AustLit

'This short reflective piece revisits Tom O’Regan’s article “Some Reflections on the ‘Policy Moment’” from 1992. Tom’s intervention in the cultural policy debate which raged at that time was magisterial, wide ranging and inclusive. He saw the argument for policy to frame engaged scholarly activity as limiting the social relevance of the humanities and social sciences. Whereas the traditional ‘inclusive and abstract’ injunction to be relevant was fashioned in such a way as not to prescribe the form of engagement, the policy injunction limits relevance to what ‘can be made actionable, publicly endorsed, institutionally sanctioned and found useful by government tribunals, policy-makers and other actors directly involved in the policy process’. This narrowing, he argued, misrecognises the multifaceted nature of policy formation and debate. I reflect on how Tom’s position, and that of Meaghan Morris, has influenced me subsequently through a brief discussion of various scholarly personae that the engaged scholar can adopt.' (Publication abstract)

'Netflix’s supernatural crime series Tidelands (2019) was the subscription video service’s first commissioned original series to be produced in Australia. Shot in tropical Queensland with a diverse cast of local and international stars, Tidelands exemplifies the complex challenges involved in Netflix’s attempts to be a global producer creating content for national markets. This article builds on a tradition of research into international television production to locate Tidelands within its industrial and cultural contexts. Combining textual and industry analysis, and drawing on an interview with executive producer Nathan Mayfield, we show how Tidelands negotiates a strategic dual orientationin its use of locations, casting and genre, addressing both Australian and international audiences simultaneously. We conclude that internationally oriented Australian subscription video-on-demand originals such as Tidelands rehearse but also reformulate longstanding tensions regarding the interaction between the national and the global in screen culture.' (Publication abstract)

'Public focus on screen business in Australia has been shaped by the information needs of the regulatory and content investment agencies that monitor and support screen content made under the creative control of Australians. This has meant that available data has concentrated on the types of content that have been deemed to require regulatory support – feature films, documentaries and television drama, with more recent interest in short-form content intended for streaming and online platforms and games. The expansion of the notion of screen business has led to a series of Screen Australia reports that focused the debate on value frameworks that included cultural, economic and audience values. These reports informed the 2017 Federal Government inquiry into the Australian Film and Television Industry – they do not, however, provide insights into how screen business is incorporated into localised regional economies and they tend to downplay the cultural contributions from the television and advertising sectors. By looking at screen business in four regional Australia cities we demonstrate how four modes of screen production, which include commercial and corporate content, is being made sustainably in the regions and that regional screen content production activities are an important part of the national screen production ecosystem.' (Publication abstract)

'This article outlines how teachers curate Australian screen content for use in classrooms from pre-school to senior secondary school. It suggests teachers use their professional knowledge of curriculum and pedagogy to arrange screen resources, curriculum concepts and student experiences to promote learning. This complex curatorial process adds value to broadcaster and producer curation processes that aim to position cut-down clips and educational resources for classroom use. The article draws on a national research project that undertook interviews with 150 teachers in schools across Australia. The authors suggest the ongoing digital disruption of the school sector presents both opportunities and challenges for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, The Special Broadcasting Service and the Australian Children’s Television Foundation.'

Source: Sage Publications.

'Ever heard of Mighty Car Mods? Or maybe RackaRacka? Or perhaps Veritasium? These are a few of the most famous Australian screen creators you might never have heard of.' (Introduction)

'In the Vernacular brings together important works, written over a twenty-year period, from one of Australia's leading scholars of media, culture and policy.

'Tracking across Australia's still-neglected film heritage, and reflecting on the achievements of Australian television in the 1980s and 1990s, the book exemplifies the strengths of close attention to both history and industry context and the attractions of popular aesthetics. It engages with the global debate on multi-ethnic societies by focusing on extraordinary, yet barely visible, creativity "at the margins". It argues that industrial and social trends in media, communications and culture are outstripping the academic frameworks that were erected to deal with them, and provides a way forward that connects the discipline to the career outlooks and prospects of students - the future of the field.

'Stuart Cunningham has been at the forefront of the development of cultural and media studies specifically inflected to Australian conditions, and has led often controversial developments in cultural policy studies and creative industries. In the Vernacular provides a compelling picture of the vitality and excitement in a popular and growing field of study.' (Publisher's blurb)

'Brisbane's coming of age has been announced a number of times, most recently with millennial-expansiveness, in its claim to be the Creative City leading the Smart State. Over the past 15 years the city has spawned new enterprises, a new generation of artists, new cultural policies, new public buildings, and a new sense of grace. With an ugly past left largely unexplained, the focus is on the present and the ambitions for the city. While government and the mainstream media look to the future of the New Brisbane, it has been the role of writers, artists and a few historians to examine the past as part of the task of fully inhabiting the city. This article provides a discourse with Ross Fitzgerald about some of the above mentioned issues.'

Source: Abstract