Bachelor of Arts Honours in Motion Picture Medium

To equip graduates with all the necessary theoretical and practical skills for sustainable and profitable careers in the motion picture industry immediately upon graduation.

Rationale

This degree is designed to offer the graduate a sustainable and profitable career in a discipline of his or her choice in the motion picture entertainment industry and to refine the skills acquired in an undergraduate programme to high levels of professional competency. The outcomes-based structure of the programme ensures graduates who command both theoretical and practical expertise in their areas of specialisation.

Primary, secondary schooling and tertiary qualification at Level 6 (3 years full-time - 360 credits), with high competencies in Motion Picture Medium discipline outcomes.

It must be noted here that graduates of traditional academic programs wishing to enrol for the AFDA Honours program are required to demonstrate comprehensively their capacity to meet AFDA`s Honours level demand with regard to skills base and production outcome potential. Graduates from other institutions must understand that the AFDA Honours program assumes command of at least the levels of skills competency typical of an AFDA graduate from the Bachelor of Motion Picture Medium degree program. Experience has shown that learners from traditional academic undergraduate programs experience some difficulty in keeping up with the pace and outcome expectations of the AFDA Honours program.

To give a point of reference: production outcomes generated by learners on this program are regularly purchased by M-Net, KykNet and the SABC for professional broadcast. Learners on this program also manufacture professional product for various paying clients. Furthermore, productions originating from this program are screened at various international film festivals around the globe, which countries in the past have included Germany, Italy, France, Holland, England, Australia, Zimbabwe, Cote d`Ivoire, Spain, USA, Czechoslovakia, Finland, United Arab Enirates, Scotland and Belgium, and have won many awards in student and professional categories in South Africa and abroad.

Recognition of prior learning

In keeping with parameters laid down by government legislation, processes are in place for the acknowledgement of previously acquired competency equivalents in terms of course components.

N/A

Mid year evaluation requirements: The learner will be required to complete two seventy five page major discipline treatments for two proposed productions and pass the appropriate competence tests. The learner will also be required to complete all other discipline tasks that have been requested by the lecturer for hand in or presentation with the written discipline treatments for project final pre production. The learner is required to complete all other project work that has been assigned for final presentation by the discipline lecturer.

Summary of Mid year evaluation work

• Two screen plays or narrative synopsis for a short film production or a commercial/ documentary/music video or two stage plays.
• Two seventy five page major discipline treatment with HVI file reference documents attached.
• Camera tests and all technical pre production requirements and preparation work for both productions.
• Screen tests and rehearsal performances recorded on tape for both productions.
• The pre production presentation of one film project to be recorded on 35mm/super 16mm film.

End of year evaluation requirements: The learner will be required to complete two film productions and all major discipline treatment work that is outstanding and pass the appropriate competence tests. The learner will also be required to complete all other discipline tasks that have been requested by the lecturer for hand in or presentation with the written discipline treatments for project final pre production. The learner is required to complete all other production work that has been assigned for final presentation by the discipline lecturer.

Summary of End of year evaluation requirements

• The completion of two short film screen plays.
• The completion of two seventy five page major discipline treatments with HVI file reference documents attached for both proposed productions.
• The pre production presentation of one film project to be recorded on 35mm/super 16mm film.
• The production of two film productions for public release and audience response. Shooting schedule to be determined by budget.
• The first cut and final presentation of two film projects for paying public and audience response evaluation.

Exit is after final completion of the year.

Integrated assessment

It is important to note that AFDA`s final exit evaluations take cogniscance of the important fact that graduates of this program have the final outcome objective of originating entertainment products that will engage the public, thus fulfilling AFDA`s ultimate objective which is to produce graduates capable of sustained and profitable careers in a discipline and medium of their choice in the entertainment industry. The composition of final assessment systems reflects this fact.

Final evaluation requires successful completion of two evaluation phases

1. Submission of major discipline thesis research treatments pertaining to proposed project outcomes (minimum 15 000 words);
2. Generation of the project outcomes as researched and proposed in the discipline thesis, and presentation of the project outcome to the internal and external panels, described hereafter.

Final evaluation for exit from this program after three years is effected through a final Value Added Learning Audit (VALA), executed by two formal panels - The Internal Quality Assurance Panel and the Public Panel - and one informal panel - the Professional Panel. The two formal panels have direct input on the final grade awarded to the learner, while the Professional Panel offer moderating input to the Internal Quality Assurance Panel.

The Internal Quality Assurance Panel - referred to at AFDA as the Value Added Learning Audit Panel. Criteria for appointment to the VALA Panel are:

• A Master of Arts Degree or higher;
• Permanent retention or appointment by AFDA;
• In-depth understanding of the AFDA curriculum and pedagogic strategies.

The Public Panel - is constituted from a broad random sample drawn from the audience who attend the final evaluation presentations. After viewing the product offered for evaluation, members of the public panel complete an evaluation questionaire, evaluation criteria of which have a direct correlation with Core Course skills blocks inputted over the three years duration of the program, thus insuring that not only the student, but the program itself, answers to the public, the engagement of whom is by logical extension the ultimate focus of the student outcomes.

Graduates are evaluated in terms of their individual discipline contribution to a project outcome, as well as the overall production quality of the project, which grades are blended on a weighted average basis.