Ecocinema audiences: a special issue of Interactions: Studies in Communications and Culture
Interactions: Studies in Communications and Cultures (Intellect)
Volume 4 Issue 2
Ecocinema Audiences
Guest editor: Pietari Kääpä (University of Stirling)
Far from reproducing appreciative odes to the nature sublime or constructing ideological critiques of the exploitation of nature, studies of ecomedia proliferate in scope and intent. Media ecologists such as Matthew Fuller (2005) and Jussi Parikka (2010) provide complex assertions of the media’s material and social role in the world, while interventions in materialist media studies by Maxwell and Miller (2011) and Bozak (2012) encourage the environmental humanities to venture in new directions. Drawing on Guattari’s three ecologies (2000) of nature, society and the mind, this materialist turn contributes much to exploring the relationship between natural resources and the society in which the media operate as well as the material realities with and within which the media work.
While the three ecologies hold central roles in ecosophical debates by Ivakhiv (2013) et al., the study of audience responses and their material implications remain somewhat ignored in all this. Reception practices are very much implicit in much of the work of media ecologists as well as ecomedia scholars, but even as we outreach into the realms of theory-becoming-material, we need to get a better understanding of the different forms of impact the media have on their viewing publics. This is not intended as a call for simplification of theoretical advances, but as a means to ensure a place for thorough studies of audience understandings and appropriations of environmental messages in film and other media. Thus, while it is clear that audiences in general have been a central concern for ecomedia scholars, the cognitive and socio-political processes of reception are still not thoroughly understood. Thus, it is necessary to consolidate these brief observations into more systematic approaches to studying both hypothetical and actual audience responses to environmental communications, a concern this issue aims to address.
Contents
Understanding the audiences of ecocinema
Author: Pietari Kääpä
Ecocinema for all: Reassembling the audience
Author:Â Chris Tong
Towards a political economy of ecodocumentary
Author:Â Megan Selheim
Princess Mononoke and beyond: New nature narratives for children
Author:Â Benjamin Thevenin
Audience responses to environmental fiction and non-fiction films
Authors: Pat Brereton And Chao-Ping Hong
Review: ‘Greening the Media’
Author:Â Kiu-wai Chu
http://www.intellectbooks.co.uk/journals/view-issue,id=2616/
The following cfp may a great opportunity for an ecocritical reading of one or more of the specific combinations of texts proposed below.
Reposted from H-NET List for Scholarly Studies and Uses of Media <H-FILM@h-net.msu.edu>
* From Text to Screen: Spinning Words into Film in the Science-Fiction and Fantasy Genres *
*Final Call*
The initial response to this Call for Papers for this project has been excellent, but the editors are still hopeful to see proposals on certain specific film/text combinations. Thus, this Final Call offers an overview of this now contracted project with some of the specific films/texts we hope to see proposals on. Please contact the editors at the email address at the end of this Call if you’ve any interest in contributing. Note: As a contracted volume the schedule is tight and we expect to finalize a manuscript in the summer of 2014.
*Original Description*: The translation of pre-existing works (plays, novels, short stories) to the big screen remains a problematic process fraught with difficulties of cultural translation and updates as well as differences in media forms and traditions. How do filmmakers take a work – especially one that existed in a different cultural and historical time – and translate it for contemporary audiences? Such films are seeing unprecedented success in American and world cinema. Having received initial interest from an academic publisher the editors seek chapter proposals on films and the pre-existing texts they are based upon for a work that asks questions about the two kinds of “translation” happening here: How do filmmakers produce a film based on a non-filmic text? And, at the same time, how do they update the cultural ideas in those pre-existing texts for a modern audience without losing the inherent ideas of the original work?
*Proposals:* Chapter proposals should provide a brief abstract (200-400 words) for a chapter of 5,500 to 7,000 words and detail the main thesis of the proposed chapter. Proposals should also include the name, discipline, and current affiliation (if any) of the author(s) with a separate, single page C.V. The editors are willing to consider proposals from graduate students and independent scholars. Proposals should be sent, as a Word and Word-compatible attachment to textualspawn@gmail.com by 1 March.Decisions on proposals will be made during March and initial drafts are expected in May with final drafts due by July or early August.
Many of the “obvious” topics (Tolkien, *Hunger Games*, *Harry Potter*, etc.) have already been filled. However, the editors are currently interested in proposals on the following works that have not yet been covered in proposals:
*War of the Worlds* (Wells/Haskin [1953]/Spielberg [2005]) – Specifically, post-9/11 aspects of Spielberg’s narrative.
*Oz* (Baum/Semon [1925]/Fleming [1939]/Raimi [2013, *Oz The Great and Powerful*]
*Ender’s Game* (Card/Hood) – Specifically, the queer aspects of the original novel and the heteronormalizing approach of the film.
