ISSN 2514-3123
https://doi.org/10.37186/swrks/12.1

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Rolling Volume 12.1

We are delighted to publish the fifth piece in Volume 12:1, The Mechanism, in which Josefine Baark, Christian Laursen and Anne Troldtoft Hjorth seek to unveil the global networks, games and friendships that resulted in a mechanical tableaux made in China in the 1730s and then brought to Denmark. The film serves two purposes: firstly to reveal the historical significance of putting objects centre stage in art historical research, even where written documents are lacking; and secondly, to explore the use of video techniques for generating research outcomes. The Mechanism argues for a reassessment of cinematic materiality and, in correspondence with this, of the research process itself.

Last Night, locked In, by Jonathan Crewe a narrative film made during the Covid-19 lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 as a response to, and reflection on, domestic confinement’s impact on time, memory and identity. Written, directed and performed by the creative researcher himself, the film offers a strong case for the academic value of narrative film. Employing an embedded filmmaking approach using only the equipment, props and actors available on location, the film contributes to the visualisation of the psychological feeling of claustrophobia and loneliness, with a recursive hybrid fiction within the fiction. A narrative built around suspense open to interpretations: is this character truly talking on the phone to someone other than himself? Has there ever been someone else physically in his place, or is that presence also psychological?

Nina F. Grünfeld’s Alexia Alone explores the effect of converting an epic psychological film portrayal meant for the movie theatre/art scene into a formatted reality series for commercial television. Grünfeld examines her relationship with the person she was filming, Alexia, and the process of negotiating with her how her character would be portrayed. Grünfeld applies an ethical lens to this experience and discusses the complexity of her concern as a filmmaker that Alexia was becoming a ‘victim’ for the viewing pleasure of the audience, and how this was in conflict with Alexia’s desire to be on the screen sharing her vulnerability. Grünfeld explores how her relationship with Alexia shifted after filming finished and Alexia was no longer the centre of attention. Alexia’s desire for attention and control over her depiction created tension with the broadcast processes.

Iakovos Panagopoulos’s A Quest for Eternity. A Quest for Eternity (2020) is a fifty-five-minute documentary which explores some very specific elements of Theo Angelopoulos’s form and style. The documentary is divided in four chapters and each chapter focuses on a different part of Angelopoulos’s style. The creation of this documentary is the main methodological tool of this research project, which aims to collect data from semi-structured interviews in order to provide new insights regarding the ways to present alternative historical narratives with the use of cinematic space in Theo Angelopoulos’s work and to create a strong example in the ways that we can use cinematic tools as contemporary filmmakers to present alternative historical narratives through creative practice.

Cormac Donnelly’s video essay  I Am Sitting in a Room, Listening to Mank examines the innovative use of sound recording and mixing in David Fincher’s Mank (2020). Whilst Mank received a limited theatrical release, the film is most widely available via the Netflix streaming platform. The essay takes as a starting point the rerecording and spatialisation of the soundtrack, with a focus on the home viewing experience. Donnelly argues that the re-recording process used on Mank’s soundtrack could potentially suggest a method by which films released into the domestic market could retain the reverberant sonic signature of cinematic exhibition. The published screenwork draws upon interviews with Fincher and his collaborators, as well as the work of experimental composer, Alvin Lucier in order to better understand the experience of listening to Mank in our own rooms.

Screenworks is a rolling publication. Each volume runs from Sept to August. We are now accepting submissions for Volumes 12.1.  To submit work please read our Submissions Guidelines and use our Online Submission Form. If you are interested in submitting your practice and want further advice, then please contact us on [email protected] with “Submissions” in the subject line.

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Contents

 

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This volume is supported by the Moving Image Research Group and the Digital Cultures Research Centre at the University of the West of England, UWE Bristol.

Peer-Review for Practice Research

Welcome to Screenworks – the peer-reviewed online publication of practice research in film and screen media, edited by Dr Charlotte Crofts (UWE Bristol) and Associate Editors: Will DiGravio (The Video Essay Podcast); Dr. Shweta Ghosh (University of Reading); Dr. Catherine Gough-Brady (JMC Academy, Australia); Dr Matthew Hawkins (London Southbank University); Dr Alexander Nevill (Kingston University and Arts University Bournemouth); Dr Estrella Sendra Fernandez (SOAS, University of London and Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton). Screenworks publishes practice research that produces new knowledge in Communication, Media and Cultural Studies, Art and Design, Performing Arts and related fields. We offer a forum for the dissemination and discussion of practice research that includes space for reflection on research contexts. Work is published alongside a research statement, which offers a ‘route map’ of the research process, together with two anonymous reviews, which provide critical feedback on both the work itself and its research context.

We accept submissions on a rolling basis as well as for Special Issues. Please see the Submissions page for further information about current calls, deadlines, the peer review process and how to submit your work. Please be aware of our Accessibility Policy, which applies to Vol 12 onwards. Go to our Archive to explore previous volumes, including the full supporting research statements and peer reviews for each volume. If you are interested in proposing a Special Issue then please see our Special Issues Policy.

