Guidelines

StoryLab Conversations will be a curated and peer reviewed online publication that hosts narrative film outputs. The Editorial Board will identify a particular film already available in the public domain via its online publication platform (the Anchor Film), set a thematic brief connected with this Anchor Film and then, on the back of this brief, invite the filmmaking community to respond to this Anchor Film and the identified theme with their own film outputs (the Response Films). There is no prescription as to the nature of these outputs, except that they broadly be considered narrative outputs articulating a story. Each Response Film will be accompanied by a 300 word creative Research Statement helping identify the thematic and/or formal links to the Anchor Film. The Editorial Board will appoint reviewers who will, anonymously, review the submitted Proposals, Response Films and their Statements. On the basis of peer review outcomes, a selection of the Response Films, accompanied by their statements, will be published on the StoryLab Conversations online publication platform alongside the original Anchor Film. The Writer and/or Director of the Anchor Film will be invited to give an audio visual response in the form of an interview or conversation with a member of the Editorial Board. The publication platform will also allow for online conversations with the wider public via comments sections to the Anchor Film and the Response Films.

As a publishing filmmaker, you will make a film that in one way or another responds to the Anchor Film. This can be any response - emotional, intellectual, spiritual, cultural, personal, ideological, historical, creative, craft, style etc - and the film can be any length up to two hours. The Response film can also be a work that has already been completed, up to a maximum of five years prior to submission to StoryLab Conversations.

A proposal will first be assessed and a conditional offer of publication made at this stage. Under normal circumstances, it would be expected that if the submitted work is in broad line with the original proposal, that the practice work will be published. Amendments may be required for the creative supporting Statement. We recognise that making a narrative film is expensive and complicated and would want to give as much certainty as possible before a filmmaker embarks on the production of a Response Film. There is no budgetary or other logistical support to filmmakers and no exclusivity expected. Filmmakers will, however, sign an agreement giving StoryLab Network non exclusive rights to screen the film as part of this publication platform.

For a further discussion of how to articulate creative practice as research, have a look at our discussion paper, Research Glossary For Creative Practitioners. See also Research Statement Guidance.