While we often discuss the codes of American film acting in terms of production and star image, this panel considers the sociohistorical contexts.

How is cinematic acting in conversation with other American discourses of, for example, politics, psychology, medicine, commercialism, nationalism, counterculture, race, or gender identity? How can we understand the culture that produces and consumes different variations of performance – from the expressiveness of the silents to the standardizations of Classic Hollywood to the emotionality of the Method to the spectacular bodies of the Blockbuster Era? What do such distinctive styles tell us about film acting as a cultural phenomenon?

I welcome a variety of approaches, as long as they, in some way, address culture or history beyond cinematic production and film aesthetics. These examinations of film acting can include star studies, industry histories, reception studies, archival work, or cross-media studies. The topic of the panel might develop further depending on the submissions.

If you are interested, email an abstract of approximately 250-300 words (2500 character limit), a bibliography (3-5 titles), and a brief author bio to Scott Balcerzak at sbalcerzak@niu.edu by August 7, 2015. Authors will be contacted by August 14, 2015. If accepted, you will have to be a member of SCMS for me to submit the panel.

Scott Balcerzak
Associate Professor of Film and Literature
Northern Illinois University
sbalcerzak@niu.edu