Papers by Dr Vanessa Jackson
International Journal for Academic Development, 2016
This thesis harnesses the practice of creating and running the Pebble Mill website (http://pebble... more This thesis harnesses the practice of creating and running the Pebble Mill website (http://pebblemill.org) and associated @pebblemillstudios Facebook page, to explore a new historiographical method, which embraces the functionality of online interactivity to tell a democratic community history, through the contribution of the community themselves. It demonstrates a new collective approach to the writing of contemporary history, and identifies a paradigm shift in oral history work. The subject of the project: Pebble Mill, was the BBC broadcast centre in Birmingham, which opened in 1971, and was demolished in 2005. It produced around ten per cent of BBC television and radio output in its heyday, and employed around 1,500 staff. The aim of the website and Facebook page is to celebrate and document the programme making from Pebble Mill. The Pebble Mill project has created an openly accessible online archive of more than 1,600 multi-media artefacts, the majority of which have been donated by members of the online community which has grown up around the project. The digital archive includes video, audio, photographs as well as written blog posts. The research is at the intersection of different academic fields and draws on literature from oral history, memory studies, archival practice, online participation, and museum display, in order to inform the practice.
The International Encyclopedia of Gender, Media, and Communication
This entry offers an overview of women working in television, historical patterns and contemporar... more This entry offers an overview of women working in television, historical patterns and contemporary trends, and a review of the different approaches to researching that landscape. Framed by the experience of a range of different countries (United Kingdom, Australia, Brazil, Czech Republic, Denmark, East Asia, France, Greece, India, Italy, Nigeria, and the United States), the entry looks at national patterns of employment and trends in labor.
Critical Studies in Television: The International Journal of Television Studies
David Waine was the Head of Network Production, and subsequently, Head of Broadcasting at BBC Peb... more David Waine was the Head of Network Production, and subsequently, Head of Broadcasting at BBC Pebble Mill from 1983 to 1994. He held the top job at Pebble Mill during a period of great significance for the BBC Nations and Regions, with competition from independent production becoming established and privatisation beginning to affect the working culture within the BBC. He focussed attention on four key areas of television programming, which are explored in this interview: daytime, leisure, drama and multicultural output. However, by the time he left, there were foreboding signs concerning the long-term future of the broadcast centre.
Communities, Archives and New Collaborative Practices, 2020
Communities, Archives and New Collaborative Practices, 2020
This chapter considers the Pebble Mill project. The project is a multi-media online resource, wit... more This chapter considers the Pebble Mill project. The project is a multi-media online resource, with social media interaction on Facebook, where members of an online community build an ‘idiosyncratic archive’ of memories and artefacts, including photographs, videos, audio, and written text, creating a democratic history of BBC Pebble Mill, which complements the BBC's institutional archive. Some of the tensions and limitations of community archive projects are explored, including moderation, ethics, and legal matters, namely defamation and copyright. One of the major challenges for community archives regards the continuing commitment of ‘citizen curators’, the facilitators of online community projects, whose labour includes devising policies, moderating, and encouraging engagement. Issues of longevity and sustainability are considered, along with the vulnerability of online collections in a precarious virtual world, where platforms are subject to evolution, or removal — threatening...
Women's History Review, 2021
Although there is a body of scholarship concerning women’s roles in the British media industries,... more Although there is a body of scholarship concerning women’s roles in the British media industries, few studies have analysed how women’s career paths within these industries have changed over time. This article addresses that omission. It draws on empirical research with 130 women working in the UK television industry, to provide insights into the changing nature of women’s roles across technical, production and editorial areas over the last forty years. Previous research and industry reports have shown women were concentrated in low status, low paid, feminised roles, with little chance of promotion. This new research demonstrates evidence of positive change, such as entry routes being less gendered and increased opportunities in some technical roles, while simultaneously highlighting persistent issues including pay inequality, the ‘old boys’ network’, managing caring responsibilities, and crises of confidence. This study provides significant evidence of women’s career paths now bein...
