SPECTATOR
Topic Title
“Follow the money:
financing and industrial practices in contemporary international cinema”
Vol. 32, no 2, Fall 2012
Description of topic
No matter where and how
films are made, the reality of how budgets are raised and spent ultimately
determines the final product. Around the world, national and transnational
institutions such as studios, coproduction entities and film boards have
established various models of financing, which have been challenged by recent
developments such as the spread of globalization, the merging of economic
markets, political and social movements, the rapid change in media technologies
and legislation changes. With the advent of new digital technologies and the
Internet, new practices have emerged, while institutions such as film festivals
and non-profit organizations have become more and more involved in packaging,
distributing and therefore shaping the film product. While it is a commonplace
statement to say that the analysis of industrial practices reveals why today’s
cinematic landscape looks the way it does, the need is arising for more
scholarly work dedicated to non-US, out-of-the-mainstream industrial and
financing practices, as well as to their newest shifts and developments.
Especially in the light of recent American debates regarding the limits of
government participation in certain industries, the relevance of government
(non)intervention and regulation becomes more clear and it is necessary to
examine alternative policy models and their comparative degrees of success.
We invite contributions
that take a scholarly approach to the question: Where does the money come from,
and how do the financing sources and practices result in quantity, quality and
content of cinema products? While
we welcome historical approaches of transformations, shifts and ruptures in
industrial environments as well as essays that offer a new approach or reveal
new historical data about the American studio system, we are hoping to focus
this journal issue on international and non-mainstream American modes of
financing in a contemporary global context. We are looking for quantitative
studies that trace the relationship between financing, production and changing
audiences, analyses of the correlation between various industrial models and
the emergence of national cinemas, auteurs or “waves” and essays that reveal
the importance of various institutional factors (festivals, guilds and unions,
local and national governments, but also bankable stars and innovative
technologies) as well as the emergence of new modes of financing and their
potential. Some suggested topics are outlined below.
Deadline for Submission
November 23, 2011
Spectator is a biannual
publication and submissions that address the above topics in the following areas
are now invited for submission:
Successful industrial models in non-western
countries (Bollywood, Nollywood, Iran); how are the content and the critical success of the product influenced
by the financing models?
European models – public
national and regional financing, its downsides and upsides, European Union,
state, regional and local policies
US policy, legislation
and financing sources. Local and state-level financing, tax incentives, union
regulations and how they influence the choice of locations, crew, casting and
story
Models of industrial
transition: Eastern Europe, other post-revolutionary or post-colonial
situations
Changes of financing and
industrial practices in the light of new technological developments. Did the
digital revolution really democratize the process of filmmaking, as some had
hoped? Are there more films, more accessible to the public, are they more
personal and more industry-resistant?
Transnational industrial
practices (coproductions, language-determined international distribution, DVD
region restrictions, policy of supporting foreign-language productions) and
their consequences
Trends and shifts in
revenue streams – how do films make money around the world today, and how do
changes in exhibition practice change the production of content?
The role and functioning
of film festivals, film markets, competitions, awards and grants, and how they
encourage the creation of a festival-driven, critically-acclaimed auteur both
in Europe and in the US
New and unconventional
modes of financing and fundraising, and how they shape the industry
Dogmas and manifestos:
when artistic practice meets financial practicality. Relationship between
auteur cinema and financial autonomy/independence.
How is cinema defined
through financing and industrial practices? How does it fit in the media
industrial landscape of today?
Contact information
Ioana Uricaru
2657 Van Buren place,
Los Angeles, CA, 90007
323-252-1149
ioana.uricaru@gmail.com
Manuscripts to be
considered for publication should be sent to:
University of Southern
California
School of Cinematic Arts
Critical Studies
SCA, Room 320
Los Angeles, CA
90089-2211
Attn: Ioana Uricaru
One copy of manuscript
should be submitted as well as a copy on disk. Submissions can also be e-mailed
directly. Manuscripts should include the title of the contribution and the name
(s) of authors. As well as the postal address, e-mail address, and phone
numbers for author who will work with the editor on any revisions. All pages
should be numbered consecutively. Contributions should not be more than 5,000
words. They should also include a brief abstract for publicity. Authors should
also include a brief biographic entry. Rejected manuscripts will not be
returned.
Articles submitted to
the Spectator should not be under consideration by any other journal.
Book Reviews may vary in
length from 300 to 1,000 words. Please include title of book, retail price and
ISBN at the beginning of the review.
Forum or Additional
Section contributions can include works on new archival or research facilities
or methods as well as other relevant works related to the field.
Electronic Submissions
and Formatting. Authors should send copies of their work via e-mail as
electronic attachments. Please keep backup files of all disks. Files should be
Microsoft Word in PC or Mac format, depending on the editor's preference.
Endnotes should conform to the Chicago Manual of Style.
Upon acceptance, a
format guideline will be forwarded to all contributors as to image and text
requirements.
Current Board for
Spectator
Founding Editor:
Marsha Kinder
Managing Editor:
William Whittington
Issue Editor:
Ioana Uricaru
Subscription Information
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90089-2211
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