[ecrea] CFP Filmmaking in the Academy

*/Filmmaking in the Academy – Special Issue for JMP/*

**

*Guest Editors:*
Joanna Callaghan, University of Sussex, UK
Susan Kerrigan, University of Newcastle, Australia

Over the last 15 years the academy has struggled to agree on the 
nomenclature of ‘practice as research’, ‘practice based research’, 
‘research through practice’, ‘applied research’ (Crofts, 2007 p. 2). In 
spite of this practice research has consolidated its status as equal to 
traditional research outputs at research assessment level in the 
UK Research Excellence Framework report though Australia is still 
arguing for similar recognition (2015 p. 112). Filmmaking Research is 
one form of practice research, enquiring into production practices, 
techniques, modes and genres used in cinema, television and online and 
produces film outputs that may include fiction, documentary and hybrid 
forms. Filmmaking research pushes at the boundaries of both traditional 
filmmaking and traditional research methods by adopting unique 
approaches to professional and critical practices and pursuing forms of 
content creation that might otherwise fall outside of industry 
production modes and dissemination. As an emerging mode of research, it 
is often attempting to satisfy multiple and competing academic purposes 
and agendas (e.g interdisciplinarity, impact). The result is a field of 
research that is not well defined. Qualitative measures are often 
locally determined with few universal standards of best practice, there 
is a lack of expertise on research assessment panels and in peer review 
colleges and some scholars believe the term practice itself is confusing 
debates. (Knudsen, 2016; 2). There is also misunderstanding around 
methodological approaches – reflective practice, Participatory Action 
Research (PAR), Practitioner Based Enquiry (PBE) and auto-ethnography – 
and conflation between practice as subject of enquiry, practice as 
methodology and practice as outcome.

In Australia and the UK, filmmaking research is gaining momentum evident 
through activities such as the AHRC Research in Film awards, conferences 
such as Sightlines and some spectacular success stories (/Act of 
Killing/ (2013)). In both countries filmmaking research has tended to 
reside in one of two disciplines, creative arts (fine art, experimental, 
video art) or media, communication and film studies (fiction film, 
documentary). This has made it fragmented and subject to different forms 
of support and engagement. Researchers come from a range of backgrounds, 
some moving from industry into academia seeking to reframe their work 
within a HE environment. In the UK, filmmaking research is taking place 
in a large dispersed sector that has arisen from post 92 expansion and 
been subject to significant policy developments (creative industries, 
employability, widening participation). In Australia, filmmaking 
research has come to be known as screen production research and a new 
methodology for filmmaking research may be emerging. (‘Screen Production 
Enquiry’ (Kerrigan et al. 2015)).

The purpose of this special edition is to stimulate new international 
debates that will foster a deeper understanding of filmmaking research 
and how this research can inform and transform work in educational, 
cultural and industry contexts.  It arises from the research undertaken 
by the Filmmaking Research Network (FRN), a UK-Australian network funded 
by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council. 
http://filmmakingresearch.net <http://filmmakingresearch.net/>

The creative practice surrounding the making of films and how these 
completed works reach and impact its audiences are of interest. We are 
encouraging co-authorship, so that researchers/filmmakers can mount one 
argument and draw on a number of examples from each author’s work to 
demonstrate both academic research outcomes and impact. To this end, 
arguments could be built from a common perspective based on these 
suggestions:

  * methodological approaches,
  * fiction or non-fiction films,
  * the making of genre films, (horror, comedy, drama, thriller)
  * creative practice enquiries into production of feature films, short
    films, multi-camera production, television practices or digital media
  * narrative, aesthetic or technological enquiries that focus on
    professional practices
  * interdisciplinary filmmaking where filmmakers work with experts in
    their field to reach larger audiences and to change social behaviors.
  * Compare and comparison studies of research assessment criteria’s in
    relation to filmmaking research (e.g. REF and ERA)
  * Creative industries and filmmaking in the academy
  * Topics arising from the FRN jiscmail discussion list

*We are open to formats that could include but are not limited to: 
traditional journal articles, short opinion/provocation pieces, 
dialogues and interviews. *

*Timeline:
*22 September 2017  – Abstract submission deadline extended by 1 week.
1 November 2017 – Notification of acceptance
15 February 2018 – Articles due
From 1 April – Peer review / revisions
1 September 2018 – Edition published

*
*

*Please email 300 word abstract and 150 word biography to:*

(susan.kerrigan /at/ newcastle.edu.au) <mailto:(susan.kerrigan /at/ newcastle.edu.au)>

(j.callaghan /at/ sussex.ac.uk) <mailto:(j.callaghan /at/ sussex.ac.uk)>

---------------
The COMMLIST
---------------
This mailing list is a free service offered by Nico Carpentier. Please
use it responsibly and wisely.
--
To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit http://commlist.org/
--
Before sending a posting request, please always read the guidelines at
http://commlist.org/
--
To contact the mailing list manager:
Email: (nico.carpentier /at/ vub.ac.be)
URL: http://nicocarpentier.net
---------------