The aim of this module is to introduce and encourage you to make imaginative and inventive use of skills appropriate to a diverse range of media project work. The module will promote an experimental, risk taking creative outlook. You will be encouraged to develop reflective thinking, understanding personal creativity and how this relates to your intended degree route.

INDICATIVE CONTENT

This module encourages you to experiment with a range of creative approaches to media production. You will learn key techniques relevant to a range of production areas. You will also receive brief introductions to the range of subject areas in the department of Media Arts and Communications in the first few weeks of the module. You will be encouraged in the early weeks of this module to experiment with a range of different media techniques and formats

Sample topics could include:

• Storyboarding
• Sketching
• Scripting
• Mark-making
• Life drawing
• Researching locations
• Use of still and video cameras
• Use of microphones
• Storytelling and narrative techniques
• Colour theory
• Understanding visual language
• Writing for different media contexts
• Layout and design
• Basic editing techniques in sound, video, images and digital design
• Working collaboratively
• Ethics, health and safety, risk assessments and release forms

The aim of this module is to introduce students to the academic study of creative media practice. Students will be supported in developing skills of academic research, learning and communication to further their appreciation of the relationship between their own practice and its wider historical, social, cultural and industry contexts.

Indicative Content:

This module introduces students to thinking and writing about their work in relation to the wider media landscape. Students will learn to write in a critical, academic style, using a range of resources to support their arguments. They will be introduced to the idea of academic texts and how to read, analyse and use these sources in their writing. 

Students will be encouraged to engage in secondary research using a variety of library, gallery and media sources and think about their own production in relation to its social, cultural, historical and industry contexts.

This module will be delivered alongside the media project module and is designed to help students contextualise their practice. Students will be expected to research current and historical examples of the medium/genre they are specialising in and to show how their work relates to other examples of creative media practice. They will be introduced to some basic theoretical concepts and encouraged to think about issues in the wider media industry impacting on their practice such as regulation, copyright and distribution.

Students will cover topics such as:

• How to identify relevant literature (e.g. books and articles) to use in assignments
• How to read and understand academic literature
• Essay writing and structuring techniques
• How to use quotes and examples to illustrate a point
• Correct referencing, quoting and use of sources
• Use of libraries, databases, media archives, galleries and other resources
• Introduction to media regulation, codes and laws
• Histories of different media
• How to situate your own practice in relation to others’ work
• Identifying an audience for your work
• Analysing and critiquing arguments/messages in both academic and media texts

This module supports students in the development and production of self-directed creative media or communication project work, allowing them to demonstrate their skills across one or more media platforms. Students will produce a substantial portfolio of work relevant to their chosen area of creative media and communication, informed and supported through research and developed in consultation with a subject tutor.

INDICATIVE CONTENT

You will build on the skills you acquired in semester one to create a portfolio of media production in your chosen specialism. The nature of the work in this portfolio will be devised by you, in dialogue with your lecturers. You will be responsible for all stages of the project from idea generation and pre-production through to post-production editing and a final evaluation of your work.

Projects will be introduced by your tutors and grounded upon self-directed study and research; these form the basis of your practice work. Technical workshops and group tutorials will help you develop your skills and techniques. You will also spend some time in one-to-one supervision with a member of staff who specialises in your chosen area.

You will take part in small group peer review and critique sessions. During these sessions you will discuss your work and that of others, offering support, ideas and constructive critiques to help one another succeed.

During the module you will be encouraged to document your practical work in a research workbook using skills acquired last semester. The workbook can be presented in a format of your choice.

This module aims to support students in the development of independent learning, key study skills and attributes required for effective engagement with degree level study in the Media Arts and Communication subject areas. This module aims to help you to develop confidence in your ability to discuss and present your work clearly. You will be encouraged to reflect upon and gain an understanding of where your own strengths and weaknesses are with regard to your work, and begin to appreciate how to improve your practice and study skills. Through a range of activities and exercises you will be encouraged to take creative risks and to begin researching your ideas so that their potential can be explored. This module provides you with the necessary foundational skills from which all your future creative work can develop.

Indicative Content:

The module introduces the skills and techniques needed for university study and supports students in their development of a creative and reflective approach to their work.

The emphasis of the module will be to encourage students to develop several possible Media solutions that creatively address specified problems or fulfil the criteria of a given brief. Students will be encouraged to explore different ways of generating ideas, and to experiment with creative techniques such as: drawing, writing, creating mind maps, curating material from different sources, collages and more. 

There will be introductions to essential skills in writing, drawing, IT and information gathering as well as techniques for project planning, time management and personal development planning. Students will receive training and guidance in using university resources such as the Learning Centre, student support services and careers services.

