| CODE | ATS5104 |
| TITLE | Science Frames: Documentary Filmmaking |
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course |
| MQF LEVEL | 7 |
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 |
| DEPARTMENT | Faculty of Arts |
| DESCRIPTION | Students taking this study-unit will be required to create, as part of a team, one short documentary on an assigned scientific topic. The first part will consist of a series of lectures on the history, permutations, and main theoretical aspects of documentary filmmaking. During the second and shorter part, students will be mentored by one lecturer from Geosciences, who will be condensing and breaking down a research topic currently at stake within their Department. During the third and most crucial part, which will also be the longest one, students will be collectively making a short film. Each student will be given one or more specific tasks (including 鈥� but not limited to 鈥� scriptwriting, directing, camera work, lighting, set design, sound design and recording, cinematography, editing, as well as colour grading and correction). A professional director and a cinematographer will assist the students in the technical and artistic decisions. Study-Unit Aims: - To impart to students the basic techniques required in the making of a science documentary; - To teach students the general history and principles of non-fictional film; - To enhance the students' capability to creatively disseminate scientific topics and issues; - To teach students how to work as part of a team in the making of a documentary. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Apply their acquired knowledge on shooting and editing in the making of a documentary; - Deploy the general principles of popularising scientific research through film. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Absorb and reliably disseminate scientific topics; - Create an original non-fictional film in all the necessary stages. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Vincent Campbell, Science, Entertainment and Television Documentary, London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016. Supplementary Readings: - Brian Winston, Gail Vanstone and Wang Chi, The Act of Documenting: Documentary Film in the 21st Century, New York-London: Bloomsbury, 2017. - Stuart Franklin, The Documentary Impulse, London: Phaidon, 2016. - Betsy A. McLane, A New History of Documentary Film, Basingstoke: Bloomsbury, 2013. - Keith Beattie, Documentary Screens: Non-Fiction Film and Television, Basingstoke-New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004. |
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| LECTURER/S | Glen Bonnici Sebastiano D'Amico Justin Farrugia (Co-ord.) Fabrizio Foni Gloria Lauri Lucente |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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