Screen Franchising and Innovation
Overview
This unit provides students with a hands-on understanding of how novels, plays, and comic books are adapted to films and TV shows through adaptation, and then can be extended into the sequels, spin-offs, and merchandise that make up a transmedia franchise. Students will learn how entertainment franchises and screen adaptations are conceived and produced, and the cultural and historical contexts that underpin creative and industry strategies. In so doing, students will consider how commercial and cultural power structures impact screen adaptation and entertainment franchises. The unit equips students with the tools necessary to analyse and develop screen adaptations and franchises: using professional-standard software, students create assignments aligned with industry expectations. Students will cultivate an understanding of the relationships between screen franchising, transmedia storytelling, media convergence, and different media formats.
Requisites
50 credit points
OR
MDA10001 Introduction to Media Studies AND MDA10018 Content Creator Lab
08-June-2025
02-November-2025
08-February-2026
Learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge, conceptual understanding, and expertise in screen adaptation, franchising, and transmedia storytelling.
- Formulate arguments and critical analysis skills that engage various theories of screen storytelling and screen industry dynamics, and that consider cultural and industrial power dynamics.
- Recognise and reflect on social, cultural, and ethical issues relating to screen texts and screen industries in local and international contexts.
- Use screen theories as presented in the unit to develop solutions to contemporary screen issues within the context of the discipline
- Reflect critically on their own scholarship and practice, and use this to improve their creative outcomes.
Teaching methods
Hawthorn
| Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| On-campus Class | 2.00 | 12 weeks | 24 |
| On-campus Class | 2.00 | 12 weeks | 24 |
| Specified Activities Various | 2.00 | 12 weeks | 24 |
| Unspecified Activities Various | 6.50 | 12 weeks | 78 |
| TOTAL | 150 |
Swinburne Online
| Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online Directed Online Learning and Independent Learning | 12.50 | 12 weeks | 150 |
| TOTAL | 150 |
Assessment
| Type | Task | Weighting | ULO's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | Individual | 25% | 1,2,3,4,5 |
| Screenplay Adaptation | Individual | 50% | 1,2,3,4,5 |
| Pitch Presentations | Group | 25% | 1,2,3,4,5 |
Content
- Fandom and Serial Fiction
- Screen Adaptation
- Storytelling in Pulps, Soap Operas and Comics
- The Evolution of the Blockbuster
- Rules of Screen Franchising
- Semiotics of Movie Marketing
- Merchandising and Convergence
Study resources
Reading materials
A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.