Media+Stidies+Timeline

1 Media teaching: a timeline by Roger Horrocks Early contexts [See Simon Sigley’s ‘Film culture: its development in New Zealand 1929-1972’ (PhD thesis, University of Auckland, 2003) for the earliest history.] 1941: A National Film Unit is established. A National Film Library for schools is established in the following year. 1946: A new Federation of Film Societies is established. It runs annual Film Schools from 1954 on. 1960: Television finally reaches New Zealand. 1962: The Lido, the first of a new style of ‘art house’ cinemas, opens in Auckland. 1963: John O’Shea teaches a lunchtime film course at Wellington High School. (O’Shea attempts to create a NZ feature film industry with Runaway in 1964 and Don’t let it get you in 1966, but runs out of resources.) 1960s: a few other enthusiasts do some informal film teaching at schools, outside the curriculum. Meanwhile other enthusiasts offer ‘adult education’ or WEA courses on film. Late 60s/early 70s: the Curriculum Development Unit of the Education Department (Peter Miles) and the National Film Library encourage the use of film and other media as teaching aids in schools. ‘Educational technology’ courses are offered to teachers. Late 60s/through the 70s: a new wave of young film-makers emerges. They make documentaries, short dramas, and experimental films. 1969: First Auckland International Film Festival. 1970s contexts 1972: The Alternative Cinema coop is established in Auckland. Many film-makers use the equipment available at its Hobson Street headquarters. Alternative Cinema publishes a magazine (1972-1986) which serves as a useful record of this period of film culture. 1970s: Video cameras (with reel to reel tapes) become available. Universities and schools purchase some cameras. Video cassettes are launched on the American market circa 1977. There is a war between VHS and Beta, won by VHS which comes into wide use in the ‘80s. 1977: Sleeping Dogs is the first of a new wave of 35mm feature films in New Zealand. 1978: Finally, after many years of lobbying, the Government agrees to establish a NZ Film Commission. 2 Universities 1958: Maurice Askew becomes lecturer in Design at Ilam School of Fine Arts at Canterbury. In the ‘70s Askew (who had worked at Granada Television) teaches filmmaking to students such as Vincent Ward. He retires in 1981. 1965: Tom Hutchins becomes the first full-time lecturer in Photography at the University of Auckland. He begins to teach film-making to students such as Leon Narbey and Rodney Charters. Around 1970 he champions the idea of a university film school, but his attempt is not successful. Hutchins retires in 1981. 1972: A film course (Film Analysis, at 300 level) is first offered in Drama Studies at Victoria University in 1972, taught by Phillip Mann. In the late 1970s Dr David Carnegie joins the Drama Studies staff and introduces History & Criticism of Film at 200 level. 1975: Film Studies is introduced as an MA course at Auckland University (via the English Department, in association with Art History). Roger Horrocks has been attempting to get permission for this course since 1970. For the first two years, Robin Scholes co-teaches the course before leaving to make her career in film and television. In 1979, the first M.A. Film Studies thesis is completed (Karl Mutch’s ‘Two New Zealand Film Makers: A Critical Study’). 1970s: Professor Bob Chapman at Auckland University encourages his Political Studies students to take a serious interest in the role of the media in politics. In 1974 he begins to compile a unique archive of radio and television news broadcasts (recording them on audiotape, until the mid-‘80s when he starts to use videotape). 1970s schools 1977: By now some enthusiasts are doing film teaching as part of high school English classes (described in ‘Experiments in Film Teaching’, English in New Zealand, July 1977). 1980s contexts ‘80s: Video becomes popular equipment in homes. 1981: Jonathan Dennis establishes the NZ Film Archive. Mid-‘80s: First campus email systems (1984 at Victoria, 1985 Auckland). Personal computers are becoming more common. 1986: Illusions magazine begins publication. 1980s universities 1980: Chris Watson introduces an ‘Educational Technology and Media’ course at Massey. In 1981 this becomes two papers, one of them focusing on the analysis of media texts. In subsequent years, various film papers are introduced at Massey. 3 1981: The NZ Cultural Studies Working Group is formed at Massey and begins publishing a newsletter. (This becomes Sites in 1984.) The group is influenced by Birmingham but seeks to develop ‘a distinctively New Zealand cultural studies.’ 