2026/7, Trimester 1, In Person, Edinburgh Napier University
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| Occurrence: | 001 |
| Primary mode of delivery: | In Person |
| Location of delivery: | MERCHISTON |
| Partner: | Edinburgh Napier University |
| Member of staff responsible for delivering module: | Seán Martin |
| Module Organiser: | |
| Student Activity (Notional Equivalent Study Hours (NESH)) |
| Mode of activity | Learning & Teaching Activity | NESH (Study Hours) | NESH Description |
| Online | Guided independent study | 15 | You will work individually to write a 2-page script that you will submit for assessment in week 6, and which will be considered by your group for realisation for assessment 3, the single-shot dialogue film. Guidelines for the script can be found on Moodle. |
| Face To Face | Seminar | 10 | Your two completed films will be screened in an in-class crit (weeks 8 and 13), and you will receive feedback from lecturers. |
| Face To Face | Tutorial | 5 | You will meet members of the teaching team in your production groups to discuss your plans for your films. These informal chats will help identify and troubleshoot potential creative or logistical obstacles. |
| Face To Face | Lecture | 30 | Lectures provide you with the foundational theories, principles, technical parameters, and techniques of filmic narrative storytelling. The information delivered in these lectures will be developed and consolidated in the other learning and teaching activities. |
| Online | GROUPIND_STUDY | 125 | In your production groups, you will work together to make two films: a 1-minute tableau film (due week 8) and a 2-minute single-shot dialogue film (due week 13). You will implement the theories, knowledge, and techniques taught in the lectures. You will learn how to use the equipment and how all of the pieces of equipment work together. You will also learn good practice, professional behaviours, how to work collaboratively, and the importance of health and safety. |
| Face To Face | Practical classes and workshops | 15 | You will learn the basic practices and theories of location sound and dialogue recording. |
| Total Study Hours | 200 | |
| Expected Total Study Hours for Module | 200 | |
| Assessment |
| Type of Assessment | Weighting % | LOs covered | Week due | Length in Hours/Words | Description |
| Project - Written | 30 | 1~2~3~4 | Week 6 | , WORDS= 2 pages. | Working individually, you will write a 2-page script, a one sentence logline and a 50-80 word synopsis. You should demonstrate a clear understanding of your characters’ motivations, and of the conflict and meaning expressed within the scene. You should create both believable dialogue, and a coherent narrative structure. You are free to decide on the genre or type of film. You should write a script that can be made for the second film assignment 'SINGLE SHOT DIALOGUE FILM'. You should submit the final copy of your script correctly formatted using software such as Final Draft (Industry standard), CeltX or Trelby and saved in PDF format Submissions submitted without proper formatting will have marks deducted. |
| Project - Practical | 35 | 1~2~3~4 | Week 14 | HOURS= 2 minutes | You will work in your production groups to select one of your 2-page scripts to shoot (written for Assessment 1, above). You will then produce a 2-min narrative with dialogue between characters, within a single shot. The camera must remain on a tripod, but you may pan, tilt or pull focus i.e. you may reframe once without cutting. The film must involve movement of characters within the location; it should contain dialogue, as well as sound and action that is on-screen and off- screen. You should create a floor plan that shows the intended sequence of movement by your characters, and draw a storyboard that shows how the framing of the characters will change (but you don't have to submit this - it is only necessary for communication within your production team).The project is another exercise in staging action for the camera, with particular emphasis on framing the shot in relation to dialogue, the use of on-screen and off-screen space and sound, as well as dialogue recording.Rules:- The film cannot contain music, except when necessary for the diegesis and if copyright free. - The sound design consists of your own sound recordings, except where not possible for access or health & safety reasons for example sounds such as a car crash, spinning car wheels, gun sounds, airplanes flying over closely, etc. |
| Project - Practical | 35 | 1~2~3~4 | Week 10 | HOURS= 1 minute. | You will work in your production groups to organise and produce a narrative within a single static shot with a duration of 1 minute. The camera must remain on a static tripod but you may opt to include one type of camera movement. You must orchestrate the position of the characters within this frame and given time duration. As preparation for your filming, you should create a floor plan and tableau drawing that shows the intended sequence of movement by your characters and a reference mood board. You have to think clearly about the setting, the composition and the orchestration of elements within the film frame. The project is an exercise in staging action for the camera, in arranging the interplay of characters within the frame, in creating a sense of depth through composition and characters, and in guiding the viewer’s attention.In addition, you will be marked on your use of sound in disclosing a sense of on and off-screen space and the creation of atmosphere. You should avoid any dialogue or spoken content |
| Component 1 subtotal: | 30 | | |
| Component 2 subtotal: | 70 | | | | |
| Module subtotal: | 100 | | | | |