University of Stirling

The space between documentarist & subject: the quietly radical ideas & ethics of Jenny Gilbertson

Academic History:

2016 - 2019 PhD Film Studies

1998 - 1999 DipLP Scots Law, University of Dundee

1993 - 1997 LLB Scots Law (Hons), Upper Second Class, University of Dundee

Supervisors:

Dr Sarah Neely, University of Stirling

Dr Ross Birrell, Glasgow School of Art

Research Interests:

I am interested in the films of Jenny Gilbertson (1902-1990) & the nature, dynamics & ethics of relationships in documentary filmmaking.

My practice-led research will consider the core question of how to create & sustain an ethical filmmaking relationship with the people you are filming. Alongside archival investigation & close study of Gilbertson’s films, I will visit the communities she filmed in Shetland & Arctic Canada (scheduled 2018) to visually explore her approach & my own before offering a critically reflective analysis of her legacy & its potential for contemporary documentary practice.

Key interests: Women filmmakers; the history of documentary, ethical practice in documentary & realist filmmaking; representations of the people of the Northern Isles & the Arctic.

Awards:

SGSAH DTP 2016 - 2019

Contact Details:

Address: Department of Communications, Media & Culture, Faculty of Arts & Humanities, University of Stirling FK9 4LA

Work Tel No: 07810 791798

Email: shona.main1@stir.ac.uk

First published: 14 November 2016