1982: Russell Campbell joins the staff at Victoria and revives film teaching within Drama Studies. Mid-‘80s: Media Studies is introduced at Massey as an interest shared by Graeme Bassett, Roy Shuker, Chris Watson (Education), Steve Maharey and Brennon Wood (Sociology), and others. A Diploma in Media Studies is offered. 1986: The first Film Studies PhD at Auckland University is completed by Brian McDonnell (‘The Translation of New Zealand Fiction into Film’). 1987: Waikato introduces a first year ‘film appreciation’ paper, followed by ‘NZ Film’ at 2nd year and ‘Film Genre’ at 3rd year. These are taught by Sam Edwards and Stan Jones, and initially linked through Jones with the German Department. 1980s schools 1983: The Statement of Aims: Forms 3-5 (new English curriculum for schools) includes ‘watching, viewing and shaping.’ 1983: The Association of Film and Television Teachers is established as a grass-roots network of high school teachers who share advice and resources. AFTT commences the publication of Script (still being published today). 1984: Media Studies is offered for the first time as a subject in secondary schools, for Sixth Form Certificate (which was internally assessed). 1990s contexts ‘90s: Rapid development of the Internet 1996: First DVDs. 1990s universities 1990: Drama Studies at VUW becomes the Department of Theatre and Film. John Downie begins teaching Film Production. From 1994: NZ Journal of Media Studies. Initially hosted by Massey University, this magazine is today hosted by Victoria University and available on-line (http://www.nzmediastudies.org.nz/). 1994: The Centre for Film, Television and Media Studies is established at Auckland University (it becomes a Department in 2000). 1995: A Media Studies programme is initiated by Brian McDonnell at Massey’s new Auckland campus. 4 1997: Theatre and Film at VUW becomes part of a new School of English, Film and Theatre. Today the school also includes a Media Studies programme. 1998: Media Studies at Massey becomes part of a School of English and Media Studies. 1990s schools 1991: AFTT broadens its coverage - from ‘film and television’ to ‘media’ - and becomes NAME (the National Association of Media Educators). 1994: The new school English curriculum includes ‘visual language’ (along with oral and written language). 1995: NAME prepares a detailed Media Studies curriculum for schools but is unable to gain official acceptance for it. 1999: The Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM) conference is hosted for the first time in New Zealand (by NAME and the University of Auckland). After 2000 2000s: Digital cameras become common. Also cellphones with cameras, iPods, and harddrive recording (My Sky, etc). 2001: FTVMS at Auckland University introduces a new production programme in the old TVNZ building in Shortland Street (now the Kenneth Myers Centre). 2002: Medianz is established as an on-line discussion group for Media Studies staff and students. 2003: Level 2 Achievement Standards for Media Studies are introduced. 2004: Level 3 Achievement Standards for Media Studies are introduced; also, Media Studies becomes a Scholarship subject. (The Ministry is not willing to authorise Standards for Level 1.) 2007: Medianz Conference is held at Victoria University. Current media programmes and institutions: Department of Film, Television and Media Studies (University of Auckland) Screen and Media Studies Department (University of Waikato) School of English and Media Studies (Massey University) School of English, Film and Theatre (Victoria University of Wellington) Film and Media Studies (University of Otago) Theatre and Film Studies (University of Canterbury) 5 School of Fine Arts (Film) (University of Canterbury) Fine Arts (University of Auckland, National Institute of Creative Arts and Industries) Communication Studies (Auckland University of Technology) New Zealand Broadcasting School (Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology) Performing and Screen Arts (Unitec) Media Arts Department (Waikato Institute of Technology) Communication Studies (Manukau Institute of Technology) [NB: There are media courses at other Polytechnics, Institutes of Technology, and Colleges of Education. I apologise for the fact that the above history/timeline is still very incomplete. I would be grateful for any additions or corrections (r.horrocks@xtra.co.nz). My thanks to those who have contributed to date (Russell Campbell, Stan Jones, Geoff Lealand, Brian McDonnell, Roy Shuker and Chris Watson). I regret that I have been able to use only a little of the information sent to me but I hope to write more on the subject in the future. And I hope others will write their own local histories (some of which have obviously been highly