What is unique about Screenworks is that the work is subject to academic peer review, just as an academic journal article would be, thus providing evidence of the impact, significance, originality and rigour of the practice as research. In addition we operate an open single blind review policy, where anonymous peer reviews are published alongside the research statement so that the review process is transparent. Our intention is to create a supportive, yet rigorous research environment for the academic community researching screen media through practice, whilst at the same time engaging with wider audiences. You can read more about Screenworks‘ evolving editorial approach in Crofts and Nevill (2018).

Screenworks was originally convened in 2006 by Professor Jon Dovey, and Associate editor, Dr Charlotte Crofts, and took the form of a DVD that was distributed with the Journal of Media Practice (JMP) by Intellect Books. Volume 1 was published with JMP (8:2) in Autumn 2007, and Volume 2 with JMP (9:3) in December 2008. Extracts of the works in Volumes 1 & 2 were published online, where possible, when the website was relaunched under the banner of JMPScreenworks.com at the JMP Symposium 2011.

Screenworks migrated to the present website in 2016. We now publish exclusively online in order to disseminate work more widely, save costs and to fulfil the current AHRC and REF research agendas of open access, impact and public engagement. We hope that this new home will enable Screenworks to continue to flourish and grow as both an online publisher of academic film and as a forum for championing screen media practice research with in the academy.

References

Charlotte Crofts & Alexander Nevill (2018) Publishing screen media practice research: evolving processes of contextualisation, peer review and future proofing in Screenworks, Media Practice and Education, 19:3, 283-297, DOI: 10.1080/25741136.2018.1529478.

Academic Reviewers

John Adams	University of Bristol
Laura Ager	University of Salford
Judith Aston	University of the West of England
Sarah Atkinson	King’s College London
Sarah Barrow	University of Lincoln
Des Bell	Queens Belfast
Paola Bilbrough	Victoria University in Melbourne
Kornelia Boczkowska	Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznam
Elena Boschi	Edge Hill University
Mick Broderick	Murdoch University
Christopher Brown	University of Sussex
Jeremy Bubb	University of Roehampton, London
Inga Burrows	University of Glamorgan
Joanna Callaghan	University of Sussex
Neil Carrier	University of Bristol
David Chapman	University of East London
Mark Chapman	Northumbria University
Steve Choe	San Francisco State University
Alastair Cole	Newcastle University
Nick Cope	University Of Sunderland
Patrick Crogan	University of the West of England
Jill Daniels	University of East London
Katie Davies	University of West England
Andrew Dewdney	London South Bank University
Karel Doing	University of the Arts London
Jonathan Dovey	University of the West of England
Tony Dowmunt	Goldsmiths College
Ludovica Fales	University of West London
Bettina Frankham	University of Technology Sydney
Annie Goldson	University of Auckland
Amy Hardie	University of Edinburgh
Wendy Haslem	University of Melbourne
Matthew Hawkins	London South Bank University
Jimmy Hay	Bristol University
Robert Herrema	Michigan State University
Coral Houtman	University of South Wales
Dina Iordanova	University of St. Andrews
Andrew James	Plymouth College of Art
Itandehui Jansen	University of Edinburgh
Owain Jones	Bath Spa University
Aaron Kerner	University of Edinburgh
Lina Khatib	Royal Holloway University
Erik Knudsen	University of Salford
Adam Laity	University of the West of England
Nicholas Lambert	Ravensbourne
Rik Lander	University of the West of England
Gillian Leahy	University of Technology Sydney
Lucy Leake	Plymouth College of Art
Alisa Lebow	Brunel University
Dominic Lees	University for the Creative Arts
Claire Levy	Bath Spa University
Sasha Litvintseva	Goldsmiths
Ramon Lobata	RMIT University
Matthew Lovett	University of Gloucestershire
Nariman Massoumi	Bristol University
Kenta McGrath	Curtin University
Cahal Mclaughlin	Queens University, Belfast
Joshua McNamara	University of Melbourne
Smriti Mehra	Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology
Chris Meigh-Andrews	University of Central Lancashire
Katherine Morrissey	San Francisco State University
Heidi Morstang	University of Plymouth
Steven Paige	Plymouth College of Art
Iakovos Panagopoulos	Ionian University
Kayla Parker	University of Plymouth
Gail Pearce	Royal Holloway University
Angela Piccini	Bournemouth University
Matti Pohjonen	VOX-Pol Network of Excellence
Steve Presence	University of the West of England
Khazim Rahman	Plymouth College of Art
Elizabeth Ramirez-Soto	San Francisco State University
Michael Renov	University of Southern California
Randy Rustky	San Francisco State University
Claudia Sandberg	University of Melbourne
Jeff Scheible	Kings College London
John Sealey	Fabian’s Film
Dafydd Sills-Jones	Auckland University of Technology
Jen Stein	University of the West of England
Suzanne Stich	University of Ulster
Sue Sudbury	University of Bournemouth
Patrick Tarrant	London South Bank University
Joram Ten Brink	University of Westminster
Lizzie Thynne	University of Sussex
Romana Turina	Curtin University
Sarah Turner	University of Kent
Michael  Uwemedimo	Roehampton University
Frank Verano	University of Sussex
Mike Wayne	Brunel University
Anna Zaluczkowska	Leeds Beckett University
Esther Pérez Nieto	Complutense University of Madrid
Joanna Zylinska	Goldsmiths

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We are very keen to expand our pool of academic reviewers, particularly in terms of international scope, so if you would be interested in getting involved then please email with “Screenworks Reviewer” in the subject line, outlining your area of interest / expertise and your institutional affiliation.

