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Independent
Film and Video Distribution in the UK During the 1980s and
1990s
Principal
Investigator: Julia Knight
Co-Investigator: Geoffrey Nowell-Smith
Postdoctoral Research Fellow: Peter Thomas
Transcription/Support: Maisoon Rehani
Research
Context
During the
1980s the UK witnessed the growth of a vibrant independent
film and video sector. This sector comprised both artists
working and experimenting with moving image technology and
media workers operating in a workshop environment facilitating
access to moving image technology for the wider public, most
usually those under- or mispresented by the mass media. Changes
in arts funding and political agendas towards the end of the
1980s, however, together with a move towards professionalisation
of the sector and the development of digital technology, produced
a shift in the nature of independent film and video culture
in Britain during the 1990s. On the one hand, some of the
innovative qualities and political radicalism of the sector
seemed to be lost, and a number of artists also broadened
their interests beyond film and video to encompass a multimedia
palette. On the other, the amalgamation in the late 1990s
of the London Filmmakers Coop and London Electronic Arts (formerly
London Video Access) into one organisation, The Lux, housing
production, distribution and exhibition facilities, appeared
to suggest independent film/video practice had become a firmly
established facet of moving image culture in Britain.
To date
little sustained research has been conducted into this area,
and has tended to focus on the artists/makers and the work
itself, especially with regard to conceptual issues or questions
of representation. Thus very little is known about how this
work actually circulated in the public domain during the 1980s
and 1990s: how it was distributed, where it was shown and
to whom. Indeed, film and video distribution generally is
a neglected field of academic study, and with regard to independent
film and video distribution specifically it has produced only
a handful of articles: there has been no indepth study of
distribution practices across the sector. Yet, as the recent
closure of The Lux - the key distributor of independent film
and video work in this country - and the suspension of trading
by Cinenova (the only women's film and video distributor in
Europe) demonstrate, the machinery of distribution and
promotion of exhibition is of fundamental importance if such
work is to continue to be seen.
The proposed
project is of importance because:
1. It will
develop a more rounded picture of the nature of British independent
film and video culture.
2. It will
improve our understanding of how non-commercial film and video
distribution operates.
3. Such
knowledge is vital if effective strategies are to be developed
for the future distribution and exhibition of independent
film/video in the UK.
4. The knowledge
and understanding developed will therefore be of interest
to those organisations who have a remit to fund and promote
such work.
5. Although
funders currently appear committed to safeguarding The Lux's
collection, its closure highlights the need to conduct such
research before physical distribution records are lost.
The aims
and objectives
1. To identify
the models of distribution in operation during the 1980s concerned
with promoting the exhibition of independent film and video
in the UK.
2. To analyse
how and why those models of distribution changed during the
1990s, and to assess to what extent that marked an overall
shift in independent film and video culture in the UK in terms
of the kinds of work being actively distributed and the audiences
for it.
3. To see
how those models of distribution operated and how effective
they were in promoting the exhibition of independent film
and video work and building up audiences for such work throughout
the 1980s and 1990s.
4. To examine
the make up of the audiences for such work in order to assess
what kinds of film/video were being shown where and to whom.
5. To assess
the failures and successes of those models of distribution
in the light of the recent closure or suspension of operations
of some organisations working in the field.
6. To provide
analyses that could productively inform the future redevelopment
of this field of activity.
The research
question
With regard
to independent film and video in the UK during the 1980s and
1990s, what was the role of distribution as a mediating institution
between film/video makers and their audiences and how effectively
was it carried out?
This will
be subdivided into five interconnected areas:
1. What
were the economic bases of the distribution models in operation
during the 1980s and 1990s, and to what extent did the distribution
organisations have economic stability?
2. What
were the marketing and promotional policies of the distribution
organisations, and how did they contribute to building/creating
audiences for the work?
3. What
were the ideologies informing the distribution organisations
and how did those ideologies affect their operational structures
and strategies?
4. How were
the distribution organisations run administratively, and to
what extent did the administrative structures facilitate the
promotion of the work and the creation of audiences for it?
5. How did
technological developments affect the operations of distribution
organisations?
Research
methods
The project
will conduct research into the main organisations involved
in or devoted to the distribution and promotion of exhibition
of independent film and video in the 1980s and 1990s: namely
London Filmmakers Coop, London Electronic Arts, Film and Video
Umbrella, British Film Institute, Foundation for Art and Creative
Technology (formerly Merseyside Moviola), Cinenova (formerly
Circles), Cinema of Women, and Albany Video Distribution.
These organisations were or have been at the forefront of
developing independent film and video distribution and exhibition
in the UK, hence their contribution to the area is significant.
In order
to gain a full picture, however, it will also be necessary
to examine organisations which have played a supplementary
or supporting role such as Concord Video and Film Council
and Metro (formerly The Other Cinema), as well as projects
and initiatives around the country such as the Greater London
Arts Association distribution library, the ACGB's Art Film
on Tour which toured as far as the Orkneys, their Filmmakers
and Video Artists on Tour and their public library scheme;
Pieces II from Newcastle upon Tyne, Northern Newsreel
in Gateshead, and other video sell-through packages such as
Vidzine, Video Burn and édition à
voir; videotheques at Bristol's Arnolfini, London's ICA,
Nottingham's Intermedia and Southend Central Library; and
regional film directories, festival catalogues, and magazines
such as Undercut, Independent Media and Variant
which listed distributors or helped promote the work. Many
of these initiatives were short-lived, but they indicate a
willingness to experiment to find a means of delivering work
to/creating audiences. It is important therefore to assess
their effectiveness.
It will
also be necessary to examine arts funding strategies over
the two decades, focusing on such organisations as the Arts
Council of England and regional arts boards/associations,
the British Film Institute, Channel Four, the London Film
and Video Development Agency, and where appropriate local
authorities. Such research will demonstrate the level of commitment
on the part of funders to distributing/promoting the work
and indicate the levels of financial stability enjoyed by
the distribution organisations and initiatives.
To address
the research questions listed above it is intended to adopt
primarily a dual approach. Firstly, examining and analysing
the relevant records, such as - in the case of the distribution
organisations and initiatives - sales and hires/bookings files,
financial records, marketing and advertising records, catalogues,
royalties records, artists contracts, board and management
meeting minutes, artists and funders correspondence, business
plans, consultancy reports, mission statements, audience feedback
forms, and correspondence with exhibition venues and customers.
In the case of the funders, it will be mission statements,
policy documents, minutes of selection board meetings, funding
initiatives documentation, client correspondence etc. The
second approach will be interviewing current and past workers
from the organisations. A considerable number have worked
in these organisations for sustained periods and thus have
detailed knowledge and a historical overview of developments.
They will also be able to supplement any gaps in the physical
records.
These methods
provide the most appropriate means of answering the research
question as they will yield information about, for instance,
the form and source of incomes for the distribution organisations,
the level of financial planning undertaken, pricing and royalty
policies, the kinds of marketing and promotional activities
undertaken, the nature of the audiences for such work and
where it was shown, the ideologies of the organisations and
how that affected their operational basis, and the levels
of specialist skills among workers. It will also reveal the
nature of the relationship between distribution organisations,
funders, and arts funding policy, and how changes in policy
affected the viability of the distributors/initiatives, the
work being shown and the audiences for such work. This is
the kind of information needed to assess the effectiveness
of distribution.
(November
2001)
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