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Works By

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1 Regional Screen Cultures : the Precarity and Significance of Queensland’s Film Festival Landscape Elizabeth Ellison , Tess Van Hemert , 2020 single work criticism
— Appears in: Studies in Australasian Cinema , vol. 14 no. 2 2020; (p. 95-110)

'This article examines the role of Queensland's film festival network, focusing on how regional festivals are central to the development of the screen industry beyond the metropolitan centres. The research is based on a mapping project of film festivals in Queensland undertaken in 2018, which included interviews with festival organisers and industry professionals. 68 active festivals were identified across Queensland, of which 45% took place in Brisbane. This article investigates both the value of film festivals and the challenges for their economic sustainability in Queensland's screen culture and industry.' (Publication abstract)

1 Collaborating Upwards : Writing across Hierarchical Boundaries Elizabeth Ellison , Craig Batty , 2020 single work criticism
— Appears in: TEXT Special Issue Website Series , October no. 59 2020;
'As a practice, collaborative writing between students and supervisors is hardly new and can be considered common in STEM disciplines. This has not always been the case in the creative arts, where there are different expectations around authorship and, as in other contexts, potentially deeper considerations of power and authority. In this article, we examine modes of collaborative writing practice in the creative arts, with a particular focus on writing across hierarchical boundaries in research training scenarios. Using screenwriting practice as a context for this discussion, and informed by our own reflective practice, we identify a number of collaborative writing ‘modes’ (which we have named ‘take the lead’, ‘share the load’, and ‘learn the ropes’) and offer possible strategies for those writing across hierarchical relationships and boundaries. This is important for understanding what might otherwise become an assumed, misunderstood or, worse, predatory practice that disempowers students and unfairly advantages supervisors. As part of our exploration, we draw on our experiences of running cohort-based, collaborative research opportunities in creative disciplines. Reflecting on our experiences in regard to our own collaborations allows us to examine how these structures have enabled students to find their own agency within these collaborative spaces.' (Publication abstract)
1 y separately published work icon Writing the Australian : Beach Local Site, Global Idea Elizabeth Ellison (editor), Donna Lee Brien (editor), Cham : Palgrave Macmillan , 2020 19563125 2020 anthology criticism

'Writing the Australian Beach is the first book in fifteen years to explore creative and cultural representations of this iconic landscape, and how writers and scholars have attempted to understand and depict it. Although the content chiefly focuses on Australia, the beach as both a location and idea resonates deeply with readers around the world. This edited collection includes three sections. Forms of Beach Writing examines the history of beach writing in Australia and in a number of forms: screenwriting, social media writing, and food writing. In turn Multiplicities of Australian Beach Writing examines how forms of writing-poetry, travel writing, horror film, and memoir-engage with some specific beaches in Australia. And, finally, Reading the Beach as a Text considers how the beach itself functions in cultural narratives: how we walk the beach; the revealing story of beach soccer; and the design and use of ocean baths. Given its scope, the collection offers a unique resource for scholars of Australian culture and creative writing, and for all those interested in Australian beaches.' (Publication summary) 

1 Investigating Candidates’ Research Experience beyond the Thesis : the Peripheral World of the Doctorate Donna Lee Brien , Alison Owens , Craig Batty , Elizabeth Ellison , 2019 single work criticism
— Appears in: TEXT Special Issue Website Series , October no. 57 2019;
'This article focuses on both the process and the results of a recently completed research project that concentrated on what are commonly seen as peripheral aspects of the doctorate; that is, aspects of candidature that lie beyond, and outside of, the core work of what is widely understood to be research training. The project saw 18 candidates from the creative arts and humanities – and creative writing in particular – gather to reflect upon their learning journeys, and then analyse and theorise the ‘human’ dimensions of undertaking a doctorate. These often peripheral aspects were revealed to have a major influence on undertaking a research degree, as well as affecting candidates’ progress and satisfaction with their studies, and career potential beyond the research degree. This article first outlines how candidates were able to develop a language with which to identify some of the major human dimensions – the lived experience – of undertaking a doctorate that emerged from the project. It then explores how candidates were able to articulate their own growth in the form of producing an edited collection of essays in order that others might benefit from this reflective learning.'

 (Publication abstract)

1 ‘I Feel I Have Found a Tribe’ : Investigating the Moodle Discussion Board Writing of Regional Postgraduate Creative Practitioners Donna Lee Brien , Elizabeth Ellison , 2019 single work criticism
— Appears in: TEXT Special Issue Website Series , June no. 54 2019;
'As higher education in Australia becomes increasingly distributed geographically, regional universities play a key role in supporting distance education. With innovative online learning and strong student engagement levels continuing to be a priority, this is perhaps even more pronounced in postgraduate coursework degrees in the creative arts, a field in which postgraduate qualifications are unnecessary to secure employment in the sector. This article presents the results of a case study investigation of a regionally based postgraduate creative arts degree program that utilised blended learning principles, included on-campus and distance students, and framed discussion board usage/writing as a formative requirement across the units in the program. Alongside writing about their creative and professional practices, students produced narratives that could be described as examples of engaged reflective practice which, this analysis revealed, focused on aspects of the educational experience that assisted in developing a sense of belonging for this widely dispersed cohort.' (Publication abstract)
1 The Coastal Memoir : An Investigation of Landscape in the Nonfiction of Robert Drewe and Tim Winton Elizabeth Ellison , 2018 single work criticism
— Appears in: Axon : Creative Explorations , November vol. 8 no. 2 2018;

