Between units and producers : organization of creative work in Czechoslovak State Cinema 1945-1990

SZCZEPANIK, Petr. Between units and producers : organization of creative work in Czechoslovak State Cinema 1945-1990. In Adamczak, Marcin; Marecki, Piotr; Malatyński, Marcin. Restart zespolów filmowych : Film Units : Restart. Kraków: Ha!art, 2012, p. 271-312. ISBN 978-83-62574-73-5.

Basic information

• Original name: Between units and producers : organization of creative work in Czechoslovak State Cinema 1945-1990
• Authors: SZCZEPANIK, Petr (203 Czech Republic, guarantor, belonging to the institution).
• Edition: Kraków, Restart zespolów filmowych : Film Units : Restart, p. 271-312, 42 pp. 2012.
• Publisher: Ha!art

Other information

• Original language: English
• Type of outcome: Chapter(s) of a specialized book
• Field of Study: Art, architecture, cultural heritage
• Country of publisher: Poland
• Confidentiality degree: is not subject to a state or trade secret
• Publication form: printed version "print"
• WWW: Ha!art
• RIV identification code: RIV/00216224:14210/12:00058329
• Organization unit: Faculty of Arts
• ISBN: 978-83-62574-73-5
• Keywords (in Czech): český film; Barrandov; tvůrčí skupiny
• Keywords in English: Czech cinema; Barrandov studios; creative units
• Tags: film history, media industry, rivok

Abstract

So-called state-socialist mode of film production was in fact a peculiar hybrid of local, regional and global models: it was prepared by the Nazi cultural politics (the idea of centralized "dramaturgy" which enabled ideological control) and Aryanization (which made the post-war nationalization easier). After 1945 and later, after 1948 (when Communists took power in Czechoslovakia), it further developed according to local (Bata shoe factory, inspired by American scientific management) and global (Soviet system, silently inspired by Hollywood vertically integrated studios) models. These three levels of organizational tradition - both in terms of production mode and work culture - persisted as mutually interacting ingredients of the state monopoly until the late 1980s and even on. The aim of the paper is to articulate a comparative model for historical analysis of nationalized cinemas in the region, using the Barrandov studios in Prague as an example. The key question it asks is: how was creativity and day-to-day production of films tactically managed in a system where the only real producer was the state? What organizational instruments had to be developed to balance the centralized control with necessary creative freedom?

Links

• GAP409/10/1361, research and development project: Name: Historie ateliérů na Barrandově z hlediska organizace a kultury filmové výroby

Investor: Czech Science Foundation, History of Barrandov Studios in Terms of Organization and Culture of Film Production