THE WORLD'S LARGEST ORGANIZATION DEVOTED
TO
THE SCHOLARLY STUDY OF FILM AND MEDIA
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January 2018 - In This Issue
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Important Dates
January 16
Deadline for conference program corrections (updated affiliation, misspellings, etc.), 5:00PM CST
January 31
Presenter deadline for 2018 Conference - must register by 5:00PM CST to be listed in final conference program (online PDF and printed) and conference mobile app.
February 2
Deadline: SCMS-U Submissions
February 15
Last day for regular conference registration rate ($220 USD/$140 USD for students)
Late registration rate begins February 16 ($230 USD/$150 USD for students)
March 14-18
2018 SCMS Annual Conference in Toronto
April 6-7
2018 SCMS-U Conference at Wilfrid Laurier University
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In Memoriam: Chuck Kleinhans, 1942-2017
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Photo Credit: Julia Lesage
Tribute by Michael Renov, Brian Winston, and Patricia R. Zimmermann
It was a genius if slightly perverse casting decision made by Laura Kipnis for her 1990 video Marx: The Video - A Politics of Revolting Bodies.
As Karl Marx, Chuck Kleinhans figured as the brilliant but tortured founder of a theory of class struggle that altered history.
The real Chuck Kleinhans - with Julia Lesage and John Hess, the founder of the iconoclast, forty-plus year old journal Jump Cut - did much to alter the history of film studies. But he was never tortured.
On the contrary, Chuck's exuberant laugh and joyous energy enlivened every academic gathering he attended, from the 1970s Milwaukee conferences to the 1997 Northwestern Visible Evidence conference he hosted to countless SCMS meetings over five decades.
Chuck advocated for all things alternative, committed, and radical in culture and politics.
He was one of those who taught us the most about how culture, politics, and sexuality enmesh. He wrote on L.A. Rebellion filmmakers, melodrama, and working class Hollywood heroes. He interviewed Barbara Hammer, Barbara Kopple, and Julia Reichert. He made films.
When SCMS named Chuck the first recipient of its Pedagogy Award, hundreds celebrated. A gifted teacher to generations of Northwestern students, he taught by example: people and politics mattered more than careers or academic celebrity. In an academia gone hyper-professionalized, competitive, even lonely, Chuck Kleinhans insisted solidarities truly matter.
At the last conference at which we saw him, the 23rd Visible Evidence in Bozeman, Montana in 2016, Chuck and his life partner Julia Lesage attended every plenary. His generosity was old fashioned, grand, effusive. He raved about how arguments in talks he heard challenged the field. A model for everyone, he always attended panels with graduate students and emerging scholars. He reveled in their brilliant new ideas.
Although retired, Chuck participated in documentary pedagogy workshops. He knifed through the theories proffered to cut down to what mattered: how students engage the world and how their work could contribute to changing it.
At every conference we attended with him, two actions unfurled. First, he insisted on sitting down to talk, catch up, eat good food, and dissect the world's absurdities. Second, he asked about the films one watched. He promoted independent films one needed to see. Sometimes these meetings evolved into rollicking group dinners crackling with talk of new films and old politics.
As editor of Jump Cut, Chuck spent four decades helming that collectively-run publication. He cajoled senior scholars to write less pedantically and nurtured emerging scholars to take more risks.
Chuck loved experimental film and documentary and what they told him about the world but
Jump Cut
championed cinemas and movements that need more space in our field: from African and Asian cinemas, Cuban and Latin American, African American cinemas, community-based media, documentary in all shapes and sizes, experimental film, film festivals, home movies, oppositional cinema, pornography, queer cinema, radical cinema, video art, and more. And,
Jump Cut
brought critical political analysis to Hollywood, Indiewood, and television.
These areas Jump Cut cultivated now constitute vibrant subfields with rafts of books and SIGs at SCMS. Chuck's generous, ever-open heart and mind built Jump Cut into a large collective of scholars focused on critique, lucidity, and commitment.
Chuck leaves all of us in screen studies with a daunting, almost impossible challenge: to continue his legacy of ferocious solidarity - for ideas and people - despite all obstacles and against all odds.
At the 2015 Toronto Visible Evidence which honored Chuck, John, and Julia's contribution, they revealed the secret of Jump Cut's longevity and how to emulate it: "Just do it," they urged.
JUST DO IT --- this call to action stands as Chuck Kleinhans's epitaph.
