Abstracts & Biographies
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About this event
Abstracts & Biographies
Cassian Harrison
Bio:
Cassian Harrison is a multi-award winning documentary producer and director. His CV covers an extremely diverse range of programming, ranging from blue-chip international historical series to hard-hitting current affairs programmes filmed in some of the world’s most dangerous locations, to innovative new forms of entertainment and documentary for online distribution.
Cassian’s projects have won major awards worldwide: His first documentary, ‘Jerusalem, City of Heaven’ won an Emmy for writing. He was producer and director of the Internationally acclaimed exposé of Taliban Afghanistan ‘Beneath the Veil’, which won two RTS awards including Programme of the Year, a Bafta, an Emmy and a Peabody. Recent online projects for Channel 4, including War Torn and Secret Confessions, have won 2 RTS awards, and been nominated for 2 Baftas and a Sony Award.
Cassian also has extensive experience of working in, and making television in China. He produced and directed Lion Television’s Atlas: China Revealed for the Discovery Channel – a feature length profile of the country, filmed in high definition, which won last year’s Emmy for Cinematography. He was also Executive Producer of the same company’s The Great Wall, a major drama-documentary recounting the story of the building of the Ming Great Wall, and broadcast on both Channel 4 and Discovery.
Cassian is currently directing a major BBC1 series called Britain From Above with Andrew Marr presenting, and is producing and developing further documentary projects through his company Smokefall Productions.
Gavin Maxwell
Abstract:
The BBC Natural History Unit has spent nearly three years exploring this enigmatic place to reveal the real China that lies beyond the postcards and press reports - a land of fabulous landscapes, rare and surprising wildlife, and fascinating people. The glittering peaks of the Himalayas loom over the windswept Tibetan plateau. Mighty rivers roar through the deepest gorges in the world. Flocks of cranes migrate along a coastline studded with bustling high-tech cities. Steaming jungles harbour strange tropical creatures. Deserts range from baking hot to mind-numbing cold. Emerald rice paddies form a glistening patchwork between clusters of egg-box hills. High definition cameras have captured unique and revelatory images of the mysterious creatures and diverse human communities that live in China's varied landscapes. We will journey from the sub-arctic to the tropical seas, finding out what's happening to the natural world in China today. Producer Gavin Maxwell will take us behind the scenes of one of the most ambitious series the BBC has ever made.
“The six part 'Wild China' series took nearly three years to make, filming in 26 out of China's 30 provinces. I produced and directed two of the 'Wild China' programmes - 'Tibet' and 'Land of the Panda', showing on BBC2 throughout May/June. I have worked as a producer and director at the BBC Natural History Unit for about 15 years, making 'Nile', Wildlife Specials 'Crocodile', 'Venom!', 'Predators', and 'Watch Out' amongst others. I have written and photographed for two BBC books - 'Nile' and 'Wild China', as well as contributing articles to BBC Wildlife Magazine, and I have lectured to the Royal Geographical Society about 'Nile' and 'Wild China'. My filming travels have taken me to North and South America, Egypt, Uganda, South Africa, Namibia, and Australia, as well as personal travels through India, Nepal, Eastern Turkey, and New Zealand. Prior to the BBC I went to film school in Kent”.
Dr ZHANG Lei
Abstract
The use of the new media began to find its popularity in the late 1990s in China. Its rapid development in the past two decades envisages not only a revolution of technology, but more importantly, the social transformation in China. Researches on new media’s impact on China have focused on the examination on the policy making, industry development, technology, and evolution/revolution of the media. As an alternative, this presentation intends to offer an overview of the new media’s social impacts in China. After critically surveying a brief history of the new media’s development in China, this presentation will focus on documenting new communities and new forms of identities that have emerged on the internet and other forms of new media. It will give an account of my ethnographic observation on young people’s use of new media in Chinese metropolises. In order to understand the activities taken place in the newly emerged spaces that the new media opens up, the presentation will also give a theoretical discussion concerning the concept of ‘postmodern public sphere’ that Douglas Kellner and others indicate.
