Dickson, Lesley-Ann (2014) Film festival and cinema audiences: a study of exhibition practice and audience reception at Glasgow Film Festival. PhD thesis. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/5693/ Copyright and moral rights for this work are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This work cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Enlighten:Theses http://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] Film Festival and Cinema Audiences: A study of exhibition practice and audience reception at Glasgow Film Festival Lesley-Ann Dickson A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Glasgow School of Culture and Creative Arts September 2014 Abstract This thesis takes the view that film festivals are ‘social constructions’ and therefore need social subjects (people) to function. From global media audiences to those physically present at screenings: it is people who make film festivals (Dayan 2000). Nevertheless, Film Festival Studies, with its preoccupation with global economics and/or the political nature of these events, has arguably omitted the ‘audience voice’ meaning much of the empirical work on offer derives from market research by festivals themselves. As such, there is little conceptual contribution about what makes festivals culturally important to audiences or the ways in which festival practice differs from, or synergises with, broader cinematic practice. This thesis investigates exhibition practice and audience reception at Glasgow Film Festival (GFF) over three years (2011-13). In just nine years, GFF has expanded significantly, increasing from 6000 attendances in its advent year to over 39,000 in 2013. Now the UK’s third largest film festival, it prides itself as a ‘local audience festival’ and continually articulates its provision of ‘something for everyone’, both in terms of texts (films and paratext) and contexts (the environments where the event takes place). Thus, unlike specialist festivals (identity-based, genre), it does not segment its audience by a shared identity or taste, but by its audiences’ shared locality and appetite for film. The originality of the work is found in its contribution to the burgeoning field of Film Festival Studies and its methodological intervention as one of the earliest studies on film festival audiences. Using qualitative audience research methods, elite interviews and ethnography, it approaches film festival analysis through a nuanced lens. Furthermore, the positioning of the research within the interdisciplinary landscape of Film Festival Studies, Film Studies and Cultural Studies offers a broad context for understanding the appeal of ‘audience film festivals’ and the exhibition practices that exist within this often neglected type of film festival. Adopting a mixed-method approach, fieldwork is supplemented by box office analysis and archival research, which situates this contemporary investigation within the festival’s cinematic heritage – its connection to a 1930s former art house 2 cinema which now functions as the festival’s hub venue, and its inherent connection to various sites of ‘institutionally and spatially located’ exhibition spaces (a multiplex, art house, art gallery/centre) (Harbord, 2002). In terms of exhibition, the thesis argues that GFF constantly negotiates its position as an event that is both populist and distinct, and local and international. Through its diverse programme (mainstream and experimental films, conventional and unconventional venues) and its discursive positioning of films, it manages its position as both a local and inclusive event and a prestigious festival with aspirations of international recognition.1 In a broader sense it also suggests that festival exhibition is a multi-layered operation that strives to create a ‘total experience’ for audiences, and in this respect differs greatly from standard cinematic exhibition. With a distinct focus on the festival audience, it presents accounts from the mouths of real festival-goers about why they attend GFF and how they navigate the programmes and make choices about what to attend. Moreover, it offers experiential testimonies about the dominant pleasures of the festival experience, and provides the first conceptual framework of vocabularies of pleasure in a film festival context. Moreover, it argues that despite the fact that the raison d'être of film festivals is to present films, audiences privilege the contextual conditions of the event in their experiential accounts. Indeed, research participants articulate their festival experiences in spatial and corporeal terms, and take great pleasure in the reduced proximity granted by the frenetic festival environment, which places them physically close to other festival-goers. As such, the thesis serves to problematise Film Studies’ conventions of immersion and disembodiment by proposing that film festivals are predominantly sites of heightened participation, active spectatorship, and spatial and embodied pleasure. 1 GFF programmers want the event to be recognised as a leading audience festival on the festival circuit. 3 Acknowledgements This thesis would not have been possible without the help of many people. First and foremost I would like to thank Karen Boyle and Emily Munro for devising this exciting and challenging project, and for appointing me as researcher. In particular, I am grateful to Karen Boyle for her patience, expertise and unrelenting guidance relating to the thesis and my academic development more generally. Also to Raymond Boyle for coming onboard as my secondary supervisor in year two, for providing invaluable insight into the methodological issues, and for persistently asking me ‘why is your research important?’ which helped me identify the wider value of the work. The financial support of the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s Collaborative Doctoral Award (CDA) Scheme is gratefully acknowledged. This support allowed me to dedicate my full efforts to the PhD and opened up supplementary support channels, namely the AHRC Research Training Support Grant (RTSG), which made possible a trip to the Society of Cinema and Media Studies Conference (SCMS) in Chicago in 2013. Collaborative PhDs can be complicated endeavours, nevertheless, I have been fortunate to have had an enthusiastic, supportive and welcoming industry partner in Glasgow Film. I would like to note special gratitude to the following past and present Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT) and Glasgow Film Festival (GFF) employees: Jaki MacDougall, Allison Gardner, Allan Hunter, Angela Freeman, Julie Cathcart, Matt Lloyd, Jen Davies, Seonaid Daly, Corinne Orton and Carolyn Mills. Special thanks to the GFF marketing team for allowing me to use images throughout the thesis and to the talented GFF photographers, Stuart Crawford, Neil Douglas, Eoin Carey, David Monteith-Hodge, Ingrid Muir and Euan Robertson, who do a wonderful job of documenting the event and who have been credited throughout.2 I offer thanks to staff members in Theatre, Film and Television Studies at the University of Glasgow, in particular to Christine Geraghty, Karen Lury, David 2 Where appropriate, Stuart Crawford is identified as SC, Neil Douglas as ND, Eoin Carey as EC, David Monteith-Hodge as DMH, Ingrid Muir as IM, and Euan Robertson as ER. 4 Archibald, Amy Holdsworth, Maria Vélez Serna and Michael McCann, and to Mel Selfe in Centre for Cultural Policy Research. I am also indebted to many individuals in the postgraduate research community for their motivation and ‘we’ll get there’ attitude, particular thanks go to Graeme, Nessa, Becky, Anthony, Allison and Gillian. I also owe huge thanks to Lynn Whitaker whom, also having completed a CDA studentship, has offered continual guidance and friendship throughout the project. Thanks also to Leila for casting those meticulous eyes over the final proof. Thanks must also go to my nearest and dearest for their support on every level imaginable. To my close circle of friends, who have continually encouraged me and avoided scolding me for my neglect and self-involvement over the last year. Particular credit goes to Claire Neil who has been a constant source of PhD wisdom having blazed the trail. Thank you also to my movie-buff dad, Jim, for stirring in me a passion for all things film at a very young age and to my beloved Kirks, Alex and Laura, whose hardworking philosophy has unquestionably rubbed off on me. And to my best friend, my mum Linda, who has inspired me from as far back as I can remember. Finally, I am forever grateful to my husband, Grant, for his patience, belief and love. I dedicate this work to you, G. 5 Author’s Declaration This thesis represents the original work of Lesley-Ann Dickson unless otherwise stated in the text. The research on which it was based was carried out at the University of Glasgow under the supervision of Professor Raymond Boyle and Professor Karen Boyle, and at Glasgow Film Theatre with the supervision of Jaki MacDougall and Emily Munro, during the period October 2010 to April 2014. 6 Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................