A QUALITATIVE CASE STUDY ANALYSIS OF THE CURRENT CONDITION OF NICHE MARKET, INDEPENDENT MOTION PICTURE PRODUCERS By SAMUEL JASON COLE © 2013 Submitted to the graduate degree program in Film and Media Studies and the Graduate Faculty of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. ________________________________ Catherine Preston, Chairperson ________________________________ Chuck Berg ________________________________ Kevin Willmott _______________________________ John Tibbetts ________________________________ Sherrie Tucker Date Defended: December 4, 2013 The Dissertation Committee for Samuel Jason Cole certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: A QUALITATIVE CASE STUDY ANALYSIS OF THE CURRENT CONDITION OF NICHE MARKET, INDEPENDENT MOTION PICTURE PRODUCERS ________________________________ Catherine Preston, Chairperson Date approved: 12/18/2013 ii Acknowledgements This dissertation is dedicated to my daughter Mackenzie Morgan Cole You are so bright and beautiful. You can do anything you set your mind to! I want to thank my wife Courtney for all of her love, patience and support as we went through this process. It wasn’t easy, but we did it! I want to thank my brother Joe who pushed me to be my best and encouraged me to keep going when I was ready to quit. “Boom goes the dynamite.” Thank you to my best friend Scott Smith for dragging me along with him to the pinnacle of higher education. Thank you to my parents; Charles and Judy Cole, my in-laws; Kevin and Sonya Morgan, my brother John, my sister-in-laws; Melissa and Sandy and all the rest of my family and friends who cried, laughed and sweated over this thing with me. I love you all. iii Abstract This dissertation provides researchers with a window into the field of motion picture production from an inside- looking-out viewpoint filmmakers actively working in the field of motion picture production. Through a series of in-depth interviews, producers discuss the complexity of their roles and give first-hand accounts of what it means to be a filmmaker working outside of the corporate studio system of production. The study substantiates Bourdieu’s model of the field of cultural production and shows how it is applicable to the study of producers. The study also expands previous research, helping to build a more complete account of the current state of the field of motion picture production. Producers interviewed for this study include: Ted Hope, producer of over sixty films and selected for this study because of his particular involvement as producer for the film American Splendor; Eric Gitter, who produced 2010’s surprise hit Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, a film based on the mildly successful graphic novels created by Bryan O’Malley; Christine Walker, who produced over fifteen films and worked on both American Splendor and Howl, a film based iv on popular beat poet Allen Ginsberg; Marisa Miller Wolfson, who directed and co-produced the 2010 film Vegucated; Ben Steinbauer, director/producer of Winnebago Man; Bradley Beesley, producer of six films such as Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo and Okie Noodling; Sarah Price, producer/director for American Movie, Summercamp and others; Tracy Droz Tragos, producer for Be Good, Smile Pretty and Rich Hill; Tim Kirk, Room 237, a film exploring the theories behind Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining; Jon Betz, producer for Queen of the Sun and Seed: The Untold Story; Jon Reiss, producer of street art film Bomb It and author of Think Outside the Box Office; Stan Lee, former president and CEO of Marvel Comics and executive producer of Spider- Man, Hulk, and X-Men; and Grant Curtis, the producer for three Spider-Man films directed by Sam Raimi, as well as Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell. v Acknowledgements iii Abstract iv Chapter 1 – Introduction 8 Statement of the Problem 9 Purpose of the Study 11 Need for the Study 12 Research Questions 14 Research Question One 14 Research Question Two 15 Research Question Three 16 Research Objectives 16 Objective One 17 Objective Two 18 Objective Three 18 Chapter 2: Review of the Literature 27 Bourdieu’s Field of Cultural Production 28 The Lack of Producer Focus 33 Historical Context of Motion Picture Producers 39 The New Producers 42 Independent Filmmaking 43 Convergence Conundrum 48 Courting the Niche Audience 56 Normalizing the Niche 63 Riding the Wave of Niche Audience 64 Summary 67 Chapter 3: Methodology 69 Research Design 70 Interview Protocol 74 Selection of Participants 75 Participant Information 78 vi Ted Hope 79 Eric Gitter 79 Christine Walker 79 Marisa Miller Wolfson 79 Ben Steinbauer 80 Bradley Beesley 80 Jon Betz 80 John Reiss 80 Sarah Price 81 Tim Kirk 81 Tracy Droz Tragos 81 Grant Curtis 81 Stan Lee 82 Role of the Researcher 82 Data Collection 83 Procedures 84 Chapter 4: Data Analysis and Results 91 Chapter 5: Conclusions 129 General Introduction to Conclusions 111 Interpretation of Results 131 Research Question 1 131 Research Question 2 132 Research