The theme of Issue 11 is ‘One Shot’.
The recently published edited collection One Shot Hitchcock: A Contemporary Approach to the Screen (Robinson & Robson, 2024) takes the premise of ‘one shot’ not only to explore the achievements of individual films by Alfred Hitchcock but also to reflect on their broader aesthetic, theoretical, and philosophical implications.
Inspired by Robinson and Robson’s notion of the shot as a; “small, cinematic unit” which houses “a code that unlocks a series of revelations about […] cinema as an artistic practice, and a theoretical study, and, […] the filmmaker’s choices”; the next issue of The Film Dispatch similarly takes the ‘shot’ as its starting point. From analyses of key shots in film to what it means to take a shot, we want your ideas!
We invite contributions in relation to, but not limited to, the following areas of interest:
- An analysis of one shot: Explore what one shot achieves; take a frame and analyse what it means; Is there one singular shot that the whole of a film hinges on? Or go personal – what does a shot mean to you? [For this particular prompt we will welcome shorter submissions of >500 words as well as longer ones]
- You’ve got one shot! : Explore any directors or actors who only had ‘one shot’, i.e. made or starred in only one picture.
- One take: reflect on films that are shot in one take (i.e. 1917). This might raise interesting questions about perception or editing.
- Shot for shot: compare shots between films, how does the use of shots change a scene/mood/narrative? One might think of how remakes alter the use of shots in the re-telling of a narrative.
- Chekhov’s gun: playing on the notion of a shot, are there any props/symbols, like Chekhov’s infamous gun, that anchor a scene/film?
- The lesser known shot: Famous shots become synonymous with famous films, but what of the other shots? Reflect on a shot from a film packed with iconic moments that isn’t the ‘poster shot’.
- Confronting shots: Some films can be morally affronting or make us question our beliefs – Deconstruct one such challenging shot from film.
- Elements of the shot: Choose one element of film style (cinematography/mise-en-scene/lighting etc.) and examine how it functions in your chosen shot.
- Pitch us something! What does one shot mean to you?
- We can also publish video essays if this a medium that interests you.
Further Details on Submissions:
- The Deadline for Submission is the 28th of February 2025
- We can only accept contributions from current University of Edinburgh students.
- Feel free (in fact we encourage you to!) include screenshots/screengrabs within your work.
- Please adhere to the APA 7th edition referencing style.
- Pieces should be between 500 and 1500 words
Contact details:
- Instagram: @the_film_dispatch
- X: @thefilmdispatch
- Email: thefilmdispatch@gmail.com
We welcome everyone, from those who love writing to those who love watching films!