Module catalogue: SM7036

SM7036 - Interactive Documentary (2024/25)

Module specification

Module approved to run in 2024/25

Module title

Interactive Documentary

Module level

Masters (07)

Credit rating for module

School

School of Computing and Digital Media

Total study hours

200

164 hours	Guided independent study
36 hours	Scheduled learning & teaching activities

Assessment components

Type	Weighting	Qualifying mark	Description
Coursework	30%		Proof of Concept (5-minute research presentation)
Coursework	70%		Interactive Documentary (practical assignment)

Running in 2024/25

(Please note that module timeslots are subject to change)

Period	Campus	Day	Time	Module Leader
Spring semester	City	Tuesday	Morning

Module summary

Documentary filmmaking is currently a very fluid medium. Whereas fiction formats have struggled to adapt to new distribution models, documentary and factual formats have positively embraced new technology. From the i-Docs symposium to New York Times Op-Docs and the UN’s Clouds Over Sidra, documentary content continues to evolve. Entirely new formats have emerged (including crowd-based production and interactive and VR storytelling).

This module investigates change and innovation. With a strong emphasis on new and emerging practice it challenges students to research and experiment with concepts of presence and interactivity to imagine and create work that engages the viewer in a different way.

This module is taught alongside New and Emerging Technologies and shares the same syllabus. Interactive Documentary students create an interactive moving image project as part of their coursework for this module. New and Emerging Technologies students produce a research report. The idea of syllabus sharing is in order to encourage an ongoing conversation and collaboration between creative practice students and research-oriented students.

Syllabus

This course is constantly updated to reflect new and emerging practice. Current indicative content includes:

• i-Docs and Op-Docs
• Deep Fakes and AI
• Netflix and Vertical Integration
• Cinematography for 360 and VR
• Algorithm-based commissioning and the content arms race
• Virtual Reality: Presence and Empathy
• Post Production for VR and 360
• Interactivity and UX design
• Cinema as spectacle: 4K/8K and HDR
• Drones, wearable and consumer camera technology

Learning Outcomes LO 1 - 5

Balance of independent study and scheduled teaching activity

Scheduled teaching and learning will consist of weekly classes comprising a combination of technical labs, screenings, lectures, seminars, student presentations and practical workshops, supplemented by tutorials and use of the University’s blended learning platform (VLE).

Students will undertake independent study, including research, planning, creative and practical work (including the development of a proof of concept). Students will have independent access (as required) to filmmaking equipment including 360 cameras, VR-capable post production facilities and computer labs.

Students will present a proof of concept and work in progress, in-class feedback and discussions encourage self-reflection, which is reinforced by peer and tutor input.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module students will be able to:

LO1 Critically analyse and contextualise new and emerging media production and distribution technologies.

LO2 Plan and devise a proof of concept for a creative project that engages with new and emerging practice.

LO3 Explain and apply concepts of presence and interactivity in a film or VR context.

LO4 Create a film or moving image project which includes interactive content.

LO5 Reflect and critique their own practice, identifying areas for improvement and contextualising it within the framework of expected professional standards.

Bibliography