Call for Papers forJournal of Screenwriting and Comunicazioni Sociali – Journal of Media, Performing Arts and Cultural Studies

As announced during the last September SRN Conference, theJournal of Screenwriting and Comunicazioni Sociali – Journal of Media, Performing Arts and Cultural Studies have planned a joint issue about the topic of the conference and are now looking to publish articles derived from the papers presented in Milan.

Please, find the call for the joint issues here CFP_JoS and CS

Best regards,

Steven Price (Journal of Screenwriting)

Paolo Braga (Comunicazioni Sociali)

SRN Executive minutes September 2018

Minutes of Executive meeting 15:00 (Milan time) 12th September 2018, Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

 

Present: Claus Tieber (Chair), Ian Macdonald (Minutes), Christina Milligan, Ronald Geerts, Carmen Sofia Brenes, Anna Zaluczkowska, John Finnegan; and Guilhermina Castro and Daniel Ribas (item 5 only).

  1. Minutes of previous meeting

These were approved.

 

  1. Finance

A discussion about the value and purpose of the SRN raising funds brought in further discussion about membership and working groups. It was decided that the next Exec should look at making membership acceptance a little more formal, in order to ensure clarity for institutions, and underline the value for individuals. If a decision is made later to introduce membership fees, this would also facilitate that.

The discussion about working groups resulted in a decision to ask the next conference to make available spaces and timeslots for working groups, both for informal/networking purposes and as guaranteed panels. It was then decided that the next Exec should send out a Call for Working Groups/Panels, as a way of revitalising activity in specialist areas and research questions.

The Executive also decided to investigate applying for networking funding to COST (again) and other sources, to support travel for meetings of working groups.

Action: 2018-19 Exec

 

  1. Newsletter

The role of the newsletter was discussed. It was decided that it was definitely an appropriate site for debate and opinion, controversial or otherwise, as well as being the right place for news and information.

Action: CM, CSB

 

  1. Early Career Representative

John Finnegan, the co-opted ECRep for 2018-19, was welcomed to the meeting. He spoke about suggestions for fulfilling his role, and his desire that Early Career Researchers should feel part of the work of the SRN. The meeting agreed that he should send out a short simple questionnaire to ECRs, to increase awareness of issues facing them, and of suggestions for improvement.

Action: JF

 

  1. 2019 Conference

Daniel Ribas and Guilhermina Castro spoke briefly about progress with this conference in Porto, Portugal, organised by Cattolica Porto and the University of Lisbon. The dates are now set as 12th-14thSeptember 2019. The theme, ‘Order and Chaos’, was welcomed, and there was discussion of the various binary oppositions that might then provoke interesting papers, e.g. narrative structuring vs. the emergent methods of development. A brief discussion ensued over possible keynote speakers, peer reviewing of papers and the timing of Calls for Papers etc. IM offered to search out the timeline for a previous conference as a guide.

Action: IM

 

  1. Diversity

A brief discussion on this topic within SRN, particularly the awareness of our US- and Euro-centric character, resulted in decisions first to set up a specific Working Group, and secondly for the next Chairperson (or nominee) to seek an early meeting/discussion with the Editor of the Journal of Screenwritingto see if journal and association could work together to actively seek out researchers and contacts in regions and countries not so far represented. IM reported that Intellect had in the past shown themselves to be willing to help, certainly in providing information about the circulation of the Journaland possibly in encouraging special issues about certain geographical regions.

Action:  2018-19 Exec

 

  1. Date and time of next meetings
  2. Milan (in person): Brief introductions and assumption of roles and activities, following AGM 14thSeptember 2018.
  3. Monthly (by skype): dates and times to be agreed, taking into account the time-zones of new members of the Exec.
  4. Porto (in person): Full meeting of Exec in person, 11th September 2019.

Action: 2018-19 Exec

 

First Meeting of new EC, SRN Conference Milan,  September 15th, 2018

Start: ca. 7pm          End: ca. 7:30 pm

Attending:

Carmen Sofia Brenes, John Finnegan, Margret McVeigh, Christina Milligan, Paolo Russo, Claus Tieber, Anna Zaluczkowska.

 

The AGM re-elected Carmen Sofia Brenes and elected Margret McVeigh and Paolo Russo as new members of the EC for two years.

