Media Studies Conference 2005
Wednesday 6 July - Friday 8 July 2005
The National Film Theatre, South Bank, London
This Conference offered all media and film teachers in the 16-19 sector an opportunity to discover new approaches, to find essential resources through a variety of workshops, seminars and presentations, and best of all perhaps it offered teachers the chance to meet one another. The programme (PDF 39k) was designed for maximum flexibility to enable each participant to construct their own route through the event, taking into account particular needs, knowledge gaps, level of professional experience and the demands of the specification taught.
Plenary sessions
In 2005 there were four plenary sessions (PDF 32k). Andrew Burn, opened the Conference with a polemical presentation on the extent to which new technologies represent radically different ways of engaging with and making media texts. On Thursday morning John Willis, Director of BBC Factual and Learning talked informally about his work, while in the afternoon Gianluca Sergi and Alan Lovell considered the extent to which film-making is a form of individual expression or whether the contribution of "technicians" should be considered.
Conference strands
In addition to the four plenaries, there were five conference strands:
- Teacher-led sessions (PDF, 83k) Experienced teachers shared their approaches to teaching a particular topic or area of the curriculum. These were informal sessions, supported with documentation, including worksheets, bibliographies and resources information.
- How to Teach... (PDF, 49k) These sessions introducde the key critical concepts of Narrative, Genre, Institution, Audience and Representation. Designed for those new or newish to the field of Film and Media Studies, these sessions also offered a useful refresher opportunity to the not-so-new teacher.
- Inside Industry (PDF, 62k) Practitioners from a range of media industries talked about their work, giving a view from the inside of, for instance, digital effects, television idents or film production. After a brief introduction from the speaker there was be ample time for questions and discussion.
- Strand Four (PDF, 62k) An opportunity to catch up on some recent research in film and television in a seminar context. This year we offered rethinking feminist tv criticism using Sex and the City as a case study; the production history, reception and context of The Office; Reality TV; the theory/practice debate in Film and Media Studies and sound design in film.
- The Fifth Element (PDF, 42k) Sessions focusing on recent initiatives such as the BBC's Creative Archive; screenonline, the bfi's online guide to British Film and Television; the Cineclub Network and the BBFC's new website designed for your students.
You can look at the programme (PDF, 39k) here, or to order a hard copy please contact bfi Education. Please also see the frequently asked questions (PDF, 29k) for further information.
Download application form (PDF, 529k) here.
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