Professor Neil Fox

Professor of Film Practice and Pedagogy

As a proud first-generation university graduate from a working-class background in Luton, it is an honour to be professor of film practice and pedagogy at Falmouth, where I teach on BA (Hons) Film and MA Film and Television, supervise PhD students and act as a tutor as part of the research skills development programme for doctoral students. 
 
My main professorial responsibility is as the research and strategy lead for the Sound/Image Cinema Lab, acting as associate producer on films such as Enys Men (Jenkin, 2022) and A Year In A Field (Morris, 2023). The Lab is a multifaceted teaching, research and production project that acts as a partner, resource and funder for Cornish and UK independent film across all forms and genres. In 2020 the Lab won an innovative pedagogy award at the University Industry Innovation Network where in addition I was recognised as a trailblazer for my work on its development.  In 2022 the Lab won the bronze award at the prestigious GS: Reimagine Education Awards, in the power of partnerships category. 
 
I lead the Centre for Pedagogy Futures, a research and knowledge exchange centre focused on historic and evolving contexts of pedagogy in higher education. The centre is invested in strengthening bonds between universities and the wider education and public sector(s). Part of this work is an ongoing collaboration with Trinity College London looking at creativity in education and creative pedagogies. 
 
My first monograph, Music Films: Documentaries, Concert Films and Other Cinematic Representations of Popular Music will be released in 2024 (BFI/Bloomsbury). I have written for Media Practice & Education, MAI: Feminism and Visual Culture, Journal of Italian Cinema & Media Studies, Digital Culture & Education, the Quietus, Directors Notes, Clash magazine, Little White Lies, The Big Picture, MUBI Notebook and Beneficial Shock. I am the co-editor of Podcasting: New Aural Cultures and Digital Media, published in 2018 by Palgrave Macmillan.
 
I am co-founder and co-host of the The Cinematologists podcast - “consistently one of the finest film podcasts around” (Sight and Sound) - in partnership with Dr. Dario Llinares at Ravensbourne University. Mark Kermode says “for intelligent, informed cinema debate, The Cinematologists are hard to beat”. We have partnered with organisations such as BFI, MUBI, Curzon and Club Des Femmes. 
 
My debut feature film as screenwriter ‘Wilderness’ was released by Sparky Pictures in 2021 and was described by The Guardian as a 'tender and absorbing portrait of new lovers'. 
 
I am external examiner for postgraduate film courses at University of Salford and University of Hertfordshire and have previously examined undergraduate and postgraduate film courses at University of West London and MET Film School, and Sheffield Hallam.
 
I am available for and interested in examining and supervising doctoral research in the following areas: film education, creative pedagogy, film practice [practice research], filmmaking, screenwriting, music documentary and podcasting.

External Links

Professor Neil Fox profile picture

Contact details

Telephone 01326 254176
Email neil.fox@falmouth.ac.uk
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    Qualifications

    Qualifications

    Year Qualification Awarding body
    2016 FHEA HEA
    2015 PGCHE Falmouth University
    2014 Professional Doctorate University of Bedfordshire
    2000 BA Film & English and Literary Studes Middlesex University

    Honors and awards

    Year Description
    2017

    Industry Collaboration Award
    2017

    Best Feature Screenplay / Chain NYC Film Festival, for 'Wilderness'
    2017

    Best Feature Screenplay / Vasteras Film Festival, for 'Wilderness'
    2016

    Innovative Teaching Award (nominated)
    2015

    Innovative Teaching Award

    Membership of external committees

    MECCSA

    Research Interests

    Research interests and expertise

    My research interests include film education - predominantly the teaching of film within universities, the process of screenwriting, podcasting, music documentaries and concert films.
     

    Research Topics

    • film education
    • Music
    • podcasting
    • rock documentary
    • Screenwriting

    Research Outputs

    Publications and research outputs

    • Fox, Neil

      (2025), Podcasting as a Contemporary Curation Practice: A Conversation with Projections’ Mary Wild and Sarah Cleaver., In: Podcast Studies: practice in theory/theory into practice, Wilfrid Laurier University Press, Print Publication, ISBN: 9781771126434, ISSN: TBC, Item availability may be restricted.

