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Universitat Internacional de Catalunya

Audiovisual Industry Management

Audiovisual Industry Management
3
11595
1
Third term
OB
Main language of instruction: English

Teaching staff

Introduction

The audiovisual sector provides tools and strategies of communication between cultural institutions and its audiences. But of course, audiovisual products themselves are expressions of cultural values and create their own complex, influential and far-reaching discourses. Apart from just being “tools”, audiovisual products are nowadays intrinsic to culture – be it as expression of cultural characteristics of countries/regions/people; be it as most obvious representation of a “globalized culture” which mirrors the global exchange networks of the creative economy.

Therefore, we want to highlight some crucial perspective on the AV sector: The AV sector as working environment for the cultural manager; as mediator between the “big audience” or audience segments and cultural institutions; and as source of cultural products and cultural discourses of its own. 

We will understand the characteristics of the creative processes in the AV sector. Understanding and appreciating the challenges of the creative process will help us to develop the necessary skills to communicate between art and business. For the AV sector this has always been a tricky balancing act, as its technological fundament has always led to a very close connection between art, creativity and commercial interests.

Additionally, we will provide an overview over different genres and in how far these specific art forms or communication strategies are the result of specific working conditions as well as economic and financing structures.

Finally, we provide an overview over basic structures in the audiovisual sector. How does the framework to these creative processes and various artistic expressions look like? How are media companies, global media conglomerates, broadcasters etc managed and in how far do they reflect structural changes of the economy, of financing strategies and cultural practice?

Pre-course requirements

The same as for the Master's Degree.

Objectives

  • To understand how to use cultural manager skills within the context of the audiovisual sector.
  • To understand the specific challenges of the creative process in the AV environment.
  • Basic knowledge of the AV media business structures on a national and global level.
  • Basic knowledge of main formats and genres.
  • Basic knowledge of working processes and procedures in the AV environment: from the first idea to the final project.
  • Knowledge of the different financial structures in the AV sector.
  • Knowledge of the social impact of information technologies.

Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme

General:

  • Be able to communicate properly, both speaking and writing, in English in front of expert and inexpert audiences
  • Ability to work with the computer tools and knowledge of their essential applications to regular academic activities
  • Ability to work in groups, participating actively in the assigned tasks, making decisions, and discussing your opinions with others until you come to an agreement
  • Be self-disciplined, self-demanding and rigorous when doing academic tasks, and organize your time correctly
  • Ability to progress in the learning process autonomously and continuously
  • Ability to use the informative and communicative technologies and techniques

Transversal competences:

  • Understanding of a creative environment as a complex system of various stakeholder´s interests
  • Understanding how creative environments can be managed and how various stakeholder´s interests have to be balanced
  • Understanding of how creative environments merge, overlap and collaborate and its impact on cultural managers decisions and professional profiles.

Specific to the subject:

  • Understanding how to use of the cultural managers skills within the context of the audiovisual sector
  • Understanding the specific challenges of the creative process in the AV environment
  • Understanding the link between technological innovation and creative processes
  • Basic knowledge of the AV media's business structures on national and global level
  • Understanding dynamics, logic and impact of digital platforms (“streamers”, OTTs) on the AV sector
  • Basic knowledge of main formats and genres
  • Basic knowledge of working processes and procedures in the AV environment: from the first idea to the final project
  • Knowledge of the different financing structures of the AV sector
  • Knowledge of the social impact of the informative technologies
  • CB10 - Students should have the learning skills necessary to continue studying in a largely self-directed or autonomous manner.
  • CB9 - Students should be able to communicate their conclusions and the knowledge and arguments supporting these conclusions to specialised and non-specialised audiences in a clear and unambiguous manner.
  • CE1 - To identify and use the main economic management tools and methods that may be applied in the various types of cultural organisations, differentiated according to mission (public, non-profit or for-profit).
  • CE3 - To identify, analyse, design, plan and assess cultural policies, and recognise the role of the agents who take part in cultural actions in a specific environment and the tools for planning such cultural policies.
  • CE7 - To analyse, apply and assess marketing strategies in different cultural sectors, institutions and projects and develop a basic communication strategy for a cultural institution or project.
  • CE8 - To identify the business structures inherent to the creative cultural, visual arts and cultural heritage industries at a national and global level and manage the processes and work procedures involved in their creation, programming, management and production.
  • CG1 - To analyse and interpret social and cultural environments to identify needs, opportunities, weaknesses and strengths.
  • CG3 - To search for and/or administer economic resources within the framework of an institution or company, or a cultural programme, project or service.
  • CG5 - To act responsibly and produce high-quality, rigorous and efficient work that benefits society.
  • CG6 - To demonstrate an ability to be open and flexible with regards to cultural and social diversity.
  • CG7 - To know how to apply and adapt to new technologies in processes of cultural management, production and dissemination.
  • CT1 - To design, direct, produce and assess cultural projects, programmes, strategies, policies or actions that involve a number of different numerous professional profiles, agents and institutions.

