Audiovisual Industry Research Articles

The New Northern Ireland as a Crime Scene

This article explores the increased attractiveness of a ‘post-conflict’ Belfast as a television setting for British television police series. The Fall (2013, 2016), Bloodlands (2021) and Marcella (2021) are all set in Belfast, while most of the hit series Line of Duty (2012–) has been filmed in Northern Ireland. How do these new Belfast-set crime dramas negotiate the tropes and iconography of twentieth-century Troubles Belfast, while also participating in the transformation of the city associated with the arrival of transnational audiovisual industries? While recognising that much recent scholarship focuses on the creation of the Titanic Quarter through the redevelopment of the Harland & Wolff shipyard and the production of the HBO-Warner series, Game of Thrones, this article pursues the recent appearances of contemporary Belfast on screen in Bloodlands, Marcella (2021) and Line of Duty. Building on scholarship, such as the work of John Hill, Martin McLoone and Ruth Barton which has established the contours of the Troubles film, the history of Belfast on film and genre in the Northern Ireland context, the existence of an identifiable chronotope ‘Troubles Belfast’ is proposed. Is Belfast recognisable as a specific place outside a Troubles chronotope? What are the stories that can be told of Northern Ireland outside a Troubles chronotope? In particular, which is pertinent to an industry desperate to maintain its attractiveness to transnational productions, the tension between the identification of Belfast as a specific place and the generation of new and different stories is explored in the case studies. To what extent is the televisual use of the new screen Belfast caught in the paradox that it is the old Belfast which makes it an attractive setting for crime drama?

Focus on the Differentiation Strategy of Mango TV from the Perspective of Variety

With the rise of short video, the internal competition of long video in the previous network audition industry has been changed, but the long video platform is still the main force in the network audio-visual industry. From the perspective of effective broadcast data, Mango TV obviously lags behind rivals such as iQiyi and Tencent Video in the whole network of movie and TV plays. In such a competitive environment, based on the consideration of its own internal advantages, Mango TV implements the differentiation strategic decision, which is embodied in the differentiation of products, services and image. Through the analysis of internal and external environment, according to the internal advantages of Mango TV: strong technical support, positive energy values, management system based on user's thinking and flexible management system, this paper analyzes the differentiated development strategy of its variety-based track, and points out that Mango TV's adherence to the differentiated development strategy has certain reference significance for the development of China's online audio-visual industry and other industries.

The failing promise of the audio-visual industries for national development: the history of seventy years of film policy in Jamaica, 1948–2018

The purpose of this article is to evaluate the promotion of the audio-visual industries as a means of national development in post-war Jamaica. Since the late 1940s Jamaica has aimed to evolve into a modern society, moving from an agrarian to an industrial and, later, service economy. Besides the tourism industry, the film industry has always been part and parcel of the island’s modernization goal. While the focus on the film industry as a development strategy is nowadays recognized in many small island developing states (SIDS), so far little attention has been given to the making of film policy in these contexts through time. To fill at least part of this gap, this article traces Jamaica’s history of state support for film production from the late 1940s until the late 2010s. The seventy-year chronicle of Jamaican policymaking for the audio-visual industries will demonstrate that location filmmaking has long served a specific discourse to foster economic growth and diversification on the island. However, this discourse, part of the wider celebratory discourse of the creative industries, has not been able to fulfill its promise of becoming a key driver of the Jamaican economy and contributing significantly to the island’s national development.

The Role of Social Capital and Knowledge Capital for Freelance Creative Workers in Audiovisual Industry

This study explains how capitals shape the survival strategy of freelance creative workers who work in a precarious situations in the commercial audiovisual industry. This study was conducted with a qualitative approach. Through in-depth interviews with freelance creative workers, online observations, and digital data collection, this study shows that the survival strategy of the workers can be explained further based on capital analysis focused on social capital and knowledge capital as the recognized and valued capital in the field. Both the social and knowledge capital of the workers, accompanied by workers' capacity to accumulate and convert them continuously, are relevant in shaping workers' survival strategy, which leads to the establishment of a positive reputation and capacity enhancement. This eventually leads them to gain employability and occupy strategic positioning, reflected in high bargaining power and work opportunities in the industry sustainably, as it becomes their alternative job security to survive amidst precarious conditions

World Broadcasters’ Unions as the Institution of TV Industry Development and Support in XXI Century