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SCMS is pleased to announce the 2018 Award Winners and Honorees:
A formal announcement of the awards will be made at the Award Ceremony of the 2018 SCMS Conference in Toronto on Thursday evening, March 15. Please join us at this year's Awards Ceremony to celebrate their outstanding achievements!
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Congratulations, Melissa Lenos!
Winner of the 2018 Early Bird Conference Registration Raffle - she will be upgraded to a one-bedroom suite at the conference (a $600+ value).
Have a great conference, Melissa!
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2018 Conference Registration Rates
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REGULAR PRE-REGISTRATION
(
December 22, 2017- February 15, 2018 11:59 CT): $220.00 USD
Student Rate: $140.00 USD
Conference presenters who have not joined or renewed their SCMS membership AND have not paid for the conference registration fee by Wednesday, January 31, 2018, 5:00 PM CT will be deleted from the final printed program.
LATE REGISTRATION (February 16 - March 18, 2018): $230.00 USD
Student Rate: $150.00 USD
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Do not be misled by outside housing or travel agencies claiming to be the official, or an official, housing provider for the upcoming SCMS Annual Conference in Toronto. Unfortunately, unscrupulous providers sometimes claim to provide housing for meetings and conferences when they are in no way affiliated with the sponsoring organization. This practice is a scam that attendees should be aware of in order to avoid passing on personal or financial information. Reservations made by unaffiliated organizations may be illegitimate, not have the rooms to sell, have unreasonable cancellation or change penalties, or be completely non-refundable. Please notify us at
[email protected]
if you are contacted by any company claiming to provide housing for SCMS.
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Executive Director's Note
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Dear SCMS Members,
It's hard to believe we are only nine weeks away from the 2018 conference in Toronto! In this issue, we have provided several key dates and some important logistical information to help ensure that your conference experience is a smooth one. Please pay particular attention to information we have provided about Canada's new entry requirement for visa-exempt foreign nationals traveling to Canada. With the exception of U.S. citizens and those traveling with a valid visa, travelers are now required to apply online for an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) before you can board your flight to Canada. We have provided a link to the form in this issue of News Brief for your convenience.
I would like to take a moment to congratulate all of this year's deserving award winners. You will find a link to the complete list of winners in this month's issue. Please join me in celebrating their accomplishments at the 2018 SCMS Conference Awards Reception and Ceremony on Thursday, March 15 at the Sheraton Centre Toronto.
Voting is currently underway on the referendum to change the name of Cinema Journal (CJ) to Journal of Cinema and Media Studies (JCMS). Links to both the website forum and the Facebook Live discussions are provided. Voting began on January 9 and will conclude on January 22. You may access the ballot to cast your vote by clicking the link found in this issue.
As a reminder, 2018 Board elections are just around the corner. They will begin on Thursday, February 1 and conclude on Wednesday, February 28. Please show your support for SCMS by casting your vote during the election period when we will be considering candidates to fill three upcoming vacancies: Board Secretary and two Board Members at large. In the next couple of weeks, you will begin receiving emails containing biographies and candidate statements for this year's slate. I ask that you take a moment to review the slate and participate in this important process during the month of February.
Thank you!
Jill Simpson
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Executive Director
Financial Analyst
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OFFICERS
President-Elect, 2017-2019
BOARD MEMBERS
NON-VOTING MEMBERS
Cinema Journal Editor, 2018-2022
Past-President, 2017-2019
Web Content Manager
Director of Conferences and Events
Representative of SCMS Institutional Home
Executive Director
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Members, if you're looking for a fellow attendee to share the cost of a hotel roo
m
,
click here
to access the Conference Roommate Forum.
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Tuesday, March 13: 4:00 - 6:00 PM
Tuesday hours for name badge and conference program pick-up only (pre-registered attendees)
Wednesday, March 14: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday, March 15: 8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Friday, March 16: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday, March 17: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday, March 18: 8:30 AM - 3:00 PM
Reminder: Please keep your name badge with you at all times. Replacement name badges will only be printed during registration hours above.
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Now open - volunteer sign-up for the 2018 conference!
Conference volunteers will assist at the registration desk and other duties throughout the venue as assigned. For your time and help, volunteers will receive $90 to help offset the cost of conference registration fees. Volunteers are still required to pay full conference registration fees and will receive a check at the end of their shift.
Sign up for a shift by visiting the link:
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REMINDER: Travel discounts are still available for conference attendees! Delta Airlines, United Airlines, American Airlines, Amtrak, Avis, Air Canada, WestJet, and UP Express are all offering discounted rates for travel to Toronto.
