iPad book: Shining A Light: 50 Years of the AFI (2nd Ed.)

Background: This research was produced just prior to the Australia Film Institute (AFI) celebrating a fifty-year anniversary. A history of the organisation had never been produced. Shining a Light therefore addresses a significant gap in the field of Cinema studies, particularly studies of 'Australian national cinema'. The central research question was: what is the importance of screen culture to a successful production industry, and what role has the AFI played in the development of Australian film and television industries? The researchers used creative practice as the methodology to gather qualitative data in order to a) produce a history of a cultural organisation b) investigate the progress of the Australian film and television industries over the last fifty years c) allow key industry figures to respond to the research questions. Research contribution: The creative work published in this iPad book forms a significant oral history. It is unique because most of the interviewees had never previously been interviewed about the AFI, and a history of the organisation did not exist. The creative practice methodology enabled researchers to gain multiple perspectives and insights into specific eras of the AFI and industry history, and to address a gap in the field through not just the history, but also the first person digital narratives of what it was like to live through that history. Significance: These new understandings make an important contribution to Australian screen sector research. For this reason it was funded by the AFI, Film Victoria, ACMI and The National Film and Sound Archive. Innovating through delivering readily accessible contextualized interviews, each clip is placed alongside the historical overview and specific industry issues the interviewees are reflecting upon. This platform enables an interactive documentary, allowing movement around and selectively through