Are you an ambitious researcher looking for your next challenge? Do you have experience in interview methods and archival/collections-based research? Are you interested in conducting cutting-edge research in the history of film and costume in the UK?

Project Title: Arts and Humanities Research Council project AH/X004880/1, ‘Film Costumes in Action: Design, Production and Performance Cultures in British Film, 1965-2015’.

“Film Costumes in Action” is an interdisciplinary research collaboration between the University of Leeds, the University of Bristol and the British Film Institute (BFI). Led by Professor Melanie Bell (PI, Leeds), Professor Sarah Street (Co-I, Bristol) and Dr Claire Smith (Co-I, BFI), the project is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

The project seeks to understand how costumes for film are designed, made and disseminated in British film culture from the 1960s onwards, attending to different types of professional expertise. Using the concept of ‘the costume journey’, the project draws together films, archival records, practitioner interviews and material sources to investigate the processes of design, manufacture, screening and post-release consumption of costume for film. Through partnerships with curators, costume practitioners and the cultural heritage sector, we will develop a range of outputs to preserve this history and make it available to diverse audiences. Our goal is to increase the visibility, understanding and appreciation of the myriad work processes and craft skills underpinning the costume journey, highlight the significant input of the costume team in the successful creation of film, and have an impact on film programmers and audiences by expanding notions of screen heritage in new directions.

Based at the University of Leeds, you will be working with the project team in an open and collaborative environment supportive of your academic and career development. You will interview costume makers and designers, conduct archival research, and lead on impact activities. You will contribute intellectually to the development of the project, lead on research and knowledge-exchange events and produce research outputs.  

To explore the post further or for any queries you may have, please contact: 

Dr Melanie Bell, Professor of Film History; email: [email protected]