Screen Industries/Screen Cultures

Established in 2020, the Screen Industries/Screen Cultures research group at DCRC explores and analyses the aesthetic, cultural, economic, historical, political and theoretical dimensions of the film and television industries through a wide-ranging programme of critical conceptual enquiry and publications.

We frequently collaborate with a range of inter/national HEIs and industry organisations as part of this work, ensuring our research has real world as well as academic impact. The group has a particular concern with sustainable filmmaking and cultural resilience and the politics of creative labour in the screen industries, including freelancers.

Our current research in Screen Industries has two main foci. The first is an ongoing investigation of the UK feature documentary industry, which develops a three-year AHRC-funded projects that made two reports – Keeping it Real (2020) and Making it Real (2021) – co-created with a range of partners. The second explores the economics and politics of regional screen production, examining the UK centres Bristol, Manchester and Cardiff, which is being enlarged though two international networks: European regional production and the UNESCO global film cities.

Current research in Screen Cultures focuses on understanding the moving image at all points along the value chain, with a particular focus on its consumption and afterlife in culture. Our multiple strands of enquiry currently include exhibition practices (festivals, curation, heritage, rediscovery); textual and contextual analysis (genre, stardom, film music, film style and meaning); and the politics of the image (social justice, diversity and inclusion, climate change, radical cinema).

We particularly welcome applications for doctoral study in the following areas of interest:

The nonfiction film and television industries, including policy frameworks, workforce diversity, extractive filmmaking and documentary ethics, commissioning structures and institutions.

The politics, economics, agency and cultural labour of film/television stardom.

Environmental awareness and sustainable practices in the screen industries.

The role of public service broadcasters.

The impact and significance of Bristol being a UNESCO City of Film.