Dear friends of the Hollywood Memories Research Project,

 

Today we are launching our newsletter for the Hollywood Memories research project that explores whether Hollywood remakes, sequels, and franchises create a shared film repertoire that shapes viewers’ memories, lived experiences, and generational identities in a globalized world. Hollywood Memories is based at Leibniz University Hannover (Germany) and conducted by us: Kathleen Loock, Stefan Dierkes, and Alejandra Bulla.

 

In 2023, we want to keep you in the loop about our research and activities with a newsletter that you will receive every three to four months or so. This first newsletter is about what we have done so far and what we plan to do in the future.

 

What happened in 2022?

 

German case study:

We conducted the pilot study with 30 German audience members in March and April 2022 and the main study in May and June 2022. More than 100 people from different parts of Germany participated in the main study on our digital research platform, sharing their memories, experiences and attitudes towards Hollywood movies with us. We are very pleased about the great interest in our project and sincerely thank all participants for supporting our research.

 

Mexican case study:

We also started the Mexican case study in 2022. After the pretest phase, we entered the pilot phase in November with 30 people. The main study will take place in March and April 2023 and we are currently recruiting Mexican participants. If you know someone who might be interested in the Hollywood Memories project, feel free to send them the link to our Spanish website.

 

Project presentations:

In 2022, we also presented the Hollywood Memories project on multiple occasions. We organized the in-person workshop “Audience Research: Methods and Approaches” in Hannover on July 8, 2022. The workshop speakers were Annette Kuhn (Queen Mary University of London), Jonathan Gray (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Christine Hämmerling (University of Zurich), Eduard Cuelenaere (Ghent University), as well as Kathleen, Stefan and Alejandra from the Hollywood Memories project. In addition to presentations and discussions, the workshop featured research by Peter Turner (Oxford Brookes University) and video essays by Catherine Grant, Ariel Avissar, Evelyn Kreutzer, Cormac Donnelly and Kathleen Loock.

 

We also participated in the ECREA conference in October 2022, where Kathleen and Stefan gave the talk “Rethinking Time: Media, Memory and Generation in the Age of Streaming Platforms.” In November, Alejandra and Stefan participated in the “Postgraduate Forum” (PGF) conference of the German Association for American Studies (DGfA) and gave a talk entitled “Beyond Hollywood Borders: Politics, Identities and Memories.” In December, Kathleen was invited to give an online presentation of the Hollywood Memories project in the Audience Projects Seminar Series at Oxford Brookes University (UK) and Örebro University (Sweden).

 

What is going to happen with Hollywood Memories this year?

 

German case study:

In 2023, Stefan will continue to analyze the data from the questionnaires and interviews and work on his doctoral thesis as well as on articles about the project.

 

Mexican case study:

In February, Alejandra and Kathleen will travel to Mexico in order to present the Hollywood Memories project and recruit participants for the main study that will be launched this March. They will visit Guadalajara and Mexico City from February 14 to 26.

 

U.S. case study:

2023 will also see the start of the U.S. case study — with the pretest, pilot and main study phase. We will share updates on this case study as it gets closer.

 

China case study:

We are very excited that a new PhD student will be joining our team in September to work on the China case study.

 

Upcoming Event: DASI Shoptalk on February 10, 2-5 p.m.

We will present the Hollywood Memories project at the upcoming “DASI Shoptalk” on February 10. The DASI (Digital American Studies Initiative) organizes the shoptalk as a new format for networking and peer support. It provides a space to present ongoing (or future) digital projects in German American Studies.

 

We are very excited about what’s to come this year, especially because of the upcoming research in Mexico, the U.S., and China. Thank you for your interest in our project. We hope you will stay tuned for the updates we will regularly share in the newsletter.

 

You can find more information on our website, and you can also connect with us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

 

Greetings from Hannover!

 

Your Hollywood Memories Team,
Kathleen, Alejandra & Stefan