Future Histories of the Moving Image
 
 
An international conference to be held at University of Sunderland
16-18 November 2007
 
Keynote Speaker:  Professor Patricia Zimmermann (Ithaca College, New York),
with other keynotes to be confirmed
 
As is now widely acknowledged, with the advent of digital technology the
nature of moving image production, distribution and exhibition has changed
dramatically.  In particular, a rapidly increasing number of people are now
accessing an increasing volume and range of moving image material online.
This technology is also changing the way in which we analyse and document
current and historical moving image practices, as there has been a recent
proliferation of digital archive and database projects relating to film,
video and television practices.  It is timely therefore to examine the
changing ways in which we are circulating and interrogating moving image
culture.
 
We would particularly welcome papers that address the following areas:
 
­      What impact does the increasing reliance on database resources have
on the nature of the histories we produce and write?
­      History as database vs history as narrative.
­      Implications of the proliferation of online critical writing (from
refereed academic journals through to personal blogs) and its dissemination,
with the blurring of the traditional distinction between professional and
amateur writer.
­      The role and implication of immediate online distribution/exhibition
of works
­      What impact is digital distribution having on theatrical exhibition?
­      Issues arising from the perceived need on the part of major
producers/broadcasters to develop content for multiple platforms.
­      The implications of multiple producers being able to disseminate a
wide range of material to multiple niche audiences (giving the idea of
Œnarrowcasting¹ a new meaning).
­      Revival/development of found footage production practices with the
availability of digital archives such as Library of Congress Internet
Archive (including the Prelinger Archive) and BBC Open Archive initiative.
­      Questions relating to the increasing accessibility online of moving
image material in relation to intellectual property and the development of
the Creative Commons copyright licence.
­      The creative influence of database logic on film structure.
 
The conference will also host an open workshop ­ with participation by the
Arts Council England, the Tate and the British Film Institute ­ which will
address the issues of securing the sustainability and maximising the
use/visibility of the growing number of film and video database/online
research resources.  The workshop is funded by the AHRC Networks and
Workshops Scheme.
 
Please send proposals of 200-300 words for papers of approx. 20 minutes,
together with a brief biographical note by 30 May 2007 to the conference
organisers (Steven Ball, Julia Knight and Stephen Partridge) at
[log in to unmask]
 
Future Histories of the Moving Image is a joint conference organised by the
Univeresity of Sunderland, the British Artists¹ Film and Video Study
Collection (University of the Arts, London) and the Visual Research Centre
REWIND project DJCAD at the University of Dundee, in collaboration with
Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media
Technologies. All papers delivered at the conference will be considered for
publication in the journal.