KPB326 Advanced Screen Production Practices

Unit Outline: Semester 2 2026, Kelvin Grove, Internal

Overview

This unit extends your knowledge and skills relevant to the demands and expectations of contemporary screen production practices through practical production experience and exposure in a professional setting. It will extend on screen production experiences in new and unique environments and further equip you with expertise particular to technology and employability in the workplace. This unit will provide you with the opportunity to further specialise in an area of pre-production, production or post production, as you work collaboratively to produce a festival-quality short film. 

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. Apply creativity and technical proficiency within a specialist disciplinary area of film production practice.
2. Critically reflect on your own work and that of your peers in order to manage and refine your screen production practice and effectively communicate this to audiences.
3. Work collaboratively, professionally and ethically in complex film project situations with diverse groups of people.

Content

Learning Approaches

The unit combines supervised learning approaches and authentic tasks through a series of workshops, industry guest lectures and specialist mentorships. Staff supervisors will conduct scheduled project development activities, however the bulk of your work on your film will be autonomously organised team work. 

Please be advised that this unit may include the presentation and scholarly analysis of material and subject matters that may be considered confronting, such as certain representations of race, class, gender and violence. QUT counselling support is available should you feel the need to avail yourself of these services.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

Formative assessment will be provided through discussion and feedback on work in development, including collaborative peer feedback in workshops and tutorials. 

Assessment

Overview

This unit requires you to demonstrate evidence of advanced knowledge, skills and self-direction in contemporary, independent film making practices. In the first assessment task, you are required to conduct research into your area of specialisation to inform a resonance presentation (10%). The second assessment requires you to curate and provide evidence of deliverables in your individual field of professional film practice (40%). The third assessment requires you to demonstrate advanced level creative skills in your field through your contribution to a short-form film (50%).  

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Resonance Proposal

This assessment requires you to conduct research into your area of specialisation to inform your contribution to a short film project. Your presentation must aim to demonstrate how your creative vision enhances the proposed screen work. 

Assessment: Professional Practice Portfolio

Throughout the development of your short film project, you are required to document and curate specific aspects of your practice within the film production workflow into an industry-facing portfolio. This requires you to critically evaluate your role and responsibilities to identify how you have employed creative, technical, ethical and collaborative work practices in the filmmaking process. 

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

Assessment: Short Film & Distribution Strategy

Demonstrate advanced level creative skills in your field through your contribution to a short-form film. This requires you to demonstrate ethical and collaborative approaches to engaging with the production process. The final film must be accompanied by a distribution or exhibition strategy.

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.

The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Requirements to Study

Requirements

All students are requested to visit and review the Health and Safety information on the HiQ web pages (CIESJ Tier 1 HSE requirement). 

You will be advised if you are required to complete a Tier 2 CIESJ Health and Safety Induction which is provided by the technician on site in the theatre, workshop or studio, or a Tier 3 CIESJ Health and Safety Induction which is a hands on induction on specific machinery.

Costs

KPB326 may require student contributions to the production costs of collaborative project work. Cost varies depending on the nature of the production project and may include such things as: additional equipment and materials (e.g. computer storage drives) not already provided for by QUT; travel to locations and accommodation; art direction, costumes and makeup; music composition and copyright clearances; payment for actors; and catering. 

Resources

Resource Materials

Recommended text(s)

Bordwell, David. On the History of Film Style. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1997.

Dancyger, Ken., Jessie. Keyt, and Jeff. Rush. Alternative Scriptwriting : Contemporary Storytelling for the Screen. 6th ed. Milton: Taylor & Francis Group, 2023.

Holman, Tomlinson. Sound for Film and Television. 2nd ed. Burlington: Elsevier Science & Technology, 2014.

Rabiger, Michael., and Mick. Hurbis-Cherrier. Directing : Film Techniques and Aesthetics. 6th ed. Milton: Taylor & Francis Group, 2020.

Wheeler, Paul. Digital Cinematography. Jordan Hill: Taylor and Francis, 2001.

Safety and protective equipment

Enclosed footwear must be worn on set and on location.

Other

Grigor, Axel, Sue Maslin, Scott Walton, and Faramarz K-Rahber. Jill Bilcock : the Art of Film Editing. Collingwood, Victoria: Film Art Media, 2017.

Risk Assessment Statement

For risks associated with using campus buildings or QUT facilities, refer to the HiQ Health and Safety information. 

Where substantial computer-based work is required, you are recommended to take regular rest breaks when engaging in prolonged computer-based work, and ensure that your workstation is set up for optimal comfort to prevent strain or injury. 

