MINUTES SRN Executive Meeting

 

Tuesday 23 August 2022 3.00 pm GEST 

Tuesday 23 August 2022 9.00 pm AWST 

Tuesday 23 August 6.00am PST (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),

 

1. Apologies

Rose F, Jan C., Rafael L.

 

2. Minutes of previous meeting

IG proposes acceptance / RW seconds.

 

3. SRN AGM 

MM – Action plan and report posted, announcement of next meeting posted.  Link to Minutes from last year to be posted for approval.  Will plan one general email with further information.

MM- per Schedule from Claus – one hour for us including the election. Need to make sure in AGM we present Minutes from last minute.

SC – cannot attend Vienna because of quarantining issues when I return to China. 

IG – I was at a conference recently that set up some people to attend online so we can do that as well if we ask Claus. 

 

4. SRN 2022 Awards Update (Margaret)

Eva N has contacted with names of winners – Claus is making certificate.  Eva will present.

 

5. SRN Elections Update (Rosanne)

RR – Only 2 nominations – so Rose Ferrell and Rosanne Welch automatically reelected.

-Need to ask for someone to step forward and take Rafael Leal’s place as web master

-Need to thank Rafael for his work on the web, especially he and Paolo’s securing the Leeds server for another few years.

IG – We should announce it out loud at the AGM so we can reach as many as posible.  

 

6. SRN ERC Nominations (All)

MM – I can add that to the next email along with the next Early Career Representative.

IG – We need ask folks members in letter for being Early Career Representative.

 

7. SRN Newsletter (Jan & Isadora)

IG – Next newsletter after AGM – interviewing Claus about the conference.

 

8. SRN Exec Sept Meeting Vienna conference confirmation – date, time, place (Isadora)  

IG- meeting Friday at lunchtime (12:50) – need to check with Claus about a location. 

MM – It should be Thursday the 22nd at lunchtime so we have the date ahead.

 

9. Other business 

Monday 25 July 2022 10 pm GMT/UTC 

Tuesday 26 July 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),

• Apologies

Rafael Leal,  Isadora Garcia

• Minutes of previous meeting

RF – Motion to approve. 

RW – Seconded.

• SRN Annual Report Confirmation

JC – Need to update the Working Group section?  

MM – Maxine replied with her group’s update. Syri replied that her group was on pause but about to catch up.

RF – Maxine’s group is doing a reading at this year’s conference.  She has a call out for more leaders to join the Practice Lead Working Group.

MM – As per last year’s Report we can approve by today and be done before the Summer holidays in Europe.  Then we have 1 hour to present at the AGM in Vienna.

JC – I can do the graphics for the presentation covering new member countries and other graphs.

• SRN Action Plan Confirmation 

Ratified by full EC present.

• SRN Newsletter (Jan & Isadora)

• SRN 2022 Conferences & Awards (Margaret)

MM – Jury will short list at beginning of August.  

RW – How do we manage telling the winners?  And shortlisted people? Did the winners have time to plan remarks?  

MM – I believe all  3 shortlisted plan something and when the announcement is given the winners speak.  There is ½ an hour given for this – it might end early which will give member the chance to rest before the dinner.

• SRN Exec meetings August & September 

MM – Who will be on holidays in August?

JC – I can join from break.

MM – We might need to change our 8/29 date to the 22nd if that works with all EC members.  Due to internet access issues, I will have to use the university offices so the time will change to 3pm (Spain), 6am (Los Angeles). Next month’s meeting will discuss Elections, final meeting at the Vienna conference, other issues? Final meeting 1pm Vienna Thursday the 22nd.

• Other business 

JC – 2024 conference dates chosen – Sept 12-14th, 2024

RW – Can we fit in one more SRN Conversation before the conference?

MM – We should show a clip of it at the AGM.

RF – We’d need to find and cut a clip to make it easier.

RW – I can do that.

 

Meeting adjourned at 2:53pm PDT.

 

The SRN Executive Council 2021-22 Activities Report can be accessed here.

As well the Action Plan approved for the next term can be accessed here.

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 

MINUTES SRN Executive Meeting

Monday 25 April  2022 10 pm GMT/UTC 

Tuesday 26 April 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),

 

1. Apologies

• JC
• SC

 

2. Minutes of February 2022 meeting

• Approved – unanimous

 

3. SRN Conference 2022 

• Carmen Sofia new member of SRN Awards committee – confirmed; Eva attending Conference; Tom Stempel & CSB may not be in attendance.
• Claus says registrations are opening soon.
• Lifetime achievements  award (a surprise) organized by Claus Tieber;
• Information about flights on website; SRN EC meeting at conference, time will be Thurs am coffee/breakfast 9am before the conference at University.

 

4. SRN Conversations

• RF – Confirming that we’re happy with list of next interviewees.  RL will be tech person.  Need Coordinator role, Chair to do interviews/coordinator of discussions.  Looking to make the session run faster/reconsider format.
• IG – We can use quick prompts – to get quick responses.  

 

5. Other business

• RF – Still discussing ways to change banner on website – RL recommended using animated GIF for ‘Welcoming’ banner.
• IG – Newsletter running smoothly over email with Jan. We have to decide who will be our interviewee for the next one. We want to include quick questions for others in the network. Editors find it easy to work together on line and on drive. 
• MM – Need to send reminder that awards close.  Will do on 3rd of May. 
• INCLUSION – RF to send out new reminder on asking members to invite colleagues;
• SRN EC Elections – Submit EOI by date? End of July; Next agenda item pls 
• IG – Won’t be another newsletter until June.  
• MM – In Vienna – 9am Exec meeting Thursday of that week – conference starts at 10am.  Next meeting is May 16/17th – relatively soon to this date but due to members not being free the 23/24th.
• RW – Elections for three of us – 
• MM – Expression of interest needs to be sent by end of July? Will double check.
• RF – Do we have a provision for voting online? Have we done that in the past pre-Covid?

