University of the West of Scotland: School of Creative & Cultural Industries
creative, theory, practice‘Losing the Body’: David Manderson to Speak at Determining Creative Practice Symposium
David Manderson Lecturer in Creative Writing & Screenwriting has been invited to speak at the Determining Creative Practice Symposium at the University of Bedfordshire on December 2 2009.
Increasingly, conferences on creative practice gather not to talk about creativity but through it, and this event is no exception. Exhibitions of artworks, readings of creative writing and/or performances of drama or music are the means through which the attendees study, debate or reflect on the theme of the day.
David will read extracts from his novel ‘Lost Bodies’ which will be followed by a brief interpretative/reflective question and answer session. Here is part of his proposal – itself a contradiction in the light of his implicit stance :
The fiction stands as a metaphor for the determining of creative practice. When do proposals go bad? When they are too closed, too impervious to penetration from the outside, too rigid? When the proposal creates a barrier between the creativity inside an individual and those to whom it might apply? When pre-determinism stifles what might be? As the main character continues to commit evil acts for no reason he knows or cares to think of, he illustrates the absurd proposal that determining and creating are the same thing. When is a plan no plan at all?
The event is supported by the research groups RIMAD and MeCCSA and the key speakers are Jonathan Dronsfield of the European Forum for Philosophy and Mike Stubbs, director of FACT.
Guest Speaker Kolin Ferguson and ‘The Crews’
Guest speaker Kolin Feguson drew warm applause from students on the Introduction to Scriptwriting Module with his made-for-TV film ‘The Crews’, partly cast and filmed at the university Ayr campus, and containing guest appearances by David Hayman and UWS lecturer Stuart Hepburn. ‘The Crews’ is seen as the Scottish ‘Sopranos’, Kolin stated during his after-screening talk, and has been produced in a unique way, with each section being filmed as its creators save enough money to plough back into it.
‘It’s good enough to be picked up by someone,’ Kolin stated, and judging by the response of the audience of over 100, it certainly seems that ‘The Crews’ will make much more than its costs back in the long run.
A full screening of the film will be held in Ayr in the future.
Two Creative Writing Students Published
Two students recently published work which was originally written for their first year Creative Writing Modules. Paige Hughes published a short story in a leading new magazine while Erica Cochrane published a vignette on the artist Thomas Chatterton in a highly reputable West of Scotland e-magazine.
Congratulations to them both – we’re certain they both have a lot more to come.
European Network for Cinema and Media Studies.
European Network for Cinema and Media Studies.
URBAN MEDIATIONS
NECS 2010 Conference
Istanbul, Turkey, June 24-27, 2010
In cooperation with the Communication Faculty, Kadir Has University
Submissions deadline: January 31, 2010
Please address all inquiries to conference@necs-initiative.org
Founded in February of 2006, NECS, the European Network for Cinema and
Media Studies, brings together scholars and researchers in the field of cinema,
film and media studies with archivists and film and media professionals. A first
NECS workshop was held in Berlin on the occasion of the network’s founding in
2006, followed by large international conferences in Vienna 2007, Budapest
2008 and Lund 2009. Over the last three years, NECS has attracted more than
600 members worldwide. Detailed information on NECS can be found on the
NECS website, www.necs-initiative.org.
The 2010 NECS Conference will be held in Istanbul, Turkey, from June 24
through June 27.
Istanbul, a global city of more than 12 million inhabitants occupying the
Eastern edge of Europe and the Western edge of Asia, inherits its name from
the Greek phrase “eistinpolin,” which means “in the city,” “to the city,”
or “downtown.” In 2010, along with the NECS Conference, Istanbul will be
hosting a great variety of events as a European Capital of Culture, an
occasion described by the European Commission as “a golden opportunity to
show off Europe’s cultural richness and diversity, and all the ties which link us
together as Europeans.” In this light, Istanbul is the ideal place to host the
2010 conference for the European Network of Cinema and Media Studies. In
Europe’s Capital of Culture, we would like to debate issues of capitals, cities
and urbanity under the rubric of “Urban Mediations.”
