SRN Executive Minutes – January 2023

Monday, Jan. 23, 2023

Circulation list: Rosanne Welch (RW), Rose Ferrell (RF), Jan Cernik (JC), Isadora Garcia Avis (IGA), Anna Weinstein (AW).  ECR Clarissa Miranda (CM)

 

Guest(s): Working Group leaders: Romana Turina, Maxine Gee

 

  1. Apologies / Take group photo

 

Rose—

 

  1. Approval of Minutes of previous meeting

 

JC approves— IGA seconds—

 

  1. Working Groups

 

Max updates on the practice-based research group. Met twice, looking to meet more regularly. Plan to invite a guest each meeting, someone who has done research to share their practice with the group. Regular ECR check-ins and mid-point online symposium. She clarifies that this wouldn’t be a repeat of the conference, rather a way of involving interested folks mid-year. Max would like to involve more masters students, recruitment to get students involved in this area. Good opportunity for MA students to see the research taking place, what they might want to get involved in. She clarifies that we would likely use online spaces, opening it up to more members and students. CM suggests regular Zoom meetings, table read for the next conference in an evening.

 

Romana shared a video update on the comparative screenwriting teaching working group. The group formed at the 2022 conference in Vienna. Currently 50 members and still growing. Romana hosted several ice-breaker meetings in Nov and Dec ’22 and organized a blog to create visibility re comparative screenwriting teaching. There are five subgroups: character development, teaching methods, non-Anglophone traditions, structure analysis, and different industries. Aims are to offer a series of seminars on a pool of topics so members can collect a bank of data. Online Zoom meetings will be open twice for each meeting so members from different time frames can attend. Meetings are currently established, beginning January through June.

 

  1. Isadora Membership Officer Update

 

IGA talked to Rose and got an explanation about process and how it’s evolved. It’s been a long since the membership form has gone out, so she is considering sending out a new form for members to fill out, the type of research they’re interested in, demographics, etc. This will give us a better idea of how many active members we have. RW says it would be good to get a real tally, creating a new form makes sense. IGA says a Google form on Google drive could be a good option; she will create a draft of the form for the next meeting. CM will promote on FB and other forms of social media. JC asks how many active members. IGA says we don’t have an estimate beyond the people who come to the conferences.

 

  1. Status on Posts to Make to Members: Approve new Call for Hosts to follow 2024 Palacký University in the Czech Republic/ Check in w/judges/ Post about this year’s Awards w/deadlines and judge’s emails.

 

RW put out a call for hosts, she will send it out again. JC asks if we will send out a call in the Feb newsletter. RW will email him the call for the newsletter. IGA asks if any institutions have discussed interest in hosting. RW says Milan and Brazil. She will nudge others as well. IGA says the University of Navarra might be interested as they organize a conference every year and already have funding. They were checking to find out when Media and Film will be in charge of hosting. IGA will remind them.

 

  1. Institutional memory Update: YouTube/Creating password repository (YouTube channel, login required being sent a one-time code to Rafael’s phone number, -change the setting to new Website coordinator’s phone number) / Institutional memory / Creating a Discord site/Support Working Groups more / Updating Social Media with postings of scholarships, residencies, teaching/collaborating opps/ Exiting Twitter?

 

RW updates, Rose is working with Rafael on YouTube. RW has thought about a private Discord site, have to invite members to connect people. RW is looking for smaller meetings to connect people. CM says Instagram could be an option. RW suggests Clarissa look into it as another option.

 

  1.   RF: Record 2-3 SRN Conversations this year to catch up so we can do new ones only a year after a new conference has been held…Revisit at the next meeting.
  2. RF: Website Update– other info of interest to include (make map of the world with numbers in each country showing who is from where/-put the animation on the front of the website or as the first thing when you click “Conferences” tab)Revisit at the next meeting.

 

  1. AW: The Tom Stempel Foundation of Screenwriting Research: Inaugural Lecture at SRN 2023

 

RW confirms that Tom S will give the inaugural Screenwriting Research Lecture. Meg LeFauve will be the invited guest for Sat evening. RW is working on additional keynotes, currently looking for a female scholar. AW said she will send her a short list of names.

 

  1. Adjust Constitution: Reorganizing EC member titles and duties/Update Website / ADD ECR / Adding statement on integrity of members / Proposing EC serves for one year and then joins full EC for the next 2. Then can choose to run for another term. This would ensure quality candidates and continued new leadership.

 

RW says she talked to Paolo and there is a statement re duties. She will look into this more for the next meeting.

 

  1. Other business

 

Anna shares description /criteria for possible Teaching Award. RW suggests also including a five-min video as part of the application. IGA says for some teaching positions people are required to do a “sample lecture” – maybe that is something that we can request in video form as well? RW likes this idea. AW asks how we would evaluate who could be on the committee. IGA suggests this might be a good way to involve longtime SRN members who have extensive teaching experience. RW suggests Ian Macdonald, Jule Selbo, and Jill Nelmes and several members who might be interested.

 

Date of next meeting: Feb 20