    • Fox, Neil

      (2018), Interview with Richard Herring, In: Podcasting: New Aural Cultures and Digital Media, Palgrave Macmillan, https://www.palgrave.com/gb/book/9783319900551, pp. 299-308, ISBN: 978-3-319-90055-1

    • Barrios-O'Neill, Danielle

      (2018), Wild Listening: Ecology of a Science Podcast, In: Podcasting: New Aural Cultures and Digital Media, Palgrave Macmillan, London, UK, pp. 147-172, ISBN: 978-3-319-90056-8

    • Fox, Neil

      (2015), We Made This Together: how Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That! Foresaw Changes in the Live Concert Experience brought about by Social Media and Digital Technology., In: The Arena Concert: Music, Media and Mass Entertainment, Bloomsbury, London, pp. 207-218, ISBN: 978-1-6289-2555-5, Item availability may be restricted.

    • Fox, Neil

      (2014), On Location: Manchester, In: Directory of World Cinema: Britain 2, Intellect, Bristol, pp. 32-39, ISBN: 978-1-78320-397-0, Item availability may be restricted.

    • Fox, Neil

      (2022), Without the filmmaking there is no research: establishing the Sound/Image Cinema Lab via a REF2021 impact case study and exploring the impact of its engagement with UK film production, In: Media Practice and Education, Taylor and Francis, Abington-on-Thames, UK, 23 (2), ISSN: 2574-1144

    • Fox, Neil

      (2021), Intimate Conversations in Cinema's "Elsewhere", In: Notebook, MUBI, Print Publication, Issue 1 (1), pp. 92-99, ISSN: 2769-7681

    • Fox, Neil

      (2021), No Image: A King Rocker Conversation with Stewart Lee, Michael Cumming And Robert Lloyd, In: The Quietus, Independent, Online, ISSN: N/A

    • Fox, Neil

      (2020), Reel Sounds – Vol. 3: IDLES, Toy Pianos And More At Doc'n Roll 2020, In: The Quietus, Independent, https://thequietus.com/articles/29191-film-doc-n-roll-2020-preview, ISSN: NA

    • Fox, Neil

      (2020), “How’s 1988 Sounding?”: The Myths And Legendary Tapes Of Delia Derbyshire, In: The Quietus, Independent, https://thequietus.com/articles/29127-film-delia-derbyshire-the-myths-and-the-legendary-tapes, ISSN: NA

    • Fox, Neil

      (2020), Once Upon A Dream, In: Beneficial Shock, Independent, Print, NA (5), pp. 50-55, ISSN: 2399-5173

    • Fox, Neil

      (2020), Southern Journey, Revisited: An Interview With Rob Curry And Tim Plester, In: The Quietus, Independent, https://thequietus.com/articles/28980-film-southern-journey-revisited-rob-curry-tim-plester-interview, ISSN: NA

    • Fox, Neil

      (2020), Film production and the intersection of technology, education and culture in a post-COVID-19 climate // A Conversation between Dr Neil Fox (Falmouth University) and Freya Billington (UWE), In: Digital Culture & Education, Independent, Online, ISSN: 1836-8301

    • Fox, Neil

      (2020), “You Talkin’ To Me?” - Returning to Conversation,, In: Doing Arts Research In A Pandemic, The Culture Capital Exchange, https://www.theculturecapitalexchange.co.uk/2020/06/02/doing-arts-research-in-a-pandemic-2/, ISSN: NA

    • Fox, Neil

      (2020), Self-Isolation Soundtrack: The Music of If Beale Street Could Talk, In: The Big Picture, Intellect, Online, ISSN: NA

    • Fox, Neil

      (2020), You Are Bognor Regis RAR: White Riot And The Anti-Fascist Labour Of Rock Against Racism, In: The Quietus, Independent, Online, ISSN: NA

    • Fox, Neil

      (2020), In The Driver's Seat: The Demented Fun of ByNWR, In: The Quietus, Independent, https://thequietus.com/articles/27833-by-nwr-deep-dive, ISSN: NA

    • Fox, Neil

      (2020), Nicolas Winding Refn on Night Tide and the importance of extreme cinema, In: Little White Lies, TCO, https://lwlies.com/interviews/nicolas-winding-refn-night-tide-bynwr-blu-ray/, ISSN: NA