The purpose of the research is to analyse the missions, key directions, and principles of work of the main world broadcasters’ union as a significant institutional aspect of the TV industry development and audio-visual culture in the XXI century. Methodology of the research. In the article, firstly, a system approach is used to look at the broadcasters’ union as the integral element of the TV and audio-visual industry. Secondly, a principle of the historical neo-institutionalism is applied, in accordance to which the broadcasters’ unions are accepted as the historically formed structures and institutions that condition the processes of this branch development and support, and the institutional trajectory chosen by them determines the parameters of television discourse today. Scientific novelty of the research. For the first time at the scientific article level, the position and peculiarities of the broadcasters’ unions as the institutional development and support of the TV industry in the XXI century were considered. Conclusions. The significance of the role of the world broadcasters’ unions was emphasized, which in the XXI century remain one of the key subjects and players in the international media market. On the example of such institutions as the European Broadcasting Union, African Union of Broadcasting, Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union, we have proven that the world broadcasters’ unions remain a powerful tool of influence on the international arena and a driver of the TV and audio-visual industries development at the modern stage. These unions provide normative and technical support of their members, exchange of technologies, programs and innovations, create conditions for learning and cooperation (through conferences, working groups, trainings), international frequency planning and coordination, promote the influence of the TV industry and audio-visual industry on the social-economic development of a region.
 Key words: audio-visual industry, TV industry, broadcasting, broadcasters’ unions, EBU, AUB, ABU.

Audiovisual production in Brazil: Will its public support survive the new political scenario?

This article discusses public funding of the development of Brazilian audiovisual production and the main agents involved in its conception and implementation. Public policies impacted the total revenue of US$ 4.5 billion of the national audiovisual industry in 2014, representing approximately 0.45% of the national GDP and surpassing the percentage participation of sectors such as the pharmaceutical industry. This article addresses the question of whether this innovative Brazilian policy for promoting audiovisual production can be considered to be wellconsolidated, with a well-structured active production chain. It discusses how the policy originated, how it became institutionalized, and the contribution provided by those who played a key role in its development and implementation (2009–2016). The analysis draws on theories relating to the political economy of communication. The research methods and techniques adopted include analysis of data from Brazilian government agencies, exhibitors, professional and trade-union associations, and media groups.

On the Question of Formation and Development of the Animation Industry in the XX — Beginning of XXI Century

The purpose of the article is to analyze distinct aspects of the formation and development of the animation industry during XX — at the beginning of XXI century in connection with the movie industry and broadcasting mainly in the USA that allows a deep understanding of the essence and peculiarities of audiovisual industry functioning as the separate segment of creative industry.
 The methodology. On the basis of the historical approach and also methods of data collecting and analytical and synthetical processing, qualitative analysis of development was conducted. It was found out that today the animation industry is a separate segment of audiovisual industry, that had overcome a difficult way of development in co-evolution with the movie and TV industries that have survived in the globalization of production and its distribution.
 The results. The industry of animation appeared in the USA under the influence of cinematography and its further formation was determined by two main factors: technological development that enabled diversified markets and products, improved animators’ ability to express their own creative ideas, besides, assisted to enlarge the global market and many regional market niches, and also the tendency of cost decrease of production that provided the basic conditions for the animation production in other countries-subcontractors. 
 After the World War II a sharp drop in showing animated cartoons in the cinema was observed but with the appearance and spreading of TV for the animated industry new possibilities became available. Significant changes happened in 1980 when after almost a decade break, 2D animated films were actively made for the cinemas, and within the animated industry two measurements were formed — local-artisanal and global Hollywood system. Technological determinism brought new markets and two tendencies into animated production: mass production for the non-theatrical markets, CGI in the world market. Using cheap software and fast rendering of CGI-animation have changed forever the TV animation and had a huge influence on the geography of the animated industry.
 The scientific novelty. Analysis of the animation through the prism of branch industrialization during XX — beginning XXI century.
 The practical significance. The material of the given article can be used for the development of program or strategies for the animated industry development in Ukraine as a foreign experience.

Women in the Italian television industry: Tradition or innovation?

