Bachelor of Fine Arts (Screenwriting)

Through a serious of lectures, workshops, tutorials and studio practice, students will be introduced to the basics of writing for the screen, with a focus on both contemporary screen craft and the more timeless nature of storytelling. Students will frequently study in the same classroom as the school's directing students with a view to promoting a broader understanding of filmmaking practices and nurturing creative teams. Students will write a completed original short script and take part in both collaborative and individual script development processes.

Through lectures with local visiting filmmakers and participation in selected craft workshops with directing students, this subject introduces students to broader screen and television industry practices. Students also develop formal and informal skills in giving and receiving critical feedback on creative work.

This subject includes an embedded program in academic literacy skill of analysis, discussion, essay writing, research and information retrieval.

This subject asks the student to consider the cinematic effect of the use and juxtaposition of pictures, words and sounds in film. Through a series of workshops and tutorials, students will examine the dramatic possibilities of these screen fundamentals, both as they have been used in the cinemativerse and in their own writing.

Through a combination of class work and studio practice, this subject gives students the opportunity to further develop their crafts skills and knowledge of writing for the screen. Students in this subject will work on set with directing students with a view to promoting a broader understanding of filmmaking practices. Students will write completed short scripts and take part in both collaborative and individual script development processes.

Screen Culture and Aesthetics 1 is the study of screen culture and history with a particular emphasis on critical study for practical filmmakers. Through lectures, discussion and screenings, students are introduced to the main canons and genres of cinema; the codes, conventions and narrative structures, from the silent era to contemporary cinema. Through exploring a diverse range of cinematic approaches and styles, the work of cinema innovators is highlighted. Students apply their knowledge by reflecting critically on their own production work and the work of fellow students.

Through a series of workshops, tutorials and creative practice, students will build on skills learned in Screen Practices 1A and 1B, with a focus on developing and writing content for television. Students learn basic skills necessary to write professionally for television and develop an understanding of the broader television landscape. Students are required to write at least one television script and present it professionally with appropriate pitch documents. Students will also develop an understanding of television writing as a collaborative process and of how a television ‘story room’ works.

BFA (Screenwriting) students continue to undertake some shared workshops and classes with the BFA(FTV) directing students with a view to promoting a pragmatic understanding of filmmaking practices and nurturing creative teams. Students also attend a series of lectures in which visiting industry professionals discuss all aspects of the industry.

Through a series of workshops, screenings, readings, tutorials and creative practice, students build on screenwriting skills learned in Screen Practices 1A, 1B and 2A, with a focus on understanding and writing genre for the screen media. Students develop a basic working knowledge of the conventions used in various well known screen genres and how, and to what creative effect, they are used by screenwriters. Students are required to write at least one script that is anchored in the conventions a particular genre.

BFA (Screenwriting) students continue to undertake some filmmaking activities with the BFA (FTV) directing students, with a view to nurturing creative teams and promoting a pragmatic understanding of non-writing filmmaking practices.

This subject introduces students to key concepts and practices used by writers in the games industry. Through a series of workshops, students will be introduced to key gaming concepts and learn basic game development and writing skills. Student will also gain an understanding of the current gaming landscape and will be required to conceive and develop a concept for a gaming project and present it in the appropriate professional format.

Screen Culture and Aesthetics 2 is the study of screen culture and history with a particular emphasis on critical study for practical filmmakers. Through lectures, discussion and screenings, students will be given familiarity with film makers that have challenged the assumptions of conventional narrative and produced new approaches: introduces students to the underlying determining influences of a range of subtexts including those based on myth, gender, psychoanalysis and ideologies. Students will apply their knowledge by reflecting critically on their own production work and the work of fellow students.

This subject includes an embedded program in academic literacy skills of analysis, discussion, essay writing, research and information retrieval.

This subject introduces students to the world of writing screen product for children, tweens and young teenagers with a focus on youth television. Through a series of workshops, presentations and screenings, students will gain insight into what makes successful kid’s programming and will develop an understanding of the current youth screen landscape, ie, what kids watch and how they are watching it. Students will be required to develop and write a script for the youth market and present it in the appropriate professional format.

Screen Culture and Aesthetics 3 is the advanced study of screen culture and history with a particular emphasis on critical study for practical screenwriters and directors. Through lectures, discussion and screenings, students rigorously investigate filmmakers that have challenged the assumptions of conventional narrative with a particular emphasis on film style and aesthetics in practical and contemporary terms.

This unit provides a necessary framework for understanding the development and movements of style and performance across the history of cinema, and contextualises these foundations with aims and objectives relevant to contemporary practitioners.

Students will apply their knowledge by reflecting critically on their own production work and the work of fellow students.

