British Universities Film & Video Council

moving image and sound, knowledge and access

November on the Moving Image Gateway

Learning on Screen’s Gateway includes over 1,950 websites relating to moving image and sound materials. These have been subdivided into over 40 subject areas. To suggest new entries or amendments, please contact us by email or telephone (020 7393 1500).

Astronomy Cast
Weekly podcast about astronomy hosted by Fraser Cain (of the Universe Today site) and Dr Pamela L. Gay (of the Cosmo Quest site). The podcasts, which are free to download and accompanied by transcripts, cover a wide range of subjects under the astronomical umbrella, dealing with everything from how spacecraft navigate the solar system to the dangers of fire on board spacecraft. Gay and Cain also consider wider scientific topics such as confirmation bias, science funding and women in science. The podcast has been around since 2006 and as of November 2016 has racked up over 400 episodes.

Early African American Film: Reconstructing the History of Silent Race Films, 1909-1930
This website is the result of a project undertaken by doctoral students at UCLA to research and compile a relational database of entertainment industry personnel involved in early silent race films in America from 1909 to 1930. The database includes information about the films, along with personnel and production companies. The site includes tutorials on how to use the data, an essay on race film and information about further reading.

Letters Live
This site complements the ‘Letters Live’ series of live events celebrating the power of literary correspondence. The format of the events is based on artists from various disciplines (actors, musicians, writers) reading letters out loud to theatre audiences. The website features videos of live readings as well as studio-filmed pieces. Amongst those who have participated are Benedict Cumberbatch, Louise Brealey, Joss Ackland, Samantha Bond, Russell Brand, Simon Callow, Gemma Chan, Olivia Colman, Lisa Dwan, Joanne Froggatt, Sally Hawkins, Tom Hiddleston, Toby Jones, Sir Ben Kingsley, Ferdinand Kingsley, Sir Ian McKellen and Kylie Minogue.

Microbiology Online
Website of the Microbiology Society: a professional body for scientists working in the field of microbiology, in universities, industry, hospitals and research institutes. The site features an informative podcast, which is also available on Soundcloud. Subjects covered have included the history of microbiology, disease prevention and hygiene, forensic microbiology and food-borne pathogens.

School of Life
This site is the YouTube channel of an organisation which offers a number of services (in the form of courses, films, books etc.) relating to how ideas from the humanities – literature, philosophy, psychology and the visual arts – can help ‘exercise, stimulate and expand your mind’. Although the focus is on a general audience, and the ethos is towards ‘self help’ rather than academic study, the videos are well-made and could be used in a classroom setting. Featuring simple but effective animations and clearly spoken commentaries, the films (which are usually around 6 – 7 minutes long) are arranged by subject matter, and cover a broad range of subjects from the humanities and social sciences, including the History of Ideas, Sociology, Political Theory, Literature and Art and Architecture. The series on philosophy introduces the basic concepts and ideas of thinkers from Plato, Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas to Schopenhauer, Hegel, Wittgenstein and Foucault.

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