MINUTES SRN Executive Meeting – MAY 2022
Monday 16 May 2022 10 pm GMT/UTC
Tuesday 17 May 2022 7.00 am AEST (via Teams)
Circulation list: Rosanne Welch (RW), Rose Ferrell (RF), Rafael Leal (RL), Jan Cernik (JC), Isadora Garcia Avis (IGA), Shaopeng Chen (SC), Margaret McVeigh (MM),
Meeting begun :02 after the hour
Apologies
All present.
Minutes of April meeting
RF proposed/MM seconded. Accepted.
SRN Conversations (Rose)
RF – Here are some notes on the SRN Conversations for discussion at our meeting tomorrow. They are made after considering ideas put forward by others, and rewatching the youtube clips “SRN Conversations #1 – Memories from SRN Conferences (2008 – 2011). In summary, after looking at the recording of the first Conversation I think it has a robust framework. We should continue with the same.
The theme of the Conversations as ‘Memories from SRN Conferences’ is a strong identifying factor. I think we should continue to honour that endeavour – make it historical, to build a picture of the developing SRN
Points which were repeated by different speakers:
- the sense of being alone as a scholar of screenwriting in the early 2000s (which led Kirsi, Ian and then Eva to reach out to others);
- the way that the colleagues who came from other parts of the world to join in a conference became strong friends; it was a welcoming place to be;
- historical moments – the first JoS coming out; Adam Ganz dealing with a Mac Computer no one could work; technology not up to online meetings until Covid etc.
- putting names to faces – Steven Maras’ book led to theme of Copenhagen conference/Steven as Keynote; Ian’s welcome to Eva at his 2008 conference led her to organise the 2010 conference; Eva was encouraged by Ian and thus wrote her book – now English language best seller;
- Online is better than nothing
- POINT OF INTEREST – that the Conversation itself was created in the midst of Covid. Occurred prior to the first SRN Online Seminar Series (ie annual conference online).
Issues we still grapple with:
language – doing everything in English (its practical!) – Ronald Geerts conference was bilingual (Fr, Eng). Didn’t work for everyone!
DIVERSITY in all things – Encourage greater diversity of all sorts!! Esp’ly nations whose filmmaking tradition / history is non-European..
Things to follow up on: the ongoing development of the field;
its relationship to new technologies;
its breakthrough moments – important scholarly arguments, works, introduction of new streams of inquiry
To consider: – a slideshow of photos to follow on from the world map animation.
NB – we should publicise the animation (link in newsletter; post on facebook)
PROPOSE Next Conversation:
TO DISCUSS – 2,3 or 4 conferences per session? Ask coordinators whether they have synergy with other coordinators / speakers eg. to put Davinia NZ and Carmen Santiago together? Set questions / topics, issues to discuss.
Chair – Rosanne / Rose
Coordinator – Rose
Tech support – Rafael
2012 – (Sydney) Alex Munt; Kathryn Millard;
2013 – (Madison) Kellie Conway, J.J. Murphy
2014 – (Germany) Kerstin Stutterheim
2015 – (Santiago) Carmen Sofia Brenes
2015 – (London) Steven Price; Rosamund Davies; ??
2016 – (Leeds) Ian McDonald; ??
2017 – (Dunedin) Davinia Thornley; Amie Taua
2018 – (Milano) Armando Fumagalli, Paolo Brassa
2019 – (Porto) Maria-Guillhermina
2021 – ONLINE Paolo Russo
RW – I could see doing 2 organizers at a time – Sydney/Dunedin from one part of the world and Madison/Santiago from the Americas.
RF – Would like them to continue showing the way the previous conversations highlighted the friendships and memories noted.
MM – 3 is a good number to get the conversation going/4 is too much and 2 is too little.
Chronological is more important than geographical because we are all writing and teaching the writing of universal stories so why recognize borders.
RF – I prefer chronological but recognize scheduling might require other mixes. It would still highlight the friendships.
SRN Collective Sites/Archive (Rose)
RF – Wondering if we could have links to the photographs from various conferences with the YouTube Conversations so people could see them when they are interested.
