Making Planets... Destroying Worlds? The Impact of Star Wars Film Shoots on Communities and Nature Event

Black background with a overlay of a butterfly in red and blue, with text reading ’WSA PHD SEMINAR’.

Time:: 16:00-18:00
Date:: 2025-02-11 16:00:00
Venue:: Avenue Campus (Building 65) Lecture Theatre B, and MS Teams

Event details

Join us for a special joint seminar session of the WSA PhD Seminar Series and Film Seminar Series, 11th February 2025 with Dr Rebecca Harrison.

The 'Environmental Impact of Filmmaking’ project examines the environmental impacts of Star Wars in the UK, as well as the franchise’s global contexts. Dr Harrison interrogates the impact of location shoots on environments and nearby communities, including at Greenham Common, Winspit Quarry, and Ivinghoe Beacon. This research involves field trips, videography, and a survey for anyone who’s lived or worked near a shoot. The research conducted for the project feeds into a broader study about environmental, militaristic, and socioeconomic histories of Star Wars, which will appear in a forthcoming book.

Rebecca Harrison (she/her) leads the Environmental Impact of Filmmaking project, which explores ecological and other harms that result from screen industry activities. She has authored various publications investigating histories of media, power, and technology, and her work features in print and broadcast media. She is employed as Senior Lecturer in Film & Media at The Open University.

This event is co-sponsored by the Winchester School of Art PhD Programmes and Department of Film Studies at the University of Southampton. It will be chaired by Dr Megen de Bruin-Molé and Dr Berenike Jung.