Silent Cinema and the Transition to Sound

Symposium 13 September 2017

Phoenix Cinema, Leicester

as part of the 19^th British Silent Film Festival, 13-17 September

The transition from silent to synchronised sound cinema in Britain between 1927 and 1933 was a period which changed British cinema as both industry and art form forever, but which has largely been overlooked by cinema historians.

This symposium, which will precede the British Silent Film Festival, will examine the transition from silent to sound across the cinema industry in terms of economics, employment, technology and infrastructure, as well as the shift in film form and style including its impact on production, distribution, exhibition, reception and critique.

We invite papers and presentations from a range of disciplines that help to advance our understanding of the film industry during this tumultuous period. We particularly welcome contributions which consider the transitional period in European cinemas along with Britain’s own international relationships to both Anglophone and non-Anglophone countries. We also invite papers that consider the role of music and sound in silent cinema, before the period of the transition to sound.

The symposium is part of the AHRC-funded project on British Silent Cinema and the Transition to sound (a collaboration between De Montfort University and the University of Stirling) and will precede the 19^th British Silent Film Festival which will include four-days of screenings and presentations on the transitional period 1927 – 1933.

Possible topics include:
– technology and industry
– economics
– personnel
– film form, style and the impact of new production processes
– exhibition, reception, cinema-going and audiences
– cinema markets
– the transitional period’s impact and legacy
– music and sound in early cinema

Please send abstracts of 200-500 words to Laraine Porter at

lporter@dmu.ac.uk

Deadline for contributions: 31 July 2017.