Course Description
A thorough overview of practical production practices, plus critical and cultural contexts for screenwriting, directing, and producing in film and television today. Students research and report on exemplary writing, directing, and producing test cases, including analysis of creative decisions, labor laws, and studio practices.
Athena Title
Proseminar Film and TV Writing
Prerequisite
Permission of department
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
This course examines historical, industrial, and critical frameworks for creative work within the commercial and independent film and TV markets today. A thorough analysis of the complex array of labor, technological, economic, and regulatory forces and practices will provide a foundation for all subsequent course work and student productions in this program of study. Students will exit the course with a full understanding of the complex industrial systems, production practices, regulations, and ethical factors involved in contemporary writing, directing, and production within film and media.
Topical Outline
This course explains the production practices and cultural implications of cinema and media institutions. The proseminar is designed to introduce students to the central aspects of the industry, including labor, technology, economics, and ethics. Industry professionals will offer real-world experience, but students will also pursue their own in-depth research into specific areas of media production, distribution, and/or consumption and present and share their insights. This course provides the fundamental outline with knowledge and practical lessons for understanding and then thriving in entertainment media. I. Examination of current industrial and aesthetic models for film and television. II. Critical analysis of contemporary entertainment industries and the producer's role in development of feature film and television scripts across various genres and modes of production. III. Study diversity and inclusion in entertainment through original research and examination of test case projects developed to forge solutions to inequality across the media. IV. Overview of screenwriting and storytelling conventions, practices, and opportunities in film, television, and on-line media. V. Examination of the role of new technologies historically and today as well as projections for changing systems of production, distribution, and exhibition in the near future. VI. Study of government regulations and self-regulation through professional organizations and lobbying agencies, including censorship practices, international distribution agreements, and industry and community advocacy groups. VII. Examination of production research and transmedia practices, including innovations in marketing, licensing, distribution, industrial organization, creative work, and new or emerging technologies. VIII. Study current global media practices and cultures to understand better the many factors of transnationality in film and television, examining how capital, labor, and media circulate and compete within and across national borders. IX: Presentation of original, student-driven research into contemporary media practices and cultural production.