This blog post is based on remarks Henry Jenkins presented as a keynote speaker at The Older, The Better! Aging Celebrity in Contemporary Media and Sport Contexts, PRIN 2022 PNRR "Celebr-Age" Final Conference at Universita di Bologna in September. He discusses legendary performer Dick Van Dyke's joyful aging vibrant characters in conjunction with Jenkins' own work as Van Dyke's 100th birthday approaches this December.

To celebrate International Production Design Week (IPDW) between October 17th-26th, Pop Junctions presents a range of contributions related to the craft of production design, with particular focus on the art of world-building and the creativity and culture of production design practice. IPDW is an initiative led by the Production Designers Collective and involves a calendar of events that showcase production design around the world.

In this contribution, Tara Lomax asks Production Designer Alex McDowell about world-building, reimagining the production process, and his work across industry and education.

To celebrate International Production Design Week (IPDW) between October 17th-26th, Pop Junctions presents a range of contributions related to the craft of production design, with particular focus on the art of world-building and the creativity and culture of production design practice. IPDW is an initiative led by the Production Designers Collective and involves a calendar of events that showcase production design around the world.

In this contribution, Academy Award-winning Production Designer Rick Carter shares a meditation on the nature of creativity as a practice of ‘dream minding’.

To celebrate International Production Design Week (IPDW) between October 17th-26th, Pop Junctions presents a range of contributions related to the craft of production design, with particular focus on the art of world-building and the creativity and culture of production design practice. IPDW is an initiative led by the Production Designers Collective and involves a calendar of events that showcase production design around the world.

In this contribution, Mumbai-based Production Designer Shailaja Sharma reflects on the work of production design as a dynamic between creativity, labor, and logistics through two different projects: Gold (Excel Entertainment, 2018) and Dahaad (Amazon Prime Video, 2023).

To celebrate International Production Design Week (IPDW) between October 17th-26th, Pop Junctions presents a range of contributions related to the craft of production design, with particular focus on the art of world-building and the creativity and culture of production design practice. IPDW is an initiative led by the Production Designers Collective and involves a calendar of events that showcase production design around the world.

In this contribution, Australian-based Production Designer Virginia Mesiti unpacks the craft of "natural realism": a design approach that disappears into character, psychology, and place. The goal is not to create spectacle but to persuade; to build spaces so truthful that viewers forget they were ever designed.

To celebrate International Production Design Week (IPDW) between October 17th-26th, Pop Junctions presents a range of contributions related to the craft of production design, with particular focus on the art of world-building and the creativity and culture of production design practice. IPDW is an initiative led by the Production Designers Collective and involves a calendar of events that showcase production design around the world.

In this contribution, UK-based Production Designer Jane Barnwell introduces the forthcoming open-access collection, Perspectives on Production Design: Practice, Education and Analysis (University of Westminster Press, 2026), co-edited with Jo Briscoe and Juliet John. The book brings together voices from across industry and academia to illuminate the creativity, challenges and cultural impact of production design. This contribution signposts some of the book’s central concerns: how production design is practiced, taught, critically analysed, and why it matters to the wider ecology of film and media studies.

To celebrate International Production Design Week (IPDW) between October 17th-26th, Pop Junctions presents a range of contributions related to the craft of production design, with particular focus on the art of world-building and the creativity and culture of production design practice. IPDW is an initiative led by the Production Designers Collective and involves a calendar of events that showcase production design around the world.

In this first contribution, Australian Production Designer Natalie Beak reflects on the cultural and structural significance of the first Production Designers Gathering that took place in 2022 on the Greek island of Spetses. "The Gathering" highlighted production design as a site of authorship and world-building, while also exposing some of the systemic challenges of visibility, labour, sustainability, and technological change.

This piece provides a summary of the academic event Geek Week in Brazil, which was a collaboration between the research groups NEPF2 (​Fans and Fanfic Studies and Research Group), NuPNE (Electronic Narrative Research Center), and NUPLIJ (Center for Research in Children's and Youth Literature). The primary objective of Geek Week was to establish a safe and engaging space for intellectual discussions on topics related to pop culture, gaming, young adult and children's literature, and fanfiction. The event encouraged not only the academic research groups to share their perspectives but also provided an open forum for attendees to actively engage in discourse about widely consumed cultural phenomena.

At an event centered on Chinese otome games (dating games aimed at a female audience), I cosplayed as a male game character and was asked several times if I would accept cosplay commissions — getting paid to cosplay as someone’s favourite character and going on a date with them. Cosplay commission is an emerging practice within Chinese fandom, where clients hire cosplayers to perform as characters in animation, manga, and games, simulating romantic or friendly relationships and dating them in real life. It usually happens in shopping malls, on the streets, in art galleries or in restaurants. This post explores the surprising mix of parasocial relationships and authenticity of cosplay commissions, drawing on both participant observation and semi-structured interviews with multiple female cosplayers.

