Obiter Dicta From the Director's Office
This is the first issue of the journal in which we can announce the functioning of The Center for the Study of Film and History (hereafter, The Center) as an entity. For the foreseeable future, I will be the Director of the Center and it gives me great pleasure to take on this role for a number of reasons.
Film & History
Film & History is in good hands with Deborah Carmichael (Editor-in-Chief) and Cynthia Miller (Associate Editor-in-Chief) who have been working with the special editors for this issue on the "Historic Homes" of PBS and other networks. Elsewhere, Ken Dvorak and Julie Taddeo are thanked for their efforts on this year-long effort from Film & History; I want to add my sod block of gratitude. Susan Rollins and I followed the various versions of the series in TV broadcasts and then via NetFlix. Important questions of historical interpretation, media formats and media perception need to be answered in relation to these efforts—some of which "succeed," and others of which do not. Since the productions were Anglo-American, it seems only proper that the issue of class and culture enter into the aesthetic considerations—topics of special interest to younger scholars.
Our Conference
Our conference for 2006, dedicated to the theme of "Documentary as Film and History" was conducted in Dallas and has been described by the Editor-in-Chief in some detail. I want to thank the Area Chairs for their efforts. No meeting of this nature can succeed without passionate commitment of individuals on discrete subject areas for the meeting. Areas Chairs take time out from their professional and personal lives to serve the field that they love and, in many cases, the results were truly impressive in quantity of panels and, of course, in quality of presentations. (They are prominently listed in our last issue of the journal and are retained on our web site.) As far as I am concerned, they belong on a special "Wall of Honor" for our organization.
The Web Site
As of this writing, our web site (www.filmandhistory.org) has received nearly 140,000 hits from friends and newcomers. These people subscribe to the journal, hear about recent publications, watch a video of the Director trying to explain our mission, or tap into the "Conference Highlights" taped and edited by our Media Manager, Steve Brown of Oklahoma State U. The Documentary Film Archive, created and cultivated by Keith Wheelock, has received increasing attention and continuous updating. The site is an excellent place to send your friends who ask about the group and its interests. Some of the regulars have even purchased items of "Film & History Gear," which includes ball caps, T shirts, denim shirts, and a variety of other monogrammed materials which will help you to proclaim your involvement in our movement. An order from Indiana came in this very day for a "scholar's ball cap."
The Press and Broadcast Media
Radio shows, television networks, and newspapers call the Center daily and we try to answer questions when we can, but more often pass the items on to experts who will do a more informed job. Just recently, Jim Welsh (Emeritus Editor of the Literature/Film Quarterly) spoke to millions in Eastern Europe about the Oscar competition and the fate of actors and directors after a major win at the Oscars. We have had good feedback about the broadcast. Do not be surprised or flustered should you be on our list of participants and you hear from the Jim Lehrer Newshour or The O'Reilly Factor—just do a good job for us! Naturally, our responses in these programs is of a scholarly nature and not part of the popular bombast so often on the radio and television airwaves. (Check "Recent News" on the website...