 

Meeting adjourned 2:33pm PDT

May 17th – next meeting

 

MINUTES – SRN Executive Meeting February 2022

 

Monday 21 February 2022 10 pm GMT/UTC 

Tuesday 22 February 2022 7.04 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),

• Apologies

• Minutes of previous meeting

IG – nominates acceptance

JC – seconded

Minutes approved

• SRN Action Plan 2022 Review

 

MM – JC sent CV for possible judge of SRN book/article award 2022. Dina Iordanova.  Now she is one of the keynote speakers for the Vienna conference.

JC – I did not know that would happen when I sent in her CV.  We had talked about choosing someone from a non-Western country and she is from Eastern Europe but teaches in Scotland.

IG – my PhD professor had worked with her and she was impressive. I second the nomination.

MM – Thank JC for that nomination.  She is quite suitable.  Let us all offer up names by next meeting and discuss them.  Focus on people with closer focus on screenwriting studies (as creative practice) more than film studies.  We have many esteemed elders who were instrumental in our SRN who drove the network and maybe we should approach some of them.  The prize is meant for best practices in screenwriting as an art form.  

RW – I’m all for asking those folks for their interest – some near retirement might not want more work or others might find this just the right kind of retired contribution to make.

JC – What are our conceptions of the requirements for judges?  

IG – Last meeting notes mention an attempt to replace the female who is leaving with another female. 

 

Action Item – Add choosing to next month’s agenda.

 

JC – We can put the new call in the next newsletter – it is coming out after one more interview is completed.

IG – Newsletter will go out first week of March so we can include this reminder for submissions for the prize.  Deadlines are May 31 each year.

IG – I remember receiving a call for the submissions – did it include the awards?

MM – Let’s put out our reminder in the newsletter.  

RL – One person on the Executive Council can receive the submissions…?

MM – So next month we will decide who to approach and do it one at a time.

IG – Suggestion:  Let’s ask Carmen Sofia Brenes now. 

RF – We had 3 judges – Eva is who we are replacing.  Kristin is staying and Tom Stempel.

MM – I will also confirm the returning judges.  

• Membership and Diversity

 

RF – Steven Maras has asked for suggestions for some new editors and reviewers for the JOS.  We agreed to pool a number of names for him to peruse. We sent some and agreed to add more when they come to us. Ian MacDonald and Claus Tieber suggested some names as well.  We could use a central point to gather those names – I can do that so if you have names send them on to me and I’ll send them on to Steven.

IG – Do they all have to be in Screenwriting Studies?

RW – Just checked Steven’s email and he wants:  “As Co-editor of Palgrave Studies in Screenwriting we have been seeking ways to make our editorial advisory board more diverse and inclusive. The pool of people we draw on is very similar so it makes sense to collaborate and continuing to build bridges into South America, Asia and Africa, especially.” 

MM- Let’s move to the Action Plan.

RF – Now that we have the YouTube Channel I’m motivated to record another conversation with former conference organizers. It was motivated to help future organizers but also as an oral history of the founding of the SRN and the casual friendships that have come from joining.  We’ve been following chronology using the first 4 conferences so now we’re ready to do the next 4: Sydney, Wisconsin, Chile, Potsdam.  We need a coordinator to figure out times to suggest, then a technical back up (Rafael in the first one), someone to do the introduction – an anchor who then also formulates a set of questions to keep the conversation going and moderating between speakers.  I coordinated the last one and will happily repeat that.  I would like some feedback on the last one as we prepare for the next one.

RL – I’m happy to be tech on that again.  I think one-to-one interviews or smaller round tables might be smoother.  To record the memories of our organization we can do smaller ones every other month.

MM – Good idea.  Putting a time limit on each speaker can be good.  If you had fewer people we could go for shorter times as well.  A tight set of questions can help. 

RF – Speakers were primed with questions ahead of time. 

We can do just two right now.  Sydney and Wisconsin. 

MM – I can moderate Wisconsin and whichever other one.  I didn’t attend Sydney. I had not Heard of the network yet.

RF – Also I wonder if there’s a difference betwwen recording how to organize a conference and what the cultural aspects of the SRN is – the fact that we don’t charge a fee so we can be as welcoming as posible.  So we could do 2 kinds of interviews  – one with organizers and another on memories of specific conferences.  

Action Item – RF will send out synopsis of ideas.

 

RF – Then by next meeting we will have something scheduled.  And I don’t have to be the coordinator of all of these – I’m more than happy to open up the opportunity to whoever is interested.

MM – JC and IG will have the newsletter ready next week.

SC – I have been posting to social media and am working on being as regular as possible with them.

RF – I wanted to repost another message about diversity in newsletter and on FB if there’s space.

• Other business 

 

MM – I have been planning an event to bring together Asian-Pacific screenwriter academics.  I have meetings next week with my Herman Van Eyken is Head of Griffith Film School – he is president of CILECT – The International Association of Film and TV School so we hope to be able to make these connections.  Many emerging countries want to study screenwriting and we want to expand this to those academics and filmmakers.  Our film school has a focus on Asia and one of our key mission statements is to connect with Asia.  We have other colleagues who are specialists in Asia-Pacific film who will help me with this. Perhaps we can organize a master class online.  

RW – When will your conference happen?

MM – ASPERA (Australian Screen Education production and research association) conference is in July (11-13th) and this might be connected to that so we can open a bit of it to SRN in some way.

Meeting Adjourned 12 past the hour.