Monash University Handbook 2010 Postgraduate - Unit

Synopsis

This unit provides a unique opportunity for students to be imbedded in a Film Festival, screening program or museum. After an initial seminar program where they will be familiarised with all aspects of film festival operations including their history and cultural imperatives, students will then become part of a film festival apparatus including attendance of as much as is possible of the screening, seminar, lecture and information components of an international festival often in an overseas country. As part of this placement, students will be assigned a critic as chaperone and be required to make regular web-postings including reports, reviews and opinion pieces.

Objectives

By the completion of this unit students will have:

1. gained valuable hands-on experience of the normal professional activities and issues involved in the running of a film festival or screening program;
2. developed a conceptual understanding of the aims and modus operandi of the festival or institution in which they served their internship, and of film culture institutions or audio-visual museum more generally;
3. learnt how to apply theoretical and critical skills to practical tasks in running of the festival/ museum/ institution; learnt and practised methods of criticism customarily undertaken in film festivals, screening programs and cultural institutions;
4. an ability to develop and employ research skills in data collection in the service of advanced critical writing;
5. developed an ability for intuitive critical appraisals of audio-visual work based on methodologies obtained from film and television studies postgraduate coursework

Assessment

Placement: 50%; Report: 30%; Seminar presentation: 20%

Contact hours

Four 2-hour seminars, one placement, one seminar

Prerequisites

Honours degree (or equivalent) in Film and television or approved discipline