eventful)!] Bibliography Specifically about the development of media teaching in NZ: Dixon, G (2004) Teacher of film had to learn as he went, Ingenio (University of Auckland), Autumn. Horrocks, R (1977) Experiments in film teaching, English in New Zealand, July. Horrocks, R (1999) The late show: the production of film and television studies, in Peters M, Bergin and Garvey, eds., Critical studies in education and culture, Westport (Connecticut). Horrocks, R (2004) Visual language and the struggle to teach it, English in Aotearoa, No.3, August. Horrocks, R and Hoben, N (2005) Media Studies and English in the New Zealand curriculum, http://www.tki.org.nz/r/nzcurriculum/docs/media-studies-and-eng.doc Lawrence, G (2000) Overview of media education in New Zealand http://www.waikato.ac.nz/film/NAME/script/casestudy.html Lealand, G (1996) A little learning is a dangerous thing?: media teaching in New Zealand: some questions and issues, Sites No.33, Spring. 6 McDonnell, B (1976) Image illiterates, PPTA Journal, March. National Association of Media Educators website: http://www.waikato.ac.nz/film/NAME/ O’Shea, J (1963) A stab at screen education, Comment, July. Script (NAME’s magazine) since 1983. Shuker, R (2001) Site-ing New Zealand Cultural Studies: the evolution of Sites, New Zealand Sociology, vol.16 no.2. Sigley, S (2003) Film culture: its development in New Zealand, 1929-1972, PhD thesis, University of Auckland. Watson, C (1995), Media Studies and the curriculum, New Zealand Annual Review of Education (Victoria University), vol.5. Trailers (Geoff Lealand’s newsletter), 1988 - 2001 (then absorbed into Script). The history of NZ-oriented media textbooks includes: Cairns, B and Martin, H (1994) Shadows on the wall: a study of seven New Zealand feature films, Auckland, Longman Paul. Cairns, B and Martin, H (1996) Shortland Street: Production, text and audience, Auckland, Macmillan. Goode, L and Zuberi, N, eds. (2004) Media Studies in Aotearoa New Zealand, Auckland, Pearson Education New Zealand. Horrocks, R and Tremewan, P (1980) On film Auckland, Heinemann (for high schools). Horrocks, R (1984) Film and television: a teaching manual, Auckland, Kohia Teachers Centre (for high schools). Horrocks, R and Tremewan, P (1986) On film II, Auckland, Heinemann (for high schools). Lealand, G and Martin, H (2001) It’s all done with mirrors: about television, Palmerston North, Dunmore Press. Lennox, B (1985) Film and fiction: studies of New Zealand fiction and film adaptations, Auckland, Longman Paul (for high schools). McDonnell, Brian (1998), Fresh approaches to film, Auckland, Longman. Martin, H (1994) Critical media studies: a teachers’ handbook, Auckland, Media Studies Fellowship (for high schools). Reynolds, J (1976) Camera in the classroom, Auckland, Longman Paul (for high schools). 7 Reynolds, J (1984) Media matter: a practical guide to New Zealand media, Christchurch, Whitcoulls. Watson, C (ca. 1983) Advanced studies for Teachers Unit: A/V Media, Massey University. Other relevant magazines and websites: Alternative Cinema magazine, 1972-86 (includes essays on media teaching). Illusions magazine, from 1986. Mediascape website (New Zealand Broadcasting School at Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology) http://www.mediascape.ac.nz/ English in New Zealand (1973-1986), becomes English in Aotearoa (since 1987). NZCSWG Newsletter (1981), NZCSWG Journal (1982-4) Sites, from 1984. A sample of other books by NZ media academics (this is far from a complete list): Abel, S (1997) Waitangi Day on television: television news and monoculturalism, Auckland University Press. Campbell, R (2006) Marked women: prostitutes and prostitution in the cinema, Madison, University of Wisconsin Press. Cubitt, S (2004) The cinema effect, Cambridge, Mass., MIT. Dunleavy, T (2006), Ourselves in primetime: a history of New Zealand television drama, Auckland University Press. Horrocks, R and Perry, N, eds (2004), Television in New Zealand: programming the nation, Melbourne, OUP. Horrocks, R (2001) Len Lye: a biography, Auckland, AUP. Martin, H and Edwards, S (1997) New Zealand film 1912-1996, Auckland, OUP. Perry, N (1994) Dominion of signs: television, advertising and other New Zealand fictions, Auckland University Press. Shepard, D (2000), Reframing women: a history of New Zealand film, Auckland, HarperCollins. Shuker, R (2001) Understanding popular music, London, Routledge.

Information from...... http://www.mediascape.ac.nz/cms/uploads/File/mediaTeachingTimeline.pdf

In 2009 over 1.2 billion people had access to a television in their own home. The average amount of newspapers read each day is more than 1.7 billion people. More than 1.3 billion people listen to the radio each day.