Kath Dooley

Research Interests

Creative Arts Creative Arts, Media and Communication Curriculum and Pedagogy Film and Television Screen and digital media Virtual and mixed reality

APrf Kath Dooley

Associate Professor

School of Communication, Media and Journalism

College of Creative Arts, Design and Humanities

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.

Available For Media Comment.

Kath Dooley is a filmmaker and academic at Adelaide University. Her work as a writer-director has garnered international recognition, screening at events including the Busan International Short Film Festival and FIVARS Toronto. She currently serves as President of the Australian Screen Production, Education and Research Association (ASPERA). Kath is also a Senior Research Affiliate at the University of Hong Kong's eXtended Humanities Lab.
A leading scholar in virtual reality and screen production, Dooley has authored several books and journal articles, including 'Virtual Reality Narratives: Embodied Encounters in Space' (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024) and 'Cinematic Virtual Reality: A Critical Study of 21st Century Approaches and Practices' (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021). She has also co-edited 'Screenwriting for Virtual Reality' (2024) and 'The Palgrave Handbook of Screen Production' (2019). In terms of her significant leadership experience in screen production education, Dooley has served as a Discipline Lead and Head of Department, while maintaining active roles as an educator and consultant. Her research focuses on screen production methodology for traditional and immersive media, screenwriting, women's screen practice, and advancing diversity in screen industries.

Recent Books, Journal Articles and Other Publications

Dooley, K., 2026. A Shared Field of Perception: Voice Over and Focalisation in Extended Reality (XR). In International Conference on Interactive Digital Storytelling (pp. 15-28). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.

Dooley, K., 2025. Exploring homelessness in virtual reality documentary: The scripting of Rose Troche’s We Live Here (2020, USA). In Shaping Global Cultures through Screenwriting (pp. 257-268). Intellect.

Dooley, K., Aquilia, P., Berry, M., Frankham, B., Hart, P. and Verdon, J., 2025. Exploring the continuing effects of COVID-19 on tertiary screen production education in Australia. Media Practice and Education, 26(2), pp.218-235.

Dooley, K., 2024. Virtual Reality Narratives: Embodied Encounters in Space. Palgrave Macmillan.

Dooley, K. and Munt, A., 2024. Screenwriting for Virtual Reality. Springer International Publishing.

Recent Creative Works

Dooley, K. 2026. Vernadoc South Sulawesi. VR film.

Ely-Harper, K., and K. Dooley. 2021. "No Bus." Short film.

Dooley, K. 2020. "Impact: Beyond the Night Sky." VR experience.

Language Competency
English Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review

Date Institution name Country Title
2010 - 2013 Flinders University Australia PhD
1998 - 2000 Flinders University Australia Bachelor of Arts (Hons)
1994 - 1997 The University of South Australia Australia Bachelor of Education

