Cross-Border Film Production: the Neoliberal Recolonization of an Exotic Island by Hollywood Pirates
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CROSS-BORDER FILM PRODUCTION: THE NEOLIBERAL RECOLONIZATION OF AN EXOTIC ISLAND BY HOLLYWOOD PIRATES Anthony Frampton A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY May 2014 Committee: Oliver Boyd-Barrett, Advisor Federico A. Chalupa Graduate Faculty Representative Ewart Skinner Radhika Gajjala © 2014 Anthony Frampton All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Oliver Boyd-Barrett, Advisor This qualitative study explores the relationship between Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Hollywood’s cross-border film productions by examining the strategies that these islands use to facilitate the filming of big-budget foreign films within their borders. The dissertation also analyzes the inherent implications of transnational film production practices from the perspective of the host location and reviews extant theories of international film production to explore whether they adequately explain the peculiar dynamics and experiences of filmmaking in SIDS countries by heavily financed, non-resident film producers. The study blends relevant strands of political economy of media and critical cultural studies to construct a customized theoretical backbone. From this critical standpoint, it engages theories of globalization, development, cultural industries, post- colonialism, and policymaking to analyze the interaction between SIDS nations and international satellite film productions. Adopting a grounded theory methodological framework, it uses interviewees, focus groups, participant observation and document analysis to collect data from the island of Dominica in the Caribbean, which hosted two films in Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. The study found that these foreign film producers received unprecedented levels of concessions and amassed huge savings from their ability to manipulate governmental authorities and local elites and exploit the weak institutional capacity of the state and its poor systems of accountability. It also revealed the relative incapacity of the host location iv to extend the inherent benefits of accommodating these big-budget film products from temporary economic activities to more lasting and sustainable development projects. v This dissertation is dedicated to the loving memory of my mother, Beta Nada Watty Frampton, who in such a short time so diligently taught my brother and me the importance of education and critical thinking, but who never lived to glow from any of our academic accomplishments. This one is for you, Mammy! vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to acknowledge my wife and kids for the sacrifices that they endured to allow me to complete this program. I am greatly indebted to them, because I know it was a difficult ride. I am especially grateful for the tolerance of Mariette Warrington and Susan Desiree who on occasion had to pick up a lot of my parental responsibilities during my continual studies. I also wish to thank my brother, Stephen Frampton, and his household for accommodating me throughout my data collection in Dominica. I also wish to thank Gloria Didier and Neeysah Francis for helping me with some of the logistics of data collection. I especially want to thank Martha St. Jean for her ongoing support to my wife and kids during critical moments of my PhD studies. From beyond the dissertation project, I wish to thank my cousins who cared for my brother and me after our mother’s death, especially Thompson Robin who ensured that our basic needs were met and who insisted that we graduated from high school. I also wish to make special mention of Samuel Phillip, Rebecca Edwards, and Evelyn Fabien who looked out for us in different ways and always made us feel the power of familial bonds. I am also grateful to Diane Abraham for believing in me when no one else did. I will never forget her exceptional efforts, beyond the calling of her office, to help a 17 year old precocious boy that she didn’t know land his first job in the media as a television sportscaster. I also owe a debt of gratitude to my former colleague, John Loblack, who provided financial backing for me to enter university for the first time, when many others had had refused my pleas for help. Without the intervention of Iris Morris of the VOA, I would never have been able to pursue doctoral studies. Her contribution to my education was an unexpected blessing. vii I am forever indebted to her for her exceptional facilitation of my undergraduate studies. I also wish to thank Prof. Vibert Cambridge, who not only served as a Caribbean elder and a strategic advocate for me at Ohio University, but also provided tangible support that allowed me to enter graduate school. I wish to thank my committee members for their frank and constructive feedback throughout different stages of the research process. I particularly want to thank my advisor, Prof. Oliver Boyd-Barrett for guiding me through one of the most important stages of my intellectual development. Finally, I would like to thank the people of Dominica, especially my research respondents, for so graciously participating in this dissertation. I also wish to thank the Government of Dominica and the various non- governmental institutions on the island for accommodating, and at times facilitating, my data collection and other related inquiries. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 1 Introduction to the Problem………………………………………………………... 1 Background to the Study…………………………………………………………... 2 Statement of the Problem…………………………………………………………... 6 Purpose of the Study……………………………………………………………….. 7 Rationale…………………………………………………………………………… 8 Research Questions………………………………………………………………… 12 Significance of the Study………………………………………………………….. 14 Definition of Terms………………………………………………………………… 17 Nature of the Study………………………………………………………………… 20 Assumptions and Limitations………………………………………………………. 21 Organization of the Remainder of the Study………………………………………. 23 CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW .............................................................................. 25 Introduction………………………………………………………………………… 25 International Political Economy of Media…………………………………………. 28 Post-Colonialism, Nation, Place, and Space……………………………………….. 39 Empire and Imperialism ............................................................................................. 49 Neoliberalism and Globalization ............................................................................... 64 A Critical Globalism……………………………………………………………….. 69 Small Island Developing States ................................................................................. 72 Environmental Vulnerability of SIDS ....................................................................... 83 ix Cross-Border Film Production and the Hollywood Business Model......................... 86 Hollywood Runaways……………………………………………………………… 103 Policy Studies……………………………………………………………………… 114 Film Policy in CARICOM………………………………………………………… 121 CHAPTER 3. RESEARCH DESIGN ................................................................................... 134 Researcher’s Philosophy ............................................................................................ 134 Theoretical Framework .............................................................................................. 142 Research Design Strategy………………………………………………………….. 156 Data Collection Design…………………………………………………………….. 161 Data Collection Means and Protocols……………………………………………… 165 Data Collection Procedures………………………………………………………… 175 Data Analysis Procedures…………………………………………………………… 177 Analytical Memo Organization……………………………………………………… 181 Overview of Data Coding……………………………………………………………. 182 Verification of Data Accuracy……………………………………………………….. 184 Ethical Issues………………………………………………………………………….187 CHAPTER 4. RESULTS AND ANALYSIS......................................................................... 189 Introduction to Results ............................................................................................... 189 RQ1. How do Small Island Developing States Facilitate the Production of Hollywood Films within their Borders? ................................................................... 192 Legislation and Regulation ............................................................................ 192 Film Policies .................................................................................................. 194 Institutional Framework: The DFC and the Film Commissioner………….. 197 x Procedures for Accommodating Foreign Film Productions………………. 203 Negotiations with Foreign Film Producers………………………………… 206 The Project Management of Big-Budget Film Productions on the Island…. 210 The Employment of Local Labor………………………………………….. 225 RQ2. What are the Political, Economic, and Cultural Implications of Small Island Developing States Hosting the Production of Big-Budget Hollywood Films within their Borders? ……………………………………………………………………… 235 Benefits of Hosting Big-Budget Film Productions………………………… 235 Local Philanthropy…………………………………………………………. 242 Impact on Economic Performance…………………………………………. 244 Transparency and Public Information……………………………………… 246 Challenges to Public Accountability and Systems of Local Governance…… 249 Incentives and Concessions…………………………………………………. 266 The Restoration of Public Spaces……………………………………………. 274 The Suppression of Local Wages and Labor Laws…………………………. 280 Environmental