[ecrea] Call For Papers – Special F/X and Television - Final Reminder of Deadline: 30th June 2011

Final Reminder of Deadline: 30th June 2011


*Call For Papers – Special F/X and Television

A Special Issue of Critical Studies in Television: Scholarly Studies for 
Small Screen Fictions*

Guest Editor: Stacey Abbott


The past few years has witnessed a growing interest in technological and 
aesthetic developments in special effects in film but little 
consideration has been given to the notable changes to special effects 
in television. Gone are the days where we assume that all effects on TV 
will be the low budget styrofoam sets or paper maché backdrops of Star 
Trek or Doctor Who. Instead science fiction series such as Battlestar 
Galactica have redefined expectations of TV SF with stunning computer 
generated visuals of outer space while TV horror series such as Being 
Human and The Walking Dead feature spectacular examples of special 
make-up effects.  Furthermore, special effects are no longer primarily 
the purview of telefantasy as developments within computer generated 
imagery have meant that CGI now plays a significant role across a wide 
range of television programmes including natural history programmes, 
documentaries, historical dramas, and forensic investigation series. 
 These developments reflect changing attitudes toward aesthetics in 
television due in part to the evolution of home viewing and broadcast 
technology. As a result, it is time to consider the changing face of 
special effects within television.  To this end, I am seeking proposals 
for a special issue of the journal Critical Studies in Television 
examining the role of special effects within television.  Proposals 
should be between 300-500 words for articles of up to 6000 words.  The 
deadline for proposals is the 30th June, 2011.

I welcome proposals on any area of special effects and television which 
can include, but need not be limited to, the following:



*   History of TV special effects
*   Economics of special effects for television
*   Special effects and Natural history programmes
*   Special effects and the construction of history
*   Special effects and TV spectacle
*   Genre: Forensic investigation, hospital drama, period programmes, 
historical dramas, children’s programming, telefantasy.
*   CGI and contemporary telefantasy
*   Special make-up effects and TV body horror
*   Special effects and sound
*   3-D television
*   HD TV
*   Relationship between special effects and home viewing technology
*   Cult TV and special effects
*   Low budget special effects


Proposals and a short biography of 50-100 words should be sent by the 
30th June 2011 as an e-mail attachment to the editor Stacey Abbott 
((s.abbott /at/ roehampton.ac.uk) <mailto:(s.abbott /at/ roehampton.ac.uk)>).

Stacey Abbott is a Reader in Film and Television Studies at Roehampton 
University. She is the author of Celluloid Vampires (University of Texas 
Press, 2007) and the editor of The Cult TV Book (I.B. Tauris, 2010). She 
has written on special effects for Science Fiction Studies, as well as 
on a wide selection of her favourite cult TV programmes, including 
Alias, Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dexter, Firefly, True Blood and 
Ultraviolet. She is currently co-writing a book on TV horror and is the 
General Editor for the Investigating Cult TV series for I.B. Tauris.

Dr. Stacey Abbott
Reader in Film and Television Studies
Programme Convener for Film
Department of Media, Culture and Languages
Roehampton University
Roehampton Lane
London
SW15 5PH
tel: 0208 392 3439

Editor of the Investigating Cult TV series for I.B. Tauris
http://www.ibtauris.com/en/Series/Investigating%20Cult%20TV%20Series.aspx