*John Carter* (Burroughs/Stanton)
*Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter* (Graham-Smith/Bekmambetov)
The editors also welcome general queries and questions concerning possible proposals and the suitability of specific films/texts at textualspawn@gmail.com. We encourage possible contributors to contact the editors as soon as possible and thank you for your interest. Editors: Matthew Wilhelm Kapell & Ace G. Pilkington textualspawn@gmail.com
From National Public Radio’s Fresh Air to The Daily Show, journalist Elizabeth Kolbert has been making the rounds through the media to promote her new book, The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History. For those of us who have been following the scientific discussion of species loss, it may come as a surprise that this topic is just now making its way to the mainstream. Whatever connections she may have to line up all of these interviews, Kolbert deserves tremendous credit for bringing this issue to public attention.
In her book, Kolbert, a two-time winner of the National Magazine Award and New Yorker writer, “draws on the work of scores of researchers in half a dozen disciplines, accompanying many of them into the field: geologists who study deep ocean cores, botanists who follow the tree line as it climbs up the Andes, marine biologists who dive off the Great Barrier Reef. She introduces us to a dozen species, some already gone, others facing extinction, including the Panamian golden frog, staghorn coral, the great auk, and the Sumatran rhino. Through these stories, Kolbert provides a moving account of the disappearances occurring all around us and traces the evolution of extinction as concept, from its first articulation by Georges Cuvier in revolutionary Paris up through the present day. The sixth extinction is likely to be mankind’s most lasting legacy; as Kolbert observes, it compels us to rethink the fundamental question of what it means to be human” (Amazon synopsis).
The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,The Daily Show on Facebook
A great ad spoof from Only Organic for getting students thinking about the power of rhetoric and the concept of “natural”.
*Ecomusicologies 2014: Dialogues*
4-5 October 2014 University of North Carolina at Asheville (USA)
Deadline for proposals: 30 April 2014
Ecomusicologies 2014: Dialogues will bring together artists and scholars to stimulate discussion on music, culture, and the environment. The conference is part of the multi-day event series, “Ecomusics†(3-7 October 2014), which will include concerts, soundwalks, workshops, and outings (e.g., field trips to the Moog Factory, Black Mountain College, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park). Not only do the fall colors of October in the Appalachian Mountains make Asheville, North Carolina, an ideal place to be, but its history also makes it an ideal gathering spot for a conference on ecomusicology: it is where Bartok composed his Piano Concerto No. 3, where John Cage conducted happenings, and where Buckminster Fuller created his geodesic dome. If you would like to participate in the conference but would prefer not to travel for environmental or other reasons, you will have the option to participate as presenter or audience member via the Internet.
The conference theme, “Dialoguesâ€, aims to foster common ground, where participants representing diverse backgrounds (academic, artistic, industry, non-profit, et al.) can learn about and exchange ideas on ecomusics. In addition to general ecomusicology topics, the conference committee encourages submissions that respond, but are not limited, to the following topic fields: – Musical collaboration (in, for, or with the environment) – Improvisation (human and non-human) – The music industry – The sound of “green†– Acoustic ecology – Ecopoetics and sound – Race, class, gender – Sustainability – Musician/academic-as-activist Scholars from any academic field are invited to submit proposals to present in a variety of formats, including: – panels (3 to 5 participants, 30-90 minutes), – papers (20 or 30 minutes), – posters (electronic or paper format), and – alternative formats (performance, film, installation, lecture demonstration, etc.). An author may submit up to two proposals (on related or separate topics).
All submissions must follow the guidelines below: 1) *Deadline*: Proposals must be sent as a two-page PDF attachment (details below) to ecomusicologies [at] gmail.com with “Ecomusicologies 2014†in the subject line by 11:59:59pm GMT on 30 April 2014. 2) *Submission*: The submission must include a two-page PDF document (no other format will be accepted): on the first page, include title, author(s), affiliation(s), e-mail address for contact, and brief biographical information (for each author); on the second page, include title and format (if a paper presentation, specify 20 or 30 minutes), tentative preference for live or virtual presentation, and abstract (details below). Do not include any information identifying the author(s) on page 2 because abstracts will be reviewed blindly. 3) *Abstract*: – Panels of 3-5 participants (30-90 minutes): 250-word (maximum) abstracts that summarize the argument/aims, methods, findings, etc. for each of the contributions, plus a 250-word (maximum) abstract justifying the formation of the panel as a whole. – 20-minute papers and posters: 250-word (maximum) abstract summarizing argument/aims, methods, findings, etc. – 30-minute papers: 250-word (minimum) to 400-word (maximum) abstract summarizing argument/aims, methods, findings, etc. – Alternative formats: 400-word (maximum) abstract summarizing the format, argument/aims, methods, findings, etc., and including an indication of the format and any requirements (A/V, transportation, etc.).
*Dates to note: *30 April, deadline for proposals; 15 June, decisions on proposals will be sent; 1 August, pre-registration and registration for presenters (discounted price) will begin; 29 August, registration will open (regular price); 1 September, program will be posted.
Sponsors: Ecocriticism Study Group of the American Musicological Society, Ecomusicology Special Interest Group of the Society for Ethnomusicology, and the University of North Carolina at Asheville.
For more information on ecomusicology see ecomusicology.info ; for more on past ecomusicology conferences see ecomusicologies.org . Contact and submissions: ecomusicologies [at] gmail.com .
