Founded in February of 2006, NECS, the European Network for Cinema and Media Studies, brings together scholars and researchers in the field of cinema, film and media studies with archivists and film and media professionals who share a common interest in academic film study and the preservation, distribution and programming of film and media art and the film heritage. A first NECS workshop held in Berlin on the occasion of the network’s founding in 2006 provided an overview of the current state of cinema and media studies in Europe. In 2007, the first NECS conference was held in Vienna. More than 100 scholars from 22 countries met to discuss new perspectives and future agendas for film study in Europe.

The NECS conference 2008, to be held in Budapest, Hungary, from June 19 through 21, will be open for paper and panel proposals which relate to the overall goals of NECS. Scholars from all areas of film and media studies (radio, television, new media etc.), whether previously attached to NECS or new to the initiative, are invited to submit proposals for contributions to the conference committee.

There are two ways to participate:

(1) Hand in a paper or panel proposal for open call in any field of cinema and media studies (max. 5 speakers on a panel, 15 min speaking time each, work groups are especially encouraged to hand in a panel proposal).

(2) Hand in a proposal or panel related to the thematic guideline of the conference. In order to provide a thematic guideline, we propose to focus on the moving image in changing media environments. Broadening the scope beyond accounts of new technologies, new forms of media “content” or the changing conditions for production, the conference's title refers to the axiomatic frames which inform both old and new paradigms for studying (audio-)vision and images in/of motion. Paper topics may include, but may not be limited to, the following:

1. new forms of spectatorship and cinematic experience as they emerge from new modes of distribution and the co-existence of cinema with other media on the same technological platforms;

2. the study of classic works of global and European cinema with regard to pictorial and narrative strategies that seem to anticipate the formal innovations and rules of interpretation commonly associated with new media;

3. the impact of online archives and lexicons of film history on film archiving, as well as on film culture and cultural memory in general;

4. the possible contributions of film studies to the study of new and old media in other disciplines, such as cognitive science, sociology, art history, economics, philosophy etc;

5. the viability of traditional tools of film-analysis and concepts of film theory for the analysis of changing audio-visual environments.

We would like to invite proposals for short, incisive papers of 15 minutes and/or panels (with 3-5 speakers) by December 31, 2007. We especially encourage submissions from PhD students and early career researchers. NECS-membership is required to participate in the conference. Please submit your proposal by using the Internet form at the NECS website (www.necs-initiative.org <<a href="http://www.necs-initiative.org" rel="external">http://www.necs-initiative.org> ) or by sending it (title, abstract of 85-250 words, biographical information, technical requirements) to conference@necs-initiative.org. NECS work group chairs are encouraged to organize pre-constituted panels or panels.

Notification will follow around February 1, 2008. The conference language is English. Conference attendance is free. Participants will have to cover their own travel and accommodation expenses. Travel information as well as a list of affordable hotels and other accommodations will be posted on the NECS website in spring 2008. Detailed information on NECS and a report on the first workshop and conference can be found on the NECS website (www.necs-initiative.org <<a href="http://www.necs-initiative.org" rel="external">http://www.necs-initiative.org> , contact: conference@necs-initiative.org).


The NECS steering committee Malte Hagener, Vinzenz Hediger, Dorota Ostrowska, Alexandra Schneider, Patrick Vonderau The NECS conference committee András Bálint Kovács, Mats Jönsson, Valérie Morignat, Oksana Sarkisova, Patrick Vonderau