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Who needs Hollywood? Liverpool in TV and film culture, 1973-2023 (IEEL039)

This module will explore the city of Liverpool’s importance and contribution to TV and film culture, demonstrating how over the years Liverpool has earned itself a place on the map of visual production and the digital arts.

Each session will draw links between the city and a number of popular TV/film productions, presenting students with an in-depth case study of how and why it was Liverpool and no other destination that was chosen to be thrust into the spotlight for a particular production, the different sides of Liverpool that are portrayed through its digital depiction and the overall effects the TV and film industry ties have had on the wider region.

Module leader: Sarah Ellis

Sarah is a Postgraduate Researcher and Graduate Teaching Assistant. Her current research concerns Spanish Golden Age literature and its modern-day permutations in a fraught social and political climate. She is a certified Associate Fellow for Higher Education (AFHEA), and is faculty co-lead for the Postgraduate Development Network (PGRDevNet).

Aims

  • To develop confidence in understanding and communicating complex ideas in written language
  • To develop skills in research and collaborative learning
  • To develop a comprehensive understanding of Liverpool's influence on selected film and TV productions, investigating digital connections and assessing their impact on the city and the broader region.

Content

Through the use of film and its subsequent analysis, the module syllabus will draw on the history of the Liverpool city region, along with social and political issues the city has faced and its everburgeoning role in modern music and popular culture. The selected films and TV series will enable students to undergo a critical thinking process, and arrive at their own conclusions as to why Liverpool has become such a crucial filming location by way of its unique cultural transcendency.

Structure

The module will be delivered over a three-week period in six two-hour sessions (four hours per week, total of 12 hours of teaching time).

Five sessions will consist of seminar-style sessions interspersed with key clips from the prescribed list of films/TV series to enable group discussion and evaluation. The Module Leader will introduce and teach the core ideas and concepts for the session before engaging the students in collaborative learning time as smaller groups. Students will be expected to participate fully and actively throughout the sessions, undertaking prior film watching and research where necessary to enable them to have adequate knowledge and examples to enable them to participate during the teaching time.

During the second engagement session, a site visit to the Museum of Liverpool will be arranged, and during the firth session, to the Liverpool film studio; subject to the completion of its development. It is expected that students will devote up to 38 study hours outside of the classroom as contact hours on activities including attending organised film screenings, as well as completing assigned reading, homework tasks, online research and preparation for assessment. Students should be aware that to benefit from the classroom sessions fully, the preparation work assigned should have been done prior to the lecture.

The indicative schedule is as follows:

Session one: World War Liverpool: Peaky Blinders (2013) and Munich: Edge of War (2021)

The first session will introduce the city of Liverpool and its importance as an urban and dockside location in the United Kingdom, and explore how Liverpool’s key role in the World Wars consolidated its place on the map for years to come; including on the film production front. Students will also be offered guidance on the course, exam format, and how to access Canvas.

Session two: Stereotyping Liverpool: Beatlemania: Nowhere Boy (2009) and Yesterday (2018)

The second session will highlight the fascination with Liverpool’s music culture and lay homage to the legacy of The Beatles, exploring how the ‘sound city’ reputation aided Liverpool’s cultural image both domestically and abroad in lieu of Liverpool’s social and political turmoil. This session will include a site visit to the Museum of Liverpool.

Session three: Liverpool and New York City: From Villain…: Titanic (1997) and The Onedin Line (1975-80)

The third session will be the first of a two-part consideration on the perspective of the city as both villain and superhero. As villain, Liverpool’s indirect involvement in the Titanic tragedy will be considered, along with the irrefutable ties between the port and the global slave trade.

Session four: Liverpool and New York City:… To Superhero: Captain America (2011) and The Batman (2020)

The fourth session will round off the analysis in a positive light by viewing the city as a ‘superhero’ both in literal sense – given its prominence as a filming location for Marvel studios, but also by inferring how its ties and ‘replication’ of New York further resonate the city’s powers. If time allows, we will also look at Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) At the end of this session, students will be given the chance for a short Q and A session with an extra from Captain America.

Session five: Arriving at an understanding and evaluating the Impact of Liverpool in TV and Film 1973-2023

The fifth session will allow for an evaluation of what students have learned to take place, by conclusively understanding the impact the TV and film industry has had on Liverpool, and how it has shaped its outlook and success as a city, and its cultural revenue over the years. This session may include a site visit to the Liverpool Film Studio (subject to the development being completed).

Session six: Assessment and reflection session

In this final session, the students will talk about what they have learnt in the previous sessions and discuss their ideas and thoughts on the subject. Students’ questions that need to be clarified will be answered in this reflection session.

Teaching methods

The teaching approach will include a variety of the following interspersed into the sessions:

  • Taught sessions
  • Small group work
  • Group dicussions
  • Site visit(s).

Assessment

Assessment will be by: Written essay/reflection of 1000-1200 words (worth 100% of the overall mark).

Standard University policies apply with regard to late submission of assessments.

Learning outcomes

  • Understand and communicate complex ideas in written language
  • Research a topic and work to present ideas in academic suitable style, including the appropriate use of reference and source material
  • Analyse and comment on selected films in terms of their narrative strategies and their relation to the city of Liverpool, its history, and its heritage.

Skills

Key skills that will be developed:

  • Critical analysis and evaluation, developed through a distinct look at core reading materials, in class discussion of such materials, and through looking at the chosen case studies and examples analysis and developing pedagogically with students and teachers learning from each other given the international breadth of the subject
  • Communication skills, developed orally in class discussions, activities, and debate in class, and written via completion of written assignment
  • Cross cultural skills - this module will provide an element of cultural awareness to students, who will be able to view films through applying the lens of bias, victimisation, stereotyping when considering how Liverpool is portrayed, or is involved in film-making processes. They will gain an overall appreciation for British TV and film industry, location and production and its influence.

Books, ebooks and websites

The University Library website provides access to many relevant books and electronic books, as well as academic journals and databases.