External engagement
Our researchers engage with many organisations outside of academia in order to communicate their research, develop new projects and explore research questions and findings in applied settings. Our contribution to the audio-visual, videogame and overall media industry has been achieved through direct engagement with some of the largest companies in the sector. We also value working more locally (Whitechapel Gallery, BFI) and take advantage of the opportunities to work over long time scales as well as on particular events and initiatives.
Serenella Massidda worked as a consultant for Netflix on their Hermes subtitling project, which tested subtitles in 25 languages prior to their hiring subtitlers and launching in 188 territories. Besides her industry partnerships with OOONA (she is an OOONA Official Academic Instructor), Dotsub, and CaptionHub, she gave guest lectures on her research to industry bodies such as MESA Europe (Media and Entertainment Services Alliance), and for several years has delivered professional courses on Cloud Subtitling and Professional Skills for Subtitlers at the Centre for Translation Studies (CenTraS) at UCL, where she is Honorary Research Associate.
Josh Appignanesi’s films The New Man (2016) and Female Human Animal (2019) made strong interventions in discussions around parenthood and female identity and creativity. Funded by the Wellcome Trust, and in partnership with charities such as Best Beginnings, CALM, and Birds Eye View, The New Man was released theatrically in over 25 UK sites. Female Human Animal, supported by two Arts Council England grants, was released theatrically in 20 UK and two US cinemas and distributed online in over 200 territories via MUBI, Amazon and BFI Player. Both were extensively reviewed in the media, with Appignanesi making guest appearances on Newsnight, Radio 4 and BBC Radio London.