Starting from the hypothesis that gender is embedded in the global contemporary society’s individual, interactional and institutional dimensions, this research proposes recognizing female employment and empowerment in major Italian audio-visual companies. A progressive increase in the representation of women in creative, productive and managerial positions within Italian television can create a greater understanding of the difficulties of being a working woman and provide the added value of a female presence in Italian audio-visual companies. In addition to official data, this article analyses the primary data of 30 in-depth interviews with TV producers, authors and managers of successful Italian television programmes. This methodology aims to trace a set of personal and professional career trajectories and their distinctive and innovative contributions to Italian audio-visual industries. My intention is to highlight which Italian production contexts are currently favourable to the empowerment of women workers in the television industry and outline future trends.

Impact of Global Streaming Platforms on Television Production

The television industry is facing new challenges when adapting to the current streaming ‎culture and exploring possibilities of digital distribution. Global streaming services are perceived as a‎ major source of audiovisual entertainment in various countries regardless of the cultural and national‎ heritage of the viewers and thus market competition has immensely increased. This paper focuses on the ‎influence of global video-on-demand (VOD) services on audiovisual production on a national scale. The‎ emphasis is on television production as the audience is transferring into the digital environment – this ‎is perceived as an opportunity for television to appear more competitive while drawing on its unique‎ knowledge of the national audience. The case study demonstrates how the audiovisual industry in the ‎Czech Republic is an example of a strongly nationally oriented market whose evolvement is impacted by‎ the presence of global platforms such as Netflix or HBO Max. Furthermore, by providing examples from ‎the Czech platforms’ market, the case study also illustrates the expansion of local broadcasting providers ‎into the digital sphere.‎

Absence and Distortion in the Self-Representation of LGBTQ+ Narratives

ABSTRACT This research uses a mixed quantitative and descriptive approach to analyze the representation of LGBTQ+ people in YouTube fiction produced by Singaporean filmmakers. It observes the general characteristics of such portrayals with a particular focus on the characters’ gender and identity expressions. Simultaneously, a qualitative study analyzes these observations in greater depth by means of discourse analysis on two levels. A macro level identifies the ideas conveyed by the narratives and a micro level identifies the portrayal of stereotypes, types of masculinity, visibility of sexual orientation and affective/sexual relations. The results show that Singaporean LGBTQ+ filmmakers depict homonormative characters and follow cis-heteronormative canons. They do not advocate for the normalization of LGBTQ+ realities, and instead present distorted constructions of LGBTQ+ people that do little to encourage their acceptance. This does not contribute to any improvement in sociocultural views of non-normative sexual and gender orientations and negatively impacts the LGBTQ+ identity. Moreover, LGBTQ+ people from the country’s ethnic minorities are ignored. These results inform academia, audiovisual industries and regulators about the representation of LGBTQ+ people in fictional products in countries where queer populations still face stigmatization and marginalization.

Of how streaming platforms are changing the audiovisual space in Latin America

ABSTRACT This essay focuses on the way streaming services participate in the production and distribution of films and series in Argentina. It is part of a more general attempt to comprehend ways in which multinational media corporations are altering the Latin American audiovisual space, given that global/local interactions have become ever more integrated. Thus, the series El marginal and El reino offer evidence to analyse the interfaces between public and private, foreign and domestic organizations that negotiated the creation and distribution of both series. They also illuminate certain aspects of the narratives (genre tropes, universalized content) that may have contributed to their international success. Substantial foreign funding and ease of availability through streaming platforms have placed otherwise obscure series at the centre of global attention. But there are foreign corporations that come to Latin America just to take advantage of inexpensive production opportunities. While they create job alternatives for local audiovisual workers, some critics are asking whether there is an audiovisual sovereignty that needs to be reclaimed, in view of the foreign intervention. Reframing such question, this work proposes that constructing a national culture through the audiovisual industry does not entail being alienated from global currents – development may depend on negotiation and integration.

The convergence of technologies and creative decisions during making visual image in the film industry: analysis of ecosystem connections