RL – I sent the link to the GoogleDrive but others need be editors to post photos.
Can we share such a link to all members to post photos during and after confernces…?
We can discuss this next meeting after some technical research.
ACTION ITEM: ADD to next month’s AGENDA
MM – Wonderful to have all this on the web as a history of the Network. Connecting them could be a full project for someone to take on in the future.
SRN Elections & Pitches (Rosanne & Rose)
RW – What’s the process since I’m Secretary?
MM – Rose, Rosanne and Rafael are up for election this year. SC is an invited emerging scholar for one year.
RW – Is the process for Re-election the same as election in that you need a letter of nomination and a second – and then a statement.
MM – Yes. And it is a real election from the floor. We’ll run this in Vienna at the AGM.
As we will be in person this time voting will be open to those present.
RF – If you run uncontested you still need those letters.
MM – In person we vote on paper handed to the Secretary and a Scrutineer.
RW – We’ll need to choose the Scrutineer and have them in place since I’m the Secretary.
MM – Will the 3 not up for election be in Vienna?
SC – I won’t be able to attend due to Covid restrictions.
RF – We should send letters
RW – Put the call for nominations in the newsletter and on FB – deadline July 15.
Then we’d send out via email by top of August. Voting during Vienna conference.
MM – Requirements proposer/2nd-er and word count for statement. Members need to be in place over one year in the Network.
RW – I’ll put out the Call for Elections – email to Council to put in newsletter/on FB, post to Jiscmail.
RF – We can add a sentence about “if you’re new to the org and want to understand the process” they can contact Membership Rep.
ACTiON ITEM – Gathering data for Chair’s annual report next meeting.
RF – Should we describe each role? In video for YouTube or in writing in the Call for Nominations?
MM – Another point is that in the Chairman’s report I’d rather not be just the Chair since we are a collaborative industry – screenwriters and academics alike – so I would like you each to tell your own accomplishments in that report.
RW – Great idea!
MM – We can discuss practicalities of that next meeting.
SRN Asia Pacific Story Patterns ASPERA Panel link (Margaret)
MM – Been interested in this idea for a while – started this conversation with RL and Nadia in Milan. Part of my platform – and now it is going to happen. As part of ASPERA we will have Asia Pacific Story Patterns. Tue July 12 – 4:30-6pm Australian Eastern Standard Time — a good time for people in Asia Pacific to engage online. Panel of AP cinema experts including CAPA (International Assoc of Film School – CILECT), rep from NePac – (Promotion of AP), Anthony Mullens wrote book about patterns from AP films. In process of inviting filmmakers from AP to add to panel. My head of school and member of CAPA will moderate.
Looking to open a call for papers on AP story patterns. One panel won’t answer the question but will start the conversation. Panel will be open to members of SRN, CAPA, etc. Not all panelists will be academics. Part of our work is to educate practical filmmakers from areas where there are not schools of cinema. Will be live but might record (based on permissions).
We can do an alert in all our social media/newsletter.
SRN Exec Meeting prior to conference (Isadora)
MM – Preliminary program shows registration at 8:30 on first day.
JC – Should we meet on Wednesday the day before?
IG – Cocktail hour is 9pm – we could meet 5:30-6:30/17:30-18:30.
MM – We could meet close to the Town Hall so we could walk over afterwards.
Can I ask IG to organize with Stephanie of a place to meet?
SRN Newsletter – ideas for June? (Isadora)
IG – Will send out beginning of June. We are looking for next newsletter – can we ask Claus as the organizer of the next conference?
JC – Others could be members of awards committee first in June – then Claus in September to welcome members to the conference.
MM – Call for nominations next – then notice of Asia Pacific Story Patterns Panel, then interviews.
JC – Note that conference reg is open.
RF – We could add the cute gif of where all the conferences have been.
Other business
RF – Anything new with the FB page? Can we help in any way?
RW – Sept. 20-24, 2023 – Columbia, Missouri
Adjourned – On the hour 3:00pm PDT
June 20/21 next meeting