    • Fox, Neil

      (2019), Reel Sounds - Vol.2: Crosby, Cuba and More in Focus at Doc'n Roll 2019, In: The Quietus, Independent, Online, ISSN: NA

    • Fox, Neil

      (2019), Double Feature: Speed (1994) and Paterson (2016), In: The Big Picture, Intellect, United Kingdom, ISSN: NA

    • Fox, Neil

      (2019), The World Leaks In - Upstairs Planet: Cleaners From Venus & The Universe of Martin Newell, In: The Quietus, Independent, Online, ISSN: NA

    • Fox, Neil

      (2019), 4 Years Ahead Of His Time: Stewart Lee & Michael Cumming On The Nightingales, In: The Quietus, Independent, Online, ISSN: NA

    • Fox, Neil

      (2019), MAI In Conversation with Lynn Shelton, In: MAI: Feminism and Visual Culture, Independent, https://maifeminism.com/in-conversation-with-lynn-shelton/, 3 (3), ISSN: 2003-1673

    • Fox, Neil

      (2019), Seeing Is Disbelieving: The Amazing Grace of Aretha Franklin, In: The Quietus, Independent, Online, ISSN: NA

    • Fox, Neil

      (2019), Nothing Is Trite: PJ Harvey in A Dog Called Money, In: The Quietus, Independent, Online, NA (NA), ISSN: NA

    • Fox, Neil

      (2019), The King of Philadelphia: Teddy Pendergrass on Film, In: The Quietus, Independent, Online, NA (NA), ISSN: NA

    • Fox, Neil

      (2018), "We Were Not The Part": Pondering the Importance of The Go-Betweens, In: Directors Notes, Independent, Online, ISSN: NA

    • Fox, Neil

      (2018), Reel Sounds: Anne Clark, Mary Lane, Welsh Pop & More at Doc 'N Roll Fest, In: The Quietus, Independent, Online, ISSN: NA

    • Fox, Neil

      (2018), “Stupid Things Are Best”: Conny Plank – The Potential of Noise, In: The Quietus, Independent, http://thequietus.com/articles/25081-conny-plank-the-potential-of-noise-reo-caduff-stephan-plank-review, ISSN: N/A

    • Fox, Neil

      (2018), Energy Flash: Jake Meginsky On Milford Graves, In: The Quietus, Independent, http://thequietus.com/articles/25007-milford-graves-full-mantis-jake-meginsky-interview, ISSN: N/A

    • Fox, Neil

      (2018), ‘Filmmaking is a hard thing to do’: reflections on student and lecturer experience of Falmouth University’s filmmaker in residence initiative, In: Media Practice and Education, Taylor and Francis, https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rjmp20, 19 (2), pp. 205-221, ISSN: 2574-1144

    • Fox, Neil

      (2018), “Now you need to load the dishwasher” – How Christine Franz Captured the Electric Rise of Sleaford Mods, In: Directors Notes, Independent, https://directorsnotes.com/2018/06/26/christine-franz-bunch-of-kunst/

    • Fox, Neil

      (2018), Screengem: The Dude’s Ralphs card in The Big Lebowski, In: The Big Picture, Intellect, http://thebigpicturemagazine.com/screengem-the-dudes-ralphs-card-in-the-big-lebowski/, ISSN: N/A

    • Fox, Neil

      (2018), Together Alone, In: Beneficial Shock, Independent, Print Magazine, 1 (3), pp. 67-72, ISSN: 2399-5173

    • Fox, Neil

      (2018), Why Sofia Coppola’s misunderstood drama is ripe for reappraisal, In: The Big Picture, Intellect, http://thebigpicturemagazine.com/why-sofia-coppolas-misunderstood-drama-is-ripe-for-reappraisal/, ISSN: N/A

    • Fox, Neil and Llinares, Dario

      (2018), Cinematologists: Knowing Sounds, In: Media Practice and Education, Informa UK Limited, London, 19 (1), pp. 48-51, ISSN: 2574-1144

    • Fox, Neil

      (2018), An Interview With Caroline Richards, In: Directors Notes, Online, https://directorsnotes.com/2018/04/27/caroline-richards-the-parkinsons-a-long-way-to-nowhere/, ISSN: N/A

