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2024 ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Join us at the ASPERA Annual Conference 2024 for a vibrant exchange of ideas, insights, and collaborations at the forefront of Filmmaking Intelligences - the future of authentic, creative and artificial approaches in teaching and research

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Key Dates:

  • Abstract Submission Deadline
    EXTENDED Monday 1st April, 2024

  • Notification of Acceptance
    Wednesday 1st May 2024

  • Conference Dates
    Tuesday 26th November to Thursday 28th November 2024

  • Full Paper Submission Deadline
    TBA

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Contact: conference@aspera.org.au

2024

Conference

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26-28 November

Swinburne University

Melbourne, Vic

Overview:

 

The Australian Screen Production, Education and Research Association (ASPERA) invites submissions for its 2024 annual conference, exploring Filmmaking Intelligences - the future of authentic, creative and artificial approaches in teaching and research. This conference aims to delve into the multifaceted landscape of contemporary screen production, in vocational and higher education, research, and the screen industry, with a focus on the dynamic intersections and transformative potential of authentic, creative and artificial intelligence.

 

The Creative and Authentic Voice in filmmaking encapsulates the unique vision, experiences, and sensibilities of the creator. It is the essence that distinguishes one filmmaker’s work from another’s, shaping narratives with a distinctive touch.

 

Artificial Intelligence, on the other hand, brings a new dimension to the creative filmmaking process. By leveraging vast datasets and neural networks, AI systems can generate story outlines, suggest dialogue, and even create visual elements. AI’s ability to analyse patterns and generate content may help filmmakers with predictions about audience preferences. Does the integration of AI in filmmaking offer unprecedented tools to enhance creativity, streamline production, and explore the potential for AI to act as a creative collaborator?

 

The potential for AI collaboration introduces a new dynamic between the human filmmaker and the machine, blurring the lines between creator and co-creator; challenging traditional notions of authorship, beyond the boundaries of cinematic expression.

 

Moreover, AI's ability to process and analyse vast amounts of data enables informed decision-making at various stages of production, from script development, pre-visualisation, scene generation, camera movements, post-production and marketing strategies. Filmmakers may harness this knowledge to craft narratives that resonate deeply with their target audience, ultimately enhancing the impact and reach of screen projects.

 

Authenticity remains a critical component in this evolving landscape. While AI generates content, it is the human touch that infuses film with genuine emotion, cultural context, and a unique perspective. Does a creative and authentic voice act as a guiding force, ensuring that technology serves the vision, rather than overshadowing it? How will filmmakers navigate the delicate balance between leveraging AI's capabilities and preserving their own artistic and creative integrity?

 

Will this intersection democratise filmmaking? AI tools may lower barriers to entry, enabling aspiring filmmakers with limited resources to create compelling content. How will AI empower storytellers from diverse backgrounds to share their narratives, enriching the cinematic landscape with a multiplicity of voices? How can educational institutions harness these affordances through curriculum design in vocational and higher educational settings?

 

In the quest for authenticity, AI also presents an opportunity to address issues of representation and diversity. AI driven insights allow filmmakers to make informed decisions about casting, character development, and cultural nuances: ensuring that a broader range of experiences is authentically represented on screen.

 

The convergence of Filmmaking, Artificial Intelligence, and the Creative and Authentic Voice marks a transformative moment in the history of cinema. It empowers filmmakers with powerful tools, expands the possibilities of storytelling, and challenges conventions of authorship. Through careful navigation of this intersection, filmmakers have the potential to create works that resonate more deeply, reach wider audiences, and reflect a broader spectrum of human experiences. This dynamic interplay between human creativity and technological innovation promises a future where the art of filmmaking knows no bounds.

Keynotes:

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Tuesday 26th November, 9am

Distinguished Professor Larissa Behrendt

Title: Our Stories, Our Way - A First Nations response to Decolonising Narratives in the Screen Industry

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Abstract: First Nations people had stories told about us. With the emergence of a vibrant First Nations screen sector, First Nations storytelling is engaging in a process of assertion of sovereignty and a decolonisation of the screen industry. This presentation explores a personal evolution in understand the power of First Nations storytelling to transform the screen industry and society more broadly. 