Claus Tieber steps down as chair and suggests Carmen Sofia Brenes as new chair. The EC unanimously approves Carmen as the new chair of the network.

The remaining members of the EC stay in their positions, Claus Tieber is taking over secretary from Ian Macdonald and will write the minutes of the monthly meetings.

Paolo Russo will be membership secretary and Margert McVeigh treasurer.

John Finnegan will support the communication, especially via social media.

The new EC has to find a fixed monthly date, Tuesdays is a first proposal.

The new members should send their bio and a picture to Anna to be published on our website.

 

The first monthly meeting should be in October. Date will be fixed per e-mail.

 

 

SRN Awards 2019

The Executive Council has decided to establish an annual award for outstanding achievements in screenwriting research. The first SRN awards will be given at the SRN conference in Porto in autumn 2019 in two categories:

  • Book
  • Research article

Nominated texts should be published between September 2018 and June 2019. Nominated texts should be made available to the three members of the jury, either in print or in digital form no later than June, 15th 2019. The text can be published by the date of the conference.

Book: monograph or edited volume.

In general,everything that can be included into screenwriting research from narratology to production studies, can be nominated, even when they do not deal with screenwritingexclusively.Screen writing manuals will not be considered, except the jury argues for its scholarly value beyond its primary instructional purpose.

Research article

In general,articles published in academic journals (usually peer reviewed or editor reviewed), either in print or online. Articles outside of academic journals might be considered if they fulfil the conditions of a research article in length, form and content.

The criteria for the awards are just:

  1. Best new contribution
  2. Clarity of expression

 

Members of the Jury:

The Executive council chose three eminent scholars in the field of screenwriting research. We are proud and happy to confirmthe following three colleagues to serve in the jury:

In alphabetical order:

Jill Nelmes

Janet Staiger

Tom Stempel

 

The award will be a certificate without any financial value.

Anybody can make a nomination(even non-members of the SRN) and self-nomination is allowed. Nominations should be mailed to:

claus.tieber@univie.ac.at

 

Worlds of Storytelling

‘Worlds of Storytelling’ aims to discover, analyse and reflect on regional traditions of storytelling in relation to the global interests of media industries and politics. Human beings have always told stories, and storytelling acts as a powerful tool for communication, enabling us to express ideas around belonging, identity and connect within social groups (Koschorke 2012, Martínez and Scheffel 2007, Fiedler 2017, Leroi-Gourhan and Bischoff 1988). Stories, independent from the medium of presentation, are central to the cultural memory of civilisations, nations, ethnicities and other forms of social grouping (Assmann 2011, Assmann and Conrad 2010, Assmann 1993). Language, topography, climate, cultural traditions and politics influence national/regional storytelling styles, leading to rich and diverse expressions of this very human act.
    Although concepts of the transnational are key in many productions, with media content designed to reach an international audience, a distinction needs to be made between transnational productions which represent local cultures and a more homogenised globalised transnationalism (cf. Curiel 2010, amongst others). With this network research project, we aim to bring together researchers from various fields of screen studies relating to concepts of regional or national media cultures, and through this to develop an international research project around the relationship between national and global storytelling. The initial stage will culminate in a symposium from which we hope to draw out some core strands to explore future and foster international collaborative partnerships. This project may also give voice to the storytelling of minorities and small nations and support expressions of under-represented cultural identities and heritage.
Already involved are partners from China, Germany, and Australia, we are in discussion with colleagues from Canada and Brazil. The plan is to apply for funding in the UK and beyond, hopefully end of this calendar year.
    Therefore, I am inviting interested researchers to get in touch, from first ideas to more developed projects. Everyone is welcome to start the dialogue: kstutterheim@bournemouth.ac.uk

SRN Executive minutes June 2018

Screenwriting Research Network Executive

Minutes of Executive meeting 13:30 (Vienna time) 8th June 2018 (by Skype)

Present: Claus Tieber (Chair), Ian Macdonald (Minutes), Christina Milligan, Ronald Geerts, Carmen Sofia Brenes.

Apologies: Anna Zaluczkowska

  1. Minutes of previous meeting

These were approved.

 

  1. SRN Awards

The meeting approved the FAQs, which will now be forwarded to the Jurors. CT will also compose the announcement of the Awards for the AGM. Carmen will turn her attention to designing an appropriate certificate.