Year Citation
2025 Barnett, T., Erhart, J., & Dooley, K. (2025). Virtually inclusive: the promises and experiences of women and gender diverse people in virtual production workplaces. Journal of Sociology, online(3 Special Issue: Equity in the Creative Industries), 1-16.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1
2024 Dooley, K., Aquilia, P., Berry, M., Frankham, B., Hart, P., & Verdon, J. (2024). Exploring the continuing effects of COVID-19 on tertiary screen production education in Australia. Media Practice and Education, 26(2), 1-18.
DOI
2024 Dooley, K., Peng, F., Neville, S., & McKibbin, J. (2024). Mind the gap: a scoping review of skills gaps for graduates in the creative industries. Arts And Humanities In Higher Education, 23(4), 330-349.
DOI Scopus3 WoS3
2023 Turina, R., & Dooley, K. (2023). Editorial - Journal of Screenwriting. Journal of Screenwriting, 14(3), 223-227.
DOI
2023 Dooley, K. (2023). Conceptualizing and developing narrative-based virtual reality experiences: A review of disciplinary frameworks and approaches to research. Journal of Screenwriting, 14(3), 229-249.
DOI Scopus3 WoS1
2023 Dooley, K., & Erhart, J. (2023). Narrating women workers' perceptions of sexism and change in the Australian screen postproduction sector before and after #MeToo. Feminist Media Studies, 23(2), 671-687.
DOI Scopus8 WoS3
2022 Erhart, J., & Dooley, K. (2022). 'Post goblins' and 'preditors': identities, experiences, and contributions of women in Australian screen postproduction and visual effects sectors 2020/2021. Studies in Australasian Cinema, 16(1), 17-34.
DOI Scopus6 WoS1
2022 Dooley, K., McHugh, M., Berry, M., Batty, C., & Verdon, J. (2022). Approaches to gender diversity behind the camera in Australian student screen productions. Alphaville: Journal of Film and Screen Media, 2022(24), 118-131.
DOI Scopus5
2022 Dooley, K., & Emery, S. (2022). Creating screen stories with game engines: challenges and opportunities for students and researchers working collaboratively across disciplines. Media Practice and Education, 24(1), 21-34.
DOI Scopus6
2022 Dooley, K. (2022). Precious time: family life and togetherness in Sari Braithwaite's Because We Have Each Other. Metro, (214), 52-55.
2022 Dooley, K. (2022). Singing into the Void: Dreams, Delusion and Fame in Matthew Walker's <i>I'm Wanita</i>. METRO, (212), 42-47.
2022 Berry, M., Dooley, K., & McHugh, M. (2022). Fostering Diversity On and Off Screen Editorial. Alphaville Journal of Film and Screen Media, 2022(24), 1-11.
DOI Scopus1
2021 Dooley, K. (2021). One final bow: an actor reflects in Molly Reynold's My Name is Gulpilil. Metro, (209), 56-59.
2020 Dooley, K. (2020). A question of proximity: exploring a new screen grammar for 360-degree cinematic virtual reality. Media Practice and Education, 21(2), 81-96.
DOI Scopus27
2020 Dooley, K., Bender, S., Ferris, G., Frankham, B., Munt, A., & Schleser, M. (2020). Immersive media practices in the classroom: models of the teaching research nexus in an Australian context. Media Practice and Education, 21(4), 241-260.
DOI Scopus9
2019 Dooley, K. (2019). 'C'etait moi mais ce n'etait pas moi': portrayal of the disabled body in Catherine Breillat's Abus de faiblesse (2013). Studies in French Cinema, 19(2), 150-164.
DOI Scopus2
2019 Dooley, K. (2019). Wide open road: freedom and facade in The Meaning of Vanlife. Screen Education, (96), 66-71.
2018 Dooley, K. (2018). Virtual reality: moving beyond a cinema of attractions. Screen Education, (88), 96-103.
2018 Dooley, K. (2018). Scripting the virtual: formats and development paths for recent Australian narrative 360-degree virtual reality projects. Journal of Screenwriting, 9(2), 175-189.
DOI Scopus25
2017 Dooley, K. (2017). Storytelling with virtual reality in 360-degrees: a new screen grammar. Studies in Australasian Cinema, 11(3), 161-171.
DOI Scopus116
2017 Dooley, K. (2017). Digital 'underwriting': a script development technique in the age of media convergence. Journal of Screenwriting, 8(3), 287-302.
DOI Scopus7
2017 Dooley, K. (2017). Nurtured by nature: reconnection and respite in all the time in the world. Screen Education, (85), 36-41.
2017 Dooley, K., & Sexton Finck, L. (2017). A focus on collaboration: fostering Australian screen production students' teamwork skills. Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability, 8(1), 74-105.
DOI
2016 Dooley, K. (2016). Screenwriting the body in Fireflies: an analysis of the devising and writing process. Journal of Writing in Creative Practice, 9(1-2), 127-147.
DOI Scopus5
2015 Dooley, K. (2015). Haptic visions of unstable bodies in the work of Claire Denis. Continuum: journal of media & cultural studies, 29(3), 434-444.
DOI Scopus5

