording, camera coverage and effective collaboration. As part of the students’ learning, they develop capabilities to work with and for Indigenous peoples and communities as professional screen arts practitioners in documentary film.

Assessment

Assessment task 1: Personal Screen Story

Assessment task 2: Interview and Observational Overlay Edited Sequence

Assessment task 3: Short Documentary Film

Minimum requirements

Student must pass the Lighting Safety Test in order to operate equipment associated with this class. This requirement is for safety reasons. If students haven’t passed the test they will not be allowed to handle lights or any electrical equipment.

Students are required to submit documentation to an online approvals system for Media Arts & Production student projects in which they confirm they have acquired the appropriate approvals (locations, crew and cast) necessary to undertake the work that they propose. In addition, students must identify any and all safety risks that the production of their student project reasonably presents and provide evidence of how they will mitigate those risks while adhering to industry-standard safe work practices. These tasks address the various legal, safety and ethical requirements of screen production. Failure to provide tutors with the required documentation before published deadlines will result in the student crew not being authorised to collect the equipment required to complete their projects from FASS Media Lab.

Attendance at all teaching activities (classes and workshops) is essential in this subject. Teaching activities are based on a collaborative approach that involves essential workshopping and interchange of ideas with other students and the tutor to build capacities towards meeting the subject learning objectives. A roll will be taken at each activity (whether on campus or online). Students who have more than two absences from class and/or fail to attend four out of the five workshops will be refused marking of their final assessment (see Rule 3.8).

It is a requirement of this subject that all students complete the OPELA. Students who receive a Basic or Intermediate result in the OPELA are required to attend 80% of the Language Development Tutorials in order to pass the subject. Students who do not complete the OPELA or do not attend 80% of the Language Development Tutorials will receive a Fail X grade.

Generative AI may be permitted in specific assessment tasks. If so, it will be noted in your assessment brief and its use will need to be referenced. In this case refer to the UTS Library Guide on the use of Generative AI for instruction about how to reference correctly.

References

Required and recommended readings will be available via UTS Library and through the subject site.

Anderson, Kelly., Hurbis-Cherrier, Mick., Lucas, M., & Saidens, Amy. (2016). Documentary voice & vision?: a creative approach to non-fiction media production (1st edition). Focal Press. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315758428

Aufderheide et al. Honest Truths: Documentary Filmmakers on Ethical Challenges in Their Work. Center for Media & Social Impact; 2009.

Bricca, J. (2023). Documentary Editing: Principles & Practice (Second edition, Vol. 1). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003156178

Bricca, J. (2023). How Documentaries Work (1st ed.). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197554104.001.0001

Bruzzi, S. (2000). New Documentary A critical introduction, Routledge, London.

Chisolm, R. (2024). Documentary Vision: Notes from Behind the Camera (1st ed.). Focal Press. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003399636

Hongisto, I. 2015, Soul of the documentary : framing, expression, ethics, Amsterdam University Press, Amsterdam.

Janke, T, & Gray, C. 2009, Pathways & protocols : a filmmaker's guide to working with Indigenous people, culture and concepts, Screen Australia, Sydney

Landers, R. (2024). Hybrid Documentary and Beyond (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003017141

Rogers, H. (2015). More Than Background: Ambience and Sound-Design in Contemporary Art Documentary Film. In Music and Sound in Documentary Film (pp. 180–193). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315851556-17

Saunders, Dave. (2010). Documentary. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203852682

Sinnerbrink, R. 2016, Cinematic Ethics : exploring ethical experience through film, Routledge, London.

Winston, B. 2013, The documentary film book, Palgrave Macmillan on behalf of the British Film Institute, Basingstoke, Hampshire.