Abstract
A concise account that supplements topics only briefly mentioned in other contributions to the anthology Other Cinemas, this piece provides a factual overview of the establishment and early context surrounding the fourth British terrestrial television channel, Channel 4 (C4), which started broadcasting in 1982. With its dedicated 'Independent Film and Video Department‘, C4 opened air-time to more diverse content through its alternative model, which, rather than making programmes in-house, operated as a 'publisher-broadcaster‘ by buying-in and commissioning work. Developed following a series of interviews/conversations between Holdsworth and former deputy Commissioning Editor at the Channel, Professor Rod Stoneman (National University of Ireland, Galway) this co-authored overview (1,300 words) observes how the Channel‘s initial founding remit stemmed from an ethos towards innovation that owed much to the experimental 'independent‘ and 'workshop‘ artistic film and video sectors that emerged in 1970s Britain.
This chapter is supplemented by two contributions to the book (a chapter on the IFA and another short section on the Workshop Declaration) as well as a chronology (all written by Holdsworth).
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Other Cinemas |
| Subtitle of host publication | Politics, Culture and Experimental Film in the 1970s |
| Editors | Laura Mulvey, Sue Clayton |
| Place of Publication | London |
| Publisher | I.B. Tauris |
| Pages | 313-318 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781784537180 |
| Publication status | Published - Jun 2017 |
Bibliographical note
Impact: As an academic publication with a print run of approximately 2,000 copies, Other Cinemas is distributed internationally and published by I.B.Tauris and also available as an ebook (published 29 June 2017). The anthology was edited by theorist Professor Laura Mulvey (Department of Film, Media and Cultural Studies, Birkbeck University) and writer and director Professor Sue Clayton (Screen School, Goldsmiths University) with editorial and research assistance from Holdsworth (Kingston School of Art). The anthology brings together 15 voices (both established and new) at the cutting edge of research into 1970s/80s radical cinema, to explore theories and politics as well as works important to this rich context. The publication coincides with a resurgence of interest in this decade, revealed by recent gallery events and screenings, recognising these achievements. Following on from these other events, the editors and Holdsworth collaborated further by co-curating a day-long series of screening programmes for the Whitechapel Gallery‘s cinema on 17 September 2017.Keywords
- Art and design