    • Fox, Neil

      (2018), MAI in conversation with Hope Dickson Leach, In: MAI: Feminism and Visual Culture, Independent, http://maifeminism.com/mai-in-conversation-with-hope-dickson-leach/, 1 (1), ISSN: 20031671

    • Fox, Neil

      (2018), Final Cut: Here To Be Heard Puts The Slits On Film, In: The Quietus, Online, http://thequietus.com/articles/24261-here-to-be-heard-the-story-of-the-slits-william-e-badgeley, ISSN: N/A

    • Fox, Neil

      (2017), Explore life in the South London community which gave birth to the Maccabees' sound in Elephant Days, In: Directors Notes, Online, https://directorsnotes.com/2017/11/14/james-caddick-james-cronin-elephant-days/, ISSN: N/A

    • Fox, Neil

      (2017), Harsh My Buzz: The Colossus Of Destiny: A Melvins Tale Reviewed, In: The Quietus, Online, http://thequietus.com/articles/22066-melvins-film-review, ISSN: N/A

    • Fox, Neil

      (2017), Spaghetti Cinema, University of Bedfordshire, Luton, UK, 9-10 May 2014., In: Journal of Italian Cinema & Media Studies, Intellect, Bristol, UK, 5 (2), pp. 267-271, ISSN: 2047-7368

    • Fox, Neil and Llinares, Dario

      (2016), Knowing Sounds: Podcasting As Academic Practice, In: Journal Of Media Practice, Taylor and Francis, http://journal.disruptivemedia.org.uk/, ISSN: 2040-0926

    • Fox, Neil

      (2016), Black Stars: Belafonte, Poitier and a Long Overdue Celebration of Black Cinema, In: Directors Notes, Website, http://directorsnotes.com/2016/10/24/bfi-black-star/, ISSN: N/A

    • Fox, Neil

      (2016), Four Frames: Best In Show (Christopher Guest, 2000), In: The Big Picture, Intellect, http://thebigpicturemagazine.com/four-frames-best-in-show-christopher-guest-2000/, ISSN: N/A

    • Fox, Neil

      (2016), Death Foretold is Not Death, In: Directors Notes, Website, http://directorsnotes.com/2016/07/15/death-foretold-not-death/, ISSN: N/A, Item availability may be restricted.

    • Fox, Neil

      (2016), Lost Classic: Black Orpheus (Marcel Camus, 1959), In: The Big Picture, Intellect, http://thebigpicturemagazine.com/lost-classic-black-orpheus-marcel-camus-1959/, ISSN: N/A

    • Fox, Neil

      (2016), Landscape, Metaphors and Self-Distribution: The Tale of Brett & Simon Harvey’s ‘Brown Willy’, In: Directors Notes, Website, http://directorsnotes.com/2016/04/27/brett-simon-harvey-brown-willy/, ISSN: N/A

    • Fox, Neil

      (2016), Screengem: General Mireau’s Sofa in Paths of Glory (Stanley Kubrick, 1957), In: The Big Picture, Intellect, http://thebigpicturemagazine.com/screengem-general-mireaus-sofa-in-paths-of-glory-stanley-kubrick-1957/, ISSN: N/A

    • Fox, Neil

      (2015), Head Music: Stop Making Sense Reassessed, In: The Quietus, Online, http://thequietus.com/articles/19381-stop-making-sense-article, ISSN: N/A

    • Fox, Neil

      (2015), Four Frames: The Immigrant (James Gray, 2014), In: The Big Picture, Intellect, http://thebigpicturemagazine.com/four-frames-the-immigrant-james-gray-2014/, ISSN: N/A

    • Fox, Neil

      (2015), #Noirvember: The Theming of Cinema & the End of Criticism, In: Directors Notes, Website, http://directorsnotes.com/2015/10/01/noirvember-the-theming-of-cinema-the-end-of-criticism/, ISSN: N/A

    • Fox, Neil

      (2015), Coffee & Celluloid: In Conversation with Bronco’s House Director Mark Jenkin, In: Directors Notes, Website, http://directorsnotes.com/2015/09/28/mark-jenkin-broncos-house/, ISSN: N/A