The scientific investigation is an attempt to reveal a mutual influence of technical and artistic-creative attempt of the process of making a visual image in the cinema in the XX century and at the beginning of the XXI century, and also to justify the main thesis that the evolution and functioning of the ecosystem of audio-visual production and its important component of the film industry depends on the convergence of creative and technological resources in the sphere that generates a film image aesthetics. A look at the audio-visual industry as an ecosystem that includes cinema, broadcasting, video games, animation, video services on demand, web-market, etc., is an interesting and perspective methodological approach. It gives the possibility to look at this sector of creative industries as the individual and self-sufficient “dynamic and adaptive organism” that consumes, generates, and transforms knowledge into innovative audio-visual products and also combines its own resources by the principle of the convergence of technologies and creative decisions in separate industries and on the interbranch level. It produces ecosystem connections inside the branch and between separate industries that provide continuity and evolution of audio-visual production as a whole. Creating visual image in the frames of the film industry of the second part of the XX century and at the beginning of the XXI century occurs because of the convergence of technical and creative components of film- and video production that determines the step of cinematography. The creative application of the camera crane and in-frame editing, analog video, non- standard optics and increased sensitivity of film, continues to develop today in the direction of the convergence of cinema, television and the Internet based on digital cinemas, increasing the creative possibilities of filmmakers in working on a visual image and expanding the ecosystem of film production and screen communication. The symbiosis of creative decisions and audio-visual technologies in the work of film image aesthetics brings to the appearance as to the two opposite approaches in understanding the character of this convergence (“operationalism” and “techno-romanticism”), so as to dualism of the vectors of its development (“Godard’s line” and “Spielberg’s line”).

ГРАНТИ ПРОГРАМИ ЄВРОПЕЙСЬКОЇ КОМІСІЇ «КРЕАТИВНА ЄВРОПА» ДЛЯ ПРЕДСТАВНИКІВ КУЛЬТУРИ ТА КРЕАТИВНИХ ІНДУСТРІЙ

The article examines the grant possibilities of one of the largest programs of the European Commission "CREATIVE EUROPE PROGRAME". Its main objectives are demonstrated, namely: to support the creation of European works and to help the cultural and creative sectors to take advantage of the opportunities of the digital age and globalization to reach their economic potential, promoting sustainable growth, job creation and social cohesion; promote the competitiveness and innovation of the European audiovisual industry and help the European culture and media sector gain access to new international opportunities, markets and audiences; promote cross-sectoral innovative actions and diverse, independent and pluralistic media. It is noted that from 2014 to 2020, the EU program "Creative Europe" allocated 1.46 billion euros to support European projects, and for the period 2021–2027, its total budget is already 2.44 billion euros. It is emphasized that Ukraine participates in this program as a main partner or partner. It was noted that the priorities of the program are to support culture, media and intersectoral cooperation. An analysis of the peculiarities of the involvement of its financial instruments by representatives of the culture and creative industry of Ukraine is given, namely: the presence of eligibility criteria different from other programs of the European Commission, and the conditions of application in grant competitions. Success stories that Ukraine has had since joining the program have been demonstrated. It was emphasized that the European Commission considers the "Creative Europe" program to be the most advanced compared to its predecessors, which provides great opportunities for the development of culture and creative industries in the countries of the European space. It was concluded that representatives of Ukrainian cultural and creative institutions have great opportunities for both professional growth and deepening ties with colleagues from the European space. The active use of grant instruments by Ukrainian organizations will contribute to the strengthening of the cultural and creative industries of Ukraine and, as a result, will speed up Ukraines accession to the EU.

Women in the documentary industry: Continuing inequality in the streaming age

Assessing women’s role in the audiovisual industry provides us with negative data regarding the number of women in the industry, which are also confirmed when factors such as their prominence or leadership in these audiovisual projects are considered. A quantitative and qualitative analysis was thus undertaken based on the need to examine this problem in depth to determine what is happening in the documentary or nonfiction genre, which has exhibited significant growth thanks to the demand for content from subscription video-on-demand (SVoD) streaming platforms. This research analyzes data on the number, prominence, and leadership of women through a review of the 35 Spanish productions in this genre that were produced and/or distributed exclusively on the three leading platforms in Spain between 2016 and 2021. Accordingly, the 2,099 jobs created by these productions have been evaluated, providing data on the occupations and level of responsibility that women had. The research findings confirm the overall data. In addition, they allow us to determine why, although the documentary genre has been associated with greater opportunities for women, this has not held true within the streaming market, where this genre has achieved a greater impact. This underrepresentation of women is especially prominent in the area of leadership.