VIEW Journal of European Television History and Culture, Aug 13, 2020
Two television editors who once worked with 16mm film discuss and explore their former working me... more Two television editors who once worked with 16mm film discuss and explore their former working methods and demonstrate how to make a picture cut using film. The method of 'hands-on history' used for this simulation is discussed, as are the problems of presenting such data.
Archaeologies of Tele-Visions and -Realities, 2015
Two television editors who once worked with 16mm film discuss and explore their former working me... more Two television editors who once worked with 16mm film discuss and explore their former working methods and demonstrate how to make a picture cut using film. The method of ‘hands-on history’ used for this simulation is discussed, as are the problems of presenting such data.
Journal of Popular Television, 2021
Re-enactment can enable participatory researchers to ‘experience’ through qualitative ethnography... more Re-enactment can enable participatory researchers to ‘experience’ through qualitative ethnography the dynamics of how teams of practitioners employ tacit skills to make decisions and collaborate. This article explores the practice-as-research re-enactment of a historic 1960s television show, Jazz 625 (1964–66). With the emphasis on the process rather than the product through the production of a modern-day interpretation of the original – entitled Jazz 1080 – the researchers draw conclusions around the complex workings of a television production team through the creation of a new artefact. The empirical research captures how professional attitudes and institutionalized forms of collaborative creative labour shape programme-making. Comparisons are made between the original and re-enacted productions, with the conclusion being made that, despite advances in technology, the practices and processes of television production are remarkably similar between the 1960s and the early twenty-fir...
Journal of Popular Television, 2021
Re-enactment can enable participatory researchers to ‘experience’ through qualitative ethnography... more Re-enactment can enable participatory researchers to ‘experience’ through qualitative ethnography the dynamics of how teams of practitioners employ tacit skills to make decisions and collaborate. This article explores the practice-as-research re-enactment of a historic 1960s television show, Jazz 625 (1964–66). With the emphasis on the process rather than the product through the production of a modern-day interpretation of the original – entitled Jazz 1080 – the researchers draw conclusions around the complex workings of a television production team through the creation of a new artefact. The empirical research captures how professional attitudes and institutionalized forms of collaborative creative labour shape programme-making. Comparisons are made between the original and re-enacted productions, with the conclusion being made that, despite advances in technology, the practices and processes of television production are remarkably similar between the 1960s and the early twenty-fir...
Two television editors who once worked with 16mm film discuss and explore their former working me... more Two television editors who once worked with 16mm film discuss and explore their former working methods and demonstrate how to make a picture cut using film. The method of 'hands-on history' used for this simulation is discussed, as are the problems of presenting such data.<br>This video essay was original published in <i>VIEW: </i><i>Journal of European Television History and Culture.</i><i><br></i><b>About the project</b>ADAPT (2013-8) is a European Research Council project at Royal Holloway University of London. The project studies the history of technologies in television, focussing on their everyday use in production activities.<br><br>ADAPT examines what technologies were adopted and why; how they worked; and how people worked with them. As well as publishing written accounts, the project carries out 'simulations' that reunite retired equipment with the people who used to use it.<br>Pa...
In this article I will argue that we need to create new archival models in order to preserve and ... more In this article I will argue that we need to create new archival models in order to preserve and share knowledge of historical, ‘hidden’ television professions and production cultures. Oral history traditions of recording life stories give us a useful starting point. Engineering ‘encounters’ between skilled television technicians, and the now obsolete equipment they operated in the 1970s and 80s, is challenging for a myriad of reasons, but videoing the interaction of man and machine provides us with a rich insight into how analogue television was produced and broadcast. Social media enables us to disseminate these histories in new and innovative ways. .