Through a series of workshops, tutorials, studio work, networking events, screenings and self motivated writing periods, students in this subject will consolidate and advance already acquired professional skills and knowledge gained in Years 1 and 2 of the BFA (Screenwriting). Students will attend industry lectures and collaborate on FTV directing student productions in order to gain a wider understanding of screen industry practices. Students will be mentored by professional writers for their major work, and will also participate in peer driven critical feedback activities such as script readings.

Through a series of workshops, tutorials, discussions and screenings, students will be introduced to writing adapted material for the screen. Students will take part in a script tutorial development process, both giving and receiving critical feedback from their peers. Drawing from professional skills and knowledge gained in previous years, students will be required to adapt and write a high quality and engaging short screen product.

Students are able to choose an industry attachment or a substantial research document that prepares the student for a career within the entertainment industry. Students who choose an attachment will be expected to find a screenwriting relevant attachment for a period of 2 - 4 weeks. This will be off-campus depending on the location of the attachment. The attachment exercise will be completed with the delivery of a report by the student. The research document, if chosen, will be of substantial weight. Students will be required to nominate an area of research relevant to screenwriting and to research and write a paper interrogating their area of enquiry. Either choice will require students to demonstrate a high degree of self-motivation.

Students undertaking this subject will gain knowledge of business practices involved in pursuing a career in screenwriting. Through workshops and presentations, students will engage with industry professionals in order to develop an understanding of opportunities and potential pathways within the industry. Students will develop a personal strategic plan for engaging with the industry, with reference to their own creative projects and career objectives. Students will assist in creating a graduate work ‘showcase’ intended to introduce them, and their work, to the industry.

This subject is designed for students where English is a second language and develops fluency in spoken Australian English. Intensive study includes the application of the International Phonetic Alphabet to improve and develop the articulation of specific speech sounds for Australian English. Students will learn how to use the voice effectively and develop skills in intonation, stress, and rhythm.

Interactive Art Media 1 introduces students to practices and process of digital/computer based interactive installation and performance media. The subject has two integrated outcomes: the development of basic skills in the interactive media program Max (© Cycling74), and through the development of these skills, the discovery and understanding of the works and processes of current and past interactive media artists.

The subject blends online, tutorial, seminar and self directed student-centred learning processes, with a focus on students developing their own practice in the area of interactive and digital media and developing an understanding of the context in which they are creating.

Jazz: The Improvisatory Spirit examines improvisation as it has manifested itself in Jazz and other African American Music. It is focused on the spirit of improvisation and its essential nature taking into account the concepts of imagination, freedom and individual expression.

This subject introduces the basics of Making Music for Film and Animation. Aspects of the function and crafting of music in film and animation including, film scoring and the music dramatic narrative will be examined. Making Music for Film and Animation is delivered as a lecture and workshop in a large group format and will illuminate the fundamental principles of music making for film and animation. It is also a practical class forum for the workshop of film and animation music making tasks and provides the opportunity for the individual development and showing of work and group discussion of issues related to music in film and animation. During the course students will be required to engage in whole group discussion and to present complete and ongoing work.

This subject introduces the basics of song writing for the commercial music industry. Aspects of song form including the chorus and the hook, lyric writing and industry requirements will be examined. Pop Song Writing is delivered as a lecture and workshop in a large group format and will illuminate the fundamental principles of song writing. It is also a practical class forum for the workshop of new pop songs and provides the opportunity for the individual development and showing of new songs and group discussion of issues related to pop song composition. During the course students will be required to engage in whole group discussion and to present complete and ongoing pop songs.

The focus of this subject is on the actor’s process. Areas covered will include text analysis and the revelation of its interior world through action and improvisation. Students will learn to work spontaneously and to use this spontaneity in the theatrical context. The interface between acting skills and their use within other art forms will be explored.

This subject introduces multi-dimensional investigations around the Still Life genre explored from a 21st Century perspective.

Engaging drawing and painting techniques and processes, this subject is designed for students who have little or no practical experience in art making. Commencing with figurative drawing, students will be introduced to ways of visualizing relevant, abstract concepts as they relate to the still-life genre. Multi-disciplinary investigations around the inanimate object will also focus on the dynamics of colour and pictorial space. Theoretical discussions will explore the human relationship to abstract ideas and the evolution of the still life convention. Projects will be set in both practical and theoretical areas.

This Breadth subject uses life drawing to explore the human body as a subject. It will explore how we visually perceive the human body, how we think about the body and how we theorise the body within art practice.

Within the practical studio classes students will be introduced to drawing through the foundational skills of observation and drawing techniques. These skills will be developed and extended so that students are able to explore and visually articulate their observations of the human body with increasing sophistication and complexity.