Larissa Behrendt

Distinguished Professor Larissa Behrendt AO

University of Technology, Sydney

 

Distinguished Professor Larissa Behrendt AO is a Eualayai/Gamillaroi woman and Laureate Fellow at the Jumbunna Institute of Indigenous Education and Research at the University of Technology, Sydney. She is a graduate of the UNSW Law School and has a Masters and SJD from Harvard Law School. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia and a Founding Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law. She has published numerous textbooks on Indigenous legal issues.

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Larissa won the 2002 David Uniapon Award and a 2005 Commonwealth Writer’s Prize for her novel Home. Her second novel, Legacy, won a Victorian Premiers Literary Award. Her most recent novel,  After Story (2021, UQP) won the 2022 Voss Literary prize. Larissa is an award-winning filmmaker. She won the 2018 Australian Directors Guild Award for best Direction of a Documentary Film for After the Apology and the 2020 AACTA for Best Direction in Factual Television for her documentary, Maralinga Tjarutja.

 

She is a trustee of the Australian Museum, Chair of the Cathy Freeman Foundation, now Community Spirit Foundation, Chair of the Australia Council’s First Nations Arts and Culture Strategy Panel, a board member of Sydney Dance Company and a member of the NSW Literature Board. She is a former Chair and Board Member of the Bangarra Dance Theatre and has previously held board positions on the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney Festival, Sydney Writers Festival and the Sydney Community Fund. With Lindon Coombes, Larissa co-authored the Do Better report for the Collingwood Football Club. She chaired the 2011 review of Indigenous Higher Education. Larissa was awarded the 2009 NAIDOC Person of the Year award and 2011 NSW Australian of the Year. She was awarded an Order of Australia in 2020 for her work in Indigenous education, the law and the arts. Larissa received the Human Rights Medal 2021 from the Australian Human Rights Commission. She is the host of Speaking Out on ABC Radio.

Wednesday 27th November 9am

Professor Seán Cubitt

Title: Dialogues with AI

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Abstract: Intelligence is not exclusively intellect, or personal, Films have been social almost as soon as they emerged from the hands of cinema’s inventors (even they had a tendency to be brothers). That intelligence was not only rational: from slapstick to surrealism. Spectacle and to a great extent the emotional clout of narrative also evoked an unconscious intelligence, like reason itself a social attribute capable of connecting makers and audiences. The accumulation of often age-old technologies and techniques, glass and chemistry, performance and language, ensure that filmmaking also acquires conscious and unconscious motivations from the dead as well as the living. Film’s dependence on ecologies is clear. The laws of physics, the necessity of breathing, the risks of light and weather indicate another non-human intelligence at work that N Katherine Hayles calls ‘non-conscious cognition’. As long as artificial intelligence mimics only living, rational intellect, as long as it is programmed only to pass a Turing test, it will disappoint the creative industries.

 

What might an AI be like that was not designed to mimic humans and make profits? Might it become creative? Are the only criteria for creativity human ones? Beyond ‘full economic’, what costs and obligations might be involved?

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Professor Seán Cubitt FAHA MAE

 

Professor Seán Cubitt FAHA MAE is the author of 9 books and co-editor of 9 more. He has worked at Liverpool John Moores University and the universities of Chicago, Waikato, Southampton, Harvard and, before returning to Melbourne, at Goldsmiths, University of London.

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His research links film and media studies with ecocriticism, technological, aesthetic, economic and political history, and the media arts and aesthetics. He is series editor of Leonardo Books (MIT Press) and serves on the boards of the Media Art History network, Goldsmiths Press, Media Art 21 (CAFA Beijing / SFMOMA / He Foundation), Delocating Mountains (Austrian Science Fund) and a number of journal and books series including Screen, Cultural Politics, Visual Art Practice and the Journal of Environmental Media. He is currently working on the latest of nine funded research projects, this dealing with social media and photography. He has completed 31 PhD supervisions.