    • Fox, Neil

      (2015), Lost Classic: A Serious Man (Joel & Ethan Coen, 2009), In: The Big Picture, Intellect, http://thebigpicturemagazine.com/lost-classic-a-serious-man-joel-ethan-coen-2009/, ISSN: N/A

    • Fox, Neil

      (2015), “I’m a Proponent of Change”: Penelope Spheeris and The Decline Of Western Civilization, In: Directors Notes, Website, http://directorsnotes.com/2015/09/01/penelope-spheeris-the-decline-of-western-civilization/, ISSN: N/A

    • Fox, Neil

      (2015), A Mirror To Nature: Genius, Disaster and the Legacies of Orson Welles, In: Directors Notes, Website, http://directorsnotes.com/2015/08/21/a-mirror-to-nature-orson-welles/, ISSN: N/A

    • Fox, Neil

      (2015), Listen Up Philistines: Alex Ross Perry Interviewed, In: The Quietus, Website, http://thequietus.com/articles/18450-listen-up-philip-interview, ISSN: N/A

    • Fox, Neil

      (2015), Lost Classic: Prince Avalanche (David Gordon Green, 2013), In: The Big Picture, Intellect, http://thebigpicturemagazine.com/lost-classic-prince-avalanche-david-gordon-green-2013/, ISSN: N/A

    • Fox, Neil

      (2015), Screengem: Telephones in Rififi (Jules Dassin, 1955), In: The Big Picture, Intellect, http://thebigpicturemagazine.com/screengem-telephones-in-rififi-jules-dassin-1955/, ISSN: N/A

    • Fox, Neil

      (2015), Four Frames: There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2007), In: The Big Picture, Intellect, http://thebigpicturemagazine.com/four-frames-there-will-be-blood/, ISSN: N/A

    • Fox, Neil

      (2015), Sex and Paranoia – Movies, Satire and the brinks of War, In: The Big Picture, Intellect, http://thebigpicturemagazine.com/spotlight-sex-and-paranoia-movies-satire-and-the-brinks-of-war/, ISSN: N/A

    • Fox, Neil

      (2014), Four Frames: The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson, 2001), In: The Big Picture, Intellect, http://thebigpicturemagazine.com/four-frames-the-royal-tenenbaums-wes-anderson-2001/, ISSN: N/A

    • Fox, Neil

      (2014), Juxebox Jarmusch: Jim at the Intersection of Music and Cinema, In: Directors Notes, Website, http://directorsnotes.com/2014/10/08/jukebox-jarmusch/, ISSN: N/A

    • Fox, Neil

      (2014), New Joys: The Wonder Of Kelly Reichardt, In: Directors Notes, Website, http://directorsnotes.com/2014/08/26/the-wonder-of-kelly-reichardt/, ISSN: N/A

    • Fox, Neil

      (2014), Richard Lester Discusses A Hard Day's Night, In: Clash Magazine, Online, http://www.clashmusic.com/film/richard-lester-discusses-a-hard-days-night, ISSN: N/A

    • Fox, Neil

      (2014), “There’s an Event Going on in There” – For No Good Reason: A Documentary About Ralph Steadman, In: Directors Notes, Directors Notes, http://directorsnotes.com/2014/05/27/for-no-good-reason-ralph-steadman/, ISSN: N/A

    • Fox, Neil

      (2014), We merely get in their way: The fierce chemistry of Herzog and Kinski, In: The Big Picture, Intellect, http://thebigpicturemagazine.com/thousand-words-we-merely-get-in-their-way-the-fierce-chemistry-of-herzog-and-kinski/, ISSN: N/A

    • Fox, Neil

      (2013), On Location: Macclesfield in Control (Anton Corbijn, 2007), In: The Big Picture, Intellect, http://thebigpicturemagazine.com/on-location-macclesfield-in-control-anton-corbijn-2007/, ISSN: N/A

    • Fox, Neil

      (2013), Four Frames: Tragic spectacle in Rust and Bone (Jacques Audiard, 2012), In: The Big Picture, Intellect, http://thebigpicturemagazine.com/tragic-spectacle-in-rust-and-bone-jacques-audiard-2012/, ISSN: N/A

