University of East Anglia

Graduate Student, School of Film and Television Studies

About

My PhD research, funded by the University of East Anglia's School of Film and Television Studies, focuses on the critical reception of Pixar Animation Studios. I am particularly interested in the idea of consensus, and how the studio's reputation has shifted over time, culminating in them becoming one of the most critically lauded film studios in history. My aim is not to challenge the subjective merits of Pixar's work, but to interrogate some of the discourses that have surrounded them, asking not only what Pixar means at a particular time, but how it means, and to whom.

I argue that the example of Pixar presents an ideal lens through which we can begin to think about consensus and reputation. Example chapters include Pixar and discourses of quality, "fun" and the company's Emeryville studio, and the impact of review aggregation (e.g. Rotten Tomatoes) on taste cultures. Ultimately my aim is to think critically about how we understand notions of success and failure, and the ways in which certain texts have come to be positioned within cultural hierarchies.

More generally, my research interests include audience and reception studies, fandom, taste, media paratexts, and cultural theory.

My article on THE ROOM's British audiences, and the cultural production of "So Bad It's Good", was recently published in Participations: Journal of Audience & Reception Studies.

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