‘Research in Film’ award for Kieran
Published On Wed 16 Nov 2016 by Grant Hill
Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design PhD student Kieran Baxter has won an award for his stunning visual reinterpretation of two prehistoric Angus hill forts.
‘The Caterthuns’ won Kieran the 2016 Arts and Humanities Research Council 'Research in Film Awards' Doctoral Award. The film saw Kieran recreate the White and Brown Caterhun hill forts near Edzell more than 2,000 years after they were populated. It formed part of his PhD project at Duncan of Jordanstone, part of the University of Dundee.
Kieran’s work explored how aerial photography and creative visualisation technologies could be used to connect the archaeological interpretation of ancient monuments with the evocative landscapes of which they form part.
Kieran, who won £2,000 to fund future film-making, received his award at a ceremony at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), says aerial photography is a passion that informs much of his film work.
“The Caterthuns are a powerful and enigmatic prehistoric site,” said Kieran. “They have a serene majesty that is heightened when seen from the air. Through aerial photography and digital media the film aims to capture the emotive power of the site as well as its topographical form.”
Launched in 2015, the Research in Film Awards celebrate short films that have been made about the arts and humanities and their influence on our lives. The Awards fall into five categories: Utopia Award, Best Research Film of the Year, Doctoral Award, Inspiration Award, and the Innovation Award. The Doctoral Award recognises the best film by an AHRC/AHRB – Funded Doctoral Student, and Valentina Bonizzi, another Duncan of Jordanstone student, was also nominated in this category.
The five winning films were selected from shortlist of 25 covering stories from across the world, and addressed a wide range of topical subjects from landscape and environmental change to capital punishment, people trafficking, and poverty.
Jan Dalley, Arts Editor of the Financial Times and Chair of the Judging Panel, said, “The AHRC's Research in Film Awards brought a fantastic range of powerful short documentary films of the highest quality and the judges had a really tough job to make their choices. Each of the winning films, which tell such amazing stories so well, beautifully illustrate the power of film-making as a medium to capture the importance and impact of research.”
Kieran’s PhD was conducted with support from the Arts and Humanities Research Council and Historic Environment Scotland and supervision from Professor Nigel Johnson, Dr John McGhee, Professor Chris Rowland and Professor Elaine Shemilt.
The Caterhuns can be viewed at https://vimeo.com/147173130.
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