Staking Claims: Conveying Transnational Cultural Value in a Creative Industry

Abstract

This study examines who speaks to cultural value in the world market for television, what criteria are invoked for product appraisal, and how aesthetic criteria are deployed to explore the ways in which cultural arbiters and critical appraisal contribute to transnational culture worlds. Findings reveal that product appraisals consist of rational, concrete criteria that signal profitability alongside aesthetic criteria that reflect dimensions of entertainment. In the absence of professional critics, the public discourse of industry boundary spanners proved crucial to marketplace gatekeeping and the organization of global television’s market environment.

Gatekeeping and networking arrangements: Dutch distributors in the film distribution business

“…Projects are formally introduced and promoted to distributors at sales markets, in direct competition with other films. They are important events where the film business comes together, creating an all-important 'industry buzz' and word-of-mouth reputation (Bielby, 2011). This, in turn, affects the acquisition process of major independents in the sense that they need to anticipate change at sales markets, as demonstrated by another major independent:…”

“…Second, they are able to rely on film reviews by critics. Trade magazines such as Screen International, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, for instance, publish daily editions specifically for the Berlin Film Festival and other key festivals, which include reviews and ratings of films, giving a firm impression of industry opinion (Bielby, 2011). Third, they rely on what Friedman (2014:31) calls "non-competitive informal networking", by means of information exchange with likeminded colleagues in the industry.…”

“…Some meetings are pre-arranged, while others take place spontaneously. Buyers and sellers come together on the sales floor and at social spaces created within the sales market, where they discuss projects and acquire a sense of the level of buzz surrounding films (Bielby, 2011). Similarly, film screenings offer opportunities to share views with others.…”

Soap Operas and Artistic Legitimation: The Role of Critical Commentary

“…In elite art worlds such as the theater, opera, or ballet, critical reviews are typically connoisseurial and are crucial for legitimizing which objects are worthy of esthetic praise and public attention . In nonelite art worlds such as television, reviews are both connoissuerial and procedural and serve a legitimation purpose as well, though this function is problematized due to “commercial considerations, audience expertise, and the need to find a balance between art and entertainment” (Bielby, , p. 525) . Most importantly for our purposes, critical commentary of both types can help objects bridge the gap from nonelite to elite status.…”

“…An analysis of 540 reviews from 15 different critics at six different newspapers finds that critics draw on a core set of criteria in their work: “appraisal of formal aesthetic elements, signaling increased attention to television as an art form, while retaining a consideration of factors such as entertainment value that are of interest to audiences and business constituencies alike” (Bielby, Moloney, & Ngo, , p. 2). Other work explores the role of critical commentary in the global TV syndication market, finding that there too “product appraisals consist of rational, concrete criteria that signal profitability alongside aesthetic criteria that reflect dimensions of entertainment” (Bielby, , p. 525). Given the relative absence of global counterparts to U.S. domestic television critics, the role of domestic reviewers is crucial to transnationalized culture industries.…”