Question 3 133 Emergent Themes and Discoveries 134 Generalizations and Inferences 135 Limitations of the Study, and opportunities for further research 136 Bibliography 139 Appendix A – Interview Questions 146 Appendix B – Example Communication 149 Appendix C – Interview Transcripts / Raw Data 151 vii Chapter 1 - Introduction There are many factors that influence the production of a motion picture, and one of the strongest is the role of the producer and his or her decisions. The central theme of this dissertation is to discover the current practices of independent film producers and how they perceive their own motives, and how those motives in turn impact the decisions they make during a film production. By capturing the motives, decisions, and practices of independent producers we have a snap shot of what it is like to take part in contemporary independent motion picture industry. The motion picture industry is situated within the larger framework of capitalistic society of the United States, thus giving definition to the culture contained within. This culture of independent motion picture production are those artists and makers who operate outside of the traditional Hollywood studio system in order to bring their creations to a wider theatrical audience. This study seeks to bring clarification of independent motion picture producer’s role by examining their motives through common themes that emerge through a series of case study analyses. The analyses will help identify the motives and influential factors that may have an impact on the process of a motion picture’s production. This study exposes some of the variables that are shaping the independent motion picture industry and the relationship between audiences, producers, and motion pictures. Statement of the Problem A majority of motion picture research is focused on textual analysis of narrative, audience reception, and interaction, or the political underpinnings, or social commentary, of motion pictures. Most of this research does not give direct insight about the motives of producers as they make decisions; particularly, as they work to produce motion pictures relevant to a niche audience or target market. This study expands current research and examines producer’s motives in the context of independent film production. The delineation of these factors could help those studying media and film production to have a better understanding of impact that niche market independent film producers have on the motion picture industry and on society in general. According to the Producer’s Guild of America (PGA), a producer is the person who is with a motion picture from concept to distribution, giving them the unique perspective of knowing the most intricate details of the entire production process (2012). The PGA breaks the roles of motion picture producers into four main categories 9 development, pre-production, production, and post- production/marketing. Individuals seeking membership to the guild can be inducted through a nomination process and proof that they have served in at least one role established in their guidelines. On larger corporate studio productions with large multi-million dollar budgets there may be the luxury of having multiple individuals serving the various functions of the producer; many independent producers must fulfill these roles by themselves or with the help of very few others. The guidelines used by the Producer’s Guild will be used as a baseline in this study to compare/contrast the activities of those producers interviewed and to help us see just where the role of independent motion picture producers diverge from the standards (see appendix A for list of PGA standards). The motion picture industry is an economically dangerous business, with the potential to make or lose millions of dollars on each project. It is no surprise that business and marketing experts have long taken interest in the process for choosing which films are ‘green lit’. With motion picture producers rising through the ranks from all areas, there is a desire to understand what influences these individuals to make decisions. 10 “Decision-making style varies across the different parties involved in the production and distribution of movies. Motion picture producers, coming from artistic backgrounds, tend to believe in more intuitive styles. In contrast, executives in who interact more closely with retailers and consumers, generally see more value in formal decision models” (Eliashberg, Weinberg, Wierenga 437). It is this desire to understand the minds of those in a position to move a film production forward and thus impact a large amount of individuals and the economy that is at the core of this dissertation. Exploring the minds of producers who are risking their social and economic viability every day is an area of largely untapped research potential. The product of this research is a document of the thoughts and language of producers who are active in the cultivation of motion picture projects that are a balance of economic and artistic capital.