DISC201-24S1 (C) Semester One 2024

Storytelling in action

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 19 February 2024
End Date: Sunday, 23 June 2024
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 3 March 2024
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 12 May 2024

Description

This course develops students’ storytelling skills, with an emphasis on modes (film, animation, game), types (e.g. interactive/non-interactive, branching/linear), genre conventions, art movements, design, character development (e.g. actors and avatars), and, most importantly, voice. Students will also analyze and experiment with alternative narrative models to the dominant entertainment styles of screen storytelling (e.g., expressionism, neorealism, art cinema, indigenous film practice, independent game development). In the process, students will explore their storytelling voice in relation to world views, addressing the question: how is story telling in games and other interactive media different from the sorts of storytelling typically found in film and television, what do those differences mean, and how to they reveal your world view?

Learning Outcomes

  • Identify the fundamentals of storytelling across different digital screen industries.
  • Recognise how story worlds are affected by history, art movements, philosophy, and cultural perspectives.  
  • Analyse genre and tone, and how that influences story and design elements.
  • Recognise directorial voice across the different screen mediums.
  • Use appropriate tools to create a short synopsis, treatment and story board that reflects emerging directorial voice.

Prerequisites

Timetable 2024

Students must attend one activity from each section.

Lecture A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Wednesday 15:00 - 17:00 Otakaro 236 L2 Lecture Theatre
19 Feb - 31 Mar
22 Apr - 19 May
27 May - 2 Jun
Lecture B
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Friday 14:00 - 16:00 Otakaro 236 L2 Lecture Theatre
20 May - 26 May
Film Screening A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Friday 14:00 - 17:00 Otakaro 236 L2 Lecture Theatre
19 Feb - 24 Mar
1 Apr - 19 May
Tutorial A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
04 Monday 17:00 - 18:00 Otakaro 201
19 Feb - 31 Mar
22 Apr - 2 Jun
05 Monday 12:00 - 13:00 Otakaro 201
19 Feb - 31 Mar
22 Apr - 2 Jun
06 Wednesday 08:00 - 09:00 Otakaro 201
19 Feb - 31 Mar
22 Apr - 2 Jun
07 Monday 14:00 - 15:00 Otakaro 201
19 Feb - 31 Mar
22 Apr - 2 Jun
08 Monday 16:00 - 17:00 Otakaro 201
19 Feb - 31 Mar
22 Apr - 2 Jun
09 Tuesday 16:00 - 17:00 Otakaro 121
26 Feb - 31 Mar
22 Apr - 2 Jun

Course Coordinator

Gillian Ashurst

Lecturers

John Chrisstoffels and Jani Wilson

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage  Description
Story World Analysis 18 Mar 2024 20% 800-1000 words with image content
Genre and Tone Analysis 03 Apr 2024 20% 800-1000 words with image content
Directorial Voice Analysis 20 May 2024 20% 3 minute presentation, image content and 250 word reflection. Present in week 9.
Story World Creations 04 Jun 2024 35% Written and Visual story outlines
Screening 5% Attendance based

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $942.00

International fee $4,663.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see Humanities .

All DISC201 Occurrences

  • DISC201-24S1 (C) Semester One 2024