Confirmed keynote speakers include Saskia Sassen, Thomas Elsaesser and
Charlotte Brunsdon.
Paper topics may include, but must not be limited to, the following:
- Theories of urbanity (theoretical, methodological and political connections
between cityscapes and mediascapes)
- Urban aesthetics and experiences (urban events, creative urban culture)
- Urban mediascapes (media production, new media archi-tectures/-textures)
- CityPasts, CityFutures (utopias-dystopias, virtual cities, cities-in-history)
- City as actor (representations of the city, the city film)
- Urban relationships (city-human interaction, mediations / representations of
families, love, friendship in the city)
- City and (im)mobility (social movements, migrations, global circulations)
- New cities / new media (urban development, reshaping the sense of city via
new technologies)
- Media capital and cultures (cultural industries, cultural capital, festival
cities)
Scholars from all areas of cinema and media studies (radio, television, new
media etc.), whether previously attached to NECS or new to the network, are
invited to submit proposals for contributions.
Please note that you may hand in a paper or panel proposal related to the
thematic guidelines of the conference outlined above, or alternatively submit a
paper or panel proposal for open call in any field of cinema and media studies.
We especially encourage pre-constituted panels in order to strengthen the
thematic coherence
(1) by individually organizing a pre-constituted panel within an already existing
network such as a NECS work group (see member section of the NECS
website – www.necsinitiative.org) or a research project. The members of the
NECS work groups are especially encouraged to put together a pre-
constituted panel;
(2) by organizing a panel via the NECS website (www.necs-initiative.org).
Those who consider putting together a panel outside already existing networks
are asked to send a call for papers with a title and a short description of the
objectives of the proposed panel no later than December 15, 2009 to
conference@necs-initiative.org. The conference committee will post these
topics in the public section of the website, collect all responses and keep you
informed about potential presenters;
(3) by responding to a call for papers that is proposed online (see item 2);
(4) by proposing an open call paper outside a preconstituted panel.
Please note that individuals may submit only one paper proposal, either to the
open call or as a part of a pre-constituted panel.
Panels may consist of 3- 4 speakers with a maximum of 20 minutes speaking
time each. All presenters are obliged to provide us with a title, an abstract of
max 150 words, 3-5 keywords, 3-5 key bibliographical references, technical
requirements, name of the presenter and institutional affiliation.
Panel organizers are asked to submit panel proposals including a panel title, a
short description (up to 100 words) of the panel and information on all the
papers as listed above.
Please submit all proposals before January 31, 2010 by sending them via email
to conference@necs-initiative.org. Notification will follow shortly thereafter
(around February 28, 2010). The conference language is English. Again, in
case you consider an open call for a panel proposal, please send us your topic
until December 15, 2009 so that we can post the description of the objectives
of the proposed panel on our website.
Conference attendance is free, but valid NECS-membership is required to
participate in the conference (register with NECS at www.necs-initiative.org.
For the terms of NECS membership, please also refer to our website).
Participants will have to cover their own travel and accommodation expenses.
Travel information as well as a list of affordable hotels and other
accommodations will be posted on the NECS website in the spring of 2010.
For the conference organizers:
The NECS Conference Committee
Tina Bastajian, Melis Behlil, Olof Hedling, András Bálint Kovács, Tarja Laine,
Terez Vincze, Patrick Vonderau
The NECS Steering Committee
Malte Hagener, Vinzenz Hediger, Dorota Ostrowska, Alexandra Schneider,
Patrick Vonderau
A Media Manifesto for the Digital Age
With a General Election on the horizon and the Digital Britain report
recently published, Goldsmiths Leverhulme Media Research Centre invites
you to a seminar to discuss:
A Media Manifesto for the Digital Age,
with Caroline Thomson (BBC Controller of Public Policy); Jeremy Dear
(General Secretary of the NUJ); Peter Wilby (formerly editor of the
Independent on Sunday and the New Statesman, now Guardian columnist; Don
Foster (Liberal Democrat MP for Bath and Shadow Culture, Media and Sport
Secretary);Natalie Fenton (Co-Director Goldsmiths Leverhulme Media Research
Centre). Chaired by Professor James Curran, (Director of Goldsmiths
Leverhulme Media Research Centre).