Sajid Rizvi
Bio:
Sajid Rizvi is the founding editor of Saffron Books, imprint of Eastern Art Publishing, EAPGROUP International Media [EAP], is a former journalist, broadcaster and documentary maker. He worked extensively in Asia and the Middle East and was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and received the Overseas Press Club of America Award for Excellence for his journalism during the Iran revolution. As Iran bureau chief for United Press International (UPI), an independent news agency before it was acquired by a series of corporate interests, he was the photo editor responsible for the iconic Pulitzer winner, Firing Squad, by Jahangir Razmi. In his later positions at UPI he was responsible for developing a Near East news operation based in Ankara, specialising in energy, Iran, Turkey and Central Asia and the Caucasus. Later, at UPI London, he was the senior editor responsible for designing and developing a dedicated business information service focused on the Middle East and North Africa with special reference to Europe. His journalistic work has been broadcast and translated worldwide
Becky Hogge
Abstract:
Two years ago, the world's first truly billingual discussion forum for environmental issues, ChinaDialogue, was born. The website was six months in gestation, and during this time Isabel Hilton, Becky Hogge and their small and committed team of designers and advisors were faced with several difficult questions - how to best use the online form to foster discussion that truly crossed cultures, how to ensure the website would be welcome on both sides of the "Great Firewall of China" and even how to penetrate that wall were ChinaDialogue to fall foul of Chinese censors. Here, Becky Hogge details how ChinaDialogue attempted to meet those challenges from the outset, as well as the technical lessons that have been learned two years on.
Wen Jin
Abstract:
First, I will introduce the unique effect and magnificent influence of websites in China in terms of two main standards: advertising revenue and circulation.
Second, as typical a case as it has always been, SINA will be analyzed in the background of the industry's development, portal's business model, internet's food chain, and major problems encountered in different time.
Third, editorial principle and the work procedures of SINA.
And finally, case study: a) Wenchuan earthquake, b) online request against Japan’s aspiration for a permanent seat of the UN Security Council, c) Tibet Riot.
Dr Hu Zhengrong
Bio:
Dr. Hu, Zhengrong is Professor of Communication. He serves as Vice President, Communication University of China and Director of the National Center for Radio & TV Studies.
He is Chair of China Association of Communication, member of the Expert Committee of Courses Development and Disciplines Establishment, Ministry of Education; member of the Evaluation Committee of The China Studying Abroad Foundation Council; member of the Expert Committee of Post-doctor Workstation Evaluation, Ministry of Human Resources; member of the Standing Committee of the Beijing Journalists Association; member of the International Communication Association (ICA); member of the editorial committees of Media Asia, Singapore; Journal of Communication Research, Korea; Global Media and Communication and Journal of Marketing Communications, Britain, etc.
His main research areas are media policy and institution transition, media development strategy, political economy of communication, and new media, etc.
He has chaired and accomplished research projects from China State Social Sciences Foundation, China National Commission of Reform and Development, etc.
He has published papers on Chinese media in transition for numerous leading Chinese journals including the Chinese Broadcasting Academic Journal and Modern Communication and many international conferences. He is the author of several influential books as Media Reality and Beyond (2004) and Media Management Renovation (2000), etc.
He has been a visiting scholar at University of Durham, Britain (2001), Simon Fraser University, Canada (2002-2003), Jonkoping International Business School, Sweden (2005), research fellow at Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy, Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University (2005)，Leverhulme visiting professor, University of Westminster, London, Britain (2006).
Abstract:
Together with Chinese economic reform, social transition, and gradually political shift, Chinese media have experienced many changes like commercializtion, conglomeration and capitalization since Chinese open-door policy in 1978. Media are becoming more diversified, and less regulated and meanwhile, doing proporganda as well. What is the Chinese media scene? What kind of issues are Chinese media still facing? Can Chinese media performance in recent coverages of snow storm, the earthquake signify a breakthrough for both media and society in China? What possible outcomes would be there for Chinese media? The presentation will discuss about these questions.