Dr. Philippe Mather, Associate Professor of Media Studies
Dr. Philippe Mather
Associate
Professor of Media Studies (on leave 2010-2011)
BFA (Concordia), MA (Iowa), DEA, PhD
(Paris III)
Phone:
(306) 359-1229
E-mail: Philippe.Mather@uregina.ca
Web
Site: http://uregina.ca/~matherp
Research
Interests
Film Theory; Film Music, Science-Fiction; Stanley Kubrick
Representative Publications
Science-fiction et cognition” in Cinémas, Vol.12, No.2 (Winter 2002).
This article seeks to evaluate the scientific contributions of cognitive psychology to genre theory and science-fiction film theory in particular. The science-fiction genre's thematic lexicon is called upon to illustrate the concept of cognitive schemata, as put forth by David Bordwell. Torben Grodal's cognitive theory of emotions is also examined for its potential explanatory value in regards to the science-fiction genre's emotional parameter, estrangement.
“Figures of Estrangement in Science Fiction Film” in Science Fiction Studies, #87, Vol.29, Part 2 (July 2002).
This essay offers a descriptive system intended to address film-specific phenomena in terms consonant with Darko Suvin's analysis of the forms of estrangement found in sf literature. I propose a semiotic analysis of sf film, focusing on a typology of figures of estrangement, conceived as a centripetal relation between processes of alienation and naturalization. My typology of figures is based on Louis Hjelmslev's chart illustrating the structure of the linguistic sign as adapted by the Belgian Mu Group. Since the sf genre's distinctive traits are not tied to medium-specific criteria, I argue that a structural approach can usefully characterize sf film's formal strategies without severing its rhetorical and ideological ties to other forms of sf, including literature.
"Stanley Kubrick: Photography and Film" in The Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television Vol.26, No.2 (June 2006): 203-214.
This article focuses on the aesthetic and thematic links between the filmmaker's photojournalistic work and his documentary shorts. This approach highlights seldom discussed influences on the narrative and stylistic characteristics of Kubrick's work, thus situating the artist's authorship in a broader social and cultural context.
Current Scholarly Projects
I am currently doing extensive research on Stanley Kubrick's work as a photojournalist for Look magazine (1945-1950).