Understanding the film and TV sector in North East England

using social network analysis

Jon SwordsNorthumbria University

Presentation to Employment Research Institute, Edinburgh Napier University (5th December, 2012)

StructureBackground

Previous research

Change over last decade

Beyond the region

Examining project networks

Early conclusions

North East CrisesEconomic powerhouse in industrial revolution

25% of global ship production early 20th century

Manufacturing boom post war

Microchip manufacture in 1990s

Creative industries?

Creative Industries in North East England

Much of the region’s creative industries are characterised as:

-operating self contained and regionally bounded working practices-being isolated cognitively and physically from creative hubs -using passive or serendipitous engagement strategies to engage non- locally -facing barriers to engage non-locally

(Swords and Wray, 2010)

Swords, J. & Wray, F. (2010) "The Connectivity of the Creative Industries in North East England: The Problems of Physical and Relational Distance" Local Economy 25(4) 305–318

• “There is no industry anymore…if I don’t find a new project soon I’m moving to Glasgow.”

• (Producer D)

What’s happened?Why did it happened?What are the consequences?

Productions made (at least in part) in NE

Productions involving NE based production companies

Impacts of Decline

Regional firms 3.5x more likley to film locally

“Very little creativity on set, mainly routines tasks and fetching and carrying. Intensive creative period is pre-production.”

(Producer H)

Loss of capacity

Source: Draco2008 @ Flickr

Moving beyond the region

Bounded regional space of workers vs multi-scalar relational spaces of production networks

“...the key domains of finance, distribution and exhibition that exert a massive influence on the organizational structures and geography of the industry.”

(Coe and Johns, 2004: 188)

Johns, J. (2010) "Manchester's Film and Television Industry: Project Ecologies and Network Hierarchies" Urban Studies, 47(5) 1059–1077

Geographies of the project network of a feature film shot in Liverpool

Skeletal Remains of Project Ecologies

“project ecologies denote relational space which affords the personal, organizational, and institutional resources for performing projects. This relational space encompasses social layers on multiple scales, from the micro-level of interpersonal networks to the meso-level of wider institutional settings.”

(Grabher and Ibert, 2010: 176)

Crew lists

Companies involved

Other organisations

...for productions linked to north east England

Visualising Project Ecologies

Deciphering the NetworkTwo ways:

1. centrality measures

2. the layout

Split between film and TV

Caravan productions

All data, 1971-2011

TV productions

Films

Key

Split between film and TV

Explaining the split

Divisions of labour

Specialisms

Career trajectories

Bridging examples

1980s 1990s

2000s

TV productions

Films

Key

2000-05 2006-11

TV productions

Films

Key

Caravans

Productions which travel from location to location to film

Minimal impact on local industry (e.g. Atonement)

Source: pierre c. 38 @ Flickr

Using SNA+ overcomes missing geographic data

+ useful to identify key (powerful?) nodes

+ help identify areas for further investigation (School for Seduction)

+ nice visualisations

- partial data

- SNA measures skewed

Competing Narratives

1. Buoyant industry connected to Hollywood and London?

• branch plant relationship?

2. Declining industry hemorrhaging jobs?

• yes, but... more resilient firms?

• Growing short film focus.

Creative De-industrialisation?

Decisions leading to decline:

• cancellation of series• (dis)investment decisions• choosing overseas locations• loss of regional bodies

...are made outside the region.

History repeating?