    • Fox, Neil

      (2020), Developing a Commercial Film Production Ecosystem in Academia with Pedagogy at Its Heart, In: UIIN: Boundary Spanning Champions Online Forum, 2-3 December, 2020, Online Symposium

    • Fox, Neil

      (2019), Collection-making: Podcasting as a contemporary curation practice., In: MeCCSA 2020, 8-10 January 2020, University of Brighton

    • Fox, Neil

      Annesley, Angela and Marshall, Kingsley, (2019), Making Strange: Adapting H. P. Lovecraft for the Screen, In: Folk Horror In The 21st Century, 4-6 September, 2019, Falmouth University

    • Fox, Neil

      (2019), Rethinking film education: What can we learn from filmmakers?, In: Film-Philosophy, 9-11 July, 2019, Film-Philosophy, University of Brighton, July 7-9 2019

    • Fox, Neil

      (2017), ‘Where Next? Envisioning a Layered and Cohesive Future for Academic/Industry Media Projects, In: Journal of Media Practice and MeCCSA Practice Network Annual Symposium: ‘Practice and/as media industry research’, June 8 2017, Bath Spa University

    • Fox, Neil

      (2016), It is where you’re from: Re-negotiating the role of place in Hip Hop through documentary, In: International Hip Hop Studies Conference, 23-25 June, 2016, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK, Item availability may be restricted.

    • Fox, Neil

      (2015), Paths to the Pantheon: Using the Education of Successful Filmmakers to Shape Film Education, In: MECCSA 2016, 6-8 January, 2016, Canterbury Christchurch University, Kent, UK, Item availability may be restricted.

    • Fox, Neil

      (2015), Classrooms without teachers and film without borders: proactively responding to digital disruption in film education, In: Media Education Summit, 20-21 November, 2015, Emerson College, Boston, USA, Item availability may be restricted.

    • Fox, Neil

      (2015), We Made This Together: How Awesome; I Fuckin’ Shot That! Foresaw changes in the live concert experience brought about by digital technology and social media, In: Popular Music and the Public Sphere, April 10, 2016, University of Chester, Chester, UK, Item availability may be restricted.

    • Marshall, Kingsley

      Fox, Neil, (2019), Backwoods (Dir. Ryan Mackfall, 2019) - Short Film, Item availability may be restricted.

    • Fox, Neil

      (2017), 'Wilderness'

    • Fox, Neil

      (2024), Music Films, BFI/Bloomsbury, Physical Book, ISBN: 9781839023439, Item availability may be restricted.

    • Fox, Neil

      (2018), Podcasting: New Aural Cultures and Digital Media, Palgrave Macmillan, https://www.palgrave.com/gb/book/9783319900551, ISBN: 978-3-319-90055-1, Item availability may be restricted.

    • Fox, Neil

      (2016), “Would you ask The Beatles that?” How Bob Dylan and The Beatles shaped perceptions of the music press [blog post], In: Transformation and Tradition in Sixties British Cinema, An Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded project based at the universities of York and East Anglia, https://60sbritishcinema.wordpress.com/2016/01/04/would-you-ask-the-beatles-that-how-bob-dylan-and-the-beatles-shaped-perceptions-of-the-music-press/, ISSN: N/A

    • Fox, Neil

      Llinares, Dario and Marshall, Kingsley, (2015), The Cinematologists, Item availability may be restricted.

    Events

    2018

    Film at Falmouth Spring Lecture Series

    Events

    2017

    Film at Falmouth Autumn Lecture Series

    Events

    2017

    School of Film & Television Spring Lecture Series

    Events

    2016

    School of Film & Television Spring Lecture Series

    Events

    2016

    School of Film & Television Autumn Lecture Series

    Events

    2015

    Pixelate Film Festival - annual School of Film & Television showcase

    Events

    2015

    School of Film & Television Spring Lecture Series

    Events

    2014

    School of Film & Television Autumn Guest Lecture Series

    Teaching

    Areas of teaching

    • dissertation
    • film industry
    • film production
    • Film Theory
    • Screenwriting

    Courses taught

    • BA(Hons) Film
    • MA Film & Television

    Professional Engagement

    Independent professional practice

    Baracoa Pictures - www.baracoapictures.com

    Social, community and cultural engagement

    The Cinematologists Podcast - http://www.cinematologists.com/