Writing film industry history

Spicer, Andrew

Abstract

This chapter provides a critical overview of the main ways in which film industry history has been formulated and described. It argues that any account must address three basic questions: (i) how film industry history has been defined and delimited (the object of study); (ii) the customary sources used and the major methodological approaches employed (what counts as evidence); and (iii) the purposes or intentions of film industry historians (what is being explained? The chapter explores how these issues have been tackled by a range of different scholars, discussing the ways in which they have conceptualized film industry history in what is a dynamic and shifting field populated by researchers from a variety of perspectives and disciplinary backgrounds with contrasting priorities and preoccupations. It uses as examples studies that have been influential, and/or illustrate broad trends or shifts in approach. A brief concluding section considers the possible future direction of film industry history.

• Online Publication Date: Oct 4, 2021
• Publication Date: Oct 5, 2021
• Deposit Date: May 30, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 5, 2023
• Publisher: Routledge
• Pages: 429-438
• Book Title: The Routledge Companion to Media Industries
• Chapter Number: 37
• ISBN: 9780429275340
• Keywords: film history
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/9579962
• Publisher URL: https://www.routledge.com/The-Routledge-Companion-to-Media-Industries/McDonald/p/book/9780367225261
• Contract Date: Dec 1, 2020