My name is Katherine Groo. I am a Lecturer in the department of Film and Visual Culture at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. I received my PhD in Comparative Literature with a concentration in Film and Video Studies from Cornell University in June 2009.
My areas of interest/research include early and silent-era cinemas; visual ethnography; film history, historiography, and theory; “minor” films and archives; and documentary and experimental film.
An archivist at the Filmmuseum in Amsterdam used the term “half/films” to describe the scraps of cinema I selected from the shelves (and inadvertently forced him to watch). Half/films inhabit the vast margins of the archives: untitled, unauthored, seemingly infinite in number, and unrestored even in their digital afterlives.
I am not interested in saving half/films from the trash heap. Rather, I take half/films as a way of rethinking film objects and film histories.
I use this space to draft new work and share ideas. Suggestions, comments, critique are most welcome.
I am also the “Archive News” editor for Cinema Journal. If you work for an archive and have an interesting project to share, please get in touch.
k.groo@abdn.ac.uk
I just came across your wonderful work. Thanks for sharing it. I really look forward to reading more.
Hello Katherine
I’m interested in your theories of film ethnography.
I run an online community for filmmakers in the North East of Scotland, called I Am Do FIlmmaker, and I wonder if you would be interested in explaining film ethnography. I have a weekly podcast and I would like to give the community something a little more intellectual to chew on! If you’re interested we could chat on the phone first to discuss it.
Visit the site at: http://iamdofilmmaker.co.uk (we’re also on Facebook).
You can email me at: sam@rufusrunsfast.com
Best wishes
Sam
Hi Katherine,
I’m an old student of yours (graduated Aberdeen 2010) and I came across your blog recently. It’s really interesting stuff and I’ve enjoyed reading it. I’m working as an English teacher now and occasionally teach some film to my pupils so it’s good to connect back into the film studies mindset by reading blogs like this one.
Kind regards,
Caroline Steed
It’s great to hear from you, Caroline. I hope teaching is going well. Glad to hear film is finding its way back into your life (and classroom)! K