Cinematic Design

Undergraduate | 2026

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area/catalogue icon
Area/Catalogue
MDIA 1010
Course ID icon
Course ID
201173
Level of study
Level of study
Undergraduate
Unit value icon
Unit value
6
Course level icon
Course level
1
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Inbound study abroad and exchange
Inbound study abroad and exchange
The fee you pay will depend on the number and type of courses you study.
Yes
University-wide elective icon
University-wide elective course
Yes
Single course enrollment
Single course enrolment
Yes
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Note:
Course data is interim and subject to change

Course overview

To introduce students to the practical and theoretical knowledge of Cinematic Design, and to develop student skills in the application of this knowledge for establishing the relationship between design principles and the process of designing for film, animation, and visual effects. Students will develop skills to identify, evaluate, construct, and apply key principles of cinematic design in contemporary screen production. Students will focus on the concept of ‘design language’, using metaphors of 'grammar' and 'vocabulary' taken from natural language that enrich the process of designing for film, animation, visual effects, and illustration, and apply these skills in practice using a variety of visual effects and computer graphics packages.

  • Introduction To Design Language
  • Visual Cinematic Design
  • Thematic Cinematic Design

Course learning outcomes

  • apply key concepts and principles in cinematic design
  • apply key concepts and principles in grammatical design
  • observe, analyse and adapt existing design languages to generate new creations
  • communicate ideas both visually and textually for cinematic media
  • work independently and collaboratively to ideate cinematic design concepts

Prerequisite(s)

N/A

Corequisite(s)

N/A

Antirequisite(s)

N/A