Lectures will introduce the history of the human body in art, focusing on the particular role that drawing the human body has played from pre-history to the present day. This will enable students to contextualise their own drawing practice, extending their conceptual understandings of the body and drawing, and assisting towards essay preparation.

At the completion of “Life Drawing: The Body” students should have a foundational understanding of drawing practice with knowledge and skills enabling them to visually communicate the human body as a subject.

Though this subject is designed for students who have little or no previous art making experience, it will also suit students who have previously undertaken a visual art Breadth subject or similar.

The student will experience Indigenous Culture, Identity and Arts Practice first hand as they visit remote and urban Victorian Aboriginal communities, art galleries and artists. Fieldwork will comprise a four-night stay at Lake Condah Mission on Gunditjmara country (Heywood and Portland) where students are immersed in Victorian Culture and Identity. Local work will take place in and around Melbourne.

This subject is designed to give students a solid basis from which to start engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts and cultural practice. Utilising both existing and new cultural frameworks, through lectures in cultural safety, traditional beliefs and culture, contemporary history and art as voice, students will be walked through the artistic, cultural and political histories of Australia’s first people with a specific focus on the diversity within Victoria and the south-east of Australia. With a focus on connection to country and place, students will learn from leading elders, visual artists, theatre makers and activists.

Dancing the Dance 1 offers students with little or no background in dance an introduction to the fundamentals dance techniques and their use in the creation of choreography. Each weekly seminar/workshop will start with a warm up in a particular technique (contemporary dance, hip hop, flamenco or ballet for example) and progress to problem-solving and choreographic tools to explore ways of making dances. The subject develops an insight into the roles of dancer and choreographer and the use of physical language as a means of expression through the exploration of dance techniques, approaches to dance-making, choreographic tools, rehearsal techniques, dance performance and presentation.

The Wellbeing Orchestra utilises Tibetan singing bowls and an assortment of allied musical instruments to facilitate mindfulness and meditation. Through sound, breathing, mindfulness, meditation techniques and self reflection, the student will learn to harmonise an unfocussed mind, release from self judgement and find a sense of peace within the busyness of study and work whilst developing an increased sense of personal wellbeing. The experiential nature of teaching and learning in this subject is intended to help students understand knowledge transfer that occurs outside of text based learning modalities particularly through somatic awareness.

This subject is an introduction to musical theatre through both an historical examination of its development and a practical experience of number of the key works of the genre through singing large ensemble songs. The diversity of styles of music theatre music and singing will be identified through learning basic vocal pedagogy, enhanced by the development of critical listening skills and experienced through a representative sample of repertoire, which will be situated in the contexts of both their socio-political and artistic significance. The subject will conclude with a short performance featuring a sample of the repertoire covered.

Ever thought about how we actually see, hear, taste, smell and touch? How do musicians, dancers, artists, athletes, martial artists and yoga practitioners do what they do? And how does this relate to findings and hidden secrets in scientific research about the body and the brain?

In an increasingly global and collaborative world the need to have a knowledge of the whole, the interconnections between disciplines, their languages and approaches, histories and cultural expressions, is essential to understanding 21st century problems and creating practical and innovative solutions.

This subject explores the intricate links and parallels between the arts, science, philosophy, architecture, mysticism, medicine (both western and eastern), law, and economics, through understandings of the human body. The VCA campus provides a unique classroom environment for this subject, with a teaching staff of working artists, academics and guest speakers, all experts in their fields.

Underpinning The Secret Life of the Body is recognition of the value of interdisciplinarity and the role it plays in understanding critical vocabularies and new areas of research. The focus on the exchange of ideas between students and teachers across the schools and campuses, shapes the range of issues that the human body presents to us, in all the ways that we experience it - intellectually, personally, kineaesthetically and in multi disciplinary forms.

Love going to the Theatre? Want to learn more about one of Australia’s flagship Theatre companies?

This subject provides an up close and personal look at the art, craft and business of Melbourne Theatre Company (MTC). Emphasis is placed on you (the audience) and your appreciation of the work of the playwright, director, actor, designer, producer and critic. Upon completion you should be able to demonstrate a vocabulary of theatre terms and recognise the contributions of various theatre artists in an organisation like MTC. Since no theatre appreciation course is complete without an experience of the live theatrical event, you’ll be provided with tickets to see two productions from the MTC subscription season and the opportunity to attend pre/post show discussions for both works. The only pre-requisite for this subject will be your life experience and a desire to engage with performance. These experiences will be framed as reviewing assignments for a comparative Review (1,500 words), plus some online preshow testing and diary entries. The unit is taught wholly online in a self-service model, with a requirement to undertake theatre visits and participate in a series of moderated online group discussions. This subject will enhance your knowledge of one of Melbourne’s significant cultural institutions and hopefully enliven the experience of going to the Theatre in Australia’s greatest city.

