The course will focus on narrative structure in film and television through close analysis and practical application of screenwriting structures. It will allow students to pay close attention to narrative form in the screenplay and its resultant audiovisual form and enable students to apply their knowledge of narrative structures and conventions by writing their own screenplay.
MA1802: Course Overview
TERM 2
In the second term, you will journey into the realm of 3D game development using Unity and C#. Over the course of 11 weeks, you will delve into various aspects of game design and programming, refining your skills to create a fully playable 3D game application. The module is carefully structured to provide a comprehensive understanding of Unity's interface and tools, mastery of C# programming for scripting, and the ability to design engaging gameplay mechanics within a 3D environment.
Learning Objectives
- Gain a comprehensive understanding of Unity's interface and tools.
- Understand the basics of C# programming for scripting in-game functionalities.
- Design and implement engaging gameplay mechanics in a 3D environment.
- Utilise physics systems to create realistic and dynamic interactions.
- Integrate audio elements to enhance player immersion and atmosphere.
- Build and deploy a fully playable 3D game application.
- Document and submit your game development process.
Assignment
Acceptance Criteria
- The project must consist of a single scene representing either an escape room or a walking simulator.
- The idea for the final project must be discussed with and approved by the tutor.
- Ensure that the visual elements of the game align with the intended idea and atmosphere of the ideated concept.
- Construct the 3D environment utilising assets from the Unity Store.
- Implement a first-person controller that is responsive and intuitive, controlled by a keyboard.
- Introduce a minimum of two interactive elements within the game, such as switches, movable objects, or unlockable doors.
- Include a minimum of two C# scripts (with comments) to enhance the technical aspects of the project.
- Build the application specifically for the Windows platform.
- Prepare a brief, simplified Game Design Document, including: game overview (synopsis, concept, genre, target audience, platform), design choices (visuals, sound, level design), gameplay (objectives, mechanics, features), and sreenshots.
Grading Requirements
Technical Acceptance Criteria: 50%
- The project meets all the acceptance criteria listed above.
Deployment: 15%
- The application successfully builds as a standalone application for Windows.
- The Unity project loads with no critical errors.
- The submission includes the game documentation.
- First-person controls are intuitive and responsive.
- Scene aesthetics align with the chosen genre and maintain visual coherence.
- Interaction with objects works and feels intuitive.
- The Unity project demonstrates a logical structure and good organisation.
- C# scripts are well-structured and include comments explaining the code.
- The documentation encompasses all necessary information, and provides a screenshots and clear overview of the project.
Course Overview
3D Digital Art is a core module for first year students on (Ba) Video Games Art and Design. Its remit is to introduce students to the concept of 3D modelling for games and the creative industries and to develop these skills from simple asset creation into 3D environment design.
Term 1
You will begin this module learning the basic premises and concepts of 3D modelling, examining how polygonal forms are constructed, shaped and edited to create complex, game ready meshes. You will learn how to unwrap your meshes and create detailed and photorealistic textures in Substance Painter which is the absolute industry standard texturing package. Your first assessment point at the end of term 1 will see you produce a number of large and small asstts for your race track level which dovetails with MA1802. you will need to submit 2 large, 2 medium and 2 small assets for assessment.
Term 2
Here you will learn how to create a 3D environment to be utilised in your Escape Room project, as with term 1 you will need to submit 2 large, 2 medium and 2 small assets for assessment. You will be learning about the process of creating and utilising multiple assets and UVW maps in combination and compiling them in the 3DS Max environment.
Provisional Teaching Structure
3-hour demonstration and Lab workshop (Term 1)
3-hour demonstration and Lab workshop (Term 2)
Most sessions will end with a piece of formative assessment set for students to complete and show at the beginning of the next week’s session. This will not only introduce the College's expectation of continual assessment and achievement but also mirrors industry practice where group critique and feedback sessions are the norm.
Learning Outcomes
1 Understand the core principles of 3D digital art and apply these in practical led projects
2) Demonstrate an ability to work with industry standard software and proceedures to create assets to join a pipeline.
3) Respond to assignment briefs creatively and prepare materials for pre-production
4) Work independently, making effective use of a range of learning resources and demonstrating efficient time management
5) Demonstrate an ability to assess your own practice and partake in group critique sessions
6) Present ideas in oral, written and visual form.
SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT 1: 3D assets created for Unity Racing Car environment
WEIGHTING: 45%
SUBMISSION: Upload to Editshare server or other arranged means by Thursday 10th of December by 12pm
RETURN: You will receive feedback on Moodle by 4 study weeks after submission
SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT 2: Oral Pitch
WEIGHTING: 10%
LENGTH: 10 minutes or equivalent
SUBMISSION: Delivered orally in class or through agreed means on the 26th of January.
RETURN: You will receive feedback immediately and a grade by 4 study weeks of submission.
SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT 3: 3D Assets for escape room project
WEIGHTING: 45%
SUBMISSION: Upload to Editshare server or other arranged means by Thursday 26th of March by 12pm,.
RETURN: You will receive feedback on Moodle by 4 study weeks after submission
Classes will usually be a combination of screenings, discussions, demonstrations and practical learning. We will mainly be working with software such as After Effects and Photoshop but there will be some camera based shooting such as for visual effects plates or to generally gather assets.
Animation and visual effects are both creatively demanding and very hard work but can also be extremely rewarding. They occupy a unique position between traditional artforms and the technical systems of media production and have always been a site of intense innovation and experimentation. So practice hard, learn everything you can and remember to have fun!
1. to understand the main issues in contemporary documentary;
2. to explore how particular filmmakers have addressed these issues in their practice;
3. to understand how we, as contemporary viewers, relate these ideas to our own viewing experience;
4. to explore, as far as possible, the diversity of possible responses to documentary films.
The ideas which are examined fall into three related groups. The first is that of the development of documentary:
*What is documentary?
*How have the ideals of documentary changed over its history?
*What has been the role of technology in the development of documentary?
The second is that of the filming process:
*What are the limits of what can be filmed?
*What happens when people know they are being filmed?
*What kinds of performance are acceptable and even necessary?
*Can truthfulness ever be established?
The third is that of our own experience and expectations as audiences:
*What kinds of construction or even manipulation do we want in order to make factual footage comprehensible?
*Can we cope with ambiguities?
*What do we want from photographs, moving images and recorded sounds?
*What happens when we see and hear exceptional or traumatic events through documentary?