What Should I Do?

[Yorkie]

I'm just finishing my second year of my degree in television and film studies (undergrad) and I've got to do a dissertation proposal. I really want to do British Film, but can't find an interesting enough topic. Anyone got any ideas for what could be a good topic for discussion where research would not be too difficult to come by?

[Wetherby Pond]

Originally posted by Yorkie@May 20 2005, 10:05 AM I'm just finishing my second year of my degree in television and film studies (undergrad) and I've got to do a dissertation proposal. I really want to do British Film, but can't find an interesting enough topic. Anyone got any ideas for what could be a good topic for discussion where research would not be too difficult to come by?

The Victorian/Edwardian era is infinitely easier to research than it used to be, provided you can get access to a library with a Screenonline licence - it contains dozens of complete examples dating back to 1895. It's a fascinating area, as for the first decade of the cinema's existence British film-makers ranked among the most innovative in the world - particularly the work of James Williamson, G.A.Smith and Cecil Hepworth, who between them helped establish much of what we now know as standard film grammar.

[Yorkie]

Originally posted by Wetherby Pond@May 20 2005, 09:14 AM The Victorian/Edwardian era is infinitely easier to research than it used to be, provided you can get access to a library with a Screenonline licence - it contains dozens of complete examples dating back to 1895. It's a fascinating area, as for the first decade of the cinema's existence British film-makers ranked among the most innovative in the world - particularly the work of James Williamson, G.A.Smith and Cecil Hepworth, who between them helped establish much of what we now know as standard film grammar.

Thanks for that. I'm sure our uni library has a screenonline licence. In fact our uni library contains the Yorkshire Film Archive, so that could be of great use. I'm sure we have plenty of stuff on the Louis le Prince Leeds Bridge film in there too, so the origins of British film could be a really interesting topic. Thank you VERY much.

[penfold]

And there is the Mitchell and Kenyon project, based at the National Fairground Archive, Sheffield University....

[Wetherby Pond]

Originally posted by penfold@May 21 2005, 12:13 AM And there is the Mitchell and Kenyon project, based at the National Fairground Archive, Sheffield University....

To be honest, I wouldn't pick Mitchell & Kenyon - not because it isn't worthy of study, but because the collection has been so pored over in recent months that I doubt you could come up with anything particularly new to say without doing precisely the kind of in-depth primary research in places like Blackburn that Yorkie is keen to avoid.

The problem with Mitchell & Kenyon is that the films themselves are pretty artless - in fact, they're essentially news footage. I know everyone's banging on about how they rank among the greatest British filmmakers of the early 20th century, and it's obviously wonderful that their work has been preserved in such extraordinarily high quality copies, but when the fog of hype clears, it should be pretty clear that as filmmakers they were nowhere near the class of Williamson, Smith, Hepworth or R.W.Paul when it comes to really exploring (and indeed establishing) the grammar of cinema.

(This isn't really a negative criticism, because I doubt very much that that's what they intended)

[penfold]

Wetherby, the academics haven't scratched the surface of M&K yet..the research thus far has largely been factual , regarding what was filmed and when, and where shown. The economics, the techniques, the methods of showmanship, the marketing...barely touched. They'll be at it for years.
Regarding the techniques, the earliest known use of pans, horizontal and vertical, and of animated titles, have been put back quite a few years by the discovery; it doesn't mean, of course, that they were the first to do it, but it has genuinely increased what we know of British films of the period, until now largely represented by the names you mention, to which I would add William Haggar.
You're right of course, M&K were probably nicking bits and bobs from elsewhere, and if innovating, doing so by accident or forced to by circumstances...but then, they all were, which is why the period is so fascinating...

[PAULBATTERSON]

Originally posted by Yorkie@May 20 2005, 09:05 AM I'm just finishing my second year of my degree in television and film studies (undergrad) and I've got to do a dissertation proposal. I really want to do British Film, but can't find an interesting enough topic. Anyone got any ideas for what could be a good topic for discussion where research would not be too difficult to come by?

TRY TO DO WILL HAYS FILM "OH MR PORTER"
EASY TO SEARCH HISTORY OF AND GOOD FUN TO DO..
IF YOU NEED ANY HELP LET ME KNOW

[paulsroom]

Originally posted by Wetherby Pond@May 20 2005, 09:14 AM ...the first decade of the cinema's existence British film-makers ranked among the most innovative in the world - particularly the work of James Williamson, G.A.Smith and Cecil Hepworth, who between them helped establish much of what we now know as standard film grammar.

If you can get to take a holiday in the Brighton area, go to the Hove Museum in Church Road. They have a very comprehensive section on the early cinema of James Williamson and G.A.Smith who made such early films in Hove. The collection provides lots of information about equipment, actors, storylines, the local cinemas where the films were shown, and also a rolling programme of some of the films made by this group of film-makers.

A great book to get information from is "Archeology of the Cinema" by C.W.Ceram (Thames & Hudson, 1965). This book not only explains how the moving image developed until it ultimately was recorded on celluloid, but has comprehensive sections on the early British Cinema pioneers.

