University of Glasgow

Colour Cinema in Scotland, 1896 - 1916

Academic History:

2014-2017 PhD Candidate Film & Television Studies

2009-2011 MA Cinema Studies (with Distinction)

2007-2009 BA (Hons) Media & Communication (2:1)

Supervisors:

Dr Ian Goode

Dr Ian Craven

Research Interests:

• Silent cinema
• Colour
• Historiography
• Scottish cinema
• Archival practices
• Intermediality & film

Current Research Project:

Our picture of colour in early cinema remains incomplete due to lost films, archival policies & historiographical practices. Film History often documents a linear progression, focusing on seminal moments that transformed the industry, or the development of cinematic techniques that helped elevate film to the status of an art form. Such a trajectory belies the multifarious functions & attractions of early cinema. Since its inception, film & colour were intertwined through a diverse range of techniques; from simply applying aniline dyes onto film stock with tiny paintbrushes, to developing elaborate machinery designed to capture colours automatically. Such techniques & technologies helped shape the experience & development of early cinema, & it is my aim to document exactly how within a Scottish context.

Through the use of online & physical archives, I will illustrate the forms & prevalence of colour film in Aberdeen, Inverness & Glasgow. Between 1896-1916, filtered lights, dyes & complex projectors were used to bring colour to screens across these locations, & each city had its own distinct relationship with colour through the practices of its filmmakers & exhibitors. The films that make up our cinematic heritage have mostly disintegrated through time, & colour on film has proved yet more ephemeral & elusive to us today. Subsequently, my main resources will comprise of contemporary newspapers, trade magazines, fanzines, company records, personal memoirs, & any other materials I can track down. Although it may be ultimately impossible to recreate the experience of colour cinema for contemporary spectators, such a methodology can at least challenge the predominant assumption we hold of early film in Scotland as a black & white phenomenon.

Previous Research Projects:

Colour in the Technicolor Musical, MA Dissertation, University of Bristol, 2011

Conference Papers/Presentations:

Kaleidoscopic Colours in William Walker’s “Kennymattygraff” Show

British Silent Film Festival, 2015 & Moving Pictures & Photoplays, University of York, 2015.

Scholarships/ Awards/ Publications:

AHRC DTP Scotland Studentship Award, 2014-2017

AHRC RTSG, 2015. Awarded for conference participation & archival research.

Contact details:

Address: Gilmorehill Centre, 9 University Avenue, Glasgow, G12 8QQ

Tel No: 07864 682162  

Email: s.mcburney.1@research.gla.ac.uk

First published: 1 October 2014