Film Audiences
| Module title | Film Audiences |
|---|---|
| Module code | EAF3521 |
| Academic year | 2024/5 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff | Dr Matt Jones (Convenor) Professor Danielle Hipkins (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 30 |
|---|
Module description
Watching a film is about more than just the film itself. It is about the people we watch with, the tastes and smells of the snacks we prepare or purchase, the sharing of an experience in the dark, and the discussions all this provokes afterwards. On this module you will learn to understand these experiences, working with real audiences in a project-based mode. You will collect qualitative data about their activities and responses using professional-standard tools that you will learn to devise for yourself. You will then analyse and interpret this data. No prior knowledge or experience is required.
Module aims - intentions of the module
The central aim of this module is to provide you with the tools and knowledge necessary to understand the experience of film audiences. This means that we will explore two key areas: methods of collecting rich, qualitative data about film audiences, and the means of interpreting that data. You will then deploy these skills and abilities in a project-based, inquiry-led environment, choosing between two audience research project outlines and then conducting the research required with your peers. In this sense, the module seeks to give you ‘hands-on’ experience of audience research of the type undertaken routinely in academia and the media industries. As such, you will learn real-world skills and processes that will make a meaningful contribution to your employability.
You will work with the two module convenors, each of whom is an active audience researcher currently professionally engaged in the type of work you will be completing within your project. You will consequently be working at the cutting-edge of the field, delivering audience research that is shaped by the latest knowledge in the field.
You will receive specific training in ethnographic research methods, including questionnaire design and delivery, interview technique, and focus group management. You will also be trained in ethical research conduct, enabling you to deploy the skills you gain in an environment that minimises risks and maximises the viability and usefulness of the data you collect. The module will also cover theoretical approaches to audiences, enabling you to interpret and frame the data you collect through the latest developments in thinking about the audiences you study.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Design professional-standard audience research tools
- 2. Collect meaningful qualitative data from film audiences
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. Demonstrate a thorough understanding of audience theory and scholarly audience research
- 4. Construct evidence-based arguments about the nature and character of film audience experiences
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. Summarise complex data in a comprehensible manner
- 6. Analyse complex data in detail
- 7. Design a research project involving human participants that satisfies standard ethical thresholds
Syllabus plan
The content may vary from year to year as it will be shaped by the project outlines are available to students at the time they take the module. However, in addition to project-specific content, it is expected that the module will cover:
- Oral history;
- Questionnaire design and delivery;
- Interview and focus group practice;
- Audience research ethics;
- Audiences research project design and delivery;
- Qualitative data analysis;
- Histories and theories of film audiences;
- New forms of audience engagement and the new media.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 39 | 261 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 11 | Weekly 1-hour seminars |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 11 | Weekly 1-hour skills-based workshops |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 11 | Weekly 1-hour lectures |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 6 | Two film screenings across the term |
| Guided Independent Study | 101 | Reading and research |
| Guided Independent Study | 100 | Data collection and analysis |
| Guided Independent Study | 60 | Assessment preparation |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group presentation | 10 minutes | 1-3, 7 | Written |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Participation | 10 | 11 weeks of seminar, workshop and formative assessment participation and engagement | 1-7 | Oral |
| Coursework - Ethics application and critical commentary | 30 | 2,000 words | 7 | Written |
| Coursework - Portfolio | 60 | 4,000 words or equivalent where non-text materials are included | 1-6 | Written |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Participation | Repeat Study/Mitigation | n/a | |
| Coursework - Ethics application | Coursework - Ethics application | 7 | Referral/Deferral period |
| Coursework - Portfolio | Portfolio | 1-6 | Referral/Deferral period |
Re-assessment notes
The participation mark will reflect the contribution made by the student across the 11 weeks of seminars and workshops, as well as their contribution to their group’s formative assessment. As such, there is no viable re-assessment. However, due to the low percentage of the module outcome allocated to the participation mark (10%) students will be able to pass the module, and do well, even with a low mark in this area.
Deferral – If you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.
Referral – If you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.
The format of the assessments will not change for re-assessments. Students will complete the same assignment briefs, with the ethics application constituting 30% of the module and the portfolio comprising the remaining 60%.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Abrams, Lynn, Oral History Theory, London: Routledge, 2010.
Barber, Sian, ‘Ballymena, Bangor and Belfast: Hyper-Localism, Regional Decision-Making and Local Film Censorship in Northern Ireland’, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, 41 (4), 819-837.
Hipkins Danielle , Daniella Treveri Gennari, Catherine O'Rawe, Silvia Dibeltulo, Sarah Culhane, Italian Cinema Audiences: Histories and Memories of Cinema-going in Post-war Italy, London: Bloomsbury, 2020.
Jones, Matthew, ‘Living Cinema Memories: Restaging the Past at the Pictures’, in Sarah Atkinson and Helen Kennedy (eds.), Live Cinema: Cultures, Economies, Aesthetics, London: Bloomsbury, 2017.
Kuhn, Annette, An Everyday Magic: Cinema and Cultural Memory, London: I.B. Tauris, 2002.
Maltby, Richard, ‘On the Prospect of Writing Cinema History from Below ’, Tijdschrift voor Mediageschiedenis, 9 (2), 2006, 74–96.
Stacey, Jackie, Star Gazing: Hollywood Cinema and Female Spectatorship, London: Routledge, 1994.
Stokes, Melvyn, Matthew Jones and Emma Pett, A People’s History of Cinema-going in 1960s Britain, London and New York: BFI/Bloomsbury, 2022.
Thissen, Judith and Clemens Zimmerman (eds.), Cinema Beyond the City: Small-Town and Rural Film Culture in Europe, London: BFI, 2016.
Treveri Gennari, Daniela et. al, ‘ Analysing Memories through Video-Interviews: A Case Study of Post-War Italian Cinema-Going ’, in D. Biltereyst , R. Maltby and P. Meers (eds), The Routledge Companion to New Cinema History , pp. 344–54 , London: Routledge, 2019.
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
- ELE – Faculty to provide hyperlink to appropriate pages
- Access to Nvivo, a digital analytical software for qualitative data
| Credit value | 30 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 6 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 20/01/23 |
| Last revision date | 20/01/23 |