Friday 6 November 2009, 5.30-7pm at The British Academy, Lecture Hall, 10
Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5AH
(http://www.britac.ac.uk/contact/map.cfm)
Followed by a drinks reception and book launch of New Media, Old News:
Journalism and Democracy in the Digital Age, edited by Natalie Fenton and
published by Sage.
The seminar will address the questions:
HAVE JOURNALISTS AND POLITICIANS LOST THE TRUST OF THE PUBLIC?
IS CORPORATE MEDIA FAILING DEMOCRACY?
ARE NEWS ORGANISATIONS IN CRISIS?
In response to the research of the Centre and with the publication of its
first book, this seminar brings together a panel of politicians, policy
makers and journalists to debate the relationship between news media,
democracy and media policy at a time when newspaper circulation levels are
at an all time low and no-one seems to know how the sector will survive;
local and regional newspapers are cutting jobs and closing titles; ITV in
the regions is in demise; online and mobile platforms have expanded while
advertising revenue has fallen. The depreciation of the current business
model together with the increasing commercial pressures are claimed to
devalue the pursuit of news journalism that is in the public interest and
ultimately detrimental to democracy. What, if anything, should the next
government do?
Please reply ASAP to Elisabeth Baumann-Meurer
(E.Baumann-Meurer@gold.ac.uk) to reserve a place.
There is no charge for this event.
James Curran and Natalie Fenton
Director and Co-Director Goldsmiths Leverhulme Media Research Centre:
Spaces, Connections, Control
Documentary Now
CALL FOR PAPERS
¡Documentary Now!
A Conference on the Contemporary Contexts and Possibilities of the Documentary
Conference Location: Birkbeck College
Dates: Fri/Sat 15/16 January 2010
Documentary Now! is back. Now an annual fixture on the UK documentary scene, the conference brings together scholars, filmmakers, students, and interested members of the public to discuss current trends in documentary film, from the return of documentary as a theatrical box office phenomenon, to broadcast television, the web, and beyond. It explores questions of industry, audiences, aesthetics, political engagement, documentary’s relationship to the mainstream media and other many other issues. What’s new in documentary? Where is documentary headed?
Speakers include:
Florian Thahlhofer (creator of Korsakow System for Interactive Documentaries)
Possible themes for the conference include but are not limited to:
Animated Documentary
The Documentary Archive
New Documentary Forms and Technologies
Documentary Trends from around the World
Incorporation of amateur video
Fair use and intellectual property
If you would like to give a 20 minute paper at the conference OR send proposals for themed panels of 3-4 people, please send proposals (including 500 word abstracts of papers) to:
Holly Giesman (giesmanh@roehampton.ac.uk )
Organisers:
Michael Chanan (m.chanan@roehampton.ac.uk )
Alisa Lebow (Alisa.Lebow@brunel.ac.uk )
The deadline for proposals is Friday, 6 November 2009.
More information about the conference venue and registration will be forthcoming. See Centre for Research in Film and Audiovisual Cultures (CRFAC) at Roehampton University (http://www.roehampton.ac.uk/researchcentres/crfac/ )
POPULAR MUSIC AND SOCIETY
POPULAR MUSIC AND SOCIETY
CALL FOR PAPERS
Special Issue on Popular Music and Marketing
Submissions are invited for a special issue of Popular Music and Society, which
will focus on the theme of popular music and marketing. While the subject of
popular music and marketing has been a regular focus of business, marketing,
and advertising research, there have been relatively few critical and cultural
studies in this area. This special issue aims to explore and critically
interrogate the various intersections of popular music and marketing, and the
role of commerce in popular music culture. All disciplinary, methodological, and
theoretical perspectives are welcome; possible themes might include:
