Co-creative practice reconciling theory and practice in tertiary student documentary production

ABSTRACT

Accommodating theory and practice is a significant pedagogical challenge for screen programmes in higher education. Integrating theory and practice within the pedagogy of documentary screen production raises specific issues related to its ethical obligations and social change remit. Designing screen studies programmes that effectively support students to become critically aware and reflexive practitioners requires historical and theoretical knowledge to underpin and inform production skillsets [Wayne 2003. “Reflections on Pedagogy.” Journal of Media Practice 4 (1): 55–61; de Jong 2006. “From ‘Doing’ to ‘Knowing What You are Doing’: Kolb's Learning Theory in Teaching Documentary Practice.” Journal of Media Practice 7 (2): 151–158]. Prompted by the reaccreditation of our degree, this article critically reflects on the suite of practice and theory-based units that collectively strengthen student understanding and skillsets in factual screen storytelling. Mezirow’ three forms of reflection are framed within Kreber and Cranton’s scholarship of teaching model, to guide reflection on curriculum, pedagogy and three student documentaries as exemplars of aspirational learning outcomes. Our reflections identify how co-creative processes embedded in a spiral curriculum course structure supports opportunities for students to innovate fundamentals of praxis within a community of practice.

KEYWORDS:

• Documentary
• theory
• screen production pedagogy
• collaborative production methods

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Freya Wright-Brough

Dr Freya Wright-Brough has been teaching in Film, Screen & Animation at QUT’s School of Creative Practice since 2015 and is currently a Lecturer in Learning & Teaching Development, Impact and Recognition within QUT’s Academy of Learning and Teaching (QALT). She has worked as a screenwriter for clients in the USA, UK and Australia contributing to digital and factual content. Her research focusses on ethical encounter in arts-based collaboration as well as social justice in higher education.

Phoebe Hart

Dr Phoebe Hart is a writer, director and producer of documentaries, factual content and children’s television. Dr Hart is also a senior lecturer in film, television and digital media at the Queensland University of Technology, and principal of Hartflicker, a video and film production company. Dr Hart’s critically acclaimed documentary films include Roller Derby Dolls (ABC), Downunder Grads (SBS), Thomas Banks’ Quest for Love (Stan) and Handbag: The Untold Story of the F*g H*g (OUTtv) and her autobiographical road trip movie Orchids: My Intersex Adventure (ABC, Showtime, TVE, ARTE). Dr Hart often uses insider crews who act as provocateurs with a clear call to action and story to tell.

Sean Maher

Dr Sean Maher is an Associate Professor in the Film, Screen & Animation Discipline in the Creative Industries Faculty at QUT and Research Training Coordinator for the School of Creative Practice. In 2019 he was ranked as ‘Australia's leading researcher in Film’. In 2017 he was Visiting Scholar at the UCLA Film and TV Archives that contributed to his 2021 Routledge monograph, Film Noir and Los Angeles – urban history and the dark imaginary. As Head of documentary from 2008 to 2018 in the film department at QUT he was course coordinator for the suite of documentary history, theory and production units that resulted in a capstone documentary slate. In 2013 he was President of ASPERA (Australian Screen Production Education and Research Association), the national peak body for Film Schools.

Susan Cake

Dr Susan Cake lectures in screenwriting in the Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice Faculty at Queensland University of Technology. She received an Outstanding Doctoral Thesis award in 2018 for her creative practice-led research examining how writing narrative comedy performed creative resistance in her proposed television series, Fighting Fit. Susan has over 15 years’ experience teaching screen production in the vocational education and training (VET) sector and is a screen and media curriculum specialist. She has written screen and media curriculum for Australian and overseas education and training organisations and was the curriculum specialist for a $250,000 ABC funded project to support TVET Journalism training in the South Pacific.