THE ART OF VISUAL STORY TELLING - 2025/6

Module Overview

Behind every great advertisement, computer game, film, television programme, web episode, is a great story. As humans, we love stories – listening, reading, telling – we absorb them every day to learn about ourselves and to understand the world around us. What makes visual media so compelling is its ability to communicate this efficiently and effectively - sometimes one camera shot is all you need.

During this module, you will explore storytelling and how to create enjoyable stories. You will discuss how this can be visually expressed using filmmaking grammar and basic film/television terminology. You shall develop visual communications tools and learn how they can be used to help create a great story. This module will give you a strong foundation in visual narratives and will underpin many creative projects you undertake during your degree and in professional media work.

Work in these pre-production areas time, money and resources when preparing for the final production so this module develops skills that benefit the climate and the budget.

 

Module provider

Music & Media

Module Leader

PRATT Susan (Music & Med)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 4

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 1

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

Indicative content includes:

• Introduction to screenwriting and story structure for moving image media


• Characters and archetypes


• awareness of culture in dialogue and narrative


• Visual narrative


• Genres – creating moods with lighting, colour, music, locations, tempo/pacing etc.


• Camera shots/angles/lenses


• Frame composition


• Storyboards and animatics


• Intro to editing and postproduction using Non Linear Editing software and other tools

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to give students the opportunity to show their understanding of moving image narrative, character development, plot and structure and dialogue are formed in professional screen play writing software.  Also  how camera composition,  movement, effects, lighting, sound, character movement and pace have on the overall tone and mood of a filmed sequence. The initial coursework will cumulatively build the student’s experience and knowledge, applying lessons learnt in each iteration. The final piece of coursework will develop these skills further in the form of an edited and timed animatic.

 

The assessment for this module consists of:

• Coursework  – Screen Play (addresses Learning Outcomes 1,2 and 5)


• Coursework  – storyboard  (addresses Learning Outcomes 1,2,3,4 and 5)


• Coursework- Animatic  (addresses Learning Outcomes 1,2,3, 4 and 5)

• The module includes class assignments covering the production skills required for each of the briefs.


• Continuous formative assessment is given through timetabled group critiques and individual tutorials. Work-in-progress presented will be given direct feedback regarding its quality and standard at these times.

Module aims

• To provide students with a framework for developing an idea into a short narrative scene.
• To develop the students understanding issues that arise out of the creation of fictional scenarios characters and cultures.
• Strengthen students' skills to produce a narrative framework.
• Introduce students to camera language and terms; their use and narrative meaning.
• Provide students with pre-production techniques to visualise the final media structure.
• Introduce students to the concept of tempo, continuity grammar and pace in a production
• To develop the students skill in organisation and time management.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The teaching is designed to give students the opportunity to learn about moving image narrative theory and visualisation initially in a lecture environment and then putting your learning into practice in the workshops.  Students will be expected to work on class projects in their own time and bring their ideas and work to the workshops for feedback.    This will help to develop the skills required for the assessments the art of storytelling and visualising your productions.

The learning and teaching methods include:

• Lectures


• Hands-on instruction 


• Workshops


• Critiques and individual tutorials


• Class assignments

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: DMA1009

Other information

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2025/6 academic year.