Rebecca Weeks is a lecturer for Bachelor of Art & Design (3D Animation and VFX) at Media Design School

Rebecca has over ten years of experience teaching in the tertiary sector in Aotearoa. She received her PhD from the University of Auckland in 2017 and her first book, History by HBO: Televising the American Past, was published by the University Press of Kentucky in 2022.

Rebecca’s research focuses on representations of the past on-screen, with a particular emphasis on long-form drama and the television/streaming industry. She is currently investigating women's involvement in the visual effects and special effects industries in the USA and Aotearoa. Additionally, she serves as the film reviews editor for the journal Film & History.

Research Interests:

  • History on screen
  • Gendered divisions of labour in Hollywood
  • SFX/VFX history
  • Television and New Media

Current Research Projects/Grants:

  • Creating the Extraordinary: Recovering the Histories of Women in Special and Visual Effects
  • The Hustle & the Bustle: Costume Drama, Gender, and the WeeksWorth Scale in the Peak TV Era (with Sara Buttsworth at the University of Auckland).
  • Monsters, Time-Travel, and Corsets: The Pleasures of Speculative Historical Fictions on Television

Courses Taught:

  • 3D1G09: Design Principles and Practice I
  • 3D2G05: Design Principles and Practice II
  • 3D2G06: Industry Procedures and Practice I
  • 3D3G03: Advanced Individual Production
History by HBO: Televising the American Past
History by HBO: Televising the American Past

Dr Rebecca Weeks

Recent Work