Dorothy: Thesis Outline

Main argument

How to explore the idea of colonial archive with film/moving image?

Introduction

Background

Before the handover of Hong Kong in 1997, most of the sensitive government files related to the colonial rule were being shipped to United Kingdom. Under the twenty-year rule (or thirty-year rule before the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010), most of these files are being released for public access in National Archives in London. This thesis would look at the political and personal aspects of the archives, as well as possible ways to explore these aspects through moving image and film.

Body

Reflection of Hong Kong colonial archives

Personal experiences with Hong Kong colonial archives

This part would be a summarise of interviews done with individuals who involved in working with the colonial archives in London.

Visual Representation of archival material in films/moving image works

In form of tactile material

One approach to archival material in film and moving image works would be showing the object itself. Besides, it can be as well human relations with the objects, an example would be "[Alain] Resnais's interest in touch and image of hands and tactile contact" (Wilson 8).

Reflection of the idea of archives in films/moving image works

As a political criticism

One approach would be taking archive as material to reflect on politics. In the context of Hong Kong there are also film/ moving image works dealing with the political aspect with archival material, such as The Ideal/Na(rra)tion (1993).
Another possible approach would be looking into the politics of archiving itself, and how it shapes our understanding towards the world - as archives is never neutral in itself but involving in power and politics (Mayer 3), a good example would be Statues Also Die (1963).

As an expression of personal memory

Meanwhile the other way of dealing with archival material in film/ moving image works, would be seeing it as material to express or reflect on personal memories. One example in Hong Kong context would be One Way Street On A Turntable (2007).