Call for Papers: Frames Cinema Journal
Going Viral: The Changing Faces of (Inter)Media Culture
Guest Editor: Dr William Brown (University of Roehampton)
In the age of social media, signs of an ever-growing online culture permeate contemporary media aesthetics, discourses and practices in a way that re-shapes understandings of representation and communication, thereby breaking frames and challenging traditional definitions of cinema. Developments in the production, distribution and reception of moving images range from video-sharing websites like YouTube and Vimeo to the growing presence of crowd-funded works within the festival circuit (i.e. Iron Sky) to the emergence of specific mobile (phone) festivals. As we are increasingly consuming moving images on digital devices and mobile screens, we have entered what Nanna Verhoeff calls a “visual regime of navigation”—a guiding principle which defines our creative interaction with screen interfaces, and which, according to Francesco Casetti, provokes the “relocation” of cinema itself.
Within this vast participatory network, not only “users” but also various media forms aesthetically influence and interact with each other, thereby creating a complex referential system that allows for the instant propagation of information. This encourages fan based culture, stimulates discussion and even allows for ways to avoid censorship, as seen with Leslee Udwin’s controversial documentary India’s Daughter (2015). Digital forms and practices have also affected the shape academic reflections take, promoting new forms of analysis such as the video essay and the increased call for more creative and interactive forms of presentation. As the practice of sharing texts, images and videos online provokes and multiplies reactions on a global scale, it can be defined as contagious—enabling any possible content to “go viral.”
In the 2015 fall issue of Frames we would like to explore the palpable effects of this ‘contagiousness’ on media culture. Topics may include but are not limited to:
– The influence of New Media on low budget / no budget filmmaking and studio advertising strategies
– Piracy and copyright issues
– Online film reception and its influence on fan culture
– Changes in film and media studies through online scholarship, digital humanities and social media
– Modifications in cultural participation (festival blogs, online polls, the creation of specific online communities)
The issue will be guest-edited by Dr William Brown (University of Roehampton), author of Supercinema: Film-Philosophy for the Digital Age (Berghahn 2013) and a zero-budget filmmaker, whose films include En Attendant Godard (2009), Selfie (2014) and The New Hope (2015).
We seek full article submissions for our features section (5,000-7,000 words) and our POV section (1,000-3,000 words) as well as video contributions enquiring the proposed topics. Video submissions may be sent to the editors in the form of a link using an online streaming source (Vimeo, YouTube, etc.).
All submissions (including a brief biographical note) should be sent by 14 September, 2015, to:
Eileen Rositzka and Amber Shields (editors-in-chief)
E-mail: framesjournal@gmail.com
Notification will follow by 14 October, 2015.
About Frames
Frames Cinema Journal, based at the University of St Andrews, is an online biannual publication offering a space for cutting edge research and ongoing discussions among media scholars and those interested in intellectual discussions about the ever changing frames of the field.
The Fan Studies Network 
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