Thank you! (That was much easier to ‘like’ in return)
11.03.2026 14:08
👍 0
🔁 0
💬 0
📌 0
Thank you! (That was much easier to ‘like’ in return)
The fact I only remembered because someone on here happened to mention it tells you a lot about the system, too. You'd think RF/UKRI would email reminders to non-institutionally affiliated account holders given that they expect us to submit data, too?
Just finished my Environmental Impact of Filmmaking project report for ResearchFish. I guess the first submission post-academic job is always the hardest? Anyway now I'm in my feels about the huge amount of work, the enormous potential to make a difference, and the unsustainability of it all
There's definitely a 'selling things (including sex) is bad/immoral, actually' throughline that's realllllllly classist (rather than, say, critical of capitalism or corruption).
(and there's little/no work). It's also interesting because people in, e.g., screen industries don't typically say 'freelance' in front of their job title because freelancing is a given. The fact we're talking about distinctive terminology maybe just reinforces the institutional gatekeeping?
Until various institutions stop listing people's institutional affiliations, it would read as a difference all the same, I think. But it's nice to imagine a simpler future! (In this case, it's also helpful for people who have been excluded find some way of describing that particular experience)
Maybe that's a good word for the senior management teams that betrayed their staff...? But yep, know what you mean. Most of the time I was researching/teaching in universities I was also a freelance writer, so to me they're distinct. Have thought about 'freelance academic/scholar' though!
Yeah I've heard this one - but it still makes us relational to the institution. It's somehow worse than 'independent' because it seems to imply the 'normal' way to be is affiliated. Which is possibly not even statistically true any more! (people aren't listed as 'affiliated scholar', either).
There are a whole bunch of terms like non-affiliated, disaffiliated, etc., but to my ears they position the 'independent' person as relational to the (often harmful, dehumanising) institutional system, even if they do make the system visible. So I'd prefer to avoid these, too
Fwiw my dislike is twofold. Paywalls, institutional gatekeepers, etc., make 'independence' impossible by insisting on affiliation for resource access. And why would we want 'independence' anyway? Scholarship *needs* community! For me, it props up unhealthy ideas about how research + teaching happen
In just over a month I'm contributing to a panel at the @baftss.bsky.social conference on navigating research/pedagogy as an 'independent scholar'. I strongly dislike the term 'independent' and wonder about other possible terms. Has anyone come up with a better alternative?
I hadn’t seen this before but knew exactly who would be involved. Wrote about some of them a while back - they roam around the city looking for fights and harassing people, and are (surprise!) pally with the cops, who seem to be actively sharing intel with/enabling them
(My ESB book also covers production/reception histories, and I’ve got a pretty detailed piece out soon in Media & Environment on production of the OT and prequels, which I’d be happy to share in advance. But the other suggestions are maybe closer to what you need!)
Toby Neilson’s ‘Different Death Stars’ piece (2019) is nice in that it contrasts political contexts of OT and sequels in analysing aesthetics. Obv there’s quite a lot written about fandom, and the Transmedia Storytelling collection is really useful.
In terms of context and a fairly early academic response, Clyde Taylor’s ‘The Jedi Doctrine’ (Screen 1988) is good. It could be paired with Adilifu Nama’s Black Space, or work on gender (eg Tasker or Scott). Turnock’s ‘The True Stars?’ article is good on effects context
Depends what kinds of knowledge you want them consider/develop - representation? production history? critical reception? fandom? I’d recommend different material for each
🔴Families of Palestine Hunger Strikers Beg for Meeting With David Lammy as Their Conditions Deteriorate
Ministers have so far refused demands to negotiate with the hunger strikers, as the risk of them dying in prison increases
bylinetimes.com/2025/12/18/f...
New episode out today! We chat with @beccaeharrison.bsky.social about feminism, gender identity and representation in SW, from on-screen, to behind-the-scenes to fandom. Did you know that R2-D2 is on screen more than Leia is in ANH?
skywalkingthroughneverland.com/star-warsolo... #starwars #feminism
It’s like watching a millennial parent trying to join in a TikTok craze their kid is into, only to make things worse it lasts longer
Tbf I did keep pointing it out to him via socials, and he did have to run an ‘independent’ (…) inquiry. One thing he was very good at was hiring people into adjacent senior roles to be the face of bad decisions that he then wasn’t accountable for — grim, but he was more canny than many of the others
Ah, Call-Me Anton. The half-arsed, misspelled apology I got from him years after he stood by and watched those of us who experienced gbv get bullied out of the institution for speaking out will live long in my memory.
Carried out over two years, the research is based on field trips, public surveys, and interviews (a location manager, National Trust ranger, and ecologist). Very grateful to everyone who gave their time! What’s really clear is that the industry needs to improve community relations as a bare minimum
The fourth (and final!) Environmental Impact of Filmmaking just dropped for anyone interested in how to minimise disruption to local communities and nature during film & tv location shoots. There are 6 recommendations for crews, policymakers, landowners and funders
eifproject.com/star-wars-lo...
Laughed aloud at AI replacing proofreaders
Over the past few weeks I’ve been covering some of the Lift The Ban campaign’s actions - it feels important to document what’s happening on the ground, with news reporting at many outlets pretty limited in this area. Here’s my second report for Reel News: reelnews.co.uk/2025/07/30/a...
In a similar vein - I turned down a review a few months ago. Last week they asked me again because they can't find anyone to do it. As a now 'freelance' academic I'd say yes, for a fee. Guessing they suddenly found someone else though, because since I've mention pay... crickets.
Hello - could you drop me an email (same handle as here, gmail)? Was going to send you something in DMs but third-party verification has gotten in the way
Also some great docs, including Living Proof (which repurposes archival footage) and The Ants and the Grasshopper
A lot of early/young cinema works well and probably needs a separate list - as do coal movies. I’ve taught Clueless in this context, and Planes, Trains & Automobiles. Also Licorice Pizza, Roma, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Threads, Atlantics, Do the Right Thing, Snowpiercer, Tank Girl…