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A Different Understanding of Low and Micro-Budget Film Production in the Uk

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A Different Understanding of Low and Micro-Budget Film Production in the Uk A DIFFERENT UNDERSTANDING OF LOW AND MICRO-BUDGET FILM PRODUCTION IN THE UK JAMES FAIR A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of Staffordshire University for the degree of PhD. January 2017 Abstract This thesis examines whether there is a different perspective to low and micro- budget filmmaking than has previously been understood, challenging the Low and Micro-Budget Film Production in the UK report, commissioned by the UK Film Council (UKFC) in 2008 to inform their policies. The introduction of this thesis illustrates how the UKFC report used inappropriate methodologies and poses the research question: would a different methodology present a perspective of low and micro-budget film production that differs from the ‘comprehensive picture’ that the UKFC claimed to portray? Participatory Action Research (PAR) is presented as a suitable methodology, as it has not previously been used to explore film production and it enables a plurality of perspectives to be presented from across the crew. However, the participatory action of filmmaking is resource intensive and required various stakeholders to collaborate in order to address the research question. A feature-length film, The Ballad of Des and Mo, was shot, edited and screened as part of the Melbourne International Film Festival in 2010, and artefacts created as part of the film’s production (including a further feature length documentary following the process) are presented as evidence within this thesis. However, serious limitations were encountered within the PAR process, including incomplete data collection, contested representation of the process within the artefacts and struggles over ownership. The discussion contends that PAR within film production is unreliable, but argues that the artefacts created were still examples of low and micro-budget filmmaking, and subsequent analysis is conducted using grounded theory to establish themes within the artefacts. The outcomes correlate with wider literature and establish that the UKFC’s report was incomplete and did not present a ‘comprehensive picture’ of low and micro-budget filmmaking. Two findings are established: the limitations of PAR in a filmmaking context and the discovery that low and micro-budget filmmaking places unique pressures on social relationships. ii Acknowledgements There are too many acknowledgements that need to be addressed on a collaborative project such as this; it would require another thesis of thanks. Everyone knows who they are and what they contributed, and there should be no doubt that I am eternally grateful. Special thanks must go to Professor Stella Mills and Professor David Webb for their support and sticking with me, I appreciate it enormously. Thanks to my family in all their shapes and sizes, especially Bita and Jaffa. iii Table of Contents 1. Introduction.................................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Why is this important? ....................................................................................... 10 1.2. The research question ....................................................................................... 11 2. The Methodological Approach ................................................................................. 13 2.1. Existing approaches ........................................................................................... 13 2.2. Action research (AR): a brieF introduction .................................................. 18 2.2.1. Principles of AR. ................................................................................................................... 20 2.2.2. Types of AR ............................................................................................................................ 23 2.2.3. Participatory Action Research ..................................................................................... 25 2.3. Criticisms oF AR .................................................................................................... 29 2.4 Why not choose Participatory Video (PV) as a methodology? ................. 31 2.5. Why choose PAR to examine Film production? ........................................... 34 3. Applying Participatory Action Research .............................................................. 37 3.1. Positionality – Inside/Out ................................................................................. 39 3.2. Reconnaissance ................................................................................................... 41 3.3. Data collection ..................................................................................................... 43 3.3.1. Personal accounts ............................................................................................................... 44 3.3.1.1. The documentary and photo collection ......................................................... 44 3.3.1.2. Blogs and vlogs ........................................................................................................... 45 3.3.2. Other significant artefacts .............................................................................................. 46 3.4. PAR evaluation ..................................................................................................... 47 3.4.1. Participant SWOT analyses ............................................................................................ 48 3.4.2. The documentary ................................................................................................................ 53 3.4.3. Other significant artefacts .............................................................................................. 53 3.5. Discussion ............................................................................................................. 54 3.6. Credibility/ Validity/ Rigour............................................................................ 58 3.7. Limitations ............................................................................................................ 60 3.8. Ethical considerations ....................................................................................... 62 4. Reconnaissance ........................................................................................................... 66 4.1. Macro-context ...................................................................................................... 66 4.2. Situational Context ............................................................................................. 70 4.3. SelF-reconnaissance ............................................................................................ 79 5. Data ................................................................................................................................. 86 5.1. Participant SWOT analysis ............................................................................... 86 5.2. The documentary ................................................................................................ 87 5.3. Other signiFicant arteFacts ................................................................................ 88 5.3.1. Photographs........................................................................................................................... 89 5.3.2. Blogs and vlogs ..................................................................................................................... 89 5.3.3. Channel Ten appearances............................................................................................... 90 5.3.4. Triple R radio interview .................................................................................................. 90 5.3.5. Open Channel podcast ...................................................................................................... 91 5.3.6. Newspaper articles ............................................................................................................ 91 5.3.7. The film itself ........................................................................................................................ 91 6. Discussion ..................................................................................................................... 93 6.1. What themes emerge From the PAR outputs?.............................................. 93 6.1.1. Roles are defined by the dominant model ............................................................. 93 6.1.2. Experiencing pleasure in leisure and the development of a sporting analogy. ................................................................................................................................................. 95 6.1.3. Drinking culture and the ‘networking’ pub ........................................................... 97 6.1.4. Gender imbalance within production crew .......................................................... 98 6.1.5. Pressure on direct and indirect friendships and relationships .................. 99 iv 6.1.6. Fatigue .................................................................................................................................... 101 6.1.7. Uncertain educational value ....................................................................................... 103 6.2. Do the themes diFFer or relate to the UKFC report? .................................105 6.2.1. Similarities ..........................................................................................................................
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