Action: CT, CSB

 

  1. Elections to the Executive from 2018

IM had emailed Eleonore Fornasari with the Timeline of deadlines, but had not yet had a reply. He will follow this up, perhaps with Armando Fumagalli, early next week. IM will also re-circulate the Timeline information to the Exec, for information.

Action: IM

 

  1. Conference and AGM

No new information had arrived from Armando Fumagalli. CT will circulate the Exec through the summer with relevant information as it arrives. The date and time of the AGM is as noted in last month’s minutes, and the location is yet to be confirmed. Agenda items to Claus, please. Claus is also to prepare the Annual Report and the Action Plan.

Action: CT, all

 

  1. 2019 Conference

Anna Z was not present so could not comment on any contact with Guilhermina Castro and Daniel Ribas, if any. However, the EC felt the best opportunity would be at the Milan conference, in any case. The one urgent item was to clarify the dates, and AZ was asked to liaise with Porto over the best/suitable dates.

Action: IM, AZ

 

  1. Early Career Representative

Three candidates were considered, all of a high calibre. John Finnegan of Falmouth University (UK) was co-opted as our first Early Career Representative. His first meeting with the Exec will be at the EC meeting in Milan on 12thSeptember at 15:00 hrs. The EC felt the other two should be encouraged to stand for election, and/or perhaps take over from John in 2019. A suitable email would be drafted by IM and approved by CT to be sent to them.

Action:  CT, IM

 

  1. Any other business: Newsletter

CM informed the meeting that the new Newsletter was nearly ready, and would be forwarded to CSB for her input on Monday.

Action: All, CM, CSB

 

  1. Date and time of next meetings

 

13:30 Vienna/Brussels time on Friday 7thSeptember 2018, by Skype.

SRN Conference 2018 Milan

Please find below some general information on the SRN Conference 2018 – Writing for Cinema, Writing for Television:

 

1.          The Conference will take place at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Fra Agostino Gemelli 1, 20123 Milan, from September 13th  to 15th , 2018 (9am – around 6pm).

 

2.          The main building of the University, in Largo Gemelli, is just a 5 minutes walk from Sant’Ambrogio Metro station and 10 minutes walk from Cadorna Metro station. Getting around the city by public transportation is very easy and comfortable.

 

3.          Registration is now open (since February 15th), with early bird rate until March 31st and the possibility to book seats for the September 14th social dinner. We strongly encourage to register as soon as possible: the rates after March 31st increase significantly. You will find the link to register on the Conference web page: http://www.unicatt.it/srnconference2018

 

4.          On Wednesday September 12th, in the afternoon, a pre-conference workshop for Ph.D students will take place. It will be an occasion to present their works and the opportunities of practice-based screenwriting PhD. For more details, and for the open call to participate, we will provide updated information in the internet site of the conference before the end of February.

 

5.          Also, we are planning to dedicate a specific panel with some special speakers/guests to screenwriting for animation: more details soon.

 

Some practical information

 

6.          Please, note: Milan will be hosting the fashion week from September 19, but accommodation can be tight also for the previous days as well as prices could increase. For this reason, we recommend to book your hotel as soon as you can.

 

7.          For delegates arriving the day before the Conference, we are planning a Milanese aperitivo (very light dinner), on the evening of the 12th, from 6.30 to 9 pm. Additional details about menu, prices and location will be updated on the internet site of the conference.

 

8.          If you are planning to do some tourism in Milan in your free time, we suggest some touristic landmarks like Duomo, Basilica of Sant’Ambrogio (which is very close to the University), La Scala, Pinacoteca di Brera. Furthermore, very close to the University, near the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, you can visit The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci: we strongly suggest, if you are interested, to book your visit as soon as you can. Entrances are limited to a small number of people per day. At the moment, you can book only until June, but from today to May it is all booked: so you have to check when they open booking for September.

You can find further information for your booking here: https://www.vivaticket.it/index.php?nvpg[tour]&id=744&wms_op=cenacoloVinciano&Language=ENG (please note that on other internet sites different from the official one, prices rise significantly; the normal and official ticket is 10 euro).

 

9.          From the area where the University is located, it is also very easy to go to the Como Lake: there are many trains (more than two per hour) which leave from Cadorna station and arrive exactly in the Lake shores in one hour. 

