Monster Business is a feature film project comprising a horror-thriller feature screenplay and an accompanying exegesis. The screenplay is about a best-selling author who is behind on the delivery of the sequel to his money-spinning first novel and is made an offer by an enigmatic stranger to help rearrange his working environment to facilitate the rapid completion of the manuscript. Over the coming hours, then months, the author discovers just how far the stranger will go to complete the terms of this bizarre and brutal new contract. This accompanying exegesis examines a series of 'paratexts' (a logline, a one-pager and a treatment) that the screenplay has given rise to. The thesis argues that the role of the screenwriter does not end with the production of the core text--the screenplay. Instead, in order to support the development and/or the marketing of the script into a feature film, the screenwriter is an ongoing generator of supplemental documents or paratexts. The paper explores the status and function of paratexts (loglines, onepagers, treatments and explanatory development notes). It further argues that developmental paratexts are a necessary evil, providing a sifting or culling mechanism for producers and production executives, and that they are intended to guide a project toward being 'greenlit' but will more often have, at best, benign or, at worst, negative or destructive effects on its development. In this way, developmental paratexts, although ubiquitous and pro forma, are inherently problematic.

Thesis (PhD)--Macquarie University. Division of Society, Culture, Media & Philosophy, Department of Media. / Bibliography: leaves 391-427. / Preamble or redesigning Poland: 1989-2004 -- Introducing Polish cinema -- Of (post) transitional Polishness and film -- Of the Polish film industry, culture and criticism 1989-2004: a story in three acts -- Of nostalgia and arcadias in heritage films -- Of the People's Republic and its memory -- Of the transitional ethos -- Of (post) transitional comic relief -- Conclusion. / This thesis examines patterns of (post) transitional developments in Polish cinema between 1989 and 2004. It proposes a three-stage approach to the analysis of transitional continuities in films about the mythical Polish past, The Polish People's Republic (PRL), the contemporary reality and contemporary Polish comedies. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / iv, 427 leaves

This thesis assesses the marginal field (niche unit) of visual effects while taking into account visible and invisible vfx in virtual and actual geographies in Hollywood movies as part of industry-level studies, all the while seeking to bridge the gap between traditional, theoretical approaches of cinema studies and practitioner experience in the context of production culture. The focus of this essay remains on the many temporal aspects of production processes that identify vfx film production as chief, and vfx for television as subsequential. Encouraging scholars to consider a previously limited and repeatedly mislabeled area by demonstrating the pandemic presence of effects and its workers as a form of Hollywood diaspora, this thesis also seeks to demonstrate the need for involvement by means of scholar-practitioner methodologies.

This thesis examines the way in which imponderable problems are mediated in the everyday work of commercial film production in Egypt. By 'imponderable problem', I mean a working problem encountered in an extended production process whereby the individual worker, in the present, cannot account for all courses of action leading onto the process's expected outcome. I argue that workers in film production can never entirely solve this kind of problem: they 'mediate' it. They rely on various assumptions and material mediators to break this overall imponderability into a series of contingent tasks, thereby modifying the expected outcome. I situate this mediation in the wider context of the contemporary Egyptian film industry, with its interpersonal mode of interaction, its labor hierarchy, its socio-technical process of production, and its technological implements. This thesis analyzes three imponderable problems in particular: how to coordinate a shooting day; how to visualize the film; and how to anticipate the audience's composition and reaction. The overall argument is situated within media anthropology, where media production tends to be examined as a 'social' phenomenon inscribed on an invisible technological substratum, without exploring the material implications of everyday technological objects in a temporally extended process of production. This literature, moreover, tends to be inattentive to the gap between the way in which the film unfolds and the way in which social agents involved in its making anticipate this unfolding. This thesis, by contrast, considers how Egyptian filmmakers try to anticipate the future of their activity. In addition to being an ethnographic account of the Egyptian film industry, this thesis contributes to the anthropological literature on media production by exploring how workers concretely mediate between the present and the near-/far-future.

xvii, 397 p. : ill., maps. / Thousands of films are produced every year in the United States, and only a fraction of these is made by mainstream Hollywood film studios. Independent filmmakers working in regional locations produce the majority of these films, retaining financial, creative and distribution control and working with locally-based cast and crew members. This film activity must be acknowledged in order to fully understand the American film industry. This study examines regional independent filmmaking through case studies of two film communities: Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington. Using political economy of communication as the primary theoretical foundation, this study focuses on the infrastructure (systems, policies, resources and practices) that supports and/or limits the production and distribution of independent films. The research utilizes extensive document analysis of historical materials and contemporary documents produced by organizations and individuals, as well as a survey of 60 film professionals and interviews with over 40 film professionals. A central challenge to independent filmmaking is the term "independent," which has been contested by film professionals and scholars; therefore, this study analyzes and offers a new definition of "independent filmmaking." The history of filmmaking activity in Portland and Seattle is presented, as well as an extensive discussion of the contemporary landscape of regional independent filmmaking in these two communities. The study finds that there are a multitude of contradictions pertaining to financing, distribution, labor and myths of independent filmmaking. These contradictions present a range of opportunities and challenges that often simultaneously conflict with each other. The filmmaking communities in Portland and Seattle have notable networks of support, including professional and educational organizations, film festivals, government initiatives and a few locally-operated distributors. However, filmmakers in both cities also share challenges in financing, distribution and labor. The study argues that regional independent filmmaking has made a dynamic and influential contribution to the American film industry and cultural production but has been under-explored in academic scholarship. The research also points to the need to examine and understand the contradictions of independent filmmaking to improve the circumstances and infrastructure that support regional independent filmmaking. / Committee in charge: Dr. Janet Wasko, Chairperson; Dr. Gabriela Martinez, Member; Dr. H. Leslie Steeves, Member; Dr. Michael Aronson, Outside Member

The commercialization and global transformation of the Chinese film industry demonstrates that this industry has been experiencing drastic changes within the new social and economic environment of China in which film has become a commodity generating high revenues. However, the Chinese government still exerts control over the industry which is perceived as an ideological tool. They believe that the films display and contain beliefs and values of certain social groups as well as external constraints of politics, economy, culture, and ideology. And, ironically, the films censored in China often gain great fame outside of China becoming worldwide blockbusters. This study will look at how those films are banned by the Chinese film censorship system through analyzing their essential cinematic elements, including narrative, filming, editing, sound, color, and sponsor and publisher. The study will also analyze how the combination of government control and market forces influence the Chinese film industry and its production.

Cette thèse porte sur la représentation des femmes dans le cinéma roumain en tant que lieu révélateur des enjeux sociaux, économiques et institutionnels qui façonnent le renouvellement de la filière cinématographique roumaine au XXIe siècle. Notre recherche est axée sur l'époque postcommuniste, moment où la production filmique du pays atteint son état le plus critique, avant de connaître une reconnaissance internationale inouïe. Notre analyse s'articule en trois temps, afin de comprendre les ruptures et les permanences sociohistoriques manifestes dans le traitement des personnages féminins à l'écran et dans la participation des femmes à l'industrie. A partir d'une analyse détaillée de la généalogie du « nouveau cinéma roumain », nous nous concentrons sur les figures des femmes dans les productions du cinéma d'auteur et du cinéma commercial du pays. Enfin, nous illustrons les principaux enjeux et contraintes pratiques de l'émergence - et de l'affirmation - de ce nouveau cinéma à travers l'examen des parcours des femmes cinéastes. / This PhD dissertation centers on women's participation and representation in Romanian cinema, as a means of understanding the multiple social, economic and institutional stakes intervening in the renewal of the Romanian film industry in the early 21st century. Our research focuses on the post-communist era, when the Romanian film production falls into its most critical state, before achieving unprecedented international recognition. We articulate our analysis around three chronological moments, aiming to perceive how social and historical ruptures and continuities pervade the treatment of female characters on screen and the women's presence in the film industry. We aim our attention at the New Romanian cinema of the 2000's. By tracing the genealogy of this « new cinema », we concentrate on the shaping of female characters in both auteur and commercial Romanian cinema. We illustrate the primary grounds conducing to the rise and consolidation of this renewed film industry by observing the career paths of Romanian female filmmakers.

In the eyes of Hollywood producers, film remakes are popular endeavors to undertake. Part of the logic behind remakes is that they will likely perform successfully in the domestic box office because of the tried-and-tested formula that was the remake’s source material as well as the pre-existing fanbase. In addition, over the past two decades the international box office, particularly countries like China and Russia, are overtaking the United States in generating box office revenue. Hence, with the increasing popularity of producing remakes, as well as the growing significance of foreign markets for the entertainment industry, I test whether the international share of the box office is higher for remakes compared to other types of films. I control for several standard variables including type of film, genre, production budget, critical review score, recency of film, and number of installments in the film franchise. In conclusion, I find that although film remakes do not achieve significantly higher foreign box office shares, factors like sequel films, the horror genre, production budget and critical review scores play a significantly positive role in determining foreign box office share, thus indicating the preferences of foreign film audiences.

Este trabalho tem o objetivo de mapear, apresentar e avaliar o repertório internacional de políticas públicas que promovam o alcance e a diversidade dos filmes exibidos em cada país em um período marcado pela mundialização, globalização e pela hegemonia das empresas americanas, mais especificamente, a partir da década de 1990. Partindo de indicadores de alcance e diversidade, selecionei duas experiências nacionais que foram bem sucedidas garantir a frequência per capita e o número de salas per capita; o percentual de ingressos de filmes nacionais, o percentual de ingressos de filmes não estrangeiros e não americanos e o número de filmes exibidos. Para selecionar as experiências nacionais de êxito (França e Coreia do Sul, utilizei os dados de 2013 do Instituto de Estatísticas da UNESCO a respeito da diversidade nacional e linguística na exibição cinematográfica e o desempenho, em 2012 e 2013, das cinematografias nacionais em seis dos principais festivais internacionais de cinema (Berlim, Cannes, Sundance, Veneza, Pusan e Mar del Plata). Para compilar o repertório internacional das políticas de fomento e exibição cinematográficas, foi utilizada revisão de bibliografia e análise dos documentos das agências nacionais de fomento e regulação / This paper aims to map, present and evaluate the international repertoire of policies to promote diversity and reach of exhibited films in each country in a period of globalization and hegemony of the american companies, more specifically after the 1990\'s. Using indicators of diversity and access, I selected two successful national experiences in ensuring the frequency per capita, cinemas per capita; the percentage of national films exhibited, percentage of foreign films exhibited, e the number of exhibited films. To select the successful national experiences (France and South Korea), I used 2013\'s data of the UNESCO Institute for Statistics about the national diversity on exhibition and the countries\' performance on 2012 and 2013 at the most important film festivals. To compile the international film policies repertoire, I used a bibliographic revision and documents of the national support agencies

After witnessing the success of Canadian strategies to attract U.S. film production in the 1990s, states and localities began offering financial incentives in an effort to lure film and video production away from their traditional hubs in California and New York (Christopherson & Rightor, 2010). This effort increased dramatically in the 2000s, both in scope and in scale. Production activity can now locate in states offering rebates of up to 40 percent of costs, even if this exceeds their actual tax bills, and all but a handful of states offer some form of tax incentives (Christopherson & Rightor, 2010; Katz & Rosenthal, 2006; National Conference of State Legislatures, 2011; Vock, 2008). While some states may be reducing incentive packages in the current climate of fiscal austerity, others are doubling down on that strategy as an effort to stimulate job growth and increased economic activity. And while most states tout many successes from these programs in both metrics, the question of whether such policies promote long-term sustainable economic development has not been fully answered. First I use theoretical literature to construct a model of sustainable industrial development. I will then test this model using a variety of methods and data sets at the national, and state and county levels. In the following two analytical chapters, I will evaluate the impacts of incentives on state-level employment and firm growth, followed by an assessment of the economic effects of incentives in one such state: Georgia. By using this variety of approaches and units of analysis, I hope to shed light on both the macro- and micro-level impacts such incentives have on the industrial economic development of states. In the first study, I use data from the County Business Patterns (CBP) over the years 2002-2013 to view changes in economic activity by state by the level of incentives offered. Using panel data for industry employment, establishment and occupational employment, I use a fixed and random effects regression models to view the relationship between the presence of incentives and the levels of employment and firms in the film industry of each state. Next, I use Georgia as a case study with which to evaluate the degree to which financial incentives for the motion picture industry can create a sustainable network of local firms and workers. I test these theories by using confidential QCEW data to analyze establishment-level activity and relative locations. The results neither completely confirm nor disprove the hypothesis that attracting mobile productions with state tax incentives can establish a nascent industry and generate long-term employment in a region. However, there is some evidence that the number of years the MPIs are in effect does have a positive impact, especially on establishments and occupations. Additionally, the states’ climate and transportation access relative to Los Angeles and other locations are important factors in building a local industry.