• Corporate sponsorship of bands, venues, and tours
• Popular music promotional tools
• Music in commercials
• Popular music merchandising
• Indie marketing and PR
• The “commercial” music designation
• Music marketing in the digital age
• Product placement in popular music
• Histories of marketing in popular music
• “Manufactured” bands
Deadline for the e-mail submission of papers (6,000-8,000 words) is 1 July
2010. This issue of Popular Music and Society will be published in 2011.
Please remove identifying information from the paper before submitting; in a
separate document, indicate your name, institutional affiliation, postal address,
and e-mail address. Queries and submissions should be directed to the guest
editor:
Dr Bethany Klein
b.klein@leeds.ac.uk
Lecturer in Media Industries
Institute of Communications Studies
University of Leeds
Leeds
LS2 9JT
UK
+44 (0)131 343 6979
Determining Creative Practice
CALL FOR PAPERS
Determining Creative Practice
A practiced-based research symposium
Wednesday December 2nd 2009
1030-530
University of Bedfordshire
Speakers:
Mike Stubbs, Filmmaker & Director, FACT
Dr Jonathan Lahey Dronsfield, Reader in Theory and Philosophy of Art, University of Reading
FREE EVENT
Still Moving, A CAPTURE commission Joanna Callaghan, 2007
The University of Bedfordshire, University of Derby & the Practice Section of MeCCSA present a one day practice-based symposium for media practitioners and academics.
In the context of writing, reflecting and presenting practice-based research what role do notions of determinism play? Are the requirements of practice-based research over-determined? Is there space to consider the concept of pre determination within creative practice?
We welcome presentations of all forms of creative work, including films, creative writing, performance, sound and new media that address the following themes:
Is the core origin of creativity within the individual, society, or something else?
Is the conscious processing of creating work just one part of the creative story?
If proposals ‘determine’ how useful are they in a process of creative discovery? What alternative models exist?
If media practice is predetermined, what does this say about the product, the practice, and the practitioner? How does this relate to originality, creativity, and progress?
What is the role of collaboration in questioning the self-determination of the artist, or the work of art?
What role does commissioning and pre-production play in determining a creative practice?
To what extent do the institutional and commercial bodies that enable and fund practice-based research encourage the production of paratexts which predetermine the nature and scope of the practice and the context within which that practice can be ‘read’?
Creative presentations of 10 minutes followed by 10 minutes of theoretical interpretation / reflection are encouraged.
The event is free and includes lunch and refreshments.
Please e-mail proposals of 300 words to both organisers by 2 November 2009.
Joanna Callaghan: joanna.calllaghan@beds.ac.uk
Dr Jason Lee: j.lee@derby.ac.uk
Further information:
http://pbrsymposium.wikidot.com/
This event is funded by the University of Bedfordshire, University of Derby and MeCCSA, the Media, Communications, and Cultural Studies Association. It follows on from the symposium Circularity, Narrative and Aesthetic Translation held in April 2009 at the University of Bedfordshire.
Transnational Protests and the Media
Transnational Protests and the Media – Call for Chapters
Editors: Simon Cottle, Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies, and Libby Lester,
School of English, Journalism and European Languages, University of Tasmania
Deadline for submission of chapter proposals/abstracts: Monday 2 November 2009
Transnational Protests and the Media will explore and theorize the rise of transnational protests
and their transactions within and through today’s fast-changing communications environment. In
keeping with the Global Crises and the Media series, published by Peter Lang, this contracted book
sets out to examine how different global issues and crises – war and conflict, economy and trade,
ecology and climate change, human rights and humanitarian emergencies – become focused and
mobilized through mediated protests and demonstrations internationally and transnationally.
Providing an up-to-date, theoretically informed and substantively focused collection, Transnational
Protests and the Media seeks to address today’s changing communications environment and how this now
facilitates, shapes and becomes deployed within diverse areas of global contention and concern.
We are currently seeking contributions from authors and researchers working on different global
issues and protests (and especially human rights and humanitarian crises), and how these have
variously become enacted in and through today’s complex of communication flows and media formations –
and with what possible impacts, variously conceived.
