I recently attended the British Association of Film, Television and Screen Studies (BAFTSS) conference at the University of Bristol. It was wonderful to return to the film and television department at Bristol and to see the lecturers that had made my masters degree study and subsequent teaching there such rewarding experiences. I am returning to start a PhD in Film and Television in the Autumn and the conference was an opportunity to listen to the work of other PhD students as well as some bigger names in the field of screen studies.
I attended some panels that I thought could be relevant to my research interests and noted the following key points/questions that could feed into my project:
Heritage and Quality Genres
Which socio-political events could be linked to the recent resurgence of British heritage film and television texts such as Downton Abbey, Great British Bake Off, The Imitation Game (and arguably Skyfall and Harry Potter)?
Twitter and social media brings a new element to British heritage discourse and may provide sources for analysing the audience reception/implications for these texts.
The concept of capitalising on British heritage and imperial nostalgia, not just through film and television texts but paratexts such as merchandise, theme parks and literature, and the particular ideas these texts reinforce.
Diversity in the UK Screen Industries
The top down influence of the Oscars on the business case for diversity at production level (only white males win awards and therefore make money).
Film Academics and Film Festivals
What role do film festivals play in the case for diversity on screen and, as a possible practical aspect to my research, how could a film festival challenge ideas about British heritage cinema?
Euro-Bollywood
The representation of British culture and landscapes in the products of film industries from other countries (e.g. Bollywood) and the relationship this has with exported images of Britain/Britishness.
A Thoroughly English movie Franchise: The James Bond Films
The successful ‘backwards and forwards looking’ formula of the James Bond and Harry Potter films and the implications for this.
