Scholarly Interest Groups
SIGs are a benefit for current SSAAANZ members and a great opportunity to form sub-communities based on specific scholarly interests.
All three SIGs welcome involvement from the broader SSAAANZ membership. Frequency and events will vary across SIGs but it is anticipated that the annual conference will form an important opportunity to get together.
SSAAANZ members interested in joining the SIG, please get in touch ASAP to express interest (details below).
SOUND & MUSIC STUDIES SIG
Co-convenors: Dr Phoebe Macrossan (pmacrossan@usc.edu.au) and A/Prof. Liz Giuffre (liz.giuffre@uts.edu.au)
The Sound and Music Studies SIG aims to encourage and develop the study of sound and music in screen media, bringing together scholars and practitioners working in the fields of film and cinema studies; television, communication and media studies; popular and classical music studies; and cultural studies. Screen music and sound in the Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand context is of importance both at the local and international level; Australasian audiences are some of the most energetic in the world in terms of viewing, listening, and attendance. Our mission is to provide a much-needed forum for scholars and students to present new research in screen music and sound and to help shape these evolving interdisciplinary fields.
We aim to provide a forum in which scholars can present and discuss their work, organise panels, and propose workshops for the annual conference. We also seek to foster an awareness of sound and music related issues in screen media, and to encourage new research and further scholarship in these areas. Our SIG seeks to recognise emergent work in these fields as well as foster the discipline through online events (e.g., book talks, roundtables) outside the annual conference. We encourage SIG members to contact co-covenors with ideas for such events or new publications.
SCREEN INDUSTRIES SIG
Co-convenors: Dr Nicholas Godfrey (nicholas.godfrey@flinders.edu.au) and Dr Tara Lomax (tlomax@aftrs.edu.au)
The Screen Industries SIG will develop collaborative research projects amongst screen industries scholars from across Australia and New Zealand. It aims to develop opportunities for partnerships and affiliations between higher education institutions, and in conjunction with industry partners, stakeholders and government screen agencies. Project subjects may cover, but are not limited to, screen industry policy and regulation; workforce development and employment; production infrastructure, pipelines and incentives; audiences and demographics; and international coproductions.
This scholarly interest group aims to enhance cross-institutional research collaboration and strengthen SSAAANZ’s capacity to interface with industry and government. This group supports SSAAANZ’s aim to foster a transnational research culture across Australia and New Zealand and showcase local research contributions within the broader international screen studies community.
VIDEO ESSAY SIG
Co-convenors: A/Prof. Arezou Zalipour (arezou.zalipour@aut.ac.nz) and Prof. Catherine Fowler (catherine.fowler@otago.ac.nz)
The Video Essay SIG renews its work of building visibility, connection, and collaboration for videographic scholarship across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. The SIG aims to foster conversations around teaching, research, and publication through the video essay form, while strengthening regional visibility within international videographic discourse.
As part of the SSAAANZ 2026 conference, the SIG Video Essay will host a panel titled Making Videographic Scholarship, focusing on the processes and making of video essays. The SIG also plans to organise an online symposium in early 2027 dedicated to screening and discussing videographic work. If you are interested in joining the Video Essay SIG, participating in future activities, or learning more about the panel and symposium, please get in touch with Arezou and Cathy.