For more information, visit:
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Canada's new entry requirement for visa-exempt foreign nationals travelling to Canada by air.
Exceptions include U.S. citizens and travellers with a valid visa. Eligible travellers can apply online for an eTA. Travellers will need an eTA before they can board a flight to Canada.
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The following equipment will be standard in all panel/roundtable/workshop rooms at the conference:
- LCD projector (and audio)
- VGA Cable (if you have a Mac, please make sure you bring an adapter-mini display port to VGA, thunderbolt to VGA, etc)
- Mini Audio Jack
- Power strip
- Wireless internet access (you will obtain the password at conference registration)
Because the cost of equipping rooms with computers is prohibitively expensive, we must ask you to bring your own laptop if you plan to use projection. In addition to your own laptop, please be sure to bring your power cord and any proprietary cords required for your computer. MAC users, please bring your own VGA Adapter. Wireless internet access will be provided in the panel/workshop rooms and conference space. We will not be offering computers, DVD players, overhead projectors, slide projectors, CD players and/or additional audio components. If you have questions about AV or the Society's audiovisual policy, please contact our Conference Manager.
Best Practices
Panels and workshops with multiple presentations using projection are encouraged to coordinate before their session time to have all presentations on a single computer or flash drive. Designate one person's laptop for use during the session; load all presentations onto the laptop before the session; and test the presentation to make sure they will work with the software on the designated laptop.
We cannot accommodate changes or requests for AV equipment onsite. SCMS is not responsible for the safety and security of attendee computers.
T
hank you for your cooperation.
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Cinema Journal Name Change Referendum Vote
Voting is now LIVE for the Cinema Journal Name Change Referendum! Please cast your vote
HERE. Vote YES if you would like to change the journal's name to Journal of Cinema and Media Studies (JCMS). Vote NO if you would like to keep the name Cinema Journal. This is a simple majority vote - so if you care about the name of our journal, you must vote! Voting will be open from January 9 through January 22 and results announced soon thereafter.
See the online
Forum discussion for more information about the name change, the voting procedure, and your fellow members' questions and concerns. The Forum also contains video from the Facebook Live chat that Cinema Journal Editor Caetlin Benson-Allott held with SCMS members on January 8.
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Cinema Journal Call for Translations 2018
Cinema Journal
publishes translations of outstanding scholarly and creative work. The originals may be in any language and come from any period or geographic region. We welcome two types of proposals: (1) a single text such as a journal article, book chapter, or self-contained section of a book that focuses on a particular topic in a unified, coherent way; and (2) a group of smaller texts that are
linked thematically, geographically, or otherwise
.
The total word count of the introduction and translated text(s) should be between 8,000 and 10,000 words in English. One grant-in-aid of $1,000 will be paid to the translator(s) for copyright clearance and as honoraria.
Proposals to translate one's own work will not be considered.
SCMS members are invited submit proposals, prepared in accordance with the Chicago Style Manual, with the following:
- 1. Full bibliographical data of the original text(s).
- 2. The name and credentials of the translator(s).
- 3. A 500-word statement identifying the significance of the text(s) to be translated.
- 4. Information on the copyright status of the original(s).
- 5. A 500-word sample of the translation.
Proposals are due by March 1, 2018. The selection will be made by May 1, 2018, with manuscript delivery by October 15, 2018, and publication in 2020.
Submissions should be sent to:
Paul A. Schroeder RodrÃguez, Chair, SCMS Translation/PublicationCommittee
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The SCMS Fieldnotes project is pleased to present a new interview with
foundational film and media studies scholar Claudia Gorbman.
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Claudia Gorbman
interviewed by Caryl Flinn
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Fieldnotes is an SCMS project to conduct, circulate and archive interviews with pioneers of film and media studies. In addition to recognizing the contributions of key scholars, the project also aims to foster knowledge of and interest in the diverse and dynamic developments that have shaped -- and continue to shape -- our expanding field.
