As we all know, I am super interested in the cultural exchanges and social processes that take place in the production of media- specifically in the world of Hollywood filmmaking. You could imagine that I was geeking out over this