We are delighted to publish the fifth piece in Volume 12.1, The Mechanism, in which Josefine Baark, Christian Laursen and Anne Troldtoft Hjorth seek to unveil the global networks, games and friendships that resulted in a mechanical tableaux made in China in the 1730s and then brought to Denmark. The film serves two purposes: firstly to reveal the historical significance of putting objects centre stage in art historical research, even where written documents are lacking; and secondly, to explore the use of video techniques for generating research outcomes. The Mechanism argues for a reassessment of cinematic materiality and, in correspondence with this, of the research process itself.

Last Night, Locked In, by Jonathan Crewe a narrative film made during the Covid-19 lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 as a response to, and reflection on, domestic confinement’s impact on time, memory and identity. Written, directed and performed by the creative researcher himself, the film offers a strong case for the academic value of narrative film. Employing an embedded filmmaking approach using only the equipment, props and actors available on location, the film contributes to the visualisation of the psychological feeling of claustrophobia and loneliness, with a recursive hybrid fiction within the fiction. A narrative built around suspense open to interpretations: is this character truly talking on the phone to someone other than himself? Has there ever been someone else physically in his place, or is that presence also psychological?

Nina F. Grünfeld’s Alexia Alone explores the effect of converting an epic psychological film portrayal meant for the movie theatre/art scene into a formatted reality series for commercial television. Grünfeld examines her relationship with the person she was filming, Alexia, and the process of negotiating with her how her character would be portrayed. Grünfeld applies an ethical lens to this experience and discusses the complexity of her concern as a filmmaker that Alexia was becoming a ‘victim’ for the viewing pleasure of the audience, and how this was in conflict with Alexia’s desire to be on the screen sharing her vulnerability. Grünfeld explores how her relationship with Alexia shifted after filming finished and Alexia was no longer the centre of attention. Alexia’s desire for attention and control over her depiction created tension with the broadcast processes.

Iakovos Panagopoulos’s A Quest for Eternity is a fifty-five-minute documentary which explores some very specific elements of Theo Angelopoulos’s form and style. The documentary is divided in four chapters and each chapter focuses on a different part of Angelopoulos’s style. The creation of this documentary is the main methodological tool of this research project, which aims to collect data from semi-structured interviews in order to provide new insights regarding the ways to present alternative historical narratives with the use of cinematic space in Theo Angelopoulos’s work and to create a strong example in the ways that we can use cinematic tools as contemporary filmmakers to present alternative historical narratives through creative practice.

Cormac Donnelly’s video essay I Am Sitting in a Room, Listening to Mank examines the innovative use of sound recording and mixing in David Fincher’s Mank (2020). Whilst Mank received a limited theatrical release, the film is most widely available via the Netflix streaming platform. The essay takes as a starting point the rerecording and spatialisation of the soundtrack, with a focus on the home viewing experience. Donnelly argues that the re-recording process used on Mank’s soundtrack could potentially suggest a method by which films released into the domestic market could retain the reverberant sonic signature of cinematic exhibition. The published screenwork draws upon interviews with Fincher and his collaborators, as well as the work of experimental composer, Alvin Lucier in order to better understand the experience of listening to Mank in our own rooms.

This volume of Screenworks is a rolling publication. Each rolling volume runs from September to July, with the editorial team taking a well-deserved break in August. To submit work please read our Submissions Guidelines and use our Online Submission Form. If you are interested in submitting your practice and want further advice, then please contact us on admin@screenworks.org.uk with “Submissions” in the subject line.