The cost of attending two MTC shows will be included in the subject cost.

Play is fundamental to the human condition. This breadth unit seeks to unpack the nature of games and playfulness within the everyday. By playing, analysing and creating games, the subject unpacks these various elements and encourages students to take a ‘hands on’ approach in reflecting upon the creative and playful aspects of both their everyday life and their chosen discipline. It considers the interactions between play and culture; how playfulness binds communities and how culture determines both the structure and content of play. Though there are some references to the videogame industry, the subject is not simply a valorisation of this history. Rather it looks at the rise, fall and rise again of public playfulness and the ways in which the medium has both industrialised and democratised. The subject aims to encourage student to explore what games can be, rather than what they currently are.

This course explores creative work in many fields that use technology as the core of its work. The use of electronics in The Visual Arts, Video, Experimental Film, Music and Sound Art, Theatre, Installations, Advertising, Multimedia and Design are covered from different perspectives and examined through the lens of many disciplines. We will look at practical applications from historical and contemporary perspectives as well as the theories underpinning these practices. The course is an overview and presentations of lectures on 20th and 21st century electronic art and the collaborations of inventors, artists, industry conditions and innovators that make it all possible. The course will involve guest speakers on their work and discipline as well as a wide range of presentations on historical material and the newest developments in electronic and hybrid digital and analogue methods.

Regular practical challenges throughout the semester will reinforce facility with the standard tools of the digital workstations and analogue techniques. Weekly journals will engage writing skills and critical thinking. Students will produce and present original electronic works in collaborative groups.

This course is a full overview of Video Games. The great games, the history, the techniques, and the future of this developing medium and industry are explored in 12 weeks. Games have developed from simple electronic entertainment in the 70s to an epic cinematic medium that now is larger than the entire film industry and one of the most popular and complex forms of art and virtual reality in the 21^st century.

Games have moved past being shoot and kill spectacles and are becoming a form of expression for millions of people and a new medium of social interaction and technological development that is engaging gamers and non-gamers alike.

As virtual reality becomes a greater part of ‘real life’ this course explores the complex network that makes up the video game world and the emerging group of designers and artists who are exploring new possibilities.

To understand the full picture of video games it is impossible to separate the commercial elements from the artistic and the technological from the social and mental. A wide range of disciplines need to be explored and the connections between them as well as looking at the game industry itself and how it is transforming.

Each week will combine the issues that surround games and an overview of the best and most complex games from multi million dollar blockbusters to the new ‘art games’ and independent games that re-invent the concept of a game.

Guest speakers from the game industry and from the arts, sciences and business will share their perspective on the state of the present and new ideas that will shape the future. Tutorials will present new aspects of current and past games and students will discuss their experience with games and present ideas and new finds each week.

This practice-based drawing subject focuses on developing skills and techniques in botanical drawing, using drawing and watercolour media. Students will be introduced to specialist botanical drawing techniques, working from both live plants and botanical specimens from the University Cultural Collections (including the University of Melbourne Herbarium (MELU) and the University of Melbourne System Garden). Lectures and writing tasks that explore the botanical in historic and contemporary visual art will complement the drawing program. By the end of the subject, students should have developed a comprehensive folio of exercises and finished works exploring the botanical in both its living and preserved states, highlighting how artistic practice can be used as a space for exploration and discovery.

Though this subject is designed for students who have little or no drawing experience, it will also suit students who have previously undertaken a visual art Breadth subject or similar.

Based in Skinner Releasing Technique supported with fundamental anatomical and neuromuscular patterning information Body Works uses imagery and hands on tactile studies to foster a deeper kinaesthetic experience of movement. Students are guided through an embodiment process toward physical balance and creativity.  Suitable for beginners and experienced movers, Skinner Releasing Technique can be beneficial to professional dancers, actors, musicians, artists of all kinds and all people interested in moving with ease. It can enhance any movement style and any activity. Classes include imagery as a powerful tool for transformation. Part of the class involves hands-on partner studies (partner graphics), where you can fell yourself letting go of habitual holding patterns.  Connecting your physicality with your imagination, you find an empowered self, much greater than the sum of its parts.

This subject builds on the basics of sound recording presented in The Lap Top Recording Studio . Aspects of sound recording including microphone use, mixing, ensemble/band and solo recording, acoustics, recording set up and editing will be examined. Advanced Recording Studio Techniques is delivered in a workshop environment and will practically illuminate the fundamental and advanced principals of mixing and recording engineering. The workshop provides the opportunity for problem solving through the completion of short assignments and group discussion of issues related to advanced studio recording. During the course students will be required to complete individual tasks and engage in whole group discussion.