Learning outcomes of the subject

The student

  • Understands knowledge which provides a grounding or opportunity to be original in terms of the development and/or application of ideas, often in a research-based context.
  • Knows how to apply the knowledge acquired and the ability to resolve problems in new or little known environments within broader or multidisciplinary contexts related to the area of study.
  • Knows how to communicate, encourage and mediate between the various agents who take part in a project, programme or cultural service.
  • Acts responsibly, and produces good quality rigorous and efficient work that is placed at the service of society.
  • Designs, directs, produces and evaluates projects, programmes, strategies, policies or cultural actions which involve a wide variety of different professional profiles, agents and institutions
  • Identifies business structures in creative cultural industries, in the visual arts and cultural heritage at a national and a global level and manages the processes and work procedures involved in their creation, programming, management and production.

Syllabus

 

Module 1

13 sessions

Christoph Pasour

Understanding basic structures, financing, distribution and working processes in the AV sector

 

Module 2

5 Sessions

Mrs Senem Tüzen

Understanding the creative process

 

Module 1

Christoph Pasour

Understanding basic structures, financing, distribution and working processes in the AV sector

 

Session 1

 

INTRODUCTION

  • Introduction to the course
  • Understanding film as a system
  • Positioning film as an art form
  • Some basic trends and ideas about the present and future of filmmaking

 

Session 2 + 3

 

The 7 stages of film production

  • Introduction:
  • Film production step by step
  • The 7 stages of film production:
  • Tasks and challenges
  • Challenges of content development for film: Example.

 

Session 4 + 5

 

Film production:

Funding, structures

and collaboration

 

  • Understanding independent and maintream filmmaking
  • Three main collaboration models
  • “Territory” as key variable
  • Collaboration models and territory as key variable for funding
  • Hierarchies in filmmaking

 

Session 6 + 7 + 8

 

Film distribution

  • Defining film distribution: players and differences between big and small screen
  • The distribution – funding nexus as key factor of film production
  • Differences between the USA and Europe
  • Success of US film industry explained from the distribution perspective
  • The distribution value chain
  • Hollywood film distribution and film studios´ mixed calculation
  • Mainstream film distribution´s effect on the range of products

 

Session 9 + 10

 

Technology        

  • Film making and latest technological developments
  • Beginnings and evolution of the digital revolution in film
  • Effect of technology on creativity
  • Digital technology´s implication for business models in film
  • How the change of business models in filmmaking changes the relation between the big and the small screen.

 

Session 11 + 12 + 13

 

The streamers

  • Understanding the environments of online AV production and distribution
  • Online business models in the AV sector
  • OTT´s: Who are they and how do they work? Example: Netflix
  • The Streaming Wars: The fight for market share and survival

 

 

Module 2

Mrs Senem Tüzen

Understanding the creative process

 

Session 14

 

  • Introduction. Viewing scenes from Motherland. Q&A. Exploring concepts: Feminism, Middle East, immigration, self-development in a conservative society, freedom (internal & external), mother-daughter relationships, Jungian perspective on motherhood, the writer’s nightmare: writer’s block.

Session 15

 

  • Opening with a clip from 'Adaptation' (Charlie Kaufman). Topic: The Suffering Writer.
    1st Phase of Production:
  • Delving into topics like:
  • Inspiration: Is it a big bang? Where does it come from?
  • Scriptwriting: Balancing inspiration with the grammar of storytelling.
  • Film development markets: The Mephisto question: Ready to sell your soul?
  • Pre-production in action: Casting, location scouting.
  • We are going to view casting preparation and location scouting for ‘Motherland’.

Session 16

 

  • Shooting. Challenges. The art of human relationships.
  • Exploring questions such as:
  • How to save your unborn child?
  • When to compromise, when to set limits?
  • Your team: friend or foe?
  • Being a female director on set?
  • Your time is up!!! Knowing when to stop? Locking a film.
  • Viewing dramatic behind-the-scenes moments from Motherland: Who directs whom?

Session 17

 

 

  • The Resisting Director. Clip where the producer breaks the projector, from 'Le MeĢpris' (Jean-Luc Godard).
  • 3rd and 4th Phases of Production: Editing and Post Production.
    Case Study: Eat Your Catfish (A project born and nurtured on the editing table.
  • Enhanced by sound design, compositing, and VFX effects.)
  • Viewing segments from the film. Q&A.
  • Exploring topics like:
  • My experience as a female editor; editing intimate footage of another woman’s life.
  • Being an editor/director/producer simultaneously. Conflicts of interest.
  • Discussing Eat Your Catfish: How many VFX effects can a documentary have?
  • What is documentary, what is fiction?

Session 18

 

 

 

  • Opening Clip: Opening scene at the theatre salon from 'Holy Motors' (Leos Carax).
  • 5th and final phase of Production: Festivals and Sales. Closing the circle, concluding the journey.
  • Exploring themes such as:
  • When do you know it's time to lock the film?
  • The unbearable pain of saying goodbye forever.
  • Meeting your audience. Memories from premieres and other film festivals.
  • What did I want to express, why did I make this film, and how is it understood?
  • Festivals and sales.
  • What's next?

Teaching and learning activities

In person



The learning will be organized in:

·      Lectures: plenary sessions where the content of the subject will be explained. This will always have the form of an open discussion. Students are invited to ask questions and express their doubts during the session.

·      Tasks in class: seminar sessions to do exercises based on the content we talked about previously.

·      Meetings: in the seminars, to supervise all tasks (both individual and in groups).

·      Tasks at home: preparation of presentations based on the content of the subject.

Evaluation systems and criteria

In person



Christoph Pasour and Senem Tüzen will work with a system of evaluation as follows:

  • Tüzen Sessions:                                      Participation          100%
  • Pasour Sessions:                                     Participation          40%         Essay 60%
  • Balance Tüzen/Pasour Sessions:               30% / 70%

Bibliography and resources

BENNETT, Bruce; Furstenau, Marc; Mackenzie, Adrian (edit), (2008), “Cinema and technology”, Palgrave MacMillan

 

BORDWELL, David; THOMSON, Kristin, (1994), “Film History – An Introduction”, McGraw-Hill

 

DE VALCK, Marijke, (2007),“Film Festivals”, Amsterdam University Press

 

DEBRETT, Mark, (2010), “Reinventing Public Service Television for the digital future”, The University of Chicago Press

 

DRAU, J., SANCHEZ, L. (eds), (2008), “Industrias de la communicación

FLIBBERT, Andrew, (2007), “Commerce in Culture – States and Markets in the World Film Trade”, Palgrave MacMillan

 

FRANCÉS I DOMÈNEC, Miquel, (2009), “Hacia un nuevo modelo televisivo”

 

HONTHANER, (2010), The complete Film Production Handbook, Elsevier

 

KAHANA, J., (2016), The Documentary Film Reader, Oxford University Press

 

KERRIGAN, Fiona, (2010), “Film Marketing”, Butterworth

 

KERRIGAN, S., (2016), Reconceptualizing Creative Documentary Practices, in McIntyre, P.,

 

LEE, J., Gillen, A., (2018), EPUB, Producer´s Business Handbook, Routledge

 

LEVISON, L., (2022), Filmmakers and Financing, Routledge

 

LIGHT HONTHANER, (2010) “The complete Film production handbook”, Elsevier INC

 

LIPOVETSKY, Gilles; SERROY, Jean (2009), “La Pantalla Global”

 

LONG, Spinak, (2014), Producing the Self: The Film Producer’s Labour and Professional Identity in the UK Creative Economy, in Spicer, McKenna, Meir, Beyond the Bottom Line: The Producer in Film and Television Studies, Bloomsbury

 

LYONS, J., (2014) The American Independent Producer and the Film Value Chain, in Spicer,

 

MCKENNA, Meir, Beyond the Bottom Line: The Producer in Film and Television Studies, Bloomsbury

 

MARZAL FELICI, JAVIER (eds), (2008), “Teoría y técnica de la producción”

 

MCLANES, B., (2012),  A new History of Documentary Film, Continuum

 

MONACO, James (2009) “How to read a film”, Oxford University Press

 

MURRAY, Emma/WILSON, Charlie, (2011) “How to succeed as a Freelancer in Publishing”, howtobooks

 

RABIGER, M., Hermann, C. (2020), Directing the Documentary, Routledge

 

RICHIE, J., et al. (2022), An Introduction to Film and TV Production, Routledge

 

RUSCH, Kristine Kathryn, (2010) “The Freelancer Survival Guide”, WMG Publishing

 

SEDGWICK, John; POKORNY, Michael (edit), (2005), “An economic history of film”, Routledge

 

SEGER, L., (2019), EPUB, The Collaborative Art of Filmmaking, Routledge

 

STONE, N., (2023), EPUB, How Documentaries went mainstream, Oxford University Press

 

TOWNSE, R., (2010), A Textbook of Cultural Economics, Cambridge University Press

 

VILCHES, Lorenzo (coord), (2009), “Mercados globales, historias nacionales”

 

VOGEL, H., (2020), Entertainment Industry Economics, Cambridge University Press

 

MONACO, James (2009) “How to read a film”, Oxford University Press

 

OECD publishing, (2008), “Remaking the movies - DIGITAL CONTENT AND THE EVOLUTION OF THE FILM AND VIDEO INDUSTRIES”

 

SEDGWICK, John; POKORNY, Michael (edit), (2005), “An economic history of film”, Routledge

 

VILCHES, Lorenzo (coord), (2009), “Mercados globales, historias nacionales”