Generations and Branded Content from and through the Internet and Social Media: Modern Communication Strategic Techniques and Practices for Brand Sustainability—The Greek Case Study of LACTA Chocolate

A brand can get close to its audience by engaging and delivering integrated healthy and sustainable communication experiences from and through the Internet and social media. A de novo approach of branded content consumption in relation to generations and generational cohorts is highlighted through a literature review in the present article. The latest three adult generational cohorts (18 years old and older) (i.e., Generation X, Generation Y and Generation Z) are outlined under the lenses of digital technological socio-cultural culture, the media environment, and the audiovisual industry. In this framework, an audiovisual-supported case study of the Greek chocolate “LACTA” which is a characteristic and typical paradigm of re-approaching the brand, (a) through branded content from and through the Internet and social media; as well as (b) through generations is presented. The ultimate research purpose of this article is to spotlight the role of communication in sustainable development to reach a better and more sustainable future through multi-generational marketing. Therefore, historical elements through a rich bibliographic literature as a source of further study regarding the Internet, social media, and the last three generational cohorts with adults are provided. Moreover, since not all generational cohorts are alike, it also grants useful insights for the prospective role of public relations and advertising as well as modern marketing communication through the aforementioned brand case study for healthy, robust and sustainable communication.

Lesbian Identities In Audiovisual Productions

The proposal of the research is to review and analyse the role of the media as constructors of social imaginaries, and to do so, we will analyse the power of the audiovisual industry to create and re-create stereotypes about lesbians, and as generators of a social imaginary, we will also analyse lesbian plots and characters, through which direct messages are sent to society in general, but also to lesbians.Finally, after conducting discussion groups and focus groups with lesbians who have participated in the research, we present some conclusions.

Arytmetyka polskich debiutów fabularnych (2006-2021)

The author used the quantitaive method to examine the full-lenght feature polish debuts from 2006-2021. The aim of the article is to present the dynamics of the field of young polish cinema in the reality of Polish cinematography after the founding of the Polish Film Institute. The author examines the rookie’s profile in terms of age, gender and education. He also checks which entities from the audiovisual industry most willingly produced debuts, which companies most often distributed them, and what results did this type of films achieve in the box office. The research is also accompanied by an attempt to recreate the institutional environment in which young filmmakers have operated for the last 16 years.

Greening and Celebrification: The New Dimension of Celebrities through Green Production Advocacy

Screen culture and conglomerates are starting to echo the green shooting phenomena; roles such as sustainability director, eco-manager, eco-consultant, and eco-assistant are taking a more prominent space in the entertainment and cultural industry to achieve the goal of creating sustainable productions. In this current context, there seems to be a need for an agent to catch the attention of the audience to make a claim about green policies and contribute to a green literacy fabric. This opinion article recognizes that there are two types of voices, internal (scholars and practitioners) and external (celebrities and audiences), that have arisen in the audiovisual industry from different perspectives. Hence, through a theoretical approach, it tackles the particularities, typologies, and the role celebrities play as hot spots to push both viewers and creators into better decision-making models. The results show two main typologies: celebrification, in which a person becomes famous due to their sustainable actions, provoking a metonymic effect, and recelebrification, when famous people or well-known figures redefine their status by acting sustainable, producing a synecdoche effect. In conclusion, it is difficult to define what goes before and what goes after: whether it is the celebrity who passes the attributes onto production or whether it is the production that, by its characteristics, passes its attributes onto the celebrity.

Time Bomb from the West: Video, the Advertising Industry, and Consumer Culture in Late-Socialist Czechoslovakia

Time Bomb from the West: Video, the Advertising Industry, and Consumer Culture in Late-Socialist Czechoslovakia

Mujeres directivas y creadoras en el audiovisual. Análisis de las series de ficción españolas presentes en los catálogos de Amazon Prime Video, Movistar+ y Netflix (2019-2021)

This paper studies the presence of female directors and creators in Spanish fiction series released by Movistar+, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video between 2019 and 2021. We reviewed the literature, analysed the technical specifications of the 66 Spanish fiction series released during the study period on the 3 platforms and carried out a semi-structured questionnaire with 15 female directors and creators to find out their perspective on the situation of women in the Spanish audiovisual industry. The results indicate a great inequality in decision-making positions, with women occupying 29.7% of these roles. Parity is a distant goal, with only 20.9% of female directors, 32% of female producers and 33.4% of female scriptwriters, while only 6.1% of titles are conceived with a gender approach. The difficulties faced by women in the sector and the prejudices about their ability are highlighted, as well as the need for them to occupy positions of responsibility and to be able to promote a greater presence of women in the teams.