Exploring dialogue and communication in film

The second Interdisciplinary Film and Visual Culture Research (IFVCR) conference has taken place at the School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies.

Titled "You talkin' to me?: Dialogue and Communication in Film", the conference enabled researchers and practitioners to present new research and discuss new developments.

National and international academics, students and screenwriters attended the two-day conference, which featured keynote presentations from Professor John Mowitt (University of Leeds) and Dr David Sorfa (University of Edinburgh).

The opening keynote, 'Tracks from the Crypt', was delivered by Professor John Mowitt. It discussed how the tombeau, a musical composition commemorating the death of a notable individual, could be used to convey dialogue. Lyrics and visual representations from David Bowie's video for 'Lazarus' were used to explore this notion.

Presenters also introduced and debated other modes of dialogue in film such as gender, screenwriting, philosophy and theory.

IFVCR coordinator and conference organiser Evelina Kazakeviciute said, "This conference was all about getting the participants talking. I'm really pleased how all our attendees joined, led and challenged the many fascinating discussions that took place.

"Most importantly we managed to connect researchers and practitioners for interdisciplinary collaborations in the future."

The network, which was established in 2011 by Professor Paul Bowman, hosted its first conference, 'Jazz and Cinema' in 2013, which led to a special issue of the journal 'The Soundtrack'.