Re-enactment can enable participatory researchers to 'experience' through qualitative ethnography... more Re-enactment can enable participatory researchers to 'experience' through qualitative ethnography the dynamics of how teams of practitioners employ tacit skills to make decisions and collaborate. This article explores the practice-as-research re-enactment of a historic 1960s television show, Jazz 625 (1964-66). With the emphasis on the process rather than the product through the production of a modern-day interpretation of the original-entitled Jazz 1080-the researchers draw conclusions around the complex workings of a television production team through the creation of a new artefact. The empirical research captures how professional attitudes and institutionalized forms of collaborative creative labour shape programme-making. Comparisons are made between the original and re-enacted productions, with the conclusion being made that, despite advances in technology, the practices and processes of television production are remarkably similar between the 1960s and the early twenty-first century. KEYWORDS re-enactment jazz tacit skills television history performance practice-as-research historical imaginary distributed creativity 'And Then She Stopped' shot comparison Jazz 625 Jazz 1080 Shot 1 Camera 3: medium shot of Gillespie introducing song and counting off Camera 3: wide shot of full band, Cole counting off Shot 2 Camera 1: medium shot of Clarke (piano), White (bass) behind Camera 2: close-up Awala fingers on piano Shot 3 Camera 3: wide shot full band, tracking in Camera 1: medium shot Awala (piano) and Palmer (drums) Shot 4 Camera 4: close-up Gillespie face Camera 3: close-up Cole tenor sax bell, tilting up Shot 5 Camera 3: tracked in as shot 3 on Gillespie (trumpet) and Moody (flute) Camera 4: wide on full band Shot 6 Camera 4: close-up trumpet bell, panning; Moody behind Camera 3: close-up Cole face Shot 7 Camera 2: Moody and Gillespie Camera 4: wide on band Shot 8 Camera 3: close-up Gillespie Camera 2: Cole and Griffiths (alto sax) Shot 9 Camera 4: medium shot Moody Camera 3: close-up Cole Shot 10 Camera 2: Griffiths foreground and Owston (bass) behind Table 3: Shot comparison for 'And Then She Stopped' (1964).
In this article I will argue that we need to create new archival models in order to preserve and ... more In this article I will argue that we need to create new archival models in order to preserve and share knowledge of historical, ‘hidden’ television professions and production cultures. Oral history traditions of recording life stories give us a useful starting point. Engineering ‘encounters’ between skilled television technicians, and the now obsolete equipment they operated in the 1970s and 80s, is challenging for a myriad of reasons, but videoing the interaction of man and machine provides us with a rich insight into how analogue television was produced and broadcast. Social media enables us to disseminate these histories in new and innovative ways.
Book Chapters by Dr Vanessa Jackson
Television for Women, New Directions, 2017
Using data from a study of 56 women workers in television production, and additional in-depth int... more Using data from a study of 56 women workers in television production, and additional in-depth interviews, this chapter examines how women's roles within television changed from the 1970s onwards in the BBC, with more women entering senior positions. Differing challenges facing women in production emerge: being taken seriously, ageism, sexual harassment, and the difficulty of combining motherhood and programme making. The chapter also explores the extent to which television for women, was also television made by women, and determines how having a gender-skewed audience affected the style and substance of what was produced.
An Education in Facebook? Higher Education and the World's Largest Social Network, May 13, 2014
This chapter explores how Media Studies students at Birmingham City
University use Facebook in a... more This chapter explores how Media Studies students at Birmingham City
University use Facebook in a number of ways to build relationships with each
other and with potential employers. The authors utilise research from interviews
and focus groups with students to demonstrate how Boyd and Marwick’s (2010)
notion of the ‘networked audience’, by which individuals communicate to an
‘imagined audience’ through their use of social media, in some ways reflects
students’ own use. The chapter finds that many students become more aware of
issues of ‘context collapse’ (ibid.) the more they use social media.
Social Media and employability - creating new resources with students
Mark Ashfield, David Harte... more Social Media and employability - creating new resources with students
Mark Ashfield, David Harte and Vanessa Jackson
Introduction
This chapter outlines the approach taken in developing new learning resources to support Media Studies students who wish to make better use of social media as a professional networking tool. Academic staff and students at Birmingham City University’s School of Media collaborated on a project which culminated in the creation of a website offering guidance on social media use (socialmediatutorials.co.uk). Through qualitative and quantitative research we discovered how Media students were using social media in a professional context to develop a network of contacts useful in their future career. The project has been carried out over two academic years; the first year concentrated on the research phase whilst the second has focussed on the creation of a set of openly accessible learning resources. A postgraduate student studying Social Media was recruited to collaborate with lecturers on the research phase and a larger group of both New Media and Television undergraduate students were identified to help build the resources. The chapter draws on the experiences of all involved and finds that students were motivated to participate in the projects by a desire to enhance their own professional profile, to engage with lecturers outside of the context of assessment and by the nature of the subject matter itself – a desire to better understand their own and their peers’ use of social media. This chapter draws together reflections from the academic staff and students involved. Written testimonies were sought from the students (four in total) and are quoted here.