Supported by the Moving Image Research Group and the Digital Cultures Research Centre at the University of the West of England, UWE Bristol.

Call for Submissions

We invite submissions of moving image work on film, video and new media platforms. We feel strongly that the function of Screenworks is to provide an opportunity for practice research to undergo the equivalent rigorous peer-review process to that of traditional publication, and fully understand contributors’ need to evidence the impact and significance of their practice as research. Where submissions are documentation of interactive or installation work we encourage producers to consider the problems of documentation as part of the research process. We welcome work from doctoral students and post-doctoral researchers, as well as those at the cutting edge of practice research both nationally and internationally.

Guidelines for Contributors

Please submit via the online submission form linked above and read the following guidelines:

Practice Component

Videos or video documentation of other practice must be uploaded to Vimeo, even if it is available online elsewhere. If you do not already have an account, you will need to join in order to upload your work. Please see the Vimeo Compression page for guidance on optimising your upload. You can then include the URL and, if necessary, the password for the video in our online submission form. Only if and when your work is accepted for publication will we make it available on the Screenworks website.

Please note that should your work be accepted for publication you will need to update the Vimeo privacy settings to allow us to embed it on our website. Contributors take full responsibility for ensuring that their submissions adhere to UK copyright guidelines.

If your work is web-based, then simply supply the URL for review purposes. If your work takes any other form (e.g. an app, screen-based art installation or performance) or you have a problem with uploading it to Vimeo, then please contact us to arrange an alternative review method. We are keen to showcase as many pieces of high quality practice research as we can. Where submissions are documentation of interactive or installation work we encourage contributors to consider the problems of documentation as part of the research process.

From Vol 12 onwards, once the peer review process is completed, the audio-visual work will need to be captioned by the author prior to publication. We ask that authors also provide a descriptive transcript of the final video. Please note that captions are not required for the submission of the work for peer review, unless a reviewer requests captions so that they can access the work. Please see our Accessibility Policy for more information.

Supporting Research Statement

Statements of up to 2000 words should outline Research Questions, Context, Methods, Outcomes and Impact – although we also welcome the development of alternative ways of writing about practice which can identify new knowledge, research contexts and rigour – as long as they clearly identify the research in your submission. Please refer to our style guide before submitting.

There are many different kinds of screen media practice research. Our aim is to generate “new knowledge” in Communication, Media and Cultural Studies, Art and Design, Performing Arts and related fields. The purpose of the statement is not to “explain” the screenwork, but rather to offer a “route map” of the research process, as well as a means to provide evidence for the dissemination and wider impact of the practice.

Peer Review Process

All work submitted to Screenworks undergoes rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and refereeing by at least two anonymous referees. Both the statement and practical work are subject to open but anonymous peer review selected from our growing list of academic reviewers representing scholar practitioners working across the field of screen media both in the UK and internationally. Reviewers will have the choice of recommending publication of both work and research statement, acceptance of work with minor rewrites of statement required, invitation to resubmit both in reworked form or of rejecting.

In the case of successful submissions, the reviews are published online alongside the practical work and supporting research statement. The aim is that, through this process, criteria for research will be generated by the community over a period of time – that we will use a dialogic model of criteria generation and research. The process of open reviewing is intended to promote an active, concrete dialogue within the community of screen media scholar practitioners as to how our research is constituted, defined and disseminated.

Submission Deadlines

Screenworks is published on a rolling basis. This means that in the spirit of reactive online publishing we will review and publish work as it is comes in, rather than waiting for a full volume before publication.

In addition to the rolling volume, we also publish themed Special Issues. Please see our current call for practice for our special issue on Musicology on Screen, edited by Estrella Sendra, and Guest Editors: Barley Norton and Joe Jackson. Deadline: 1 February 2022 for publication in July 2022.

Our first Special Issue, Volume 7.3, was on Aesthetics/Politics/Activism/Art: What is Radical Filmmaking? Our second Special Issue, Volume 8.2, was on the theme of Digital Ecologies and the Anthropocene edited by Alex Nevill in partnership with guest editors Charlie Tweed (Bath Spa University) and Joshua McNamara (University of Melbourne). Our third Special Issue Volume 10.2 is on the theme of Practice Pedagogies, edited by Lucy Leake, in collaboration with the Journal of Media Practice and Education. If you are interested in collaborating on a Special Issue then please see our Special Issues Policy.