Factual entertainment - one of the most widely consumed formats of television, film, podcast and other media - delivers non-fiction or unscripted scenarios in accessible, popular forms. This module critically analyses the format and provides you with an opportunity to plan and produce an exemplary creative work. The module also provides an overview of the genre’s development and its links to documentary filmmaking through several case studies. Each week’s topic will focus either on an aspect of production or in-depth discussion of a specific sub-genre of factual entertainment, which may include true-crime, reality TV, talent shows, lifestyle series or science and nature documentaries. The module furthermore aims to enhance your ability to critically reflect on debates over ethics, objectivity, the media maker’s role and/or audience manipulation. Through exercises and presentation of ideas, you will engage with key practical considerations of making factual entertainment, which may include proposal-writing and pitching, using found/archival footage, collaborating with production companies, and analysing the implications (e.g. political, ethical) of their production decisions. By the end of the module you will understand the role factual entertainment plays in the media landscape and critically reflect on your own creative practice within this context.
Lecture: 8 hours
Workshop: 16 hours
Screening (student work-in-progress): 8 hours
Independent Study 118 hours
Assessment Preparation 50 hours
Main Assessment Methods:
Portfolio.
Assessment Details: Proposal + Production Documents. Worth 30%.
Critical Reflection: 1000 Words Project.
Assessment Details: Video (pitch tape (Video: 10-15 minutes) + Logbook + Individual Critical Reflection. Worth 70%. This Assessment is Pass Compulsory.
Reassessment Method:
Like-for-like
The University is committed to ensuring that core reading materials are in accessible electronic format in line with the Kent Inclusive Practices. The most up to date reading list for each module can be found on the university's reading list pages. https://kent.rl.talis.com/index.html
On successfully completing the module, students will be able to:
1. Critically evaluate factual entertainment as a format as well as constitutive forms of its subgenres such as true crime, reality TV, lifestyle programmes or nature documentaries.
2. Appraise and analyse the specific ethical and political aspects of producing factual entertainment.
3. Deploy their systematic understanding of factual entertainment creatively and with self-reflection in producing their own exemplar work.
4. Develop industry-relevant skills, e.g. in pitching and proposal-writing.
5. Use technology (e.g. camera, audio recording, editing and/or word-processing) appropriately to the task.
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