 

10.       More details about the dinner of September 14th will be given soon. We have the possibility to be at the Orti di Leonardo Restaurant, which is very close to the University, in a wonderful location, but we are considering also other possibilities.

 

Keynote speakers

 

Last, but not least, we are very happy (and very proud) to announce our confirmed keynote speakers (more details about their bios and publications on the dedicated page on the site of the conference):

 

Eleonora Andreatta, Director of Rai Fiction (the area of Tv drama and Tv series of the Italian public broadcaster Rai: 500 hours per year of Tv series)

 

Paolo Braga, Ph.D., assistant professor at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, where he teaches Writing for Cinema and Television; member of the board of the Master in International Screenwriting and Production at UCSC.

 

Warren Buckland, Reader in Film Studies at Oxford Brookes University.

Daniele Cesarano, Head of Drama RTI-Mediaset group, and screenwriter (Romanzo criminale/Crime Novel, Suburra).

 

Luisa Cotta Ramosino, Ph.D., creative producer (Medici, Masters of Florence) and screenwriter (Un passo dal cielo, Distretto di polizia).

 

Neil Landau, Director of the MFA Writing for Television Program at UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television, and screenwriter (Tad: The Lost Explorer , Capture the Flag, Sheep & Wolves).

Contacts

For any question or enquiry regarding payments, accommodations, etc.

Formazione.permanente-mi@unicatt.it

Phone (+39) 02  7234.5834  (or 7234. 5701)

For any question or enquiry regarding the academic program:

srnconference2018@gmail.com

SRN Executive Minutes May 2018

Screenwriting Research Network Executive

Minutes of Executive meeting 12:30 (Vienna time) 18th May 2018 (by Skype)

Present: Claus Tieber (Chair), Ian Macdonald (Minutes), Christina Milligan, Ronald Geerts, Carmen Sofia Brenes (from 12:55).

Apologies: Anna Zaluczkowska

  1. Minutes of previous meeting

Two errors were noted and corrected minutes will be circulated.

Action: IM

  1. SRN Awards

Claus Tieber had drafted a list of questions to be resolved, for the good management of the Awards, including e.g. categories, criteria, communication etc. A detailed discussion outlined the views of the Exec. CT will complete these ‘FAQs’ with their answers, and circulate to the Exec members for final approval.

Action: CT

  1. Elections to the Executive from 2018

Armando Fumagalli had suggested Eleonore Fornasari as Elections Officer. She had agreed to do this, and the Executive were happy to confirm their agreement. IM will contact her, and will circulate the Timeline of deadlines which should be adhered to, in preparation for the AGM.

Action: IM

  1. Early Career Representative

IM reported that John Finnegan of Falmouth University (UK) had been contacted and was delighted to be co-opted as our first Early Career Representative. His first meeting with the Exec will be in Milan on 12thSeptember at 15:00 hrs.

  1. Milan Conference

There are at the present time 130 registered participants. The AGM will be held on 14thSeptember from 13:00-15:00, and the Exec Council will meet in person on 12thSeptember at 15:00 (agenda items to CT, please).

Action: CT 

  1. 2019 Conference

Guilhermina Castro and Daniel Ribas had been in contact with Anna Zaluczkowska, and had offered some suggestions for conference theme, dates and keynote speakers. The exec expressed some concern that the dates might be a little too late for European academics, and that the possibility of the first or second week in September should be discussed. There was a welcome for the first thematic suggestion – Screenwriting and Disruptive Narratives– and further discussion about the other suggestions. IM will talk with AZ about views expressed.

Action: IM, AZ

  1. Journal of Screenwriting

CT expressed friendly concern that the Journal of Screenwriting was not as visible to non-subscribing members as it might be, and was not making good use of the email list or Facebook page (nor indeed Newsletter) to call for papers or announce new issues. IM explained some of recent activities of the Editorial Board. CT expressed willingness to help with advertising/promoting issues, and IM will convey this information to Steven Price.

Action: IM, CT

  1. Any other business: Newsletter

CM reminded us that a new edition was in preparation and asked that any contributions be communicated to her and Carmen.

Action: All, CM, CSB

  1. Date and time of next meetings

13:30 Vienna/Brussels time on Friday 8thJune 2018, by Skype.