Overview
- Develops a critical understanding of gatekeepers in the European and US film industries
- Draws on interviews with 40 industry professionals, particularly executives of sales and distribution companies
- Examines the disruptive influence of Netflix and Amazon
Part of the book series: Palgrave Global Media Policy and Business (GMPB)
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Table of contents (11 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Keywords
About this book
This book is about the business of distribution, around which the international film business revolves. Considering sales agents and distributors as primary gatekeepers, the book examines the networks in which they operate, how they operate, how their practices have evolved, and the power and control they exert over the business of independent film distribution. Critically, it also considers how they are affected by the powerful influence of Netflix and Amazon in the online era. At a time of disruption and change to traditional business models and industry professions, Roderik Smits argues that gatekeepers remain equally – if not more – crucial to the distribution and circulation of films in international markets.
Reviews
“Situated at the intersection of Film Studies and Media Industry Studies, this is a much-needed examination of gatekeeping in the independent sector of the film distribution business. Smits uses highly original industry research to explore the little understood ways in which sales agents, distributors, digital content aggregators and online platforms enable (some) films to reach audiences.” (Professor Andrew Higson, University of York, UK)
“This monograph is a much-needed addition to both Distribution Studies and Media Industry Studies. It provides an empirically rich exploration of some previously under-researched intermediaries (e.g. distributors, sales agents and content aggregators). The book also provides a fascinating discussion of the development of film markets (/festivals) and the political machinations that have led some to grow and others to falter.” (Dr Virginia Crisp, King's College London, UK)“This monograph is incredibly timely and critically necessary. It establishes a foundational understanding of sales agents and the gatekeeping role they perform in the screen industries at a time of significant disruption to traditional business models. Media industry scholars take note: we need more investigations like this one, not only for the benefit of our research, but also our teaching.” (Dr Kevin Sanson, Queensland University of Technology, Australia)
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Roderik Smits is Research Associate in the Department of Theatre, Film and Television at the University of York, UK. He is interested in the changing nature of the film industry and his research has been published in Poetics, Studies in European Cinema, Arts and the Market, Cultural Trends and the Journal of British Cinema and Television.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Gatekeeping in the Evolving Business of Independent Film Distribution
Authors: Roderik Smits
Series Title: Palgrave Global Media Policy and Business
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16896-4
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Literature, Cultural and Media Studies, Literature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-16895-7Published: 19 July 2019
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-16898-8Published: 14 August 2020
eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-16896-4Published: 09 July 2019
Series ISSN: 2634-6192
Series E-ISSN: 2634-6206
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XIII, 276
Number of Illustrations: 8 b/w illustrations
Topics: Film/TV Industry, Media Policy, Cultural Policy and Politics