Our Speaker: Sally Shangguan

Presentation title:

China-UK film co-production- A collaboration across and beyond cultures

Bio:

Sally Shangguan is a PhD student of film studies at Nanjing Normal University in China and is currently a visiting researcher, working with Andrew Higson at TFTI. She had a few years working experience in China Central Television before the academic life. Her research focuses specifically on the UK film policies and film co-productions. She enjoys having conversations with professionals in the industry and hopes to produce works with impact.

Abstract:

The China-UK Film Co-Production Agreement was formalised in 2014 after the UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, visited China in 2013. The era of China-UK film co-production had seemingly arrived. While China has just become the second largest film market in the world, the co-production treaty has brought unprecedented opportunities to both China’s and the UK’s film industries. However, creating co-productions remains a challenge. This research aims to address the gap between the Chinese and British film industries and film policies, using the 2014 China-UK Co-Production Agreement as a point of reference. By reviewing the different paths the Chinese and British film industries have taken in the past, this research reveals how co-production has rooted itself in both countries in various ways, and examines whether the treaty can fulfil China’s and the UK’s current demands in terms of both economic benefits and cultural policy. Finally, the research considers some potential realistic solutions for China-UK co-production, meanwhile, the research intends to provide new insights into China-UK film co-production and contributes to wider debates around film policy and the co-production industry.

Our Speaker: Rosemary Alexander-Jones

Presentation title:

Chatsworth: The Permanent Pemberley

Bio:

Rosemary Alexander-Jones is a third-year part-time PhD student working with Dr Emma Pett at the University of York in the Department of Film, Theatre, Television and Interactive Media. Her PhD focusses on the use of historic buildings in fiction and heritage films and the effect of filming on the visitor experience. She is also a filmmaker and alongside making promotional films for the History of Art Department at the University of Warwick, her recent VR/360 film ‘Mission to the Stars’ was officially selected for the 360 Film Festival in Paris.

Abstract:

Chatsworth Estate has appeared in 3 recent films (The Wolfman (2010, Joe Johnston), The Duchess (2008, Saul Dibb), Pride & Prejudice (2005, Joe Wright)) and in the BBC TV series Death Comes to Pemberley (2013, Daniel Percival), but out of the four Chatsworth only publicises its connection to Pride & Prejudice. Not only does it hold an annual ‘Pride and Prejudice Regency Ball’ each summer, it also has large sections in the gift shops to do with its Austen connection, and offers a Jane Austen style photoshoot for weddings. I will explore how this mixture of storytelling has affected Chatsworth and the visitor experience, considering why and how Chatsworth puts less emphasis on film tourism and instead focusses on literary tourism when its link to Austen is tenuous at best. I will explore how different visitors experience different types of authentic experience within the same space, and how some experiences are validated and encouraged when others are dissuaded. This paper investigates what impact this has had for the multiple narratives surrounding Chatsworth as it attempts to remain relevant and prosperous today, even if that means taking on the name of the fictional Pemberley to engage with a younger demographic.

Our Speaker: Benjamin McDonald

Presentation title:

Ethnotheatre: Staging Anthropology

Bio:

I am currently a PhD student at The University of York with a background in making theatre and teaching in the post-compulsory sector. I am interested in developing a career which combines teaching and research whilst continuing with public engagement by writing and directing innovative theatre performances. My current research explores the relationship between historical and cultural understanding of mental illness and how characters suffering with ill mental health have been exhibited on the stage. This also includes an investigation of the presentation of characters who feign mental illness for personal gain.

Abstract:

This formal presentation explores the relationship between the role of the ethnodramatist and their duty to storytelling through scriptwriting. I will briefly outline the various components of ethnodrama and analyse the effectiveness of this approach as a means of storytelling and will identify how this might be exhibited to an audience, noting the potential impact. I will investigate the primary objectives of an ethnodramatist and acknowledge how research-informed creative practice can contribute to positive change and act as a forum for challenging societal ills. This ties it into the other theme of the symposium, current affairs. Events of political or social importance are precisely the dramatically charged stimuli that the ethnodramatist would draw from. This genre is particularly adaptable in both form and process and therefore lends itself to interdisciplinary practice, encouraging a range of artists to work alongside psychologists, doctors, politicians, therapists etc. depending on the theme of study. This is an exciting off-branch of anthropology which pulls together ethnographic fieldwork documentation, workshops the findings and transforms the data into a work of art, immersing the audience within this form of authentic storytelling.