Professional Practice

Learning Outcomes

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• comment on the agenda and priorities of professional practitioners.
• design and critique a digital text and review the quality of the finished product, whether this is your own work, that of your peer group, or of a professional practitioner.
• locate, synthesise, evaluate and organise evidence as part of the process of addressing issues within film studies.
• demonstrate an ability to work with appropriate professional processes.

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• work independently to fulfil a specific brief.
• match a digital artefact to its target audience.
• manage an independent research project effectively.
• reflect on your own capabilities in the context of independent learning and professional development.

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• the contexts in which selected digital artefacts function.
• the processes involved in the production, distribution, exhibition, reception, and consumption of selected types of digital output.
• the sources of information and contexts relevant to your target audience.
• how to apply the skills and techniques studied during your degree to the benefit of industry and society.

Subject Specific Practical Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• advise on some of the technical aspects of digital media production and editing, and be able to offer a critical review of professionally- produced materials.

In this module, you will learn how professional processes work in response to a brief to produce a digital artefact. In addition to practical skills, such as learning to use editing software, you will typically engage with the areas of content planning and creation: market and user research, audience awareness, tone of voice, future planning, onboarding, content workflow and budgeting, as relevant. In addition to the digital artefact brief, you will be asked to consider other forms of (trans)media, such as social and sponsored content, and their relevance, to the wider voice and tone of the piece you wish to create. In working on the artefact, you will learn how to think strategically, plan content, test and select the appropriate distribution and marketing channels for maximum impact. Finally, the practical creation elements of this module will enable you to develop your skills, typically in areas such as blogging, vlogging, or social content production for example, to develop your understanding of how these forms of content work.

Teaching and learning methods

During this module you will produce a digital artefact that is appropriate to your subject and sensitive to the tone of your target audience. For some students that may mean more time spent researching and writing copy, for others work may be primarily in experimenting with digital video or audio work. You may wish to create collaborations with other students to create a rich and rewarding experience for the user when they are engaging with their digital artefact.

You will receive instruction on a variety of available audio and video production equipment in order to help you understand and explore in-class project based learning briefs which form the assessments.You will spend time working in collaborative project led experiences, working towards producing content and experimenting with processes and tools These will also form the basis of the accompanying portfolio presentation which will document the learning journey that you have taken and reflect on your own experiences and practice.

All study will be fully supported through group and/or individual tutorials and occasional tutor-led presentations where necessary. You will present your work to your lecturers and fellow students in order to share best practice, ideas, working processes and knowledge. You will experience critique and feedback during structured, self- and peer-reflection sessions.

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

Simon Lindgren (2017). Digital Media and Society. London: SAGE.

Rob Wallace et al. (2020). Smartphone Smart Marketing: A layman’s guide to content marketing, social media strategy, photography, video production, audio and live streaming. London: Rob Wallace Media.

Robert McKee and Thomas Gerace (2018). Storynomics: Story-Driven Marketing in the Post-Advertising World . NY: Grand Central.

Annmarie Hanlon (2019). Digital Marketing: Strategic Planning & Integration, . London: SAGE.

Assessment strategy

In this module you will create, develop and then produce a digital artefact which has a distinct target audience, together with an accompanying portfolio presentation demonstrating the development of the piece. This will assist you in gaining an understanding of how to use data and tools to identify audiences and shape content that appeals to target groups.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal