Professor Erik Knudsen

Professor of Film Practice

Office Times

Currently on sabbatical

Biography

Erik Knudsen is a filmmaker and Professor of Film Practice at the University of Salford, Manchester, UK. He is a former Head of the School of Media, Music and Performance and has also acted as the university’s Director of Graduate Studies. Earlier roles have included programme leading the MA in Fiction Film Production, the MA in Television Documentary Production and the MA in Wildlife Documentary Production.                                   

He is also visiting professor, and the former Head of the Editing Department, at the Escuela Internacional de Cine y Television in Cuba. He is on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Media Practice and a member of the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s Peer Review College. He publishes widely on film practice, his most recent book being, ‘Creative Documentary: Theory and Practice’ published in 2011.

As a filmmaker his films include The Silent Accomplice (84 min., fiction, 2011), Vainilla Chip (17 min., Documentary, 2009), Veil (for Horse & Bamboo Theatre Company’s touring show, 2008), Heart of Gold (40 min., documentary, 2006), Sea of Madness (86 min., fiction, 2006), Brannigan’s March (99 min., fiction, 2004), Bed of Flowers (50 min., documentary, 2001), Signs of Life (70 min., fiction, 1999), Reunion (50 min., documentary, 1995), One Day Tafo (70 min., documentary, 1991).

Teaching

MA Fiction Film Production and MA TV Documentary Production: writing, directing, editing, project supervision and tutorial support.

Research Interests

Predominantly practice-led film research, in particular narrative documentary and fiction. Erik is interested in exploring alternative modes of cinematic narratives and stories, changing practices resulting from developments in production and dissemination technologies and in the epistemology of fact and fiction within the narrative moving image. His own work takes the form of practice and applied theory and is concerned with the exploration and development of alternative narrative approaches which might better serve, and create a better understanding of, our relationship to life, society and culture by trying to determine how the narrative moving image can evolve a transcendent realism in its forms.

Qualifications and Memberships

Higher Education

2002   PHD Media Arts, University of Salford, 2002. Title: The Dispassionate Mirror – Towards a Transcendental Realism in Film Practice.

1983   Bachelor of Fine Arts, Specialised Honours in Film Production, York University, Toronto, Canada. (4 Years.)

Educational Positions (Last 5 years)

2000 - 2009   Programme Director, MA Documentary Production, MA Fiction Film Production, MA Wildlife Documentary Production, University of Salford.

2007 - Professor of Film Practice, University of Salford.

2009 - 2010   Director of Graduate Studies, University of Salford.

2010 - 2012   Head of School of Media, Music and Performance, University of Salford.

2010 - 2012   Director, International Media Centre, University of Salford.

External Positions (Last 5 years)

2009 - Arts and Humanities Research Council Peer Review College member.

2001 - Visiting Professor, Escuela Internacional de Cine y Television, Cuba. (Head of Editing Department between 2001 and 2009.)

2009 - 2012   External Examiner, BA Film and Television Studies, Aberystwyth University.

2011 - External Examiner, MA Documentary Practice, Brunel University.

2008 - External Examiner, BA Film Production, University of the Creative Arts, Farnham.

2005 - 2011   External Examiner, BA Media and Television Production, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

2007 - Editorial Board Member, Journal of Media Practice.

2010 - Board Trustee, Clapperboard UK Ltd.

2002 - 2012   Board Trustee, Cornerhouse, Manchester, UK.

1997 - Managing Director, One Day Films Ltd.

Currently supervising 6 PhD students.

Publications

Refereed Articles and Book Chapters (Last 5 years)

2013   Book Chapter, The Meaning of Independence: Independent Filmmaking Around The World, ed. Baltruschat, D. & Erickson, M. (University of Toronto Press TBC, 2013): Dependencies and Independence in British Independent Film.

2011   Book, Creative Documentary Practice, co-author with De Jong, W., Rothwell, J. (Pearson, 2011.)

2010   Article, Journal of Screenwriting (Vol. 1 No. 2 due March 2010): Zen and the Art of Film Narrative.

2010   Article, Widescreen (Vol. 2 No. 1 due April 2010): Cinema of Poverty: Independence and Simplicity in an Age of Abundance and Complexity.

2008   Book Chapter, Rethinking The Documentary, ed. De Jong, W. & Austin, T. (Open University 2008): Transcendental Realism in Documentary.

2007   Refereed Media Publication, Screenwork DVD (Oct. 2007): Heart of Gold (film with accompanying statement). Outcome of AHRC award.

2007   Article, Journal of Media Practice, (Vol. 8, No. 1): Fact and Mysticism in Documentary Form. (Peer reviewed and approved for publication.) Outcome of AHRC award.

Films as a Writer/ Director (Last 5 years)

2012   The Raven On The Jetty, fiction, 90 minutes, One Day Films Limited. In pre-production, due for completion by July 2013.

2010   The Silent Accomplice, fiction, 84 minutes, One Day Films Limited. PREMIERE: Official Selection, Anchorage International Film Festival, December 2010.

2009   Vainilla Chip, documentary, 17 minutes, One Day Films Limited. PREMIERE: Official Selection, International Documentary and Short Film Festival, Bilbao, November 2009.

2008   Veil, director of moving image components for theatre production developed and toured by Horse and Bamboo Theatre Company (artistic director, Bob Frith). Tour dates: March and April 2008, March and April 2009.

2006   Heart of Gold, documentary, 40 minutes. One Day Films Limited in association with AHRC and University of Salford, co-produced by Doris Adabasu Kuwornu, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation.  PREMIERE: Sao Paulo International Film Festival, Brazil, October 2006.

2007   Sea of Madness, fiction feature, 90 minutes. One Day Films Limited. PREMIERE: Hebden Bridge Picture House, West Yorkshire April 2007.