EM

Media Industries Week 2 Study Notes

AGENDA

  • Overview of media industry studies and its historical development.

  • Discussion on production and distribution processes' intersections with culture.

  • Examination of globalization in media industries in late 20th and early 21st century.

MEDIA HISTORY AND MEDIA INDUSTRIES

  • Industrial practices evolution (e.g. from Lumiere Bros to fiction cinema).

  • Technological advancements impacting production and consumption (TV, video).

  • Class dynamics and geography of media production (Hollywood vs. New York).

  • Influence of capitalist changes (colonialism, post-WWII US hegemony, neoliberal globalization).

MEDIA INDUSTRY STUDIES OVER THE YEARS

  • Focus on industrial dynamics, diverging from representation.

  • Past approaches: Critical theory, cultural studies, political economy, audience reception.

  • Current trends: Focus on production cultures, creative industries, distribution strategies.

POLITICAL ECONOMY

  • Study of economic systems and inequality in media.

  • Analysis of institutions and business practices in media's production/distribution.

  • Emphasis on capitalism's role in shaping media cultures.

MARXIST POLITICAL ECONOMY

  • Marx's theories on capitalist production’s influence on society.

  • Class structures and exploitation dynamics in media industries.

  • Marxism's limitations in addressing colonialism, racism, gender issues.

CULTURAL STUDIES AND POLITICAL ECONOMY

  • Integration of cultural studies with political economy insights (Birmingham School).

  • Stuart Hall's encoding/decoding model highlighting audience interaction.

MEDIA INDUSTRY STUDIES AS A SUBDISCIPLINE

  • Emerged amidst digital and traditional media convergence in the 2000s.

  • Focus on empirical studies and the interplay of power in media industries.

MEDIA PRODUCTION

  • Media produced as a commodity with diverse historical industrial structures.

  • Variations in media production across genres (e.g. Hollywood, state-run systems).

STRUCTURES OF MEDIA PRODUCTION

  • Division into above-the-line (creatives) vs. below-the-line (technical) roles.

  • Inequities in compensation and recognition within production teams.

INTERACTIONS BETWEEN MEDIA PRODUCTION AND MEANING

  • Production processes directly influence aesthetic codes and interpretations.

  • Emphasis on collective labour over individual authorship.

MEDIA INDUSTRIES IN GLOBAL CAPITALISM

  • Global dynamics of media influenced by capitalist systems.

  • Trends of outsourcing and cultural hybridization impacting production practices.

DISTRIBUTION CULTURES

  • Upcoming focus on distribution practices and their cultural implications.