Every project is different and the risks are unique to that project. When working on film and television productions you are required to provide appropriate risk plans of your projects prior to receiving equipment. The risk plan should look at the scope of the project and document responses to possible scenarios that might be encountered. The prevention and avoidance of risk should be addressed by: ELIMINATION of the risk, SUBSTITUTION of the risk, ISOLATION of the risk, ENGINEERING to remove the risk, ADMINISTRATION of the risk and the use of PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT.

Note: If in your considered opinion, there is a potential for an accident to occur, the activity should be abandoned and advice sought from specialists, supervisors or lecturers. It should be noted that even if this risk plan has been done and/or advice and consultation has been sought from lecturers or other consultants, the liability for risk management still rests, in the final instance, with the students responsible for the project.

QUT takes its obligations to the Workplace Health and Safety Act 2011 very seriously. You as a student, must also meet your obligations under the Act. This can be done in different ways, but you are obliged to take action to manage exposure to risk.

There are Regulations, Advisory Standards and Industry Codes of Practice, to meet your obligations under the Act you must comply with these. You must take reasonable precautions and exercise proper diligence in making sure the risk is managed.

Students have an obligation to exercise care when operating equipment and to follow instructions as to the safe operation of the equipment, safe manual handling and the use of safety devices and personal protective equipment.

STUDENTS WORKING ON FILM AND TELEVISION PRODUCTIONS WILL MAKE SURE THAT THE APPROPRIATE RISK PLAN HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED FOR THAT PROJECT AND THAT IT HAS BEEN APPROVED BY THE APPROPRIATE STAFF MEMBER.

A QUT Risk Plan Form for Student Productions and an accompanying Risk Plan Guidelines should be accessed and downloaded from the unit's Canvas site.

For students working on campus and/or accessing QUT production equipment, the following applies:

RESPONSIBILITY: Equipment faults and damage must be reported to Equipment Loans Centre (ELC) staff as soon as possible.

Students are responsible for ensuring equipment is secure and at no risk of damage. Action will be taken against anyone responsible for wilful damage or theft of QUT property.

SECURITY: Z6, the hub, offers 24 hour swipe card access. Consequently, the equipment you use there, your personal possessions and your personal safety are at risk unless everyone complies with the security regulations pertaining to this facility. Admission is by your own student card only. Do not let anyone in on your card unless prior authorisation has been given by the Discipline Head. Under no circumstance should you give your student card to anyone else. These rules will be strictly enforced and anyone who breaks them will be subject to harsh disciplinary action by the university.

Course Learning Outcomes

CA01 Bachelor of Creative Arts

1. Cite and discuss a broad and coherent knowledge of historical and contemporary cultural contexts for creative practice, including the contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges.
   Relates to: ULO3, Professional Practice Portfolio, Short Film & Distribution Strategy
2. Identify and demonstrate knowledge of the techniques and concepts underpinning your field of creative practice.
   Relates to: ULO1, Resonance Proposal, Professional Practice Portfolio, Short Film & Distribution Strategy
3. Demonstrate complex problem solving through iterative experimentation and the creative and critical development of ideas and outcomes.
   Relates to: ULO1, Resonance Proposal, Professional Practice Portfolio, Short Film & Distribution Strategy
4. Demonstrate technical proficiency and a knowledge of contemporary digital practices and technologies in one or more disciplines and apply these in creative and critical settings.
   Relates to: ULO1, Resonance Proposal, Professional Practice Portfolio, Short Film & Distribution Strategy
5. Communicate independent learning clearly and coherently in diverse modes relevant to your field of creative practice.
   Relates to: ULO2, Resonance Proposal, Professional Practice Portfolio, Short Film & Distribution Strategy
6. Communicate, represent, and promote your work in ways relevant to your creative field.
   Relates to: ULO2, Resonance Proposal, Professional Practice Portfolio, Short Film & Distribution Strategy
7. Discern, critically analyse, and synthesise knowledge in complex creative and critical settings.
   Relates to: ULO1, Resonance Proposal, Professional Practice Portfolio, Short Film & Distribution Strategy
8. Work productively as a leader and collaborator in disciplinary and interdisciplinary practices.
   Relates to: ULO3, Professional Practice Portfolio, Short Film & Distribution Strategy
9. Formulate and apply an independent perspective through contextual research, reflection, and by acting on the informed critique of others.
   Relates to: ULO2, Resonance Proposal, Professional Practice Portfolio, Short Film & Distribution Strategy
10. Demonstrate respect for cultural and social differences, sustainability, and work with integrity across all practice and professional settings.
    Relates to: ULO3, Professional Practice Portfolio, Short Film & Distribution Strategy
11. Operate with initiative, ethical judgement and professionalism, both alone and in groups.
    Relates to: ULO3, Professional Practice Portfolio, Short Film & Distribution Strategy