John Ellis (media academic)
Encyclopedia
John Ellis is a British former TV producer and professor of media arts at Royal Holloway, University of London
. Ellis studied English at the University of Cambridge
1970-3 and at the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies
at University of Birmingham
1973-6. From 1978-1982 he taught Film Studies at University of Kent at Canterbury
and Keith Griffiths
to form Large Door, the company that bid successfully to make Visions, a magazine series on world cinema for Channel 4
when it opened in 1982. Visions ran for three series until 1985. Griffiths left the company in 1984, and Ellis and Hartog continued producing documentaries separately and together until Hartog's death in 1992.
Large Door made over 100 documentaries until it ceased production in 1999. The company produced two documentaries on the Cinema of China
presented by Tony Rayns
: Cinema in China (1983) outlined the history, hitherto scarcely known in the West; and New Chinese Cinema (1989) concentrated on the 'Fifth Generation'
Large Door also produced:
As a leading producer, John Ellis was elected vice-chair of the producers' organisation PACT
(1989–93).
, and became a professor in 1999. He joined the Media Arts Department at Royal Holloway University of London in September 2002.
He is now chair of BUFVC
, the British Universities' film and Video Council. He was a board member of Screen journal 1974-1984
approach, proposing that television's typical regime of spectatorship is that of the 'glance' rather than the more cinematic one of the 'gaze'. Later he applied the psychoanalytic concept of working through
to television. Recently he has developed the concept of witness
in relation to audio-visual material in a debate with, among others, John Durham Peters
and Paul Frosh. He has also proposed the periodisation of television history into eras of scarcity, availability and plenty. His work on television history includes several articles on Channel 4; on critical issues including the construction of a canon of TV work and the importance of overlooked items such as interstitials; and involvement in the EU funded archival projects Videoactive and EUScreen
Ellis's articles include:
Royal Holloway, University of London
Royal Holloway, University of London is a constituent college of the University of London. The college has three faculties, 18 academic departments, and about 8,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students from over 130 different countries...
. Ellis studied English at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
1970-3 and at the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies
Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies
The Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies was a research centre at the University of Birmingham, England. It was founded in 1964 by Richard Hoggart, its first director...
at University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
1973-6. From 1978-1982 he taught Film Studies at University of Kent at Canterbury
University of Kent
The University of Kent, previously the University of Kent at Canterbury, is a public research university based in Kent, United Kingdom...
TV Producer 1982-1999
In 1982 he joined Simon HartogSimon Hartog
Simon Hartog was a British filmmaker.- Life: 8 February 1940 - 18 August 1992 :Hartog was born in England but lived in Chicago from the age of eight, after his parents divorced. He always retained an American accent, although after many years in England as an adult, his accent was not entirely...
and Keith Griffiths
Keith Griffiths
Keith Griffiths is a former English professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.Griffiths began his playing career with Rhyl before joining hometown club Chester in the summer of 1955 along with John Devine...
to form Large Door, the company that bid successfully to make Visions, a magazine series on world cinema for Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
when it opened in 1982. Visions ran for three series until 1985. Griffiths left the company in 1984, and Ellis and Hartog continued producing documentaries separately and together until Hartog's death in 1992.
Large Door made over 100 documentaries until it ceased production in 1999. The company produced two documentaries on the Cinema of China
Cinema of China
The Chinese-language cinema has three distinct historical threads: Cinema of Hong Kong, Cinema of China, and Cinema of Taiwan. Since 1949 the cinema of mainland China has operated under restrictions imposed by the Communist Party of China's State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television and...
presented by Tony Rayns
Tony Rayns
Antony Rayns is a British writer, commentator, film festival programmer and screenwriter. Much inspired in his youth by the films of Kenneth Anger, he wrote for the underground publication Cinema Rising before contributing to the Monthly Film Bulletin from the December 1970 issue until its demise...
: Cinema in China (1983) outlined the history, hitherto scarcely known in the West; and New Chinese Cinema (1989) concentrated on the 'Fifth Generation'
Large Door also produced:
- Beyond Citizen KaneBeyond Citizen KaneBeyond Citizen Kane is a British documentary film directed by Simon Hartog, produced by John Ellis, and broadcast on Channel 4.It details the dominant position of the Rede Globo media group in the Brazilian society, discussing the group's influence, power, and political connections...
a history of TV in Brazil (directed and co-produced by Simon HartogSimon HartogSimon Hartog was a British filmmaker.- Life: 8 February 1940 - 18 August 1992 :Hartog was born in England but lived in Chicago from the age of eight, after his parents divorced. He always retained an American accent, although after many years in England as an adult, his accent was not entirely...
