IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/urbstu/v47y2010i5p1059-1077.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Manchester’s Film and Television Industry: Project Ecologies and Network Hierarchies

Author

Listed:
  • Jennifer Johns

    (Department of Geography, University of Liverpool, Roxby Building, Chatham Street, Liverpool, Merseyside L69 7ZT, UK, j.johns@liverpool.ac.uk)

Abstract

This paper presents a film and television production system theoretically framed using a network approach. The organisation and geographies of production are examined using the notion of project ecologies to incorporate non-firm actors including freelance individuals. Empirical findings from quantitative and qualitative data collection in Manchester are used to illustrate different hierarchical networks within and between production stages. The paper argues that inherent multiscalar network inequalities impact on the capacity for the film and television industry in Manchester to secure financing and distribution, and on the organisational logics of production.

Suggested Citation

  • Jennifer Johns, 2010. "Manchester’s Film and Television Industry: Project Ecologies and Network Hierarchies," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 47(5), pages 1059-1077, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:47:y:2010:i:5:p:1059-1077
    DOI: 10.1177/0042098009353628
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0042098009353628
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/0042098009353628?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Neil M. Coe, 2000. "On location: American capital and the local labour market in the Vancouver film industry," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(1), pages 79-94, March.
    2. Andrew Currah, 2006. "Hollywood versus the Internet: the media and entertainment industries in a digital and networked economy," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 6(4), pages 439-468, August.
    3. Susan Christopherson & Michael Storper, 1989. "The Effects of Flexible Specialization on Industrial Politics and the Labor Market: The Motion Picture Industry," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 42(3), pages 331-347, April.
    4. Susan Christopherson, 2004. "The Divergent Worlds of New Media: How Policy Shapes Work in the Creative Economy1," Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 21(4), pages 543-558, July.
    5. Storper, Michael, 1989. "The Transition to Flexible Specialisation in the U.S. Film Industry: External Economies, the Division of Labour, and the Crossing of Industrial Divides," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 13(2), pages 273-305, June.
    6. Gernot Grabher, 2001. "Ecologies of Creativity: The Village, the Group, and the Heterarchic Organisation of the British Advertising Industry," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 33(2), pages 351-374, February.
    7. Susan Christopherson & Jennifer Clark, 2007. "Power in Firm Networks: What it Means for Regional Innovation Systems," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(9), pages 1223-1236.
    8. Richard Whitley, 2006. "Project-based firms: new organizational form or variations on a theme?," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 15(1), pages 77-99, February.
    9. Ken Starkey & Christopher Barnatt & Sue Tempest, 2000. "Beyond Networks and Hierarchies: Latent Organizations in the U.K. Television Industry," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 11(3), pages 299-305, June.
    10. Andrew Leyshon, 2001. "Time–Space (and Digital) Compression: Software Formats, Musical Networks, and the Reorganisation of the Music Industry," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 33(1), pages 49-77, January.
    11. Allen J. Scott, 1997. "The Cultural Economy of Cities," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(2), pages 323-339, June.
    12. Jennifer Johns, 2006. "Video games production networks: value capture, power relations and embeddedness," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 6(2), pages 151-180, April.
    13. Harald Bathelt, 2002. "The Re-emergence of a Media Industry Cluster in Leipzig," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(5), pages 583-611, July.
    14. Ann Markusen, 1996. "Sticky Places in Slippery Space: A Typology of Industrial Districts," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 72(3), pages 293-313, July.
    15. Pratt, Andy C., 1997. "The cultural industries production system: a case study of employment change in Britain, 1984-91," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 21394, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    16. Aksoy, Asu & Robins, Kevin, 1992. "Hollywood for the 21st Century: Global Competition for Critical Mass in Image Markets," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 16(1), pages 1-22, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Manning, Stephan, 2017. "The rise of project network organizations: Building core teams and flexible partner pools for interorganizational projects," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(8), pages 1399-1415.