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to improve postural support, movement and breathing in daily life and more specifically in functionality as artists in their professional practice as singers, musicians, dancers and actors. Whilst the core of the work will centre on continued development of the fundamental principles of Alexander technique that apply to all movement, students will be encouraged to consider unhelpful patterns of movement and tension that diminish their capacity in the practice of their work, and will at times be invited to bring their own practice-based challenges (eg playing music, dancing, improvising, playing an instrument, scene work) to class to be workshopped. The application of the principles to real-world practice will allow students to consider the benefits of improved functionality of their work as emerging artists. The practical work will be supported by reading materials that address the application of Alexander technique to arts’ practice.

This subject introduces the basics of making music for advertising including, the jingle, sound as persuasion, working to a brief and in a collective, the function of music in advertising and creating music for mass media and multimedia. Creating music for advertising is delivered in two parts: lecture and workshop. Lecture is taught in a large group format and will illuminate the fundamental principles of the use of music in advertising. Workshop is a practical class and provides the opportunity for problem solving through the completion of short assignments and group discussion of issues related to creating music for advertising. During the course students will be required to complete individual tasks and engage in whole group discussion.

Through a five day intensive, this subject investigates how design can be used to bring greater meaning, depth and emotion to stories told through the medium of film.

We consider how design works by looking at visual language, colour theory, composition and metaphor. The role of the Production Designer will be outlined and the motivating factors behind the decisions they make will be identified. Students will be introduced to the processes designers use to generate ideas and then develop them into detailed design concepts.

This subject will also focus on some of the ways in which these design concepts are realised. You will learn about the various roles within the Art Department as well as the nature of how a Production Designer collaborates with other key creative personnel, including the Director and Cinematographer.

This subject gives participants the opportunity for an in-depth practical study of musical improvisation techniques by introducing the participant to the marvellous and unique art of improvisation. This performance-based subject introduces the practice of musical improvisation for those musicians who have had little or no experience in the art of real time creative music-making. Open to any instrumental or voice performer, this ‘free play ensemble’ will open your journey to a new musical freedom.

Glee Singing offers the opportunity for singers and non-singers alike to share the joyous experience of singing as a shared community activity, whilst developing the ability to critically listen to, identify and apply vocal stylistic choices common in pop music. Weekly one-hour lectures will introduce concepts and skills such as basic anatomy and physiology for singing, safe voice usage, song structure and vocal style in pop performance. These principles will then be experienced and explored by students in a practical 90-minute weekly large ensemble singing class. Other lectures will explore issues in contemporary music writing and performance and situate the understanding of pop music within a cultural context. The semester’s work will conclude with a final performance of songs covered throughout the semester.

This subject focuses on the use of improvisation in acting and theatre making processes. The perception and manipulation of text, space and action will form the basis of this studio-based exploration of the art of acting. Areas covered will include experimental physical and vocal improvisation, writing, and composing material for performance. Students will learn to work spontaneously and to use this spontaneity in the theatrical context. The interface between acting skills and their use within other art forms will be explored.

The Oxford Dictionary defines the fourth wall as ‘the space which separates a performer…from an audience …a conceptual barrier between any fictional work and its readers or viewers’. In this subject we examine and explore the creation of theatre in which the performer engages in a more intimate relationship with the audience, perhaps through creating a sense of complicity with its audience, through direct address, through theatre moving into intimate physical spaces such as private lounge rooms or through combinations of a number of these elements. In this theatre we challenge the notions of what is real and what is representative. The audience is necessarily invited to take on a more active role than does the observer in fourth wall theatre: to be engaged with being within the performance. Lectures and presentations cover a range of works in areas that may be as diverse as cabaret, burlesque, children’s theatre, site-specific private performance and independent theatre and music theatre. Within practical workshops students will explore elements of performance-making such as space, materials, content and rationale. The major assessment task will give students the choice to critically review theatre within this context, to collaborate on the creation of a concept for an intimate theatre work or to perform a small excerpt of a work in progress. These may incorporate dance, spoken text, music, song, light, sound and physical materials or any combinations of these.

This subject will introduce students to the unique possibilities inherent in printmaking processes, with a technical focus on monotype, relief and intaglio techniques. Alongside this workshop focus, students will be introduced to the key historical moments in the evolution of printmaking through an introductory lecture, which encompasses the fundamental technological innovations that have impacted upon printmaking, as well as the major terms of reference that will allow students to engage with printmaking terminology within a workshop environment.

