JAMES LEGGOTT LECTURER IN FILM AND TELEVISION STUDIES Northern Realism: The Films of the Amber Collective from 1969 to the Present

AHRC Bid  First submitted in 2006  Successful resubmission in 2008  Research grant for co-written monograph

Why Amber?  Project begun by James Leggott and Tobias Hochscherf in 2006, Film/TV lecturers at Northumbria  Research interests in realist cinema, authorship, film history, British film and television culture, national cinemas, international exchanges and regional culture

Our interest in Amber is two-fold. Firstly, we propose to locate their film work within its national and international context; for example, by relating it to traditions of realist film practice, and to oppositional and independent media culture. Secondly, we seek to document and critique how Amber have represented the people, landscape and socio- political developments of the North East of England.

Research Questions  What are the subjects, themes and aesthetic strategies that characterise Amber’s work from the 1960s to the present?  How can Amber’s work be located within regional, national and international cinematic/televisual cultures?  How does Amber’s work relate to the history of the independent workshop movement and in what ways did their relationship with Channel Four television in the 1980s influence their independent working practices and artisanal production modes?  What are the political and aesthetic implications of their engagement with local communities?

More Research Questions  How useful is it to describe their work as ‘oppositional’ in terms of its engagement with, for example, Thatcherism, and the stigmatisation and marginalisation of certain north-east communities.  How does Amber’s status as a collective influence their work? Can this self-conception form the basis of a collaborative model of auteurism within British film culture?  How might Amber re-orientate their working practices in future years in response to technological changes, and the evolution of the film and television industry?

Research Methods  undertaking a detailed critical reading of Amber’s films in terms of representation (gender, race, class, region etc) and politics.  identifying and analysing the evolving aesthetic and technological strategies undertaken by the film-makers (ie the use of digital video, handheld cameras, etc).  locating Amber’s filmic work within wider national and international cinematic and televisual contexts, as well as within the tradition of British realist and documentary film-making traditions.  carrying out interviews and communication with the film-makers, and others involved in the films, so as to understand both the practical and historical context and their perception of the work.  studying the reception of Amber’s oeuvre in Britain and beyond, such as in festivals, newspaper/magazine reviews and trade papers.

Challenges  Delegation of research and writing duties  Limited interest from publishers  Access to participants, visual and archive material  Defining parameters of research: focus on film rather than photographic work of Side etc