(Thanks to Heath Iverson for passing this cfp along.)
The Language of Plants: Science, Philosophy, Literature and Cinema (forthcoming, 2015)
Edited by Patricia Vieira, Monica Gagliano and John Ryan
Ecocriticism’s rise to prominence in the fields of literature and cultural studies has been paralleled by the investigations of plant intelligence in botany and by novel philosophical approaches to the ontology of plants. However, attempts to integrate these bodies of knowledge have been scarce. The Language of Plants will commence a dialogue between philosophy, science, literature and cinema dealing with plants. The aim of the edited collection is to develop a better understanding of plant life through critical awareness, conceptual rigor, and interdisciplinary thinking.
Envisioned as a ground-breaking work that will bridge a number of fields, The Language of Plants will (1) allot to literature, cinema and the arts a special role in the integration of the scientific and philosophical research on plants at the experiential level, (2) promote the freedom of imagination necessary for the rethinking of vegetal life and, thereby, (3) inspire further philosophical and scientific investigations. The book will not only seek to consolidate the nascent paradigm shift in the human conceptualization of vegetation, but it will also join ongoing discussions of plant ethics.
The overarching focus of The Language of Plants is language itself, broadly conceived. We ask contributors to relate their discussions of plants, philosophy, science, literature or cinema to the theme of language. In one sense, language represents, mediates or expresses something about the plant world in all disciplines—across the humanities and sciences—leading to discourses of the plant world. Innovative philosophical thinking and groundbreaking scientific research similarly call into question the limits of language in describing the botanical world and human-plant dynamics. In another sense, plants exhibit varieties of communicative modes that constitute the language they use to make sense of and navigate their worlds. Understanding the language of plants ultimately has implications for environmental ethics.
We encourage the submission of papers on topics such as:
• the philosophy of plant life, including applications of biosemiotic, phenomenological, poetic and ontological frameworks
• literature and plants
• cinema and plants
• plants in popular culture
• the history of human/plant interactions
• plants in colonialism/post-colonialism
• emerging interdisciplinary fields of critical plant studies, human-plant studies, human-plant interactions, vegetal ecocriticism and others
• plant behavioural ecology, including all aspects of communication, learning, memory and intelligence;
• plant ethics and wild law
Chapter contributions of 6,000–7,000 words (including footnotes) are welcome.
Please submit a 250-300 word abstract of your proposed chapter contribution and a short bio-blurb by e-mail to Patricia Vieira (pilmvieira@gmail.com), Monica Gagliano (monica.gagliano@uwa.edu.au) and John Ryan (john.ryan@ecu.edu.au) by February 28, 2014. Also include the working title of your chapter, 3–5 keywords, and the names and contact details for all authors.
The final chapters will be due September 30, 2014.
 Spring 2014 Eco-Comedy Video Competition
** $1,000 Prize **
Sponsored by: American University Center for Environmental Filmmaking and the Sierra Club
 The contest is open to anyone who prepares a short, funny video for YouTube, which communicates a clear message about environmental conservation.
Submissions must:
â— Â Be humorous!
â— Â Communicate a clear message regarding the importance of environmental conservation and protection of our fragile ecosystem.
â— Â Reach a broad audience.
â— Â Be an original production.
â— Â Be less than three minutes (including titles and credits).
â— Â Be posted to EcoÂComedy Video Competition 2014 YouTube Channel at: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN3cyUWL7ArmlcHmVVjlZ3w/feed
â— Â Be submitted by 11:59pm Eastern Time Zone on Friday, March 7.
There will be five judges representing the Center for Environmental Filmmaking, Sierra Club, the US Environmental Protection Agency, Mill Reef Productions, and EcoSense. The decision of the judges is final. Awards are based on overall merit of the entries. Judges reserve the right not to grant an award. The organizations listed above reserve the right to post submissions on their websites.
Submissions that are not received by Friday, March 7 will not be accepted. Finalists will be notified via email by Friday, March 21. The winner will be announced at American University on Tuesday, March 25 at the DC Environmental Film Festival at 7:00pm in the Forman Theater located in the McKinley Building.
For more information regarding submission guidelines and contest rules, visit: http://www.american.edu/soc/cef/ecoÂ-comedyÂ-filmÂ-competition.cfm
 Questions may be addressed to Chris Palmer at palmer@american.edu
Hot on the heals of The Hollywood Reporter‘s recent investigation into reports of animal cruelty in the motion picture industry, Mother Jones has just published a detailed expose on the Animal Planet show Call of the Wildman. The reality show, which regularly pulls in more than one million viewers, follows the adventures of Kentucky woodsman Ernie Brown, Jr., nicknamed “The Turtleman,” and his animal removal business. The show claims that Brown catches animals unharmed and releases them back into the wild. According to MJ reporter James West, however, the show is highly staged, and has even feature animals that are pre-trapped nd even drugged to allow Brown to appear to come in and save the day. Animal Planet stands behind the show and claims they make every effort to respect the rights of animals.
The full article is linked above. Here is the short video that accompanies the article.