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- With the usual apologies for cross-posting. -
CFP - Issue 8, Movie: A Journal of Film Criticism
'Moments of Choice', Videographic Criticism, General Call.
1. 'Moments of Choice'
Following dossiers in previous issues of Movie: A Journal of Film Criticism which focused on specific aspects of film style, in Issue 8 we invite submissions for a dossier called ‘Moments of Choice’, in tribute to V.F. Perkins’ 1981 article. Perkins is concerned with the appreciation of creative choices made by filmmakers. The excellence of an individual choice is measured in terms of how well it serves the design of a particular sequence and the film as a whole. As he writes: ‘Directors work in the knowledge that nothing is right “in itself” but only in relation to the developing design’. In his complementary study, Filmmakers Choices, John Gibbs notes that a valuable approach when assessing the film is ‘to identify a decision, or group of decisions, and ask what is gained by doing it this way?’ We invite contributions that discuss such ‘moments of choice’.
The choices considered should relate to details of film form: for example, performative gestures, props, items of costume, compositional arrangements, editing, or features of the soundtrack. Discussions could be short – up to 3,000 words – but we are also happy to consider longer pieces. Essays may concentrate on moments that last only a few seconds of screen time, or on a range of related moments across a sequence, a film, or more than one film. Articles which reflect on critical methodology as part of their discussion are also welcome.
2. Videographic Criticism
We hope that audiovisual essays will form a regular dimension of future issues and we welcome style-based submissions in this field. For this issue, these could be contributions to the Moments of Choice dossier, but contributions of other kinds are also welcome. Submissions (to [log in to unmask]) should take the form of a password-protected link to the video on Vimeo and a statement of approximately 500 words contextualising the essay. Statements will be published alongside accepted audiovisual essays
3. General Call for Papers:
Movie: A Journal of Film Criticism also makes a general call for papers. We are committed to publishing rigorous but accessible critical writing, at a variety of lengths, that is responsive to the detailed texture and artistry of film and television, old and new. We also welcome articles that illuminate concepts, analytical methods and questions in film aesthetics that are of significance to film criticism. We welcome articles up to 8,000 words in length, though are also open to the possibility of longer pieces, to be judged on a case-by-case basis. A style guide for submissions can be found here.
Articles and audiovisual essays should be submitted by 1st September 2017. Articles should be sent for review as email attachments to [log in to unmask].