"I Think It's Mad Sometimes" - Unveiling Attitudes to Identity Creation and Network Building by M... more "I Think It's Mad Sometimes" - Unveiling Attitudes to Identity Creation and Network Building by Media Studies Students on Facebook
Dr Kerry Gough, Dave Harte and Vanessa Jackson – Birmingham City University.
Key words: Media, Facebook, Social Capital, Employability
This chapter explores how Media Studies students at Birmingham City University use Facebook in a number of ways to build relationships with each other and with potential employers. The authors utilise research from interviews and focus groups with students to demonstrate how Boyd and Marwick’s (2010) notion of the ‘networked audience’, by which individuals communicate to an ‘imagined audience’ through their use of social media, in some ways reflects students’ own use. The chapter finds that many students become more aware of issues of ‘context collapse’ (ibid.) the more they use social media.
The chapter draws on two case studies. The first is the development of a Facebook Page to support the induction experience of new students. The Page management undertaken by existing students who aimed to build links between the new students in order to address existing issues in the induction experience. The Page was accompanied by a set of tasks on the University’s existing Virtual Learning Environment (Moodle). Interviews with the student mentor and the new students show that the Facebook group was successful in lowering the barriers to participation and encouraging students who might struggle to network elsewhere. It demonstrated the potential of Facebook to be successful at developing bonding social capital (Putnam 2000).
The second case study looks at the ways in which students use a range of social media to engage with potential employers. It is clear that social media platforms such as Twitter, Flickr, Tumblr and other blogging platforms are being used by a significant number of students to promote and publish their work online, network with industry professionals, and arrange media placements and paid work. Yet Facebook remains an underused resource with evidence that students show resistance to the platform’s potential as a form of ‘bridging’ social capital. Students view the space as almost entirely personal and actively resist engagement from professionals. The students’ desire to make a distinction between the personal and professional is clear and they display a range of attitudes that belie a simplistic take on the notion of young people as ‘digital natives’.
The chapter finishes by identifying how the utilisation of Facebook in a Higher Education context needs to be positioned as part of the wider digital learning experience. Students are often better placed that their tutors to understand how the use of a particular platform ‘speaks’ for them in specific ways. Facebook use can play an important role in supporting students to develop relationships with each other and with the wider world but it also has a role in highlighting issues of privacy and professionalism, something students display a particularly sophisticated attitude to.
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Papers by Dr Vanessa Jackson
Book Chapters by Dr Vanessa Jackson
University use Facebook in a number of ways to build relationships with each
other and with potential employers. The authors utilise research from interviews
and focus groups with students to demonstrate how Boyd and Marwick’s (2010)
notion of the ‘networked audience’, by which individuals communicate to an
‘imagined audience’ through their use of social media, in some ways reflects
students’ own use. The chapter finds that many students become more aware of
issues of ‘context collapse’ (ibid.) the more they use social media.
Mark Ashfield, David Harte and Vanessa Jackson
Introduction
This chapter outlines the approach taken in developing new learning resources to support Media Studies students who wish to make better use of social media as a professional networking tool. Academic staff and students at Birmingham City University’s School of Media collaborated on a project which culminated in the creation of a website offering guidance on social media use (socialmediatutorials.co.uk). Through qualitative and quantitative research we discovered how Media students were using social media in a professional context to develop a network of contacts useful in their future career. The project has been carried out over two academic years; the first year concentrated on the research phase whilst the second has focussed on the creation of a set of openly accessible learning resources. A postgraduate student studying Social Media was recruited to collaborate with lecturers on the research phase and a larger group of both New Media and Television undergraduate students were identified to help build the resources. The chapter draws on the experiences of all involved and finds that students were motivated to participate in the projects by a desire to enhance their own professional profile, to engage with lecturers outside of the context of assessment and by the nature of the subject matter itself – a desire to better understand their own and their peers’ use of social media. This chapter draws together reflections from the academic staff and students involved. Written testimonies were sought from the students (four in total) and are quoted here.