Students will also be introduced to the Prints and Drawings collection at the NGV, from which students will be required to write a 1000 word essay that engages with a specific print based work that has a direct influence on the portfolio that they are creating within the printmaking workshop. Students will also be exposed to a lecture from the Printmaking Technician that demonstrates more advanced technical processes and possibilities within the field of printmaking.

Within the workshop, students will be encouraged to explore their own work and utilise a selection of techniques by engaging with ideas of repetition, difference, and variation. This subject is designed to explore printmaking processes and technology as a vehicle for imaging ideas and image production, as well as to motivate and involve students in analytical thinking about visual perception. It also includes an induction into the Printmaking workshop, with an emphasis on Occupational Health & Safety.

This subject is an exploration of the works and influences of Stephen Sondheim, one of the most extraordinary composer/lyricists of music theatre, delivered through a weekly 2-hour large ensemble singing class and a one-hour lecture. Most popularly known as the lyricist of West Side Story, Sondheim’s work covers an astonishing range of subject matter, exhibiting song-writing craft that has challenged and ultimately contributed to the development of new forms of music theatre. The practical work, delivered in the supportive environment of singing within a large group, will explore the complexity and joy of Sondheim’s music whilst developing skills in safe voice usage and speech quality as a stylistic choice to privilege the lyric in song. Lectures will focus on the Sondheim’s early influences and the influence he has had on artists like Adam Guettel and Jason Robert Brown, as well as developing an understanding of the stylistic variation in both the form and content of Sondheim’s works. The subject will conclude with a short performance featuring a sample of the repertoire covered. No former singing or musical experience is necessary.

This subject is a practical and theoretical exploration of the development of the modern musical from its beginnings in opera and operetta through to the end of what is commonly termed ‘The Golden Age’. A weekly 2-hour large ensemble singing class will explore the music of the period, focusing on the stylistic traits of ‘legit’ singing in music theatre. A one-hour lecture will consider major shows of the period, analysing their cultural context and performance style and examine the emergence and development of the ‘book musical’ with its integration of libretto, song and dance. Other lectures will explore vocal pedagogy, safe voice usage and develop critical listening skills. The subject will conclude with a short performance featuring a sample of the repertoire covered. No former singing or musical experience is necessary.

This subject introduces students to the techniques and processes used in contemporary painting. Through project-based experimentation students are guided through a range of different painting techniques and their application in the production of aesthetically and materially developed artworks. This subject aims to create an informed and critical methodology for the use of contemporary painting technology as a vehicle for imaging ideas. It is also concerned with developing skills and a visual language through a range of painting media.

A puppet allows alternative modes of authorship not easily achieved with live actors. This subject will initially examine the history of puppetry as a story telling language including the methods of construction and operation of various styles of puppet. The outcome of allocated research topics will be used to formulate ideas for a specific puppet character. Students should then apply this research to the design/making process required to make a puppet. The emphasis will be on the animation of the inanimate through the discovery of a “soul”. The puppet must have a purpose for being “alive” a reason to exist, a world to occupy, and a history of experiences to define the character that emerges

Some materials will be provided as part of a materials levy ($50.00 per student) however students will also need to supply specific materials for the realisation of their individual designed puppet in addition to this fee. Costs will vary depending on materials selected.

This subject provides participants with an opportunity for an in-depth practical study of contemporary a cappella singing techniques. Classes focus on developing a personal sound and an understanding of the placement of the voice in an ensemble context, as well as the development of improvisation skills and techniques relevant to the repertoire covered. The styles range from contemporary gospel, r&b, soul, free form experimental and Afro-American chants as well as other related vocal styles.

This subject gives participants the opportunity for an in-depth practical study of drumming techniques in a large ensemble setting. This percussion based Samba Band will explore diverse rhythms and instruments that form part of Afro-Brazil musical culture as well as percussive material from other Latin American areas. Some of the styles include Carnival Batucada, Samba Reggae, Afro 6/8 and Bomba. Classes will cover techniques on a variety of percussion instruments and the role of the various instruments in the ensemble. The ensemble will rehearse and prepare material conducted and suitable for public performance or recording.

This subject introduces the basics of creating music for video games. Aspects of the function and crafting of music for game use including, sound and visual interactivity, indeterminacy and the music dramatic narrative will be examined. The Art of Game Music is delivered as a lecture and workshop in a large group format and will illuminate the fundamental principles of music for video games. It is also a practical class forum for the workshop of game music tasks and provides the opportunity for the individual development and showing of work and group discussion of issues related to game music. During the course students will be required to engage in whole group discussion and to present complete and ongoing sound for games.

This subject introduces the ‘nuts and bolts’ of Arts Management: a practical exploration into the key disciplines required to make a creative idea into a reality. It aims to ‘lift the veil’ of the industry to reveal the core systems common in the plans of implementation and to de mystify the process of producing an artistic project.

