Production Studies : Cultural Studies of Media Industries

"Behind-the-scenes" stories of ranting directors, stingy producers, temperamental actors, and the like have fascinated us since the beginnings of film and television. Today, magazines, websites, television programs, and DVDs are devoted to telling tales of trade lore—from on-set antics to labor disputes. The production of media has become as storied and mythologized as the content of the films and TV shows themselves. Production Studies is the first volume to bring together a star-studded cast of interdisciplinary media scholars to examine the unique cultural practices of media production. The all-new essays collected here combine ethnographic, sociological, critical, material, and political-economic methods to explore a wide range of topics, from contemporary industrial trends such as new media and niche markets to gender and workplace hierarchies. Together, the contributors seek to understand how the entire span of "media producers"—ranging from high-profile producers and directors to anonymous stagehands and costume designers—work through professional organizations and informal networks to form communities of shared practices, languages, and cultural understandings of the world. This landmark collection connects the cultural activities of media producers to our broader understanding of media practices and texts, establishing an innovative and agenda-setting approach to media industry scholarship for the twenty-first century. Contributors: Miranda J. Banks, John T. Caldwell, Christine Cornea, Laura Grindstaff, Felicia D. Henderson, Erin Hill, Jane Landman, Elana Levine, Amanda D. Lotz, Paul Malcolm, Denise Mann, Vicki Mayer, Candace Moore, Oli Mould, Sherry B. Ortner, Matt Stahl, John L. Sullivan, Serra Tinic, Stephen Zafirau This Collection Of New Essays Explores The Cultures, Social Organisation, Work Practices And Belief Systems Of Media Practitioners. Sections Result From A Combination Of Situated Fieldwork, Empirical Or From-the-ground-up Studies And Critical Analysis. Introduction: Production Studies: Roots And Routes / Vicki Mayer, Miranda J. Banks, And John T. Caldwell -- Part I. Histories Of Media Production Studies. Bringing The Social Back In : Studies Of Production Cultures And Social Theory / Vicki Mayer ; Industry-level Studies And The Contributions Of Gitlin's Inside Prime Time / Amanda D. Lotz ; Leo C. Rosten's Hollywood : Power, Status, And The Primacy Of Economic And Social Networks In Cultural Production / John L. Sullivan ; Privilege And Distinction In Production Worlds : Copyright, Collective Bargaining, And Working Conditions In Media Making / Matt Stahl --^ Part Ii. Producers: Selves And Others. Self-serve Celebrity : The Production Of Ordinariness And The Ordinariness Of Production In Reality Television / Laura Grindstaff ; Gender Below-the-line : Defining Feminist Production Studies / Miranda J. Banks ; It's Not Tv, It's Brand Management Tv : The Collective Author(s) Of The Lost Franchise / Denise Mann ; Showrunning The Doctor Who Franchise : A Response To Denise Mann / Christine Cornea -- Part Iii. Production Spaces: Centers And Peripheries. Liminal Places And Spaces : Public/private Considerations / Candace Moore ; Not In Kansas Anymore : Transnational Collaboration In Television Science Fiction Production / Jane Landman ; Crossing The Border : Studying Canadian Television Production / Elana Levine ; Borders Of Production Research : A Response To Elana Levine / Serra Tinic --^ Part Iv. Production As Lived Experience. Studying Sideways : Ethnographic Access In Hollywood / Sherry B. Ortner ; Audience Knowledge And The Everyday Lives Of Cultural Producers In Hollywood / Stephen Zafirau ; Lights, Camera, But Where's The Action? Actor-network Theory And The Production Of Robert Connolly's Three Dollars / Oli Mould ; Both Sides Of The Fence : Blurred Distinctions In Scholarship And Production (a Portfolio Of Interviews) / John T. Caldwell ; The Craft Association / Paul Malcolm ; Hollywood Assistanting / Erin Hill ; The Writers' Room / Felicia D. Henderson. Edited By Vicki Mayer, Miranda J. Banks, John T. Caldwell. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [231]-241) And Index.