Indicative Topics:
• Protesting war and peace
• Protesting economy and trade
• Protesting ecology and climate change
• Protesting human rights and humanitarian emergency
• The changing repertoires of contention
• The diverse ways in which ICTs and new social media have become infused in the wider enactment
and diffusion of mediated protests
• The rise of celebrity and spectacle in demonstrations about global issues
• The performative and dramaturgical staging and media framing of global protest events
• Mediated protests, global citizenship, global civil society and the global public sphere
Submission Details:
The language of the book is English. The book will be part of the Global Crises and the Media
series, published by Peter Lang. All submissions should be original, unpublished and not under
review for publication elsewhere. Chapter length: 6,000 words.
Key Dates:
Chapter proposals/abstracts: Monday 2 November 2009
Full draft chapters: 18 January 2010
Initial decisions and feedback: 8 February 2010
Final chapter revisions submitted: 8 March 2010
In the first instance please email chapter proposals/abstracts (150-300 words) to:
Libby.Lester@utas.edu.au
Professor Simon Cottle,
Deputy Head of School,
School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies,
Bute Building (Room 1.28),
Cardiff University,
King Edward VII Avenue,
Cardiff CF10 3NB
Wales, U.K.
Tel: 02920 874506
email: CottleS@cardiff.ac.uk
web: www.cardiff.ac.uk/jomec/
Latest book: Global Crisis Reporting: Journalism in the Global Age
http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/jomec/resources/globalcrisisreporting.pdf
Researching (Popular) Media in the Age of Convergence:
Researching (Popular) Media in the Age of Convergence:
Methodological innovations in the study of media industries, texts,
technologies and audiences
ICA Preconference by the Popular Communication Division
22nd June 2010, Singapore
The processes of digitization and deregulation have transformed the
production, distribution and consumption of information and entertainment
media over the past three decades. Today, researchers are confronted with
profoundly different landscapes of domestic and personal media than the
pioneers of qualitative audience research that came to form much of the
conceptual basis of Cultural Studies first in Britain and North America and
subsequently across all global regions.
The process of media convergence, as a consequence of the dual forces of
digitisation and deregulation, thus constitutes a central concept in the
analysis of popular mass media. From the study of the internationalisation and
globalisation of media content, changing regimes of media production, via the
social shaping and communication technologies and conversely the impact of
communication technology on social, cultural and political realities, to the
emergence of transmedia storytelling, the interplay of intertextuality and
genre and the formation of mediated social networks, convergence informs
and shapes contemporary conceptual debates in the field of popular
communication and beyond.
However, media convergence challenges not only the conceptual canon of
(popular) communication research, but poses profound methodological
challenges. As boundaries between producers and consumers are increasingly
fluent, formerly stable fields and categories of research such as industries,
texts and audiences intersect and overlap, requiring combined and new
research strategies.
This preconference aims to offer a forum for the presentation and discussion
of methodological innovations in the study of contemporary media and the
analysis of the social, cultural and political impact and challenges arising
through media convergence. The preconference thus focuses on the following
methodological questions and challenges:
• New strategies of audience research responding to the increasing
individualisation of popular media consumption.
• Methods of data triangulation in and through the integrated study of media
production, distribution and consumption.
• Bridging the methodological and often associated conceptual gap between
qualitative and quantitative research in the study of popular media.
• The future of ethnographic audience and production research in light of
blurring boundaries between media producers and consumers.
• A critical re-examination of which textual configurations can be meaningfully
described and studied as text.
• Methodological innovations aimed at assessing the macro social, cultural and
political impact of mediatization (including, but not limited to, “creative
methods”).
• Methodological responses to the globalisation of popular media and
practicalities of international and transnational comparative research.
• An exploration of new methods required in the study of media flow and
intertextuality.
We invite contributions in form of paper presentations and discussion papers.
Please submit extended abstracts of 300-500 words (including contact
information and affiliation) to Cornel Sandvoss, (C.Sandvoss@surrey.ac.uk),
Popular Communication Division Chair, by Thursday, 5th November 2009.
