Screen Production

The core aim of the course is to develop in students the creative, practical, critical and collaborative skills necessary to pursue a career in the screen area in the arts and communications industries. These core skills will be complemented by the skills and knowledge acquired by students completing a major in the closely related "theory" subjects. In addition, the course provides creative arts topics which, together with the core practical and theory topics, will develop flexible, independent thinkers capable of analysing problems from different perspectives, capable of critical evaluation of problems and capable of selecting working solutions. Through their participation in projects drawing on the resources of all three streams, students will learn how to collaborate with practitioners in related creative disciplines. Screen graduates will be 'industry ready'. Equipped with the basic professional skills of screen production and a broad knowledge of screen media, they will be highly desirable candidates for entry into the film, television and digital media industries. Graduates will have the opportunity to form emergent production companies capable of project development, to compete successfully for funds for short production and industry training, and to exploit the expanding opportunities created through new media arts and business. The aim of the course is to prepare students for a professional life by:

• equipping students with practical skills in screen production, including the operation of software and hardware and the various skills employed by production teams;
• emphasising to students the collaborative nature of teamwork required by the industry;
• enabling students to plan, develop and complete a screen product, including production and post-production stages;
• developing in students an understanding of screen media through an understanding of its historical developments, its social and cultural applications, and the function of the formal and aesthetic properties of its various forms (cinematic, televisual and computer-based technologies);
• developing in students an understanding of the creative process within the activities described above;
• producing graduates capable of the application of logical thought, analysis, and research skills in ways that will enhance both the creative and practical processes required by screen production.

The stream has three parts:

1. A practical and creative arts core (66 units) with 18 units at first level,  24 units at second level and 24 units at third level. The practical and creative arts core is the heart of the proposed degree, providing the practical, workplace-oriented skills that set the degree apart from a liberal arts degree.
2. A major sequence in the relevant "theory" subject (33 units) which will broadly follow the requirements of a BA major with 9 units at first level, 12 units at second level and 12 units at third level. Completion of the major sequence will provide students with those intellectual skills which add value to those acquired through the practical core. The aim is to equip graduates with those general skills and abilities that have direct relevance to the practical core and provide additional advantage to their success in the work place after graduation.
3. Other elective topics (13.5 units) are offered at first level.

Specific requirements for the stream are set out below.

The production core will comprise of 9 units of production topics at 1st level, 12 units at 2nd level, and 12 units at 3rd level. In each upper level year, 12 units will be dedicated to creative arts that include script-writing, communication skills and professional writing for creative artists and legal and business skills. The production core will impart those skills necessary for entry into production industries after graduation according to the aims listed in 1.4 above.

The major sequence in Screen Studies precisely follows the requirements listed for the BA: 9 units at 1st level (SCRN 1000 & 1001), 24 units at upper levels.

Electives may be any suitable topic (i.e. not precluded by pre-requisites or similar requirements) from within the existing BA course. 13.5 units of first level non-Screen elective will be required. The first year topic, CREA 1001, will introduce students to the types of communication, both written and oral, necessary for active creative artists in contemporary Australia.

Please see the link for BCA Screen Production topics.