I am a film and media scholar in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. My research is mainly concerned with narrative in film, television, and new media. I am especially interested in understanding how audiovisual forms function within industrial and cultural contexts. My book in progress is called Indiewood: Storytelling in American Independent Cinema. In it I analyze films such as Welcome to the Dollhouse, Safe, Passion Fish, and Pulp Fiction and consider the institutions and viewing strategies which sustain their distinctive narrative appeals. I am also working on a project on post-network television and taste. My work has appeared or is forthcoming in Cinema Journal, Film Studies: An International Review, Film Criticism, The Velvet Light Trap, and First Monday.
I recently completed a PhD in film studies from the Department of Communication Arts at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Since August 2007, I have been an Assistant Professor in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In Spring 2008 I am teaching Introduction to Mass Media and Principles of Media Studies.
This website contains links to articles I have written, syllabi for courses I have taught, my CV, and some other links and details. If you are trying to get in touch with me, please send an e-mail to mznewman37 at gmail dot com.
