Antoni Roig TeloOpen University of Catalonia (UOC)Mediaccions Research Group (www.mediacciones.es)

ATACD. Changing Cultures: Cultures of Change Barcelona, 10-12 December, 2009

Where mass media and social production meet: change and continuity in participatory audiovisual projects

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Presentation summary

Research framework and focus First stage (2004-2008)

Methodology and case studies Practices observed Conclusions

Current and future research

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Research framework

• Interest in changes in the relationship between media industries and audiences in an environment where:– Consumers can become (and/or be legimitzed

as) content producers– ‘Success stories’ around self-produced

complex cinema-based media -> ‘alternative media ecosystem’? (Hanson, 2007)

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Research focus

– Main challenges and transformations in contemporary cinema production

– Interrelations between movie industries and consumers

– Main practices related to participatory media production

– Elements of change and continuity

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Methodology: practices

Theories of practice as a body of theory and a

methodological tool to observe nexus of

doings and sayings when people engage in

any kind of social activity (Schatzki,

1996,2001; Swidler, 2001; Reckwitz, 2003)

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Methodology: practices

– Any kind of social activity as a complex interrelation of practices.

– Potential for the analysis of creative practices (Knorr-Cetina, 2001; Ardevol et al., 2007)

– ‘Consumption’ and ‘media’ as an open set of

practices (Warde, 2005; Couldry, 2009)– Shift from objects/ texts to organizational

forms (companies, collectives)

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Case study structure

X-ILE PICTURES (USA): related to fan

culture

Energia Productions (Finland): related to

fan cultureComparative

A Swarm Of Angels/ ASOA (UK): related to ‘open source culture’

Transference

Transference

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X-ILE Pictures (USA): brand of director and entrepreneur Shane Felux since 2006, particularly renowned for his Star Wars fan movies: Revelations (2005) and Pitching Lucas (2006). In 2007 and 2008 Felux produced for Stage 9 Media (affiliated with Disney) the sci-fi webseries Trenches

Cases overview

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Energia Productions (Finland): brand established in 2006 by the Finnish team behind popular fan film Star Wreck: in the pirkinning fan film (considered the first feature film freely distributed on the Internet). Alliated with Universal Pictures Scandinavia for a commercial DVD release; presently co-producing sci-fi comedy Iron Sky and promoting a collaborative movie platform, Wreck a movie

Cases overview

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A Swarm Of Angels (UK): project initiated by Matt Hanson in 2006 with the aim of building a community for the collaborative development of an open source movie from its early stages. Redefinition of the production process as important as final product

Cases overview

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Families of practices observed

• Organizing practices (at early stages of practice)

construction of normativity, hierarchy,legitimation (meta-practices)

• Performative practices

motivations behind the practice

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Families of practices observed

• Production-oriented practices

conception and elaboration of ‘objects’• Finance-oriented practices

business models, engagement of communities (i.e. crowdfunding)

• Circulation-oriented practices

flexibility of licenses, promotion strategies• Self-promotion oriented practices

visibility of brand and creative core • Participation-oriented practices

engagement and integration of followers as participants into project and processes

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Conclusions: industries, audiences and practices

• Practices as playful appropriation and reflection of industrial processes ‘play’ and ‘play with’

potential of transformation/ transgression of the rules of the cultural industries

• Challenge on traditional notions of production and consumption

• Complexity and interrelation between different families of practices

• Cultural and industrial contexts as sources of legitimationconstitutive rules

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• Organizations as participatory cultural expressions AND companies

• Cultural production forms are not at odds with industry: more synergies than conflict

• Recruitment by the industry vs. ‘assimilation’• Multiple motivations for participants• Alternative creative practices Alternative

production model?• Double aperture, understood as the necessary

combination of:– Open access to objects– Open participation in creative processes

Conclusions: change and continuity

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….2

Years

Later…

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The original cases in 2009

• X-ILE Pictures: still awaiting for Trenches’ online release, after two years since productionProject sold to ‘another big studio’

• Energia Productions: Iron Sky in development for 2010 release; intense promotional strategy and development of online platform Wreck a Movie

• A Swarm of Angels: project on hold. Latest schedule for re-launch: early 2010. Currently accessible via Twitter

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Emerging and consolidating trends

– Popularization of participation practices related to media

– Participation as commodity False empowerment?

– Cross-narratives – Increase of barriers of entry– Mediating agents– Effects of economic crisis– Emerging networks for independent

innovation

Emphasis on experience

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Key issues for further research

• Attention to local reality• Is there really an ‘alternative ecosystem’?• Need to categorize models and evaluate impact

Need to refine what’s behind ‘participation’• Need to scrutinize working conditions, industry

strategies and actual expectations for independent creation

• Impact of the economic crisis (i.e. emphasis on funding)

• Power relations between agents involved

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Present cases

La Wikipeli (‘The wikimovie’) (2009): community-based short movie; part of an advertising campaign for Mahou, leading beer company in Spain

Digitalent Foundation: initiative aimed at fostering emergent creative talent through the development of innovative projects in the so-called Talent Factory (to be later sold to the industry

El cosmonauta (‘The cosmonaut’): independent feature project based in user participation, crowdfunding and remixable content. Shooting scheduled for 2010

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Thanks for your attention

aroigt@uoc.edu