57890 ADG: Directing for the Screen
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particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source
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Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 8 cp
Subject level:
Postgraduate
Result type: Grade and marksThere are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Anti-requisite(s): 57236 Experiential Media AND 57690 ADG Directing for the Screen
Description
In this subject students explore industry-focused practices of screen directing for film and television in conjunction with the Australian Directors Guild (ADG). Students develop an understanding of screen directing through practice orientated exercises and workshops with a focus on five key areas: screen development, screenplay analysis, directing performance, screen language (directing the camera) and directing post-production. Early sessions focus on the screen director and ideation during creative project development and screenplay analysis. Students learn strategies to purposively direct actors, for an emotional audience experience, and hone their directorial voice using screen language adapted for cinematic storytelling. In later sessions, students examine the role of the screen director in post-production which completes the cycle of directorial management of a screen story. Through a series of guest lectures, provided by ADG screen directors, students are exposed to a diversity of industry practices in the field today.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
| a. | Analyse a screenplay to manage subtext for a screen story. |
|---|---|
| b. | Direct actors towards an emotional audience experience. |
| c. | Generate vivid and meaningful screen language for cinematic storytelling. |
| d. | Evaluate the role of the screen director in post-production. |
| e. | Reflect on the cultural, ethical, industrial and theoretical frameworks for screen directing. |
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)
- 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 provides you with practical skills in screen directing for film and television drama, in partnership with the Australian Directors Guild (ADG). You'll gain expertise in screenplay analysis, directing actors, directing the camera, cinematic storytelling, and directing in post-production. Your learning journey includes hands-on exercises, workshops, and insights from industry professionals through a guest lectures series presented with the ADG. This will enable you to refine your directorial voice to craft compelling screen stories which engage audiences emotionally. This comprehensive approach ensures you emerge as a confident director, ready to lead in the dynamic world of screen production.
Content (topics)
This subject provides students with opportunities to explore creative screen directing practices for film and television. Through a holistic view of the role of the screen director, from screen development to post-production students gain an understanding of the ways in which the director manages a narrative screen story to deliver an emotional impact for an audience. The subject is divided into the five critical areas of screen directing practice which examine the role of the screen director across the cycle of creative film and television production: screen development, screenplay analysis, directing performance, screen language (directing the camera) and directing post-production. Practice-oriented approaches to screen directing practices foregrounded in this subject are contextualised by cultural, industrial and theoretical frameworks to evaluate creative choices in a wider context. This subject also exposes students to industry screen directing practices through a guest lecture program curated in conjunction with the Australian Directors Guild (ADG).
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Screenplay Analysis
| Objective(s): | a, b and e | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight: | 20% | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Length: | 1500 words | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Assessment task 2: Directing Performance & Screen Language (Directing the Camera)
| Objective(s): | a, b and c | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight: | 40% | ||||||||||||||||
| Length: | 3 mins | ||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Assessment task 3: Mise-en-Shot Analysis
| Objective(s): | a and b | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight: | 20% | ||||||||||||
| Length: | 1000 words including images | ||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Assessment task 4: The Director in Post-Production Report
| Objective(s): | a and d | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight: | 20% | ||||||||||||||||
| Length: | 750 words | ||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Minimum requirements
Attendance at all teaching activities 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 will be refused marking of their final assessment (see Rule 3.8).
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.
Bordwell, D. (2008) Film art, Boston: McGraw Hill.
Cohn, L.M. (2021), Directing Actors: A Practical Aesthetics Approach, Oxford: Routledge
Life, R. (2020) Becoming an Actor’s Director, Routledge.
Mamet, D. (1999) True and false: heresy and common sense for the actor, New York: Vintage Books
Mamet, D. (1994) A whore’s profession: notes and essays, London: Faber
Mamet, D. (1992) On Directing Film, London: Faber
Markham, P. (2023) The Art of the Filmmaker: The Practical Aesthetics of the Screen, Oxford University Press.
Monaghan, A. (2023) Sofia Coppola: Interviews, Conversations with Filmmakers, University Press of Mississippi.
Katz, S. (1991) Film Directing: Shot by Shot, Studio City, CA: Michael Wise Productions
Verhoeven, D. (2009), Jane Campion, Routledge: London/NY.
Weston, J. (2003) The Film Director’s Intuition: Script Analysis and Rehearsal Techniques, Studio City, CA: Michael Wise Productions
Weinstein, A. (2017) Directing for the Screen, London: Routledge
Weston, J. (1996), Directing Actors: Creating Memorable Performances for Film & Television, Studio City, CA: Michael Wise Productions