This subject introduces the basics of sound recording on a laptop computer. Aspects of sound recording including microphone use, recording set up, editing and production will be examined. The Laptop Recording Studio is delivered in two parts: lecture and workshop. Lecture is taught in a large group format and will illuminate the fundamental principles of laptop studio recording. Workshop is a practical class and provides the opportunity for problem solving through the completion of short assignments and group discussion of issues related to laptop studio recording. During the course students will be required to complete individual tasks and engage in whole group discussion.

Dancing the Dance 2 provides students, who have been introduced to dance fundamentals in Dancing the Dance 1, further insight into the practicalities of professional dance production. The subject will advance the study of Dancing the Dance 1, in areas such as dance techniques, movement design, choreography, rehearsal and presentation techniques including the realisation of dance performance ideas with lighting and sound design. The subject will conclude with a performance presentation of the work developed throughout the intensive.

This practice-based drawing subject focuses on developing skills and techniques in figurative drawing. It is designed for students who have little or no experience in visual art making. Students will be introduced to specialist figurative drawing techniques through working from both life models and from anatomical specimens within the Harry Brookes Allen Museum of Anatomy and Pathology in the Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience. Lectures and writing tasks that explore the human figure in historic and contemporary visual art will complement the drawing program. By the end of the subject, students should have developed a comprehensive folio of exercises and finished works exploring the body in both its living and preserved states, and highlighting the ways in which artistic practice can be used to examine these conditions.

This subject brings together a vast range of different arts practices to give an holistic view of Indigenous arts and their role in facilitating voice and its use as a tool for social change. Presented over 12 weeks, students will be given access to a broad range of Indigenous guest lecturers who will present upon seminal works from their oeuvre and discuss their impact on mainstream Australia. Students will also examine the role of art as a tool for resistance and self-actualisation within Indigenous communities, studying the effects of cultural reclamation and artistic practice on the mental and spiritual wellbeing of a people.

From illegally spray-painted stencils to secret exhibitions in abandoned warehouses to exclusive multi-million dollar art fairs, this subject explores the rise of street art in the contemporary city.

The subject examines the diversity of artists, materials and political impulses that drive street art and graffiti and its shift from an illicit subculture to a mainstream practice. Using examples from Melbourne and other key cities such as New York, Rome and Berlin, the subject investigates how the meaning and impact of street art derive from spatial and social contexts and how street art can provide new ways of understanding a city, as well as broader debates about art, public space and urban development.

Students undertaking this subject will develop skills in identifying, mapping and designing street art in Melbourne’s laneways.

This subject introduces the business practices of the music industry. Aspects of copyright, marketing, law, management, contracts, sales, distribution, ownership, and merchandising will be examined in relation to areas such as touring, recording deals, digital streaming, live performance, music placement in film, TV, sport and advertising, video clips and video games. This subject is delivered as a lecture featuring high-level music industry guests illuminating the fundamentals of the music industry. Each lecture will be assessed by weekly on-line quizzes and students will select one topic for specialisation for the final assignment.

In this subject each student will make a film using the “under camera animation” technique. This animation technique involves the creation of an animation through frame-by-frame imagery, photographing each frame with a stills camera and then combining these photographs into an animated film. The potential processes and materials that can be used to create these animations are broad, and may include drawing, erasure, paper cut-outs, found objects, clay, sand, or paint.

Over the course of the subject students will be introduced to various techniques, materials and skills to create under camera animations. The craft and structure of animation will be considered, as will contemporary and historical under camera techniques, films and film-makers. Students will then apply these understandings and skills in order to develop and create their own “under camera” animated film.

This practice-based drawing subject focuses on developing skills and techniques in botanical drawing, using drawing and watercolour media. Students will be introduced to specialist botanical drawing techniques, working from both live plants and botanical specimens from the University Cultural Collections (including the University of Melbourne Herbarium (MELU) and the University of Melbourne System Garden). Lectures and writing tasks that explore the botanical in historic and contemporary visual art will complement the drawing program. By the end of the subject, students should have developed a comprehensive folio of exercises and finished works exploring the botanical in both its living and preserved states, highlighting how artistic practice can be used as a space for exploration and discovery.

Though this subject is designed for students who have little or no drawing experience, it will also suit students who have previously undertaken a visual art Breadth subject or similar.

This subject will introduce students to the unique possibilities inherent in printmaking techniques, with a technical focus on screenprinting processes. As well as focusing on the development and application of screenprinting skills and techniques, students will be introduced to historical and contemporary contexts for screenprinting practice.

