Assessment component

One 5,000 word research-based essay or portfolio.

Please note, I will not be circulating essay titles for this module, but rather holding individual tutorials with each of you to discuss the research topic you wish to work on and agreeing the essay title, in writing, before the end of the Spring term (there will be dedicated tutorial times for this in Weeks 9 and 10, though you are welcome to come and see me about this at any point from the start of term onwards). This enables you to follow your own research interests raised by the work we have done together and drawing on the critical literature we have read together. It can be a bit daunting to come up with your own title so start thinking about this and discussing it with me and with other students on the module as soon as you can – don’t leave until the last minute. You may write on films or programmes we have watched together in class or you may wish to develop your own research project that moves out from our class work. This is a research-based essay that should demonstrate extensive reading and viewing as well as a careful engagement with the critical issues we have explored together.

I can also supply you with a question on a particular week’s work, if you don’t wish to write your own essay question. If you want to me to do this, you will need to email me before the end of Week 9 in the Spring Term.

Good essays will have the following features:

• A logical structure with a proper introduction and conclusion
• A sense of purpose and argument and careful attention to the question at hand throughout
• Evidence of in-depth engagement with the relevant critical literature (excellent work with show extensive reading/research)
• Clear and accurate exposition of all key theoretical/critical terms.
• An in-depth understanding of the genre/s or sub-genre/s you are engaging with,
• Detailed textual analysis of your chosen programme/s or film/s
• An understanding of how these works are situated within their particular socio-historical and/or industrial context
• A clear sense of how your examples relate to each other and the critical literature at hand
• Careful referencing and a full, complete bibliography and filmography/teleography

Marking criteria can be found here for 3rd years:
https://moodle.warwick.ac.uk/mod/book/view.php?id=739990&chapterid=92684

The other option is:

One 5,000 word film festival portfolio (this assignment has two parts):

Firstly, critically reflect on the programming of TWO horror film festivals, establishing the distinguishing features of each. As well as drawing on reports and reviews of each festival from Sight& Sound and other publications, and the catalogues and online archives of the festivals themselves, your reflection should engage with the critical literature on the film festival more broadly (see your reading list from week 5) to assess the programming strategies and ‘purpose’ of each festival. [ca. 3,000 words]

Festivals you could look at include UK festivals Film4 Fright Fest (London), Abertoir (Aberystwyth), Grimmfest (Manchester), Bram Stoker International Film Festival (Whitby), Celluloid Screams (Sheffield), as well as a wide array of festivals from further afield, such as the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival, Scream Fest (Los Angeles), Bucheon International Film Festival (Bucheon City, South Korea) and others (there is a fairly comprehensive list of key festivals here: http://www.raindance.org/essential-horror-and-fantasy-film-festivals/).

Secondly, create a programme, consisting of a minimum of SIX films, for either an extant horror film festival or a new horror/Gothic film festival. You do not have to focus on new films and can draw on your knowledge of film/television history to programme a retrospective if you wish. Your programme should be given a critical introduction which explains the motivation for its focus and choice of films (500 words); you should think of the audience for this introduction as a well-informed film scholar and make reference to the critical traditions that your festival comes out of. You should also list the films with credits (title, director, release date, runtime) and a ca. 200-word synopsis for each film. This synopsis should be specially written, by you, for the programme – DO NOT cut and paste synopses from online sources. You might also choose to indicate how you would incorporate events into your programme (e.g. interviews, round-table/Q&A sessions, social events, etc.), giving a clear rationale for their place in the programme [ca 2,000 words in total].

Good portfolios will have the following features:

• A critical reflection with a logical structure with a proper introduction and conclusion, a persuasive argument and insightful analysis of the festivals at hand
• A sense of purpose and argument and careful attention to the question at hand throughout
• Evidence of in-depth engagement with the relevant critical literature (excellent work with show extensive reading/research)
• Clear and accurate exposition of all key theoretical/critical terms.
• Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the genre/s or sub-genre/s you are engaging with,
• A programme which is inventive and original, and which is carefully framed by its critical introductory statement.
• All elements of the portfolio should be well-written and well-presented (according to the Departmental guidelines for the presentation of assessed work), but special attention will be paid to the presentation of the festival programme which should incorporate illustration. You may choose to present this element of the work in a ‘brochure’ style rather than in a traditional ‘essay’ format.

Reassessment component is the same