Year Citation
2025 Erhart, J., Dooley, K., & Barnett, T. (2025). The role of educational environments in influencing the experience of women and gender diverse people in the virtual production sector. In T. Barnett (Ed.), Source details - Title: Beyond Virtual Production: Integrating Production Technologies (pp. 140-150). US: Routledge.
DOI Scopus1
2025 Erhart, J., Dooley, K., & Barnett, T. (2025). Lost in the Virtual Abyss: Female Participation and Experience in Virtual Production Industry and Educational Contexts in Australia. In S. Mitchell (Ed.), Source details - Title: The screens of virtual production what is real? (pp. 255-268). UK: Routledge.
DOI Scopus1
2025 Dooley, K. (2025). Exploring homelessness in virtual reality documentary: The scripting of Rose Troche’s We Live Here (2020, USA). In Shaping Global Cultures Through Screenwriting Women Who Write Our Worlds (pp. 257-268).
2024 Dooley, K. (2024). A case study of VR story development: fire escape (2019). In K. Dooley, & A. Munt (Eds.), Source details - Title: Screenwriting for Virtual Reality: Story, Space and Experience (Vol. Part F2584, pp. 179-204). Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan.
DOI
2024 Dooley, K., & Munt, A. (2024). Screenwriting for virtual reality: future directions. In K. Dooley, & A. Munt (Eds.), Source details - Title: Screenwriting for Virtual Reality: Story, Space and Experience (Vol. Part F2584, pp. 305-313). Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan.
DOI Scopus1
2024 Dooley, K., & Munt, A. (2024). An introduction to screenwriting for virtual reality. In K. Dooley, & A. Munt (Eds.), Source details - Title: Screenwriting for Virtual Reality: Story, Space and Experience (Vol. Part F2584, pp. 1-26). Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan.
DOI Scopus2
2024 Dooley, K. (2024). Writing as design: the future of houses, a transformative single-player VR experience. In K. Dooley, & A. Munt (Eds.), Source details - Title: Screenwriting for Virtual Reality: Story, Space and Experience (Vol. Part F2584, pp. 129-154). Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan.
DOI Scopus1
2023 Erhart, J., & Dooley, K. (2023). Double trouble? Charting the experiences of Australian women picture editors over age 50. In S. Liddy (Ed.), Source details - Title: Women, Ageing and the Screen Industries: Falling off a Cliff? (pp. 19-39). Switzerland: Springer.
DOI
2023 Dooley, K. (2023). Exploring viewer positioning and attention cues in a cinematic virtual reality documentary: a creative research project. In C. Rogers, K. Munro, L. Burke, & C. Brady (Eds.), Source details - Title: Constructions of the Real: Intersections of Documentary-Based Film Practice and Theory (pp. 246-257). UK: Intellect.
DOI
2023 Dooley, K. (2023). Traversing space in The Under Presents (2019), a VR Game. In L. Holloway-Attaway, & J. Murray (Eds.), Event/exhibition information: 16th International Conference on Interactive Digital Storytelling, ICIDS 2023, Kobe, 11/11/2023-15/11/2023
Source details - Title: Interactive Storytelling (Vol. 14383 LNCS, pp. 442-453). Switzerland: Springer.
DOI Scopus2 WoS2
2021 Dooley, K. (2021). Crafting immersive experiences: a case study of the development of three short narrative cinematic virtual reality (CVR) projects. In S. Taylor, & C. Batty (Eds.), Source details - Title: The Palgrave Handbook of Script Development (pp. 503-515). Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan.
DOI Scopus4
2019 Dooley, K. (2019). Navigating the mind/body divide: the female cannibal in French films Grave (Raw, 2016), Dans ma peau (In My Skin, 2002), and Trouble Every Day (2001). In S. Holland, R. Shail, & S. Gerrard (Eds.), Source details - Title: Gender and Contemporary Horror in Film (pp. 53-66). UK: Emerald Publishing.
DOI Scopus4
2019 Dooley, K. (2019). Writing bodies: developing and scripting an embodied feature film screenplay. In Source details - Title: The Palgrave Handbook of Screen Production (Vol. 10, pp. 131-144). Germany: Palgrave Macmillan.
DOI Scopus1
2019 Dooley, K. (2019). Teaching screen arts in Australia: challenges, opportunities and current trends. In C. Batty (Ed.), Source details - Title: The Palgrave Handbook of Screen Production (pp. 427-441). Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan.
DOI Scopus3
2017 Murray, V., & Dooley, K. (2017). 52 Tuesdays: community filmmaking in a global context. In S. Malik, C. Chapain, & R. Comunian (Eds.), Source details - Title: Community Filmmaking: Diversity, Practices and Places (pp. 83-97). US: Routledge.
DOI
2017 Murray, V., & Dooley, K. (2017). 52 tuesdays: Community filmmaking in a global context. In S. Malik, C. Chapain, & R. Comunian (Eds.), Community Filmmaking Diversity Practices and Places (pp. 83-97). Routledge.
DOI
2015 Dooley, K. (2015). Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923) [Henriette-Rosine Bernard] the first modern celebrity. In M. Abecassis, & M. Block (Eds.), Source details - Title: French Cinema in Close up: La Vie d’un acteur pour moi (pp. 52-54). UK: Phaeton Publishing.
2015 Conway, K., Dooley, K., Harrod, M., Hayward, S., Martin, F., Selbo, J., . . . Von Kassel Siambani, E. (2015). France. In J. Nelmes, & J. Selbo (Eds.), Source details - Title: Women Screenwriters: An International Guide (pp. 311-362). UK: Palgrave Macmillan.
DOI