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Speaking Out - ABC Podcast Recording:

Wednesday November 27th 3.30pm – 5pm

Hosted by Larissa Behrendt

Guests: Jason deSantolo and Pauline Clague

Title: Strategies for decolonising narratives and representations in screen production.

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Conference Topics:

We welcome contributions addressing the following themes:

 

1.  Filmmaking Education intersecting with Artificial Intelligence:
   This topic invites investigations around:

  • Vocational and Higher Education curriculum design to accommodate and integrate AI technologies in the screen production classroom.

  • Ethical Considerations and Representation regarding AI in filmmaking

  • Visual Effects, Animation and Virtual Production intersecting with AI-Driven Assets exploring Cinematography, Dynamic Scene Generation or AI-Enhanced Previsualization.
     

2. Filmmaking Research and the Creative and Authentic Voice:

   This topic invites investigations around:

  • Examining authenticity in storytelling and the representation of diverse voices.

  • Techniques and technologies for capturing and preserving authentic performances.

  • How effective are AI-driven innovations in shaping the cultural landscape of filmmaking
     

3. Decolonising Filmmaking, [National] Voices and the Cultural Wave

    This topic invites investigations around:

  • Strategies for decolonising narratives and representations in screen production.

  • The role of Indigenous voices and perspectives in reshaping the film industry.

  • Representations of Australian identity and culture in filmmaking and analysing emerging trends and cultural shifts in contemporary screen production.

  • Equity and diversity in screen production education, and research.

  • Strategies for fostering inclusivity and representation in the film industry.
     

4. Screen Production Traditions, Mobile Media and Industry Enquires:

    This topic invites investigations around past ASPERA topics and the latest trends in:

  • Script Development and Screenwriting

  • Independent Filmmaking and Distribution

  • Screen Business and the Streaming Services

  • Screen Copyright and IP.

  • Screen and Mobile Media

  • Documentary Filmmaking

  • Animation productions in 2D and 3D

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Submission Guidelines:

 

Abstract Submission Due: EXTENDED Monday 1st April, 2024 to conference@aspera.org.au

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  • Solo or co-presented research papers, (up to 20 minutes)
    Please submit a 300-word abstract (in PDF format) outlining your proposed paper
     

  • Themed Panels presentations for 90mins - Panels of 3 x 20mins OR 4 x 15mins thematically linked solo or co-presented research papers followed by questions.

    • Please submit a 600-word abstract (in PDF format) outlining panel theme and proposed papers
       

  • Roundtable discussions for 90 minutes - led by a chair bringing together 4 to 6 participants (including the chair as a participant if speaking as well as chairing) to offer short (up to 6 minute) position statements or interventions designed to trigger discussions around a central theme, issue, or problem. As such, a roundtable does not involve the presentation of formal research papers but rather is designed to create a forum for the participants and audience to engage in a shared discussion. The format is flexible and can be adapted to allow members of the roundtable to introduce exercises or other activities where appropriate.

    • Please submit a 600-word abstract (in PDF format) outlining your proposed panel.
       

  • Full Paper Submission: Please indicate if you are interested in participating in an Edited Collection based on this conference theme - Upon acceptance, details on full written papers (5000 words) will be updated when arrangements are finalised.
     

  • Presentation Formats: Accepted papers will be presented in panel sessions, and selected papers will be considered for publication.

 

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Key Dates:

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  • Abstract Submission Deadline: EXTENDED Monday 1st April, 2024

  • Notification of Acceptance: Wednesday 1st May 2024

  • Conference Dates: Tuesday 26th November to Thursday 28th November 2024

  • Full Paper Submission Deadline: TBA

 

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Contact Information:

 

For inquiries and further information, please contact:

 

Professor Susan Kerrigan

Department Chair, Film, Games and Animation,

School of Social Sciences, Film, Media and Education,

Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia

 

Join us at the ASPERA Annual Conference 2024 for a vibrant exchange of ideas, insights, and collaborations at the forefront of Filmmaking Intelligences - the future of authentic, creative and artificial approaches in teaching and research

 

Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne

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Contact: conference@aspera.org.au

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