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Deadline Reminder - SCMS-U Call for Papers
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Students presenting at SCMS-U 2014
Courtesy of the University of Oklahoma's Film and Media Studies Department |
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Sixth Annual Society for Cinema and Media Studies Undergraduate Conference
Hosted by Wilfrid Laurier University, April 6-7, 2018
The sixth annual SCMS Undergraduate Conference invites undergraduate students from Film Studies or related disciplines to propose papers representing their best work in cinema and media studies. A unique international event, the 2018 Laurier installment represents the first time the SCMS undergraduate conference will take place in Canada. There will be 30 presentations over two days, with everyone together for the duration, and no concurrent panels. Each participant will have 15 minutes to present their individual essay-approximately 2,000-2,100 words when presented at a normal talking speed with a few visual aids-on a thematically organized panel.
Any student who wishes to participate in the conference should submit a completed proposal form, which will include a 200-word abstract. Do not submit complete papers.
The submission form can be downloaded here. A panel composed of Wilfrid Laurier University Film Studies faculty will select 30 proposals for acceptance to the conference. All selected conference participants must agree to attend both full days of the event.
Panels will be scheduled for Friday (04/06) and Saturday (04/07), with a reception on the Thursday evening (04/05). Registration is free, and hotel accommodations close to campus will be available at a discounted student rate for conference participants. Students are encouraged to seek travel funding from their home institutions to defray the costs of travel and lodging. All meals excepting breakfast each day will be provided by the conference organizers, including a closing buffet dinner on the Saturday night. Students attending the conference will also attend a special private screening at Waterloo's famous Princess cinema (film TBA).
The deadline for proposals is midnight EST on Friday, February 02, 2018. Completed proposal forms with abstracts should be sent via email to (
[email protected]) with "SCMS-U 2018" in the subject line of the email. For more information, please contact Dr. Russell Kilbourn (
[email protected]), at Wilfrid Laurier University.
This conference is sponsored by the Society for Cinema and Media Studies, the Wilfrid Laurier University Student Life Levy Association, the WLU Faculty of Arts, and the Department of English and Film Studies.
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COMMUNITY NEWS AND EVENTS
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In our final episode of 2017, we feature an interview with outgoing Cinema Journal editor Will Brooker addressing the past and future of the Society for Cinema Studies' journal. In addition, we feature an interview with Maggie Hennefeld on her work as co-chair of the Comedy and Humor Studies Scholarly Interest Group (SIG) and her upcoming book Specters of Slapstick and Silent Film Comediennes.
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Mellon/ACLS Public Fellows Program - 2018 Fellowship Competition
The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) is pleased to announce the eighth annual competition of the Mellon/ACLS Public Fellows Program. This initiative places humanities PhDs in substantive roles in diverse nonprofit and government organizations, demonstrating that the knowledge and capacities developed in the course of earning a doctoral degree in the humanities have wide application beyond the academy. The fellowship carries an annual stipend of $67,500, health insurance coverage for the fellow, a relocation allowance, and up to $3,000 in professional development funds. In 2018, ACLS will place up to 25 PhDs as Public Fellows in various organizations and roles.
Further information about the application process, eligibility criteria, and this year's fellowship positions is available at www.acls.org/programs/publicfellowscomp. All applications must be submitted through ACLS's online application system (ofa.acls.org) by 9 pm EDT on March 14, 2018.
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CLIR Announces 2017 Digitizing Hidden Special Collections and Archives Awards
The Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) announced the projects have been selected for 2017 Digitizing Hidden Special Collections and Archives awards.
This is the third group of projects supported by the Digitizing Hidden Special Collections and Archives awards program, which is generously supported by funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Digitizing Hidden Collections program, successor to the Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives program, supports the creation of digital representations of unique content of high scholarly significance that will be discoverable and usable as elements of a coherent national collection.
CLIR will begin accepting applications for a new Digitizing Hidden Collections cycle in mid-January 2018. Information about the application will be posted on our website at https://www.clir.org/hiddencollections/ when available.
The Council on Library and Information Resources is an independent, nonprofit organization that forges strategies to enhance research, teaching, and learning environments in collaboration with libraries, cultural institutions, and communities of higher learning.
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FINAL REMINDER: 2018 Academy Film Scholar Grants
Application Deadline: January 31, 2018
Academy Film Scholars grants are awarded to scholars (both academically affiliated and non-affiliated) to support significant new works of film scholarship.
Through the Grants program, the Academy seeks to:
- Promote diversity
- Bridge the opportunity divide
- Attract and engage broad new audiences for theatrical motion pictures
- Provide a platform for underrepresented artists, the full range of film genres, and a variety of viewpoints and approaches
- Encourage filmmaking as a vocation
- Illuminate less visible aspects of filmmaking and the film industry through scholarly research, presentations and discussions
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