The Places, Values, and Roles of Film Consumption and Cinema-Going for Young Audiences
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Teens’ Screens: The Places, Values, and Roles of Film Consumption and Cinema-Going for Young Audiences Anna Blagrove A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the University of East Anglia, School of Art, Media and American Studies June 2020 © This copy of the thesis has been supplied on condition that anyone who consults it is understood to recognise that its copyright rests with the author and that use of any information derived therefrom must be in accordance with current UK Copyright Law. In addition, any quotation or extract must include full attribution. Abstract This thesis is an investigation into the practices, values, and roles of cinema- going and film-watching for contemporary British teenagers using qualitative research methods. My key concern is with how 13-18 year olds from different backgrounds define and discuss their film consumption, and visits to different cinemas, in the wider contexts of their leisure, cultural, and media practices. This focus stems from the scholarly appeal for a social contextualization of audiences and the structures that inform peoples’ consumption practice. Many groups experience barriers to participation with particular cinemas that are not simply a consequence of economic deprivation or a lack of media literacy. These are barriers that are felt at the level of what Bourdieu calls the habitus, the system of cultural tastes and dispositions that are lived at the physical or bodily level. To this end, I conducted focus groups, interviews, and participant observation encounters with 42 teenagers in different settings within Norwich and Norfolk. Data analysis is undertaken via the application of a coding system, formulated through a Bourdieusian conceptual lens. I consider participants’ film and media consumption practices in relation to area of residence, sociocultural preferences and friendship formations, whilst also considering issues of identity, education, and parental practices. As part of the process I present the case of specialised film and cinema-going as a case-study in order to address a concern about the dearth of young audiences engaging with specialised cinema. The rich, deep qualitative data collected has enabled me to argue that generally young people’s socio-economic, geographic, familial, peer-grouping, and educational contexts remained a significant influence on film viewing practices, tastes, and gratifications, although some anomalies were present. My research therefore presents new findings on how different groups of young people attach diverse meanings and roles to film viewing practices, texts and locations in cinemas and beyond. 2. Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................... 2 Contents ............................................................................................................... 3 List of Figures and Tables ................................................................................... 8 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................. 9 Preface ............................................................................................................... 11 Thesis Introduction ............................................................................................ 12 Need for the Research ................................................................................... 13 Methodology and Research Questions .......................................................... 13 Film Consumption and Exhibition ................................................................ 14 Teenage Film Audiences ............................................................................... 15 Research Location ......................................................................................... 17 Defining Audiences ....................................................................................... 18 Theorising Film Consumption and Cinema-Going ....................................... 19 Thesis Structure ............................................................................................. 20 PART 1: Academic Context and Theoretical Framework ................................ 22 Chapter 1. Conceptualising Audiences, Youth, Film Consumption, and Cinema-Going ................................................................................................... 23 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 23 1.1 Literature Review ........................................................................................ 23 1.1.1 Audience Studies: An Overview .......................................................... 23 1.1.2 Cinema Audiences and Film Consumption Studies ............................. 26 1.1.3 Youth Studies: Identity, Culture, and Subculture ................................. 29 1.1.4 Youth Media and Cultural Consumption ............................................. 32 1.1.5 Youth (Non-Theatrical) Film and Television Consumption ................ 34 1.1.6 Cultural Geography and Cinemas ........................................................ 35 1.1.7 Young Cinema Audiences .................................................................... 39 1.1.8 Specialised Cinema and its Audiences ................................................. 42 1.1.9 Young Audiences for Specialised Film and Cinema ............................ 44 3. 1.2 Limitations of, and Interventions into the Scholarship ............................... 46 Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 47 Chapter 2. A Bourdieusian Theoretical Framework ......................................... 50 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 50 2.1 Cultural Capital ........................................................................................... 50 2.2 Field, Doxa, and Illusio ............................................................................... 53 2.3 Habitus ........................................................................................................ 57 2.4 Challenges and Updates to Bourdieu’s Concepts ....................................... 61 2.5 Theoretical Approach .................................................................................. 63 Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 64 Chapter 3. Researching Teenager’s Film Consumption: A Qualitative Methodological Approach ................................................................................. 65 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 65 3.1 Fieldwork Design: The Sample ................................................................... 66 3.2 Interview Settings ........................................................................................ 70 3.2.1 Suburban Youth Club ........................................................................... 71 3.2.2 City Youth Club ................................................................................... 72 3.2.3 Estate Youth Club ................................................................................. 73 3.2.4 Schools and Colleges ............................................................................ 74 3.2.5 Public Leisure Settings: Cafés and Cinemas ........................................ 76 3.3 Methods Employed ..................................................................................... 76 3.3.1 Ethical Considerations .......................................................................... 76 3.3.2 Identity Pages ....................................................................................... 79 3.3.3 Focus Groups and Interviews ............................................................... 81 3.3.4 Participant Observation ........................................................................ 84 3.3.5 Transcription and Analysis ................................................................... 86 Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 88 PART 2: Young Audience Contexts and Discourses ........................................ 89 Chapter 4. The Cohort: An Introduction ........................................................... 90 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 90 4. 4.1 Norfolk and Norwich .................................................................................. 92 4.1.1 Demographics and Socio-Economic Position ...................................... 92 4.1.2 Cultural, Leisure and Cinema Amenities ............................................. 94 4.2 Areas of Residence of Participants ............................................................. 95 4.2.1 Council Estates ..................................................................................... 96 4.2.2 Rural Villages or Market Towns .......................................................... 97 4.2.3 Suburban ............................................................................................... 98 4.2.4 Urban .................................................................................................. 100