[PAULBATTERSON]

Originally posted by Yorkie@May 20 2005, 09:05 AM I'm just finishing my second year of my degree in television and film studies (undergrad) and I've got to do a dissertation proposal. I really want to do British Film, but can't find an interesting enough topic. Anyone got any ideas for what could be a good topic for discussion where research would not be too difficult to come by?

ANOTHER GOOD CHOICE WOULD BE TO DO HELL DRIVERS OR A LAUREL/HARDY LIFE STORY IF YOU MAKE IT COMEDY THOUGH, IT WILL KEEP THEM INTERESTED WHEN THEY READ IT

[Wetherby Pond]

Originally posted by PAULBATTERSON@May 27 2005, 07:24 PM ANOTHER GOOD CHOICE WOULD BE TO DO HELL DRIVERS OR A LAUREL/HARDY LIFE STORY IF YOU MAKE IT COMEDY THOUGH, IT WILL KEEP THEM INTERESTED WHEN THEY READ IT

I've read a fair number of academic dissertations on apparently comedic subjects, and I have to say they rank very high amongst the most excruciatingly earnest and dull pieces of writing I've ever had the misfortune to read - possibly a side-effect of over-analysing material that was only ever intended to make people laugh.

[PAULBATTERSON]

Originally posted by Yorkie@May 20 2005, 09:05 AM I'm just finishing my second year of my degree in television and film studies (undergrad) and I've got to do a dissertation proposal. I really want to do British Film, but can't find an interesting enough topic. Anyone got any ideas for what could be a good topic for discussion where research would not be too difficult to come by?

[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/devil.gif[/img] DO A HISTORY OF BBC1. ONE MEMBER ROB? COMPLAINED ABOUT ME USING capitals IN MY WRITING.. FOR YOUR INFORMATION,ROB, IF ITS ANY CONCERN OF YOURS ANYWAY, MY ELDERLY FATHER LIKES TO READ MY WORDS ON VARIOUS SITES AND HAS TROUBLE READING small text SO REFRAIN FROM COMMENTING IN SUCH A PUERILE WAY IN FUTURE.. THANKYOU MR ROB.

[Wetherby Pond]

Originally posted by PAULBATTERSON@May 27 2005, 08:48 PM DO A HISTORY OF BBC1. ONE MEMBER ROB? COMPLAINED ABOUT ME USING capitals IN MY WRITING.. FOR YOUR INFORMATION,ROB, IF ITS ANY CONCERN OF YOURS ANYWAY, MY ELDERLY FATHER LIKES TO READ MY WORDS ON VARIOUS SITES AND HAS TROUBLE READING small text SO REFRAIN FROM COMMENTING IN SUCH A PUERILE WAY IN FUTURE.. THANKYOU MR ROB.

<span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:100%">WHY NOT GO THE WHOLE HOG, THEN?</span>

On a more serious note, why don't you just show your father how to increase the text size in his browser preferences?

[Rob Compton]

Originally posted by PAULBATTERSON@May 27 2005, 08:48 PM DO A HISTORY OF BBC1.Â* Â* ONE MEMBER ROB? COMPLAINED ABOUT ME USING capitals IN MY WRITING.. FOR YOUR INFORMATION,ROB, IF ITS ANY CONCERN OF YOURS ANYWAY, MY ELDERLY FATHER LIKES TO READ MY WORDS ON VARIOUS SITES AND HAS TROUBLE READING small textÂ* SO REFRAIN FROM COMMENTING IN SUCH A PUERILE WAY IN FUTURE.. THANKYOU MR ROB.

Puerile is indeed the right word PAULBATTERSON.

rgds
Rob

[Wetherby Pond]

I Once Came Across Someone Who Capitalised The First Letter Of Every Word, Much As I'm Doing Now. When Challenged As To Why, He Seemed Convinced That This Made What He Wrote Look More Interesting, But I Got The Distinct Impression That This Opinion Was Not Shared By Anyone Else.

equally annoying was the guy who wrote in lower case text with no punctuation whatsoever again he seemed convinced that this made him the natural successor to e e cummings but he was so painfully wrong that it was quite hilarious at least more hilarious than trying to read one of his posts which were a lot longer than this short sample paragraph

Seriously, Paul, you're clearly unaware of one of the absolutely basic rules of online communication, which is that if you're writing on a public forum, using BLOCK CAPS THROUGHOUT is considered extremely rude. If you don't believe me, type "netiquette shouting" into Google and read just one of the nearly 25,000 pages this comes up with.

[sanndevil]

Originally posted by Wetherby Pond@May 27 2005, 06:33 PM I've read a fair number of academic dissertations on apparently comedic subjects, and I have to say they rank very high amongst the most excruciatingly earnest and dull pieces of writing I've ever had the misfortune to read - possibly a side-effect of over-analysing material that was only ever intended to make people laugh.

You've obviously read my Masters thesis on "The Rise and Fall of the British Sitcom Spin-off Movie in the 1970s"!