With about 10 days left before my call for papers closes, I wanted to share some reference material that might be insightful for individuals who are thinking of submitting an abstract but also for people who are fans of the IP and looking for more to read and/or listen to.
Fan2Fan (Podcast/YouTube)
Recently, I was a guest on Fan2Fan hosted by Bernie and Pete. We had an in depth conversation about the original film and the IP which I think listeners (and viewers) will find insightful and entertaining. Click here for the podcast and if you want to watch on YouTube, click here for a link to the show.
A Kind of Magic: Making the Original Highlander (Book)
Written by Jonathan Melville and published by Polaris in 2020, this is an informative examination of the original Highlander film. I found Melville’s structure – using the shooting scrip as a guide – and inclusion of many snippets of interviews from cast and crew helpful in understanding the behind-the-scenes activities that resulted in the cult 1986 film. Melville spent chapters on the musical score, building a franchise, and creating an enduring legacy.
The Best of Highlander (Book)
Maureen Russell’s 1999 book published by Davis-Panzer Productions, this slim tome focuses on the television series. Russell selected a handful of episodes and then let the cast and crew discuss the episode at length. Each chapter is accompanied by several color photographs.
Fearful Symmetry: The Essential Guide to All Things Highlander (Book)
A JM2 Publication from 2015, author and Highlander fan John Mosby structured his journey chronologically starting with the Highlander film and finishing his examination with Highlander: The Source. Additional chapters focused on Bill Panzer, a reunion, and the legacy of the IP. I have been using this book as source material while watching the films and shows. Photographs are sparse and are in black/white.
Queen – All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track
This coffee table tome was written by Benoit Clerc, a professional musician, and published by Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers (2020). While this is a book for fans of the band, there are 30 pages devoted to the album, A Kind of Magic (June 1986) and Live Magic (December1986). There’s an introduction to the album and then for each song, a section on the genesis of the song and production notes. I purchased the book from Amazon and saved $15 off the cover price.
Check out the individual season releases of the television series because included as extra material are electric copies of scripts for each episode. And, there are all the films with lots of extra material. There are also about 10 novels each penned by a different author (in most cases). I found most of my copies at local used bookstores that I have collected over the past year.
If you have an idea, but want to chat before submitting a formal abstract to my call, let’s chat: mcbrittany@gmail.com.