Students will be encouraged to set-up a blog or other form of online portfolio during this module that can both be used to reflect on their learning and display their production work not only on this module but throughout the course.

Other topics may include:

• Using the Library, your SHU email account and the virtual learning environment (Blackboard)
• How to access the range of student support services offered by the university
• Appropriate software and associated academic procedures
• Techniques for effective communication including the written word
• How to research effectively
• How to appropriately reference your research and acknowledge sources
• Planning and managing your time effectively
• Using the university careers and employability centre
• Getting the most from tutorials, and understanding the value of constructive criticism
• Working in teams and groups
• Evaluating your own and other people’s work
• Understanding assessment criteria
• Preparing for a presentation
• Speaking to a group
• Generating and selecting ideas
• Record-keeping

This module equips you with the team skills to create content for current and emerging online platforms. You will develop valuable skills associated with working in multidisciplinary project teams. ​​These skills will be developed whilst undertaking an authentic learning and work experience project with an industry client. This will involve the design and development of a client project through a project-based learning approach in which you will produce enterprising solutions to the problems and challenges posed by the project. You will be required to bring the specialist practical skills and knowledge that you are learning elsewhere and apply them in the context provided by the project. 

​​​Indicative Content:

• Ideas generation and communication

• Project organisation

• Project management

• Professional presentation skills

• Critical evaluation. Providing and applying constructive criticism

This module provides a practical introduction to some of the primary professional tools and creative media platforms. You will develop a fundamental understanding of the nature and use of a range of creative media hardware and software tools. This will provide you with a solid foundation of creative media production skills which you will be able to draw on throughout your studies. 

Indicative content:  

• Video capture, manipulation and editing 

• Audio capture, editing and processing 

• Interactive media and web development 

• Digital asset management 

• Media applications for a variety of publishing formats 

• Branding and marketing methods 

• Graphic and motion design 

• Professionalism and communication skills 

• Relevant theories of Creative Media Production 

• Theoretical understanding of Creative Media Production 

• Design and plan for creative media production 

This module introduces the principles of digital storytelling used in diverse professional contexts; including commercial, societal and educational. You will gain a practical understanding of how digital media platforms are used to communicate effectively on complex issues with diverse audiences. The module develops you as a multifaceted and ethical digital media professional, by enhancing your practical production knowledge with analytical, writing, and digital storytelling skills. 

Indicative content:  

• Digital storytelling, data visualisation and infographics 

• Narrative structure in promotional and persuasive media 

• Research methods 

• Web / interactive analysis: visual usability principles 

• Analysing social media 

• Cross-media branding and transmedia storytelling 

• Ethical issues in media production  

In this module you will consider User Experience Design and the role of the User Experience (UX) Designer. Applying themes and theories to your subject area, the module will introduce this important process and the key concepts within. You will develop your awareness of the importance of interactive design. You will also develop methods for researching and testing with audiences to design and deliver a meaningful user experience.  

Indicative Content: 

• User Experience Design 

• Developing a Design Document 

• Concepts, ideas and prototypes 

• The industry process 

• Audience, usability and testing, and methods for working with audiences 

• Creating meaningful experiences 

• Multi-platform delivery 

Immersive digital platforms are used to inform, augment, enhance and create audience experiences in a variety of different contexts, including gaming, simulation, health, rehabilitation, heritage, sports, storytelling and narrative, art and more. The usage of immersive digital platforms ranges in scale from multi-platform, multi-user, site specific, digitally enhanced audience experiences, to single user augmented reality tools created for mobile platforms. In this module you develop a critical awareness of the use of immersive digital design tools and platforms, and an industry standard knowledge of best practice when designing immersive digital experiences, for a range of disciplines and contexts. 

Indicative content: 

• Immersive digital technologies 

• Virtual Reality / Augmented Reality / Mixed Reality and immersive digital platforms 

• Interactivity in immersive digital experiences 

• User experience and immersive digital narratives 

• Spatial audio 

• Creating immersive digital experiences - tools and concepts 

• Fundamentals of contemporary Games Engine platforms 

• Contemporary use of immersive digital platforms 

• Distribution platforms 

• Researching and establishing criteria for evaluating immersive digital products 

• Developing interactive prototypes, designs, and associated research and planning materials 

Module Aim:  

This module introduces new methods and tools for creating interactive work outside the bounds of traditional screen media. You will be challenged to work in interdisciplinary groups to create an interactive artefact that responds to an industry-set brief. This module also prepares you for the sandwich placement year and future work experience opportunities. 