Within the workshop, students will be encouraged to explore their own work and utilise a selection of techniques by engaging with ideas of repetition, difference, and variation. This subject is designed to explore fundamental screenprinting processes as a vehicle for imaging ideas and for image production, as well as to motivate and involve students in analytical thinking about visual perception. It also includes an induction into the Screenprinting workshop, with an emphasis on Occupational Health & Safety.

Though this subject is designed for students who have little or no previous screenprinting experience, it will also suit students who have previously undertaken a visual art Breadth subject or similar.

Based in Skinner Releasing Technique supported with fundamental anatomical and neuromuscular patterning information Body Works uses imagery and hands on tactile studies to foster a deeper kinaesthetic experience of movement. Students are guided through an embodiment process toward physical balance and creativity.  Suitable for beginners and experienced movers, Skinner Releasing Technique can be beneficial to professional dancers, actors, musicians, artists of all kinds and all people interested in moving with ease. It can enhance any movement style and any activity. Classes include imagery as a powerful tool for transformation. Part of the class involves hands-on partner studies (partner graphics), where you can fell yourself letting go of habitual holding patterns.  Connecting your physicality with your imagination, you find an empowered self, much greater than the sum of its parts.

Indian commercial cinema, affectionately if ignorantly called 'Bollywood' by the West, typically produces extraordinary spectacles of colour, music and dance, whether telling stories of comedy or drama. This subject explores Bollywood film and dance through a blended learning model, with contact hours comprising viewing of films and online lectures with embodied learning through practical rehearsal and performance of Bollywood style dance pieces. Lectures will analyse the ‘rasas’ (or rules) that guide the storytelling in film, and their basis on nine key emotional states. Students will combine this critical understanding with their experience of learning Bollywood dance to undertake a practical creative task. Film screenings will be provided in a cinema and students are strongly advised to attend these to experience them as a community, as is traditional, though they may choose to view them in their own time. The subject objectives are two-fold: to learn about the world’s largest film industry, ‘Bollywood’, through an in-depth study of some of its outstanding examples and to explore and understand the efficacy and inter-relatedness of different ways of learning (critical/analytical, creative practice, embodied knowledge and critical self-reflection).

This subject is an intensive introduction to art of screen acting that focuses on the processes actors use for creating effective performances for camera. A series of practical exercises are introduced that allow participants to focus on creating effective on-screen performances. Students experiment with concept of ‘intention’ through prescribed and self-selected scenes. Practical insight into dealing with the pressure of the camera’s gaze and learning to work objectively with one’s self image is given. Classes and exercises will also focus on the analysis of classic scenes from theatre, film and television. This subject will be of interest to aspiring actors, directors, cinematographers, writers and artists wishing to gain a practical understanding of the relationship between the living body and its performance for camera.

#Cyberstar is the subject that guides the student to create, host, and promote the student’s artistic practice online. In #Cyberstar the student aims to build a complete online portfolio. The subject covers contemporary web design techniques, engages with design to build context around the work, covers methods for integrating social media into online portfolios, and explores techniques for preparing and presenting physical or performative work in an online environment. By the end of the intensive the student should have a complete, live, online portfolio and the skills to begin their web presence.

This subject examines music production and the role of the music producer. It surveys the development of music production from early multi-track techniques to contemporary use of beats, loops and samples. Aspects of the function and crafting of sound elements will be examined in the context of enhancing or changing the intent of an existing song or piece of music. The subject is delivered in large group seminar format and will illuminate the fundamental principles of music production. It also provides the opportunity for group discussion of issues related to music production.

What is a “mask”?

Students will endeavour to answer this question by exploring the history, cultural and performative function of mask in a wide variety of social contexts. This research will be supplemented with practical studio sessions in mask design and making, processes and materials. Students will then articulate this learning by designing and making a “mask” for a defined social or performative purpose.

Some materials will be provided as part of a materials levy ($50.00 per student) however students will also need to supply specific materials for the realisation of their individual designed mask in addition to this fee. Costs will vary depending on materials selected.

In 1968 the first rock major musical Hair caused a sensation and spawned a new genre. A weekly 2-hour large ensemble singing class will explore the music of significant contemporary rock musicals, using music from a handful of the genre’s best examples to develop the capacity to identify and experience in practice the stylistic traits of contemporary voice. A one-hour lecture will consider major shows of contemporary music theatre, from mega-musicals like Les Miserables and The Lion King, to juke-box musicals like Jersey Boys and Hairspray and off-Broadway hits like Rent and Next to Normal, analysing their cultural context and performance style. Consideration will be given to the changing form of music theatre over its history and potential developments into the future. Other lectures will explore vocal pedagogy, safe voice usage and develop critical listening skills. The subject will conclude with a short performance featuring a sample of the repertoire covered. No former singing or musical experience is necessary.