Dr Kerry Gough, Dave Harte and Vanessa Jackson – Birmingham City University.
Key words: Media, Facebook, Social Capital, Employability
This chapter explores how Media Studies students at Birmingham City University use Facebook in a number of ways to build relationships with each other and with potential employers. The authors utilise research from interviews and focus groups with students to demonstrate how Boyd and Marwick’s (2010) notion of the ‘networked audience’, by which individuals communicate to an ‘imagined audience’ through their use of social media, in some ways reflects students’ own use. The chapter finds that many students become more aware of issues of ‘context collapse’ (ibid.) the more they use social media.
The chapter draws on two case studies. The first is the development of a Facebook Page to support the induction experience of new students. The Page management undertaken by existing students who aimed to build links between the new students in order to address existing issues in the induction experience. The Page was accompanied by a set of tasks on the University’s existing Virtual Learning Environment (Moodle). Interviews with the student mentor and the new students show that the Facebook group was successful in lowering the barriers to participation and encouraging students who might struggle to network elsewhere. It demonstrated the potential of Facebook to be successful at developing bonding social capital (Putnam 2000).
The second case study looks at the ways in which students use a range of social media to engage with potential employers. It is clear that social media platforms such as Twitter, Flickr, Tumblr and other blogging platforms are being used by a significant number of students to promote and publish their work online, network with industry professionals, and arrange media placements and paid work. Yet Facebook remains an underused resource with evidence that students show resistance to the platform’s potential as a form of ‘bridging’ social capital. Students view the space as almost entirely personal and actively resist engagement from professionals. The students’ desire to make a distinction between the personal and professional is clear and they display a range of attitudes that belie a simplistic take on the notion of young people as ‘digital natives’.
The chapter finishes by identifying how the utilisation of Facebook in a Higher Education context needs to be positioned as part of the wider digital learning experience. Students are often better placed that their tutors to understand how the use of a particular platform ‘speaks’ for them in specific ways. Facebook use can play an important role in supporting students to develop relationships with each other and with the wider world but it also has a role in highlighting issues of privacy and professionalism, something students display a particularly sophisticated attitude to.
University use Facebook in a number of ways to build relationships with each
other and with potential employers. The authors utilise research from interviews
and focus groups with students to demonstrate how Boyd and Marwick’s (2010)
notion of the ‘networked audience’, by which individuals communicate to an
‘imagined audience’ through their use of social media, in some ways reflects
students’ own use. The chapter finds that many students become more aware of
issues of ‘context collapse’ (ibid.) the more they use social media.
Mark Ashfield, David Harte and Vanessa Jackson
Introduction
This chapter outlines the approach taken in developing new learning resources to support Media Studies students who wish to make better use of social media as a professional networking tool. Academic staff and students at Birmingham City University’s School of Media collaborated on a project which culminated in the creation of a website offering guidance on social media use (socialmediatutorials.co.uk). Through qualitative and quantitative research we discovered how Media students were using social media in a professional context to develop a network of contacts useful in their future career. The project has been carried out over two academic years; the first year concentrated on the research phase whilst the second has focussed on the creation of a set of openly accessible learning resources. A postgraduate student studying Social Media was recruited to collaborate with lecturers on the research phase and a larger group of both New Media and Television undergraduate students were identified to help build the resources. The chapter draws on the experiences of all involved and finds that students were motivated to participate in the projects by a desire to enhance their own professional profile, to engage with lecturers outside of the context of assessment and by the nature of the subject matter itself – a desire to better understand their own and their peers’ use of social media. This chapter draws together reflections from the academic staff and students involved. Written testimonies were sought from the students (four in total) and are quoted here.