Indicative content:  

• Workshops on immersive design, mixed reality interaction, digital narrative design & experimental game design

• Industry-led briefings outlining theme and design challenges

• Milestones set and reviewed by industry contact at agreed intervals

• Presentation pitches of student solutions to industry brief

• Client-led enhanced applied project

Photography and video production share the need for sound understanding of camera technologies and the production process using primarily digital workflows. You will build knowledge of the creative and technical requirements for successful storytelling and communication of ideas. The teaching will cover relevant theoretical and cultural contexts as it builds on audio-visual skills already acquired at level 4. A challenging brief will enable you to further develop their own creative vision while exploring professional production methods. 

Indicative Content: 

• Key texts & critical, current debates in photography and video work 

• Visual research methods & creative idea generation 

• Professional orientation to understand regional opportunities, social networks, competitions and opportunities for publication 

• Experimental audio-visual artefacts & outputs 

• Camera & lens capture/recording skills 

• Studio lighting for video, portraiture & product work 

• Audio recording and editing for soundtracks and music 

• Digital workflows for post-production, asset management, and publication 

• Audience engagement and storytelling 

The aim of this module is to take you through the design, production, marketing, live streaming and documentation of creative industries events. 

The module will be delivered through an enhanced applied project alongside an employer or organisation so you can appraise their own values and motivations in context of the world of work, considering inclusivity and industry sector values. You will be encouraged to bring your own specialist practical skills and knowledge from your subject area and apply them in context provided by the project. 

The enhanced applied project experience will provide you with the opportunity to critically analyse and reflect on your practice in a professional environment to recognise the value of work experience to enhance students career readiness.  

Indicative content:  

• Sustainable production methods 

• Exploring future career pathways  

• Project management  

• Professional communication skills 

• Exposure to industry environments  

• Interview and pitching techniques 

• CV, portfolio and professional online presence. 

Module aim: 

In this module you will focus on storytelling across mixed reality platforms. You will be part of a team-based project, based on a current industry theme, which will challenge you to apply your skills and creativity to craft an "Alternate Realities" artefact. 

Indicative Content: 

• Storytelling across XR platforms 

• Visual Communication 

• Non-linear/Alternative narrative structures 

• UI/UX 

• Experiential design 

• Storytelling ethics/accessibility 

• Innovation across professional contexts 

This module challenges you to develop the intellectual and practical skills to use novel technologies and techniques for manipulating and interacting with digital media. You will use a range of software tools to develop skills to explore new developments and methods. You will look at new and innovative applications of digital media and see how these ideas could be adapted into other applications.  

Indicative content:  

• Lab sessions to introduce and allow experimentation with a range of software and hardware 

• Introduction to generative art 

• Sensors, input and ambient intelligence 

• Artificial Intelligence 

• Innovative user interfaces 

• Strategies for designing interaction 

• Digital media enhanced performance  

The module will ask you to produce research, planning and pre-production materials for a major project. You will be expected to demonstrate advanced key technical skills of pre-production in creative media practice, such as idea generation, research, design, development, and planning, which should be assembled in a set of materials appropriate for submission - the format of these will be dependent on the chosen project. The module will challenge you consolidate your production ideas in creatively conceived major project work and you will be expected to practise project management skills effectively.  

Indicative content:  

The major teaching and learning in this module will be in tutorials with your allocated project supervisor and in the realisation of the pre-production project work. The work you produce here will help you to prepare for producing the major component of your individual showreel or portfolio which you will use to showcase your skills and talents when seeking future work or commissions and will have the potential to be included a professional industry setting. The module will require skills in idea generation, planning, research, project management, and documentation of your progress. Students will be expected to collaborate with their peers and project supervisor. 

This module engages you to work independently on an individual project, choosing between two possible routes: a dissertation or a digital media production.  

The dissertation route involves you choosing a relevant topic that will consolidate your learning and skills in one of the areas explored in the course. Furthermore, you are provided with the opportunity to develop and test your advanced communication skills as well as self-reflect about your work. 

Dissertation route indicative content: 

• Development of a project area of students’ choice 

• Undertaking of a piece of individual theoretical or research work in students’ chosen specialism

• Development of advanced academic communication skills 

The digital media production route aims to demonstrate advanced key technical skills of production in creative media practice. The module will help you to consolidate your pre-production ideas in creatively conceived major project work and enable you to produce media work with a sense of professionalism and for a defined audience.  

 Digital Media Production indicative content:  

• Creation of content for a personal portfolio of work 

• Professional project and time-management 

• Professional production techniques 

• Advanced communication skills 

• Self-promotion and distribution