An investigation of Pierre de Wet’s role in the Afrikaans film industry using social network analysis (SNA)

Burgert A Senekal

doi:10.4102/lit.v35i1.1099

Abstract

Although the film industry – like the literary system – can be described as a cultural system or field, systems theory remains largely unexplored in South African film studies, as does the more recent network theory. Systems theory and network theory both emphasise the relationships of an entity within a larger context, arguing that an entity should be studied within the relationships in which it functions. Recently, researchers have suggested that network theory can be integrated with polysystem theory to study the interactions between entities in the literary system. This article illustrates the potential of using social network analysis (SNA) as an investigative tool to identify and describe the role of an entity within the context of the film industry by focusing on one of the seminal Afrikaans film makers: Pierre de Wet. Pierre de Wet has been intricately involved with the beginnings of the Afrikaans film industry, collaborating with, amongst others, some of the most prolific film editors, producers,cinematographers and music composers. His major collaborators are highlighted as well as his central position in the Afrikaans film industry, taking into account the entire Afrikaans film industry from its origin to the contemporary period. The article also makes suggestions for further research.

Highlights

The social environment is a complex system (Barabási 2009:413; Mitchell 2006:1195) in which the interactions between millions of role players result in the emergence of a higher function than the total of individual contributions
There are differences between systems theory and network theory, in essence, both focus on the relationships between entities in a system or network and both theoretical paradigms argue that the total functionality of a system is the result of the interactions between http://www.literator.org.za doi:10.4102/lit.v35i1.1099
Pierre de Wet is often seen as the father of the Afrikaans film industry and, as this article has shown, he has a large number of ties to people who were involved with a large number of films during the industry’s beginning years

Summary

Introduction

The social environment is a complex system (Barabási 2009:413; Mitchell 2006:1195) in which the interactions between millions of role players result in the emergence of a higher function than the total of individual contributions. The article does not attempt to discuss De Wet’s individual works, as done by Gutsche (1972), Tomaselli (1988) and Botha (2006b, 2012), but rather to use SNA to highlight some of De Wet’s principal collaborators, and to identify De Wet’s structural position in the industry To facilitate such an investigation, a database was compiled that includes entities such as films, directors, film editors, producers, writers, cinematographers, music composers, production companies and distribution companies that were involved in the Afrikaans film industry, spanning nearly a century (from 1916–2013). A director will in all likelihood learn more about his craft as his career progresses; being involved in a large number of films creates a number of opportunities to learn from experience These are the most active people and production companies in this period, but it is important to consider people’s roles in terms of whether they were directors, producers, writers, editors, cinematographers or music composers.

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Conclusion

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