Undergraduate - UnitATS3540 - Documentary and realism in film and television

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2014 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

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6 points, SCA Band 1, 0.125 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered, or view unit timetables.

Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Arts
Offered	Caulfield Second semester 2014 (Day) Clayton Second semester 2014 (Day)
Coordinator(s)	Associate Professor Deane Williams

Notes

Previously coded FTV3710

Synopsis

Documentary and Realism in Film and Television examines approaches to documentary film and television through addressing questions of realism, reality, truth, indexicality and the boundary between fiction and non-fiction. The theoretical and practical issues discussed in relation to film and television will provide a framework for the examination of a number of important phases in the historical development of documentary and realist codes. The unit will address different styles of documentary, such as direct cinema, autobiography, reality formats and digital documentary and their historical evolution, in addition to the contemporary landscape of documentary production.

Outcomes

On the successful completion of this unit students will be able to

Identify and classify a range historical and contemporary documentary or realist codes in relation to different media such as cinema, television and digital media.
Evaluate film and television studies methodologies as they pertain to examples of non-fiction.
Apply film and television studies methodologies in order to compare and analyze different documentary or realist forms
Apply library resources and communicate an understanding of research methods in written and oral form.

Assessment

Written assignments: 75%
In-class visual test: 25%

Chief examiner(s)

Associate Professor Deane Williams

Workload requirements

One 2-hour seminar per week
One 2-hour screening per week

This unit applies to the following area(s) of study

Film and screen studies
Indigenous cultures and histories

Prerequisites

Two units at first-year in Film and Television, Film and Screen Studies or approved discipline.
As this is a third-year level unit, it is recommended that students only take this unit after they have completed at least one second-year level Film and Screen Studies unit.

Prohibitions

FTV2710, FTV3710