Year Citation
2026 Dooley, K. (2026). A Shared Field of Perception: Voice Over and Focalisation in Extended Reality (XR). In M. C. Reyes, & F. Nack (Eds.), Lecture Notes in Computer Science Vol. 16375 LNCS (pp. 15-28). MALTA: SPRINGER INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHING AG.
DOI
2015 Dooley, K. (2015). Fostering students' collaboration skills in university-based screen production courses. In C. Batty (Ed.), What’s This Space? Screen Practice, Audiences and Education for the Future Decade (pp. 1-10). Australia: Aspera.
  • The Lost Twin, History Trust of South Australia, 01/11/2025 - 30/11/2026
  • Skills SA: Building Capability Projects Skills Gaps in the Advertising and Design Sector, SA Minister for Education, Training and Skills, 28/07/2022 - 01/05/2023

Courses I teach

  • ARCH 2045 UniSA Creative Study Tour (2025)
  • COMM 2084 Narrative Film (2024)
  • INFT 1015 Hollywood Film and Television (2024)
  • INFT 1029 UO Introduction to Video Production (2024)

Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
2025 Principal Supervisor Exploring Female Representation in Australian Television Drama - Doctorate Part Time Ms Rebecca Jane Ella Meston
2024 Co-Supervisor Reformatory schoolgirls: exploring escape and rebellion through historical fiction - Doctorate Part Time Ms Charlotte Chalklen
2023 Principal Supervisor Designing videogames for an embodied experience: developing an independent Virtual Reality horror videogame using Unreal Engine 5 - Doctorate Full Time Mr George William Martin
2023 Principal Supervisor Entangling agencies: towards an ethical framework for impact producing - Doctorate Part Time Ms Alex Kelly

Date Role Membership Country
2025 - ongoing President The Australian Screen Production, Education and Research Association -
2022 - ongoing Member The Mercury -
2012 - ongoing Member Screenwriting Research Network -

Date Office Name Institution Country
2024 - ongoing Senior Research Affiliate, Expanded Humanities lab University of Hong Kong China

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