[ecrea] PhD studentship at Arts University Bournemouth

PhD Studentship in Animation



Arts University Bournemouth is a specialist art, design, architecture, 
media and performance institution with an emergent research environment. 
Over 50% of its research was judged world-leading or internationally 
excellent according to the REF 2014 exercise.



We are currently inviting studentship applications for the following 
project:



Making Animated Documentary: Institutional and Production Contexts



The overarching objective of this practice-based PhD studentship, 
supervised by Professor Paul Ward, is to answer the question ‘What is 
an animated documentary?’ Most research to date concentrates on 
theoretical and historical definitions of the form. Specific empirical 
and contextual studies of animated documentary – and research that is 
driven by the practicalanimation/filmmaking of someone working in 
the field – are significant by their absence.



This doctoral research project will therefore interrogate what animated 
documentary is, how it functions institutionally (e.g. in relation to 
funding bodies, broadcasters and government/NGOs) and the role it plays 
in changing society, but it will do this via the lens of animation and 
documentary practice and production. One of the main purposes of the 
research project is to critically interrogate animation production 
processes – the stages that are often ignored or overlooked, or seen 
as less important than the ‘finished product’. It is this 
fine-grained institutional analysis that will form the basis of new 
knowledge with regard to animated documentaries. The expected outcomes 
will be a significant body of practical work (i.e. an animated 
documentary film and accompanying documentation) alongside a thesis.



Although the successful applicant will have scope to frame their own 
specific questions, indicative overarching research questions are:



1. Is 'animated documentary' a viable, recognised form – or simply a 
pragmatic marriage of convenience?

2. What particular production, distribution and exhibition challenges 
are raised by working in the area?

3. What role do filmmakers/animators play in actually defining the form, 
through the discourses of their communities of practice?



The guiding principles of the research are: to determine how and why 
certain communities of practice define things in certain ways; the 
institutional constraints they work within; and the practical and 
discursive parameters that delimit their approach to animation 
production. The research questions above underpin these principles.



The successful candidate will be required to conduct research in the 
animated documentary field, with a fundamental part of this being a 
critical contextualisation of their own practice: the development and 
production of an animated documentary of the student’s devising is 
central to this practice-based studentship.



The studentship is offered on a full-time basis only. The successful 
applicant will have their fees paid and be awarded a University stipend 
of £14,257 per annum for 2015/16. They will be expected to contribute 
up to 6 hours of academic duties a week.  Please refer to the terms and 
conditions for further details.







Person Specification and Eligibility Criteria

Candidates for a PhD studentship must demonstrate outstanding qualities 
and be motivated to complete a PhD in three years.



Applicants should hold a first or upper-second-class Honours degree 
and/or a Master’s degree in animation and be conversant with animation 
production procedures. Applicants with alternative 
qualifications/experience will be considered if they can demonstrate 
relevant achievement. Applicants whose first language is not English 
will be expected to have an IELTS score of at least 7.0 with 7.0 minimum 
in writing.

In addition to satisfying basic entry criteria, AUB will look closely at 
the research potential and academic qualities of each candidate and what 
they can bring to their chosen research project in order to ensure 
successful and timely completion.

Please note that this award is only available to nationals from the UK 
and EU and is not open to applicants who are liable to pay academic fees 
at the international fee rate.  UK applicants will be eligible for a 
full award. EU applicants are normally eligible for a fees only award 
unless they can demonstrate residency in the UK for a minimum of three 
years.



How to Apply

All applicants should apply via the University’s online application 
portal:http://aub.ac.uk/courses/research-degrees/



You should state in your proposal that you wish to be considered for the 
Making Animated Documentary studentship and upload a current Curriculum 
Vitae.



Closing date for applications is Monday 6 July 2015. Successful 
candidates will be notified w/c 20 July and invited for interview at 
Arts University Bournemouth on Tuesday 28 July 2015.



Further information

Our Research Degrees are awarded in partnership with University of the 
Arts London. In your first year of registration, there will be three 
separate weeks attendance in London at the University of the Arts London 
Research Network (RNUAL) commencing late September 2015.



For full information about the project, research environment, 
eligibility criteria, funding and benefits, please contact Valerie 
Lodge, Research Manager, (vlodge /at/ aub.ac.uk)<mailto:(vlodge /at/ aub.ac.uk)> T: 
01202 363334<tel:01202%20363334>




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