*CFP* "METHODOLOGIES FOR SCREEN INDUSTRIES RESEARCH", SYMPOSIUM

Methodologies for Screen Industries Research: Symposium, book launch and lecture with Professor Annette Hill, ‘Media Industries and Audience Research: an analytic dialogue on the value of engagement’

Venue: Watershed Cinema and Digital Creativity Centre, Bristol

Date: Wednesday 15 January 2020

Keynote: Professor Annette Hill (Lund University, Sweden)

Cost: £50 for academics with institutional support; free for students and those without institutional support

Industry-focused research projects and publications have increased significantly in recent years, and the research methods involved in this work are as diverse as the field itself – from archival research, interviews and participant observation to focus groups, questionnaires, surveys and statistical analysis.

Yet what exactly does each of these methods involve in practice? What are their advantages and disadvantages? Moreover, how should the researcher navigate the myriad ethical issues involved in using them? With a handful of exceptions (Freeman 2016; Paterson et al 2015), in recent years there has been little focused discussion on the methodological processes that underpin screen industries research. This event will address that need, and aims to bring together leading scholars working in the field alongside those who are new to industry-focused research, including post-graduate research students.

The first part of this event consists of a symposium dedicated to exploring the methodologies used in screen industries research. The symposium will consist of a keynote address by Professor Annette Hill followed by two consecutive sessions either side of lunch. The first session will consist of 5 x 15-minute presentations exploring methodologies used in particular screen industries research projects. The second session will consist of more informal, roundtable-style discussions focusing on particular methods, chaired by researchers experienced in using them.

We therefore invite two kinds of proposals:

1. 15-minute presentations on project methodologies; 
2. Chairs for roundtables on particular research methods: please detail which methods you would like facilitate discussion about and your experience in using them.

Proposals of not more than 300 words should be sent as an email attachment in Word or PDF format to stephen2.presence@uwe.ac.uk. Proposals should include an email address, institutional affiliation and approx. 100-word speaker bio. Please use the following name convention for attachments: ‘Surname_presentation_topic’ or ‘Surname_roundtable_topic’. The deadline for proposals is November 1 2019. We aim to respond to proposals by November 15. Links to registration and further information will be released shortly thereafter.

Book launch and lecture with Professor Annette Hill

Symposium attendance also includes entry to a book launch and lecture with Professor Annette Hill at Bristol’s Arnolfini gallery. A leading figure in media production and audience research, Professor Hill’s new book, Media Experiences: Engaging with Drama and Reality Television (Routledge 2019), bridges the divide between industry and academia, and draws on interviews and observations with over 500 producers and audience members to explore how producers and audiences co-create experiences within emerging media landscapes.

Acknowledgements

This event is funded by the British Association of Film, Television and Screen Studies (BAFTSS) in partnership with the Moving Image Research Group at the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol), and is organised by BAFTSS’ Screen Industries’ Research Group.

References:

Freeman, Matthew. Industrial Approaches to Media: A Methodological Gateway to Industry Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, 2016.

Paterson, Chris, et al. Advancing Media Production Research: Shifting Sites, Methods, and Politics. Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, Hampshire, 2015.