Dr Kerry Gough, Dave Harte and Vanessa Jackson – Birmingham City University.
Key words: Media, Facebook, Social Capital, Employability
This chapter explores how Media Studies students at Birmingham City University use Facebook in a number of ways to build relationships with each other and with potential employers. The authors utilise research from interviews and focus groups with students to demonstrate how Boyd and Marwick’s (2010) notion of the ‘networked audience’, by which individuals communicate to an ‘imagined audience’ through their use of social media, in some ways reflects students’ own use. The chapter finds that many students become more aware of issues of ‘context collapse’ (ibid.) the more they use social media.
The chapter draws on two case studies. The first is the development of a Facebook Page to support the induction experience of new students. The Page management undertaken by existing students who aimed to build links between the new students in order to address existing issues in the induction experience. The Page was accompanied by a set of tasks on the University’s existing Virtual Learning Environment (Moodle). Interviews with the student mentor and the new students show that the Facebook group was successful in lowering the barriers to participation and encouraging students who might struggle to network elsewhere. It demonstrated the potential of Facebook to be successful at developing bonding social capital (Putnam 2000).
The second case study looks at the ways in which students use a range of social media to engage with potential employers. It is clear that social media platforms such as Twitter, Flickr, Tumblr and other blogging platforms are being used by a significant number of students to promote and publish their work online, network with industry professionals, and arrange media placements and paid work. Yet Facebook remains an underused resource with evidence that students show resistance to the platform’s potential as a form of ‘bridging’ social capital. Students view the space as almost entirely personal and actively resist engagement from professionals. The students’ desire to make a distinction between the personal and professional is clear and they display a range of attitudes that belie a simplistic take on the notion of young people as ‘digital natives’.
The chapter finishes by identifying how the utilisation of Facebook in a Higher Education context needs to be positioned as part of the wider digital learning experience. Students are often better placed that their tutors to understand how the use of a particular platform ‘speaks’ for them in specific ways. Facebook use can play an important role in supporting students to develop relationships with each other and with the wider world but it also has a role in highlighting issues of privacy and professionalism, something students display a particularly sophisticated attitude to.
Web 2.0 is impacting the landscape of television history in new and often under researched ways. The archive has been taken beyond the institutional domain by fans and enthusiasts. Online communities, often of audiences rather than programme makers, are happy to share their personal television archives with whoever may be interested.
Online communities offer television researchers new opportunities. Since 2010 I have run a project to document and celebrate the programme making, and production culture of BBC Pebble Mill, using social media to access a largely hidden history. Online and social media are able to give researchers a quick return and the ability to build a tangible democratic archive.
At its height Pebble Mill produced 10% of BBC television output, dramas like ‘Nuts in May’ and ‘Boys from the Blackstuff’, daytime programmes like ‘Pebble Mill at One’ and factual series like ‘Top Gear’, ‘Countryfile’ and ‘Gardeners’ World’. Many of the programmes produced were seen as ephemeral, and were not necessarily preserved by the BBC.
Research has been done by Lez Cooke, and others on some of the dramas produced at Pebble Mill, but little has been done on the factual programming. The Pebble Mill project is a way of accessing programme makers and making artefacts from, and memories of the programmes (although not the programmes themselves, due to rights issues) accessible.
At the heart of the project is a website: http://pebblemill.org. It includes video interviews with programme makers, editors, designers, as well as photographs and written memories. Pebble Mill is remembered fondly by the staff, many keeping photographs they are happy to share on the website. I post a daily blog, and link to the ancillary Facebook Group. Currently there are over a thousand Facebook friends, who have proved invaluable, adding comments about working on productions, identifying photographs, and invoking memories in others. The project works particularly well when a conversation is sparked on the Facebook Group, about a programme or a production method, which is then preserved on the website.
This project illustrates how online technologies can help build and preserve an archive, sharing screen histories a new way.
Questions are raised with a wider relevance, which would be addressed in the proposed chapter, such as issues with the accuracy of crowd sourcing, the challenges of copyright protection, an analysis of who the curators are, and how and why members of the online community contribute.