'The inclusion of memoir in an experienced author’s oeuvre is interesting although not uncommon. Memoir often reveals much about a writer: their childhood, their memories, their motivations to pursue their chosen career pathway. Interestingly, in the case of two prominent Australian authors, the memoir allows for a passionate investigation of landscape and how it permeates through their lives and their writing. In this article, I explore two examples of writers who have been inspired — openly and explicitly — by the beach: Tim Winton and Robert Drewe. Both are from Western Australia and both are fascinated and influenced by the coastal landscape. This is also apparent in their fiction in which characters use the beach as a touchstone or comfort. Winton and Drewe have written five memoirs between them, ranging from 1993 to 2016. Both authors make clear that these works are inspired by their relationship with landscape — particularly coastal landscapes on the western coast of Australia. By investigating these two authors’ works of memoir — both bound by their ongoing appreciation and inspiration of Australian landscape — this article examines how these coastal memoirs reveal how landscape can represent notions of national identity. The Australian coast acts as both a space of awe and solace in Winton’s work while being inevitably intertwined in ‘memories and murder’ in the memoirs of Drewe.'   (Publication abstract)

1 Facing Death on the Australian Beach : Examining Fear and Transcendence Elizabeth Ellison , 2017 single work criticism
— Appears in: TEXT Special Issue Website Series , October no. 45 2017;

'The Australian beach has often been considered in academic approaches as a place of binaries – focusing on either the mythic (Fiske, Hodge and Turner 1987) or the ordinary (Morris 1998). An edge to the Australian continent, the liminal space of the beach is one that has received some attention. Using Edward Soja’s (1996) ‘Thirdspace’ concept allows the beach to challenge the space as a liminality and emerge as a more complex beachspace, both mythic and ordinary and more all at once. The Australian beach is a place of significant beauty, while simultaneously a place of risk and danger. Visitors to the space are immediately warned to only swim between the flags, and many beaches are patrolled for the majority of the day all throughout the year. Technology has been employed to identify risk despite the inherent unpredictability of the beach (such as shark sighting technology, weather predictions, and wave cameras), with an aim to provide a safe, everyday space available to all Australians to use. The potential risks of accidental death are high on the beach; however, many representations of death tend to include homicide or suicide. ‘Facing death’ is interested in examining how Australian writers of the beach portray death. Classic texts like Nevil Shute’s On the Beach (1957) are discussed alongside more contemporary texts, including Fiona Capp’s Night Surfing (1996), Tim Winton’s Dirt Music (2001), and Romy Ash’s Floundering (2012). These writers portray death as an inevitability or a continual threat. Films such as Newcastle (2008) represent accidental death in a tight knit local community; in comparison Blackrock (1997) deals with both murder and suicide. This paper illustrates how examining the beach as a more complex space by interrogating Australian writing on the subject allows for an interesting understanding of how death is represented on the Australian beach.' (Publication abstract)

1 [Review] Doctoral Writing in the Creative and Performing Arts Elizabeth Ellison , 2017 single work essay
— Appears in: TEXT Special Issue Website Series , no. 44 2017;

— Review of Doctoral Writing in the Creative and Performing Arts 2014 anthology criticism

'Next year, 2018, will be thirty years since creative practice was included as a field of postgraduate research in the so-called Strand Report (1998). Since that time, the acceptance of creative practice research degrees has flourished both in Australia and internationally. This important and substantial book represents many of the key researchers in the Australian higher education sector for the creative arts, and thus is worthy of a re-examination in the light of a collection of articles dealing with the current state of the creative practice PhD. Many of these authors have, indeed, won government funding to pursue research projects in this space and the wealth of their knowledge and experience shines through in many of these chapters. The editors must be commended for the breadth of perspectives and expertise they have secured in this text.' (Introduction)

1 Queensland's Film Culture : the Challenges of Local Film Distribution and Festival Exhibition Tess Van Hemert , Elizabeth Ellison , 2015 single work criticism
— Appears in: Studies in Australasian Cinema , January vol. 9 no. 1 2015; (p. 39-51)
'Queensland's film sector is currently in the midst of significant change. Organisations at the centre of the state's industry, such as Screen Queensland, have undergone substantial and ongoing changes in the last five years. Other organisations funded by Screen Queensland, such as QPIX, Queensland's only film development centre, have recently closed. The Brisbane International Film Festival has been restructured to become the Brisbane Asia Pacific Film Festival as of 2014. In an uncertain industry currently characterised by limited funding and diminishing support structures, local emerging filmmakers require significant initiatives and a sophisticated understanding of how to best utilise fledgling distribution models as part of a tailored strategy for their content. This essay includes interviews with emerging Brisbane filmmakers who have used a combination of traditional and contemporary approaches to exhibition and distribution thus far in their careers. It argues that for these filmmakers, while film festivals do function as crucial platforms for exposure, in the current digital market they cannot be relied upon as the only platform in securing further mainstream or commercial release. They can, however, be incorporated into an alternative distribution model that shows awareness of the contemporary situation in Australia. The research findings are arguably indicative of the challenges faced by filmmakers statewide, and suggest that further support strategies need to be considered to revive Queensland's film culture and provide immediate support for emerging filmmakers.' (Publication abstract)
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