Dr James Russell

Job: Head of the Leicester Media School

Faculty: Computing, Engineering and Media

School/department: Leicester Media School

Research group(s): Cinema and Television History (CATH), Centre for Adaptations

Address: The Gateway, De Montfort University, Leicester, LE1 9BH

T: +44 (0)116 207 8257

E: jrussell@dmu.ac.uk

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Personal profile

Dr James Russell is Head of the Leicester Media School, and a member of the Faculty of Technology's executive team.

James is the co-author of Hollywood and the Baby Boom: A Social History (Bloomsbury, 2018) and author of The Historical Epic and Contemporary Hollywood: From Dances With Wolves to Gladiator (Continuum, 2007), and he has published articles, reviews and book chapters on many other aspects of American film and TV history. His research focuses on Hollywood’s history, film economics and the role of popular entertainment in contemporary British and American society. Research for his most recent project, on the relatioinship between American movies and the 'Baby Boom' generation, was funded by the Leverhulme Trust, and involved carrying out interviews with numerous American filmmakers, including Nancy Meyers, Ivan Reitman, Jerry Zucker, Steve Kloves and Lawrence Kasdan.

James teaches several undergraduate and postgraduate modules which focus on the economics of movies and moviemaking. He welcomes applications from prospective research students who want to work in the field of popular entertainment, film industry economics and mainstream audience trends since the 1950s.

Research group affiliations

Cinema and Television History Research Centre (CATH)
Adaptations

Publications and outputs

Hollywood and the Baby Boom: A Social History
Hollywood and the Baby Boom: A Social History Russell, J.; Whalley, Jim Between 1946 and 1964 seventy-five million babies were born, dwarfing the generations that preceded and succeeded them. At each stage of its life-cycle, the baby boom's great size has dictated the terms of national policy and public debate. While aspects of this history are well-documented, the relationship between the baby boom and Hollywood has never been explored. And yet, for almost 40 years, baby boomers made up the majority of Hollywood's audience, and since the 1970s, boomers have dominated movie production. Hollywood and the Baby Boom weaves together interviews with leading filmmakers, archival research and the memories of hundreds of ordinary filmgoers to tell the full story of Hollywood's relationship with the boomers for the first time. The authors demonstrate the profound influence of the boomers on the ways that movies were made, seen and understood since the 1950s. The result is a compelling new account that draws upon an unprecedented range of sources, and offers new insights into the history of American movies. Russell, J. and Whalley, J. (2017) Hollywood and the Baby Boom: A Social History. Bloomsbury. New York.
Hollywood Blockbusters and UK Production Today
Hollywood Blockbusters and UK Production Today Russell, J. This piece asks how and why overseas investment dominates UK film production. I start by looking at the history of Hollywood’s investment in UK production, and move on to focus on tax relief, infrastructure and content. Rather than rehearsing concerns about the threat of “Americanization,” I focus on the impact of overseas production activities on UK-based production. Russell, J. (2016) Hollywood Blockbusters and UK Production Today. In: Justin Smith, Laraine Porter and Ian Hunter, eds., The Routledge Companion to British Film, London: Routledge
Producing the Spielberg Brand
Producing the Spielberg Brand Russell, J. This chapter looks at the manufacture of Spielberg’s brand, and the limits of its usage. Spielberg’s directorial work is well known, but Spielberg’s identity has also been established in other ways, and I focus particularly on his work as a producer. At the time of writing, Spielberg had produced (or executive produced) 148 movies and television series across a range of genres that takes in high budget blockbusters and low budget documentaries, with many more to come. In these texts, Spielberg’s status as branded entity is explicit. His name is used as a marker of cinematic quality, to promote the films in question as “Spielbergian” experiences, or to suggest some kind of thematic concordance with Spielberg’s directorial work. In each case, Spielberg’s name confers a kind of “value” on the production in question. Throughout the first half of the chapter I seek to outline the nature of his brand, and I focus on his early work as a producer of high profile, family-oriented productions. In the second half I look in greater detail at Spielberg’s later career as a more serious filmmaker, focusing on his role as a public figure following the release of Schindler’s List in 1993. I conclude by examining some of the Holocaust documentaries he has produced since the 1990s. Russell, J. (2016) Producing the Spielberg Brand. In: Nigel Morris, ed., A Companion to Steven Spielberg, Blackwell, London
In Hollywood, but not of Hollywood: independent Christian filmmaking.
In Hollywood, but not of Hollywood: independent Christian filmmaking. Russell, J. Russell, J. (2012) In Hollywood, but not of Hollywood: independent Christian filmmaking. In: King, G., Molley,C. & Tzioumakis, Y. (eds.) American independent cinema. London: Routledge, pp. 185-197.
Authorship, Commerce and Harry Potter
Authorship, Commerce and Harry Potter Russell, J. Russell, J. (2012) Authorship, Commerce and Harry Potter. In: Deborah Cartmell, ed. A Companion to Literature, Film and Adaptation. Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 391-407
Exhilaration and Enlightenment in the Biblical Bestseller: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
Exhilaration and Enlightenment in the Biblical Bestseller: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ Russell, J. Russell, J. (2012) Exhilaration and Enlightenment in the Biblical Bestseller: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. In: Sarah Churchwell and Thomas Ruys Smith, eds., Must Read: Rediscovering American Bestsellers. New York: Continuum, pp. 153-174
Evangelical audiences and "Hollywood" film: Promoting Fireproof (2008).
Evangelical audiences and "Hollywood" film: Promoting Fireproof (2008). Russell, J. Russell, J. (2010) Evangelical audiences and "Hollywood" film: Promoting Fireproof (2008). Journal of American Studies,44, pp. 391-407
Narnia as a Site of National Struggle: Marketing, Christianity and National Purpose in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Narnia as a Site of National Struggle: Marketing, Christianity and National Purpose in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Russell, J. Russell, J. (2009) Narnia as a Site of National Struggle: Marketing, Christianity and National Purpose in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Cinema Journal, 48 (4)
A most historic period of change: The Western, the epic and Dances With Wolves
A most historic period of change: The Western, the epic and Dances With Wolves Russell, J. Russell, J. (2008) A most historic period of change: The Western, the Epic and Dances With Wolves. In: Geraghty, L. et al eds. The shifting definitions of genre: Essays on labelling films, television shows and Media. Jefferson: McFarland
Review of Steve Vineberg, High Comedy in American Movie
Review of Steve Vineberg, High Comedy in American Movie Russell, J. Russell, J. (2007) Review of Steve Vineberg, High Comedy in American Movies. Scope: An Online Journal of Film Studies, 7

Selected Mainstream Writing

“Peter Jackson’s three Hobbit films suggest he is running on empty,” Guardian , 3 Sept. 2012

“Star Wars: Why Disney was destined to buy Lucasfilm,” Guardian , 31 Oct. 2012:

“Harry Potter – Hogwarts and all – is Britain’s Top Model," Guardian , 19 Nov. 2010:

“More Harry Potter or Another Year? The BFI must decide," Guardian , 30 Nov. 2010:

“Will Tron Legacy make Disney a long term game winner?” Guardian , 14 Dec. 2010:

Click here for a full listing of James Russell's publications and outputs

Key research outputs

The Historical Epic and Contemporary Hollywood (New York: Continuum, 2007)

(with Dr Jim Whalley) Hollywood and the Baby Boom: A Social History (New York: Bloomsbury, 2018)

Research interests/expertise

Popular Hollywood Entertainment
Blockbuster film production.
Child and family film and TV production and consumption
Social history and popular cinema
The economics of film.

Areas of teaching

Film and TV history
Consumption of popular entertainment
Hollywood economics

Qualifications

PhD in Film Studies (University of East Anglia)
MA in the History of Film and Popular Culture (University of Exeter)
BA in English (University of Exeter)

Courses taught

FILM1402: Film and New Media
FILM2403: Disney
FILM3406: Hollywood Now!

Membership of professional associations and societies

Association of Adaptation Studies (2008-)
War and Media Network (2006-)
Media, Culture and Communication Studies Association (2007-present)
Society for Cinema and Media Studies (2007-2010)

Conference attendance

Invited Keynote Speaker: “The Myth of the Teen Movie,” Myths in Culture, University of Leicester, May 2014.

“A Magic Kingdom on a Hill: Disney and the Baby Boom Audience,” Discussing Disney, University of Hull, 2014.

“Taking a ride with the Pirates of the Caribbean,” Children’s’ Film and Literature, De Montfort University, 1 March 2010.

“Sensual Spirituality in Lew Wallace’s Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ,” Association of Adaptation Studies 4th Annual Conference, British Film Institute, London, September 2009.

“In Hollywood, but not of Hollywood: Christian Film Production and the Evangelical Market,” American Independent Cinema: Past, Present and Future, Liverpool John Moore’s University, May 2009.

“Exhilaration and Enlightenment: Ben-Hur and American Belief Since 1880,” British Association for American Studies Annual Conference University of Nottingham, April 2009.

Other forms of public presentation

Performances, broadcasts, exhibitions, etc

I have had several mainstream comment pieces published on the Guardian’s film website:

1) “Harry Potter – Hogwarts and all – is Britain’s Top Model,’ Guardian, 19 Nov. 2010: http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2010/nov/19/harry-potter-britain-model-vision

2) “More Harry Potter or Another Year? RThe BFI must decide,’ Guardian, 30 Nov. 2010: http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2010/nov/30/bfi-uk-film-council-takeover.

3) “Will Tron Legacy make Disney a long term game winner?” Guardian, 14 Dec. 2010: http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2010/dec/14/tron-legacy-disney-remake-gamble.

I was interviewed in a feature article in the Independent newspaper: Francesca Steele, ‘British-US Film, the Special Relationship,’ Independent ,12 May 2010: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/britishus-film-the-special-relationship-1971168.html

“The Metropolis Restoration,” Public Lecture at the Phoenix Square Cinema, 1 Oct. 2010.

“James Cameron and Avatar,” Public Lecture at the Phoenix Square Cinema, 21 Dec. 2009.

Various appearances as a film pundit on BBC Radio Leicester, Jan.-Dec. 2009.

Consultancy work

Consultant for The Guardian, the BBC and others on mainstream film matters.

Current research students

Richard Glanville, PhD
Cassandra Brummit, PhD

Externally funded research grants information

Hollywood and the Baby Boom, Leverhulme Trust Research Project Grant, £98,600 (Jan. 2012-Dec. 2013)

Internally funded research project information

Using Videogames in Adaptations Teaching, RIT funded project, £1090 (Dec 2008) – with Dr I Hunter.

Case studies

I have been interviewed in the mainstream press (the Independent), and consulted by BBC Radio 4 as an expert on American film funding matters.

I have published several editorial pieces in the Guardian which have resulted in further work, and in various exchanges with the UKFC and other national bodies.

The Hollywood and the Baby Boom project has engaged audiences and filmmakers across the USA.