Digital Culture, Aesthetics & Storytelling - TFT00019C
- Department: Theatre, Film, Television and Interactive Media
- Credit value: 30 credits
- Credit level: C
- Academic year of delivery: 2022-23
Module summary
In this module, you will first learn fundamental storytelling elements, such as plot, character, genre etc, as applied across different media forms from cinema to games to television, and understand their differences and the effectiveness of their deployment. Further, you will develop a critical understanding of digital culture and the ways in which digital technologies change the way we understand the world today. At the end of the module, you should be able to understand the use of basic story elements of interactive media, and to critique and synthesise the cultural impact of digital media.
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Autumn Term 2022-23 to Spring Term 2022-23 |
Module aims
Module Aims:
To introduce the basic concepts, methods and terminology necessary for critical analysis of digital media.
To discuss and analyse the ways in which digital technologies have impacted on audiovisual media and their capabilities for interactivity.
To introduce students to the centrality of story and storytelling in interactive and non-interactive media.
To introduce students to the fundamentals of visual literacy and develop their aesthetic judgement complementary to their acquisition of digital skills.
To introduce students to the concept of the "digital" as a way of thinking about the world.
Module learning outcomes
Subject content:
Demonstrate knowledge of the basic concepts, methods and terminology necessary for thinking about digital media and apply them in critical analysis.
Demonstrate knowledge of how we can tell a story through digital media by introducing and examining key principles; understand the functions of key aesthetic properties such as visual style, performance and sound design in relation to storytelling; and understand how storytelling applies to different digital media platforms.
Synthesise the learning of technical skills with the development of fine aesthetic judgement.
Academic and graduate skills:
Critical thinking and analysis skills.
Essay writing skills.
Reasoning, argument and communication skills.
Visual literacy skills.
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 30 |
| Essay/coursework | 70 |
Special assessment rules
None
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 30 |
| Essay/coursework | 70 |
Module feedback
Students will receive written feedback on coursework assignments using a proforma identifying key requirements and marks awarded for each section of the assignment. This will be available within 20 working days of submission, except in exceptional circumstances which will be communicated to the students.
Indicative reading
Indicative only:
A Creator's Guide to Transmedia Storytelling: How to Captivate and Engage Audiences Across Multiple Platforms, Philips, McGraw-Hill, 2012.
Digital Culture: Understanding New Media, Glen Creeber and Royston Martin, Open University Press, 2008.
Intermediality and Storytelling, Marina Grishakova and Marie-Laure Ryan, de Gruyter, 2010.
The Language of New Media, Lev Manovich, MIT Press, 2001.
New Media: The Key Concepts, Nicholas Gane and David Beer, Berg, 2008.
New Media, Old Media: A History and Theory Reader: Interrogating the Digital Revolution, Wendy Hui Kyong Chun, Thomas Keenan, Routledge, 2005.