SCIF1004 Science and the Cinema Summer Term 2026

发布时间：2026-01-09

Hello, dear friend, you can consult us at any time if you have any questions, add WeChat: daixieit

SCIF1004 Science and the Cinema

SCIF1004 – Summer Term 2026

Free-Form Piece Information

The Free-Form Piece is worth 50% of the course. The assessment item must be submitted via Moodle and all work will be sent through Turnitin. Failure to submit by the deadline will carry a 5-mark a day penalty (assignment is out of 100 marks) up to 5 days where the penalty will be 100-marks (this is the UNSW policy).

***************************************************************************

The use of AI is not permitted beyond using it to suggest a topic or movie that you might use, as I see that as the same as asking me (or a friend/relative) about the same thing. It is recommended that you keep notes and drafts of your work as having these things makes any work that is flagged as AI created very easy to dismiss as false positives.

***************************************************************************

OK, so onto the task, the Free-Form Piece is your chance to not only showcase your creativity but allows you to amalgamate all that you have learnt during your time studying on this course. Students in the past have commented (or complained) that this task is too open- ended and they did not know what to do, unfortunately allowing for creativity and creating a structured task do not tend to go together. Note I have given suggestions (vide infra), examples of previous work (on Moodle) and I am available to discuss your work. In this assignment you have to submit a body of work that comes under the general headline Science and the Cinema . It is up to you to use the knowledge that you have gained on this course with your own unique skill set to create a submission that addresses the topic.

Now there are a great many of ways to address this rather general headline of Science and the Cinema , below are a list of some suggestions. If you have an alternative idea, please feel free to consult the course coordinator to check the suitability of your idea(s) as all pieces will be assessed using the same rubric.

Potential ideas/formats

A newspaper article/magazine piece/editorial – You could write about “ Whether it is positive or negative that ‘Science’ is used artistically in Hollywood films – should this be regulated?” or any other topic that you feel is suitable.

A comic/storyboard for a film – You could have ideas about how you might depict a science/scientific theme in a new blockbuster/B-movie?

Make your own short film – Why not create your own short film depicting the latest science and how it might impact our lives for the better/worse?

Create your own mockumentary/news report – Be a reporter outside an institute that has had some amazing breakthrough, what are the benefits, what are the pitfalls?

Create your own lecture on a topic – Interview an academic (or be the academic) and give a lecture on a scientific concept then link it to a series of films?

…the decision is up to you…

I am often asked, how long should the piece be…? and this can be slightly difficult to give a precise answer to, remember that this is a 6 UoC course so think about how long you should spend on an assignment that is worth 50% in other 6 UoC courses. For written reports/assignments I would be looking at around 2500 words in total (although this can be shorter) and for films around 5-15 minutes, but these are a rough guide. Try to keep in mind the examiners, they would not want to watch a 1 hr film that might be difficult to follow, and a 2 minute submission could seem lazy . If you are writing an article, it should look like an article (images, captions etc.) not just an essay. All work should have some information regarding the target audience and aim of the piece too vide infra. If supporting information is not given, then your work will score very poorly as without context we do not know what you are creating or if you have the correct level of science for the audience.

Submissions and Supporting Information

All submissions must be made via Moodle however I recognise the limitations of this platform in allowing submission of films so my suggestion in these cases would be to provide a link to your film (can host on YouTube etc. or share the file via a link to your OneDrive). All additional material that is needed should also be submitted (all in the one document). Some additional information that might be useful/needed; references are very important for all formats, for an article you should state which publication you are targeting and the associated demographic, you might also include a short blurb about the science in you film/article (if you feel that it is not completely explained in huge depth – after all, I never said the science had to be real , but I do not want a science used as a mere plot device/McGuffin) maybe a transcript/script of the news report that you worked off might help...? A note on film submissions using YouTube etc. the timestamp of the link will be checked, do not make any alteration (no matter how small) after the deadline has expired, if you do it will be taken as late i.e. a mark deduction will be enforced.

Free-Form Piece Key Dates:

FAQs:

Can I use the same films in assignment 3 as I did in assignment 2?

Yes

Can I work in a group?

No, I m sorry all submissions must be individual. You can create a film with another person in it but it must be clear what it is that you did for the submission, the other actor must be referenced and acknowledged, you will be assessed on what it is that you did

Can I use film X?

Yes, pretty much any film can be used

Can I base my work on the tv series X?

I’m afraid not, you can only use films in this course, I have to be able to comment or assist the assessors in the marking, this means I need to be able to watch the film(s) in the piece and I simply cannot guarantee I can watch an entire series in the timeframe of the assessment (a new film or two a week is not an issue – assuming it in not really obscure and difficult to get a copy of)

Can you check my work before I submit?

I’m sorry, there are far too many students for us to pre-grade or check before submission in an equitable manner so no, however we can discus your idea to see if it is suitable

Can I create a video presentation about film X?

That was assignment 2, you cannot submit the same work for both assignments

How long does my work have to be?

That depends entirely upon what you are creating, there is no “hard and fast rule” to this, hence my rough guide. Do not use the 2500 word comment to mean you have to write 2500 words. Also remember that the limits I provided are for the entire body of work, not just the potential article, you have supporting information too!

What is supporting information, what should I include?

That depends upon the piece; if you are creating a film for example, a script might be a good idea along with some explanation of any shots or intended artistic scope (as we might not have realised why you did what you did in a scene). Ultimately I would say to add in any and all parts of the planning of your work including any research you did (providing it is in a reasonable state), you will need references no matter what you submit and you will need some supporting statements to contextualise your piece (we need to know what you intended to create so we can accurately assess you)

Common Pitfalls:

Before you start your work, please remember the following:

• This piece is more a “body of work” than a single entity (even if you submit one file)

• You must have mention of a target audience and supporting information

• You are not to just go through the plot of the film(s)

• You are not to point out issues with plots

• You are not to point out inaccuracies in film(s), film(s) have artistic licence