Ellen Kirkpatrick dives into the character of Captain Nemo, particularly Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill’s gender-swapped version. She argues that story is the beating heart of social action, helping us to envision a just and equitable world. Yet it’s not enough to simply observe how mainstream stories shape or constrain our imagination of what is possible; we need to dig deeper into how they work. Method doesn’t always marry up with message. As Kristen Warner’s idea of "plastic representation" points out, mainstream media often privileges surface over meaningful substance. Such is often the case with "genderswap" stories like Janni Dakkar's journey into becoming the new Captain Nemo.

‘Emmys Watch 2025’ showcases critical responses to the series nominated for Outstanding Drama, Outstanding Comedy, and Outstanding Limited Series at that 77th Primetime Emmy Awards. Contributions to this theme explore critical understandings of some series nominated in these categories. This article considers the FX mockumentary sitcom What We Do in the Shadows (2019-2025) at the end of its six-season run. It argues that the show made novel contributions to the development of the sitcom and mockumentary forms in ways that enrich narrative, character and theme, particularly in light of its comic approach to vampire media and lore.

‘Emmys Watch 2025’ showcases critical responses to the series nominated for Outstanding Drama, Outstanding Comedy, and Outstanding Limited Series at that 77th Primetime Emmy Awards. Contributions to this theme explore critical understandings of some series nominated in these categories. This piece explores the cultural dialogue that has extended from the Netflix limited series, Adolescence.

‘Emmys Watch 2025’ showcases critical responses to the series nominated for Outstanding Drama, Outstanding Comedy, and Outstanding Limited Series at that 77th Primetime Emmy Awards. Contributions to this theme explore critical understandings of some series nominated in these categories. This piece reframes HBO Max’ series The Pitt as part of television soap opera’s long lineage.

‘Emmys Watch 2025’ showcases critical responses to the series nominated for Outstanding Drama, Outstanding Comedy, and Outstanding Limited Series at that 77th Primetime Emmy Awards. Contributions to this theme explore critical understandings of some series nominated in these categories. This piece explores how Hacks offers sharp cultural commentary on the double bind women face in comedy: dismissed as too young to be serious, then too old to be relevant.

‘Emmys Watch 2025’ showcases critical responses to the series nominated for Outstanding Drama, Outstanding Comedy, and Outstanding Limited Series at that 77th Primetime Emmy Awards. Contributions to this theme explore critical understandings of some series nominated in these categories. This contribution considers how the Disney+ series Andor reignites a discourse around genre in the ‘Star Wars’ franchise as it more clearly adopts the science fiction political drama genre and oppresses its fantasy themes.

‘Emmys Watch 2025’ showcases critical responses to the series nominated for Outstanding Drama, Outstanding Comedy, and Outstanding Limited Series at that 77th Primetime Emmy Awards. Contributions to this theme explore critical understandings of some series nominated in these categories. This piece explores themes from a broader research project into Apple TV+ as reflected in Shrinking, considering how it constructs its workplace storyworld and how it engages mental healthcare as both a thematic imperative and narrative setting.

‘Emmys Watch 2025’ showcases critical responses to the series nominated for Outstanding Drama, Outstanding Comedy, and Outstanding Limited Series at that 77th Primetime Emmy Awards. Contributions to this theme explore critical understandings of some series nominated in these categories. This video essay explores the place of Outstanding Drama Series nominee Severance (Apple TV+) in the genre of science fiction TV. Severance continues the recent trend of dystopian sci fi shows grounded in a near future, using a ‘mystery box’ narrative structure and demanding an intellectual, committed audience enabled by streaming platforms. This video analyses the visual ways the show builds its dystopian world: a world that feels intensely relatable and present, but simultaneously a horrific warning of technological potential.

‘Emmys Watch 2025’ showcases critical responses to the series nominated for Outstanding Drama, Outstanding Comedy, and Outstanding Limited Series at that 77th Primetime Emmy Awards. Contributions to this theme explore critical understandings of some series nominated in these categories. This piece explores the industrial reflexivity and satirical industry critique of the Apple TV+ comedy series The Studio, placing it within a surge of media about media. It argues for a "comedy verité" style in the post-network era that contrasts with traditional network sitcoms’ canned humor.

‘Emmys Watch 2025’ showcases critical responses to the series nominated for Outstanding Drama, Outstanding Comedy, and Outstanding Limited Series at that 77th Primetime Emmy Awards. Contributions to this theme explore critical understandings of some series nominated in these categories. This contribution by Chris Comerford compares the mix of comedy and drama in The Bear and Shrinking. Though it may have started as one, The Bear no longer feels like a comedy, nor even a "dramedy". Despite its nomination once again for Outstanding Comedy Series at this year’s Emmy Awards, this article argues that The Bear has slipped further from its comedic roots in favour of prioritising drama and introspection. By contrast, the article examines fellow nominee Shrinking’s second season and its successful intertwining of comedy and drama even as its tone and subject matter get increasingly heavier.

‘Emmys Watch 2025’ showcases critical responses to the series nominated for Outstanding Drama, Outstanding Comedy, and Outstanding Limited Series at that 77th Primetime Emmy Awards. Contributions to this theme explore critical understandings of some series nominated in these categories. To start the series, Lauren Alexandra Sowa interviews creatives Sasha Stewart and Gabe González from the podcast We Disrupt the Broadcast.