) - The Holy Family AlbumThe Holy Family AlbumThe Holy Family Album is a television documentary written and narrated by Angela Carter. It was directed by JoAnn Kaplan and produced by John Ellis at Large Door Productions, London, UK...
from a script by Angela CarterAngela CarterAngela Carter was an English novelist and journalist, known for her feminist, magical realism, and picaresque works... - This Food Business, a current affairs series on Britain's food supply
- Distilling Whisky Galore!Whisky Galore! (film)Whisky Galore! was a 1949 Ealing comedy film based on the novel of the same name by Compton MacKenzie. Both the movie and the novel are based on the real-life 1941 shipwreck of the S.S. Politician near the island of Eriskay and the unauthorized taking of its cargo of whisky...
on the making of the 1949 British film - Riding the Tiger (1997), directed by Po-Chih Leong and Sze Wing Leong, chronicling the period up to the hand-over of Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
to China.
As a leading producer, John Ellis was elected vice-chair of the producers' organisation PACT
PACT
PACT was a series of compilers for the IBM 701 and IBM 704 scientific computers. Their development was conducted jointly by IBM and a committee of customers starting in 1954. PACT I was developed for the 701, and PACT IA for the 704. The emphasis in that early generation of compilers was minization...
(1989–93).
Media academic
Ellis was a visiting professor at Bergen University in the Media Studies department from 1991-2002. In 1995 he joined the staff of the Media School at Bournemouth UniversityBournemouth University
Bournemouth University is a university in and around the large south coast town of Bournemouth, UK...
, and became a professor in 1999. He joined the Media Arts Department at Royal Holloway University of London in September 2002.
He is now chair of BUFVC
BUFVC
The British Universities Film & Video Council is a representative body promoting the production, study and use of moving image, sound and related media for learning and research...
, the British Universities' film and Video Council. He was a board member of Screen journal 1974-1984
Medium theory and television history
His work concentrates on television and related media. In 1982, he developed a medium theoryMedium theory
Medium theory is the name assigned to a variety of approaches used to examine how the means of expression of human communication impact the meaning of human communication....
approach, proposing that television's typical regime of spectatorship is that of the 'glance' rather than the more cinematic one of the 'gaze'. Later he applied the psychoanalytic concept of working through
Working through
In psychodynamic psychotherapy, working through is seen as the process of repeating, elaborating, and amplifying interpretations. It is believed that such working through is critical towards the success of therapy...
to television. Recently he has developed the concept of witness
Witness
A witness is someone who has firsthand knowledge about an event, or in the criminal justice systems usually a crime, through his or her senses and can help certify important considerations about the crime or event. A witness who has seen the event first hand is known as an eyewitness...
in relation to audio-visual material in a debate with, among others, John Durham Peters
John Durham Peters
John Durham Peters is an American academic and the A. Craig Baird professor of Communication Studies at the University of Iowa. A media historian and social theorist, he is probably best known for his first book Speaking into the Air: A History of the Idea of Communication which traces out broad...
and Paul Frosh. He has also proposed the periodisation of television history into eras of scarcity, availability and plenty. His work on television history includes several articles on Channel 4; on critical issues including the construction of a canon of TV work and the importance of overlooked items such as interstitials; and involvement in the EU funded archival projects Videoactive and EUScreen
Selected publications
Ellis's books include:- TV FAQ (IB Tauris,2007)
- Seeing Things: Television in the Age of Uncertainty (IB Tauris, 2000)
- Visible Fictions: Cinema, Television, Video (Routledge 1982, 2nd edition 1992)
- Language and Materialism (Routledge 1977) with Rosalind CowardRosalind CowardRosalind Coward is a British academic, journalist and writer.She has been a columnist for The Guardian from 1992 and was previously a regular contributor to The Observer and Marxism Today. She wrote a regular column for The Guardians Comment pages between 1995 and 2004...
Ellis's articles include:
- ‘Mundane Witnessing’ in Media Witnessing, ed Paul Frosh, Amit Pinchevski,(Palgrave Macmillan) 2008
- ‘Is it Possible to Construct a Canon of Television Programmes? Immanent Reading versus Textual Historicism’ in Re-Viewing Television Histories, ed Helen Wheatley (I.B.Tauris) 2007
- 'Visions, a Channel 4 Experiment 1982-5’ in Experimental British Television, ed Laura Mulvey, Jamie Sexton, (Manchester University Press) 2007
- 'Documentary and Truth on Television: The Crisis of 1999' in New Challenges in Documentary, ed J.Corner & A.Rosenthal(Manchester University Press) 2005
- 'Television Production' The Television Studies Reader, ed. R.Allen & A.Hill (Routledge)2003