    2. Gary Cook & Jennifer Johns, 2011. "The Transformation of Broadcasting and Film in Manchester and Liverpool," Chapters, in: Charlie Karlsson & Robert G. Picard (ed.), Media Clusters, chapter 8, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    3. Andrea Caragliu & Camilla Lenzi & Selyf Morgan, 2013. "Development dynamics within creative media industries: the case of television and digital media in Wales," Regional Science Policy & Practice, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 5(4), pages 385-400, November.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Neil M. Coe, 2001. "A Hybrid Agglomeration? The Development of a Satellite-Marshallian Industrial District in Vancouver's Film Industry," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 38(10), pages 1753-1775, September.
    2. Manning, Stephan, 2017. "The rise of project network organizations: Building core teams and flexible partner pools for interorganizational projects," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(8), pages 1399-1415.
    3. Allen J Scott, 2005. "Cultural-Products Industries And Urban Economic Development: Prospects For Growth And Market Contestation In Global Context," Urban/Regional 0511005, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Leona Achtenhagen & Robert Picard, 2014. "Challenges and success factors in media cluster development: a review of contemporary knowledge," Chapters, in: Charlie Karlsson & Börje Johansson & Roger R. Stough (ed.), Agglomeration, Clusters and Entrepreneurship, chapter 10, pages 221-251, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    5. Peter B. Doeringer & Pacey Foster & Stephan Manning & David Terkla, 2013. "Project-based industries and craft-like production: structure, location and performance," Chapters, in: Frank Giarratani & Geoffrey J.D. Hewings & Philip McCann (ed.), Handbook of Industry Studies and Economic Geography, chapter 4, pages 99-151, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    6. Leona Achtenhagen & Robert G. Picard, 2011. "Media Clusters: Development Paths and Core Issues," Chapters, in: Charlie Karlsson & Robert G. Picard (ed.), Media Clusters, chapter 3, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    7. Solène Chesnel & Jérémie Molho & Florian Raimbeau & Hélène Morteau & Dominique Sagot-Duvauroux, 2013. "Les clusters ou districts industriels du domaine culturel et médiatique : revue du savoir économique et questionnement," Working Papers hal-02502563, HAL.
    8. Helen Blair, 2001. "`You're only as Good as Your Last Job': The Labour Process and Labour Market in the British Film Industry," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 15(1), pages 149-169, March.
    9. Stephanie Lu Wang & Qian Gu & Mary Ann Glinow & Paul Hirsch, 2020. "Cultural industries in international business research: Progress and prospect," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 51(4), pages 665-692, June.
    10. Chilese Erica & Russo Antonio Paolo, 2009. "Urban fashion policies: lessons from the Barcelona catwalks," EBLA Working Papers 200803, University of Turin.
    11. Yuko Aoyama & Hiro Izushi, 2013. "Innovation, industry evolution and cross-sectoral skill transfer in the video game industry: a three-country study," Chapters, in: Frank Giarratani & Geoffrey J.D. Hewings & Philip McCann (ed.), Handbook of Industry Studies and Economic Geography, chapter 5, pages 152-170, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    12. Chris Hamnett, 2003. "Gentrification and the Middle-class Remaking of Inner London, 1961-2001," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 40(12), pages 2401-2426, November.
    13. Fiorenza Belussi & Silvia Rita Sedita, 2006. "The Management of Events in the Veneto Performing Music Cluster: Bridging Latent and Permanent Organisations," "Marco Fanno" Working Papers 0028, Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche "Marco Fanno".
    14. Beatriz Plaza & Pilar Gonzalez-Casimiro & Paz Moral-Zuazo & Courtney Waldron, 2013. "Culture-led City Brands as Economic Engines: Theory and Empirics," ACEI Working Paper Series AWP-05-2013, Association for Cultural Economics International, revised Oct 2013.
    15. Ann Markusen & Gregory H. Wassall & Douglas DeNatale & Randy Cohen, 2008. "Defining the Creative Economy: Industry and Occupational Approaches," Economic Development Quarterly, , vol. 22(1), pages 24-45, February.
    16. Carol Ekinsmyth, 2002. "Project Organization, Embeddedness and Risk in Magazine Publishing," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(3), pages 229-243.
    17. Homero Rodríguez-Insuasti & Néstor Montalván-Burbano & Otto Suárez-Rodríguez & Marcela Yonfá-Medranda & Katherine Parrales-Guerrero, 2022. "Creative Economy: A Worldwide Research in Business, Management and Accounting," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-27, November.
    18. Cheng-Yi Lin, 2014. "The Evolution of Taipei’s Music Industry: Cluster and Network Dynamics in the Innovation Practices of the Music Industry," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 51(2), pages 335-354, February.
    19. Ann Markusen & Greg Schrock, 2006. "The Artistic Dividend: Urban Artistic Specialisation and Economic Development Implications," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 43(10), pages 1661-1686, September.
    20. Rosenfeld, Martin T. W. & Hornych, Christoph, 2008. "Is There a Way for Old Industrial Districts to Become Attractive for Cultural Industry? The Case of Media Businesses in Halle (Saale), Germany," IWH Discussion Papers 15/2008, Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:47:y:2010:i:5:p:1059-1077. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/urbanstudiesjournal .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.