Cultural, Economical and Political Control Systems along with Screen Quotas in the Film Industry - Term Paper Example

Research Cultural Policy and the Global Film Industry: Cultural, Economical and Political Control Systems; along with Screen Quotas in the Film Industry. CONTEXT OF RESEARCH: According to famous French writer Andre Malraux who had also adorned the post of Minister of Culture in Charles Andre Joseph Marie de Gaulle’s administration; film is a twin of art and industry. Considering the dual-idea of film that has cultural and industrial reception, her observation is very true. Film industry relentlessly indulges in a multifaceted research that encompasses social science in a broad context embracing economy, socio-cultural aspects and politics. Abolition of local screen quota will lead to absolute domination in global film industry by the big American film industry tycoons. Owing to the free trade ambience the American film industry is expanding rapidly over its borders. Adopting with great ease to the local condition and culture; they are drawing greater local audience than the indigenous films. Since people are prone to follow what they visualize in a movie in terms of social and cultural practises; this raises the issue that the American film industry may influence many forms of local socio-cultural life patterns. Global platforms like APEC, ASEM, GATT and NAFTA are also boosting this intention of socio-cultural or economic domination of other nations by America. Again any kind of screen quota acts as a barrier against the international free trade policy and can be a disincentive towards the competitive maturity of local film firms. At this background a burning question emerges; do we need to have screen quota, in order to have a buffer for the local film industry against the aggression of power monger American film firms. HYPOTHESES: 1. Screen quota is important to sustain local film industry and cultural environment against American film power. 2. Screen quota should be scaled down or scraped gradually to eventually embrace the competitive commercial film market. 3. Local film industry should be protected by international film powers; until they are mature and efficient enough to face the competitive market. 4. Government has to create suitable grants with clarity and rationality to soften the immediate impact of abolition of screen quota. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES This thesis aims to establish film screen quota system as an important socio-cultural preservative policy in local film industry that helps in prevention of local culture from the contamination of any foreign entity. American film industry now has taken over more than 90% of the world film market. It also has been disrupting local cultural background. This thesis will investigate how local screen quota system in overseas market can tame the aggression of the American film industry. It would be interesting to note the economic impact of local screen quota on American film industry. LITERATURE REVIEWS This thesis plans to integrate theories of media imperialism (Boyd-Barrett and H.I. Schiller), cultural industry (Theorists Adorno and Max Horkheimer) and local film policy regime (Jungsu Kim). The origin of the structure of this thesis can be found in Barrett’s theory that a country’s media industry is becoming dominated by international and monopoly media industry with cultural or economical pressure. Also, Adorno and Horkheimer’s The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception 1944 and Jungsu’s The development of Korean film policy regime: Korean Forum Administration 2004 have helped to develop the structure of the present thesis. As this dissertation will focus on media, particularly, film industry and screen quota, which is related to local cultural industry; it will be important that Barrett’s idea is imposed on this imperialistic media and local film conception. The classical cultural industry conception can be incorporated from Adorno and Horkheimer into this thesis structure. A culmination of these approaches will eventually highlight the fact that the policy of screen quota can be used as a controlling measure against American film industry and cultural domination. However such a policy faces a major conflict; every country has a justification to implement a local screen quota against American film industry to preserve its cultural aspects. On the other such a protective policy cannot be entertained in order to restore the true spirit of free market mechanism. Such a conflict emerges from two different perceptions on film. A film can be considered as just a product, which can be sold like other general items without any local regulation. Again, a film is a part of the cultural and artistic structure of a society; therefore it is subject to different local regulations. Both of these conceptions have been introduced into this thesis. Furthermore the technical superiority of American film industry, combined with its superlative power of capital and the vulnerability for other countries generating from these aspects has also been considered favouring screen quota policy. METHODOLOGY This thesis starts by considering works of Barrett, Jungsu, Adorno and Horkheimer. Subsequently it will also take into consideration other critical works encompassing opponents of screen quota, free-market system experts, film policy critics and academic literatures on cultural industry. Later screen quota system would be narrowed down to countries like America along with France, South Korea, Japan, China, Spain, Canada, and Brazil and Arab nations. Again a cross cultural comparison on screen quota system would be performed through the identification and examination of relevant reviews and articles from journals, newspapers and Korean film institution’s information bank. Additional texts will be added as this research proceeds. This research will also include a primary survey through interviews and participant observation. Respondents will include advocates of film, local filmmakers who are either in favour or in against screen quotas. Visiting Bu-Cheon International Independent Film Festival and Pusan International Film Festival would also be in the list of consideration to get better information on screen quotas. France and South Korea is active participant in screen quota system. China follows limited film presenting policy against American film industry. With North Korea slowly opening up to the rest of the world it will be interesting to track its cultural policy against American film industry. This thesis will eventually highlight the darker and conflicting areas of screen quota policy system. Second part: At last, I got out of the tunnel of darkness, but time flew too much in between. I was not confident in going abroad to study and rejoin the PhD degree course in Korea; therefore I took a leave of absence. At that time, bringing up my child meant much more to me than my studies. I worked as a part-time researcher in a certain company and for the rest of the time I was with my child. I am now in the US, which I consider as a gift from my husband who could not come to the US to study. Here, I am learning English while bringing up my child. Sometimes, my acquaintances ask me why I am wasting my time like this. But I think the time from the autumn of the year 2006 to the present is one of the most important periods in my life. It is like a frog from the lowest place making the biggest jump. The two dreams that I have nourished in my heart in this period are as follows- First, I found the direction of the study which I would like to do all over my life time. I have studied communication from undergraduate level to masters’ degree course and PhD degree course. I have believed without any doubt that quantitative study like a mathematical formula which suggests the answers of research problems is most suitable for my aptitude. However, though my grades were good I did not have any passion of my own for any specific field like my other friends. I have now figured out the reason for that. In my period of academic absence, I reached to the conclusion that a researcher should try to solve this world with one formula. Above all I became sceptical about the manipulation of quantitative research. While a researcher should maintain objectivity, that objectivity in its core is full of subjectivity. This kind of thought processing helped me to have different sights for learning now and I think the place where I can do such research properly is only the United Kingdom (UK). Now I wish to speculate about the field which I am most interested in and want to write a thesis. Second, my dream is to build a media research centre on the land I inherited from my ancestors. The profit that it will yield through various rental businesses will support media scholars and students to carry out many magnificent researches uncovering unknown horizons. There is a Jewish Centre in the city of Irvine in the US that has worked as a mentor to me. While observing their indulgence in diverse profitable businesses, I also draw a blue print of my dream media research centre in tune with this Jewish centre. From this review, I want to research on the practice of fashion for female politicians and first ladies by using Pierre Bourdieu’s theory. He emphasized on habitus, capital and field. The image making of female politicians and first ladies is a kind of cultural production in politics, and they show their own taste through the practice of fashion. There are some rules and transformations in redefining their representations. Read More