Abstract/Summary

The concept of ‘Modes of Creative Practice’, developed during my doctoral research (University of Reading, 2013-19), seeks to loosely delineate the different approaches that filmmakers adopt when creating fiction films. The theory identifies specific changes in creative practice between individual directors, enabling a conceptual grouping of practices into separate Modes. Three such modes have been described in detail: the ‘Performance-Centred Mode’, the ‘Social Realist Mode’ and the ‘Design-Centred Mode’. This taxonomy is developed with reference to two key factors: the creative intentions of the director; and the nature of the creative practices adopted by the director in making their film. The making of The Burning used practice research to investigate the third of these modes, in which a filmmaker’s attention shifts significantly towards a film’s design. Certain genres of film sit firmly within the Design-Centred Mode: fantasy, science fiction and historical film are good examples. The Burning was developed as its historical setting, Tudor England, necessitates a concentration of creative intention and practice on issues associated with the film’s design.