CCI Week 1

LCH2326 English Communication in the Creative and Cultural Industries Week 1-2: What are Creative and Cultural Industries?

Learning Outcomes

  • By the end of the lessons, students should be able to:
      - Identify key concepts and the development of CCI worldwide and in Hong Kong (HK).
      - Understand different models on cultural and creative industries.
      - Explain key components and compare different models.

Brief History of CCI

Before the 1970s: Culture vs Commerce

  • Governments treated “high culture” (including museums, classical music, theatre) as separate from commercial culture (including film, popular music, TV).

  • “High culture” received funding while commercial cultural sectors like Hollywood film, music business, and publishing were often ignored, despite generating significant profits.

1970s–1980s: “Cultural Industries” Idea

  • In the late 1970s and 1980s, European policymakers and scholars began recognizing mass media, film, TV, and music as industries with economic value, thus talking about “cultural industries”.

  • Left-leaning local governments, especially in the UK, supported small cultural producers (independent theatres, community media, local music) connecting them with urban and social policy.

1990s: “Creative Industries” and UK DCMS

  • The phrase “creative industries” gained prominence in the 1990s, linked to globalization, new information and communication technologies (ICTs), and the knowledge economy.

  • In 1997, the UK New Labour government established a Creative Industries Task Force within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

  • 1998 saw the issuance of the Creative Industries Mapping Document, which defined various creative sectors and measured their economic contributions.

2000s: Global “Creative Economy” Agenda

  • From the 2000s, organizations like UNESCO and the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) promoted cultural and creative industries as a development strategy for cities and emerging economies.

  • Reports such as “Cultural Times: the First Global Map of the Cultural and Creative Industries” indicated that CCIs were achieving growth rates surpassing many traditional industries, supporting exports, jobs, and urban regeneration.

2010s–Today: Mainstream Policy Worldwide

  • By the 2010s, numerous countries developed national or city-level creative industry policies, festivals, funds, and innovation hubs.

  • CCI became associated with smart city agendas, digital innovation, and inclusive growth.

  • Recent G20 culture meetings, along with collaborations from UNESCO and UNCTAD, frame CCIs as essential for sustainable development (economic, social, environmental) urging for improved global data gathering and classification systems.

Period Summarization of CCI Development

  • Before 1970s: undervalued

  • 1970s-1980s: recognition

  • 1990s: formal establishment

  • 2000s: globalization

  • 2010s: mainstreaming

Core Characteristics of CCI (YouTube Video Explanation)

  1. Creative Economy: Utilizes creativity to generate income.

  2. Broader Scope: CCI is not just about arts and culture but also encompasses fields like advertising, design, and film.

  3. Job Creation: Generates jobs, fosters wealth, and promotes cultural engagement, coupled with technology requirements.

  4. Economic Value: Significant for a country's well-being because of the wealth generation involved.

  5. Government Support: Requires financing from the government and guidance for effective development.

Definitions of Cultural and Creative Industries

  • Flew (2017): CCI includes parts of the modern economy where culture is produced and distributed industrially, applying creativity for original cultural products with potential commercial value via direct sales or intellectual property.

  • Flew (2013): Involves activities originating from individual creativity, skill, and talent, with potential for job creation and intellectual property exploitation.

  • CCI integrates arts, media, and design sectors while facing the challenges and opportunities of globalization and digital convergence.

Key Characteristics According to CCI Definition

  • Knowledge-based and creativity-intensive: relying on intellectual capital, design, and artistic skills rather than physical inputs.

  • Jobs and functions across traditional sectors: Examples include film, which includes production, post-production, distribution, etc.

Economic Contributions of CCI in Hong Kong

CCI Overview

  • The CCI in Hong Kong encapsulates knowledge-based activities that employ creativity and intellectual capital to produce cultural goods and services across 11 domains including:
      - Art, antiques, and crafts
      - Cultural education and private museums
      - Performing arts
      - Film, video, and music
      - TV and radio
      - Publishing
      - Software, computer games, and interactive media
      - Design
      - Architecture
      - Advertising
      - Amusement services

Key Characteristics and Contributions

  • CCI emerged internationally in the late 1990s and aligns with UN statistical guidelines, tailored for local economic contexts.

  • Key Characteristics include:
      - Creativity and knowledge-based processes
      - Functions enriching the economy and society: cultural, educational, and entertainment services

Economic Impact

  • In 2023, CCI generated value added of HK$134.5 billion, comprising 4.6% of Hong Kong’s GDP.

  • Employment within CCI reached approximately 226,220 people, accounting for 6.1% of total employment in the region.

  • The largest domain is software, computer games, and interactive media, contributing HK$61.5 billion (or 45.7%) to CCI’s total value added.

  • CCI's export opportunities: selected cultural and creative goods represented 14.6% of total exports and 13.2% of imports in 2023.

Importance of CCI in Hong Kong

  • Drives economic growth, jobs, trade, and innovation.

  • Enhances cultural vibrancy, global image, and local quality of life.

Models of CCI

UNESCO and UNCTAD Models

  • Developed for empirical data collection to support public policy, encompassing diverse cultural statistics frameworks.

  • UNCTAD: Focus on maximizing trade, investment, and development opportunities for developing countries, aiming for equitable integration into the global economy.

  • UNESCO: Describes CCI as sectors producing and sharing cultural goods based on art and creativity regardless of profitability.

  • Hong Kong's engagement with UNESCO emphasizes culture and public access through investments in heritage, such as the West Kowloon Cultural District.

DCMS Model (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

  • Groups creative sectors primarily focused on economic growth and intellectual property-related jobs.

  • Mixes culture with economic policies, reflecting both heritage and 'creative industries' priorities comparable to UK models.

Throsby's Concentric Circles Model

  • Centers around the core creative arts while differentiating between industrial and peripheral sectors.

  • Critiques highlight difficulties in establishing empirical data for expressive value and creative inputs.

Intellectual Property

  • Intellectual Property (IP) refers to creations of the mind, divided into:
      1. Industry Property: patents, trademarks, industrial designs, and geographical indications.
      2. Copyright: covers literary works, films, music, and artistic creations.

  • Patents: Exclusive rights for inventions, generally protecting creators for 20 years while promoting knowledge disclosure for further innovation.

Global vs. Hong Kong Language in CCI Documents

Key Differences

  • Core Definitions:
      - Global documents use abstract and principle-based language emphasizing creativity and sustainable development.
      - Hong Kong mixes economic and local context-centric phrases projecting its global image.

  • Identity Framing:
      - Global framing is universalist whereas Hong Kong emphasizes its unique cultural identity, highlighting Chinese roots along with diversity.

  • Tone and Scale of Reference:
      - Global documents employ policy-neutral language while Hong Kong’s policies adopt a promotional tone with concrete local references.

Conclusion and Discussion Questions

  1. What are the similarities and differences between the CCI models discussed?

  2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each model?

  3. Which model resonates most with students and why?

References

  • Flew, T. (2013). Global creative industries. Cambridge, UK: Polity.

  • Flew, T. (2017). Cultural and creative industries, retrieved from Oxford Bibliographies.

  • Potts, J., & Cunningham, S. (2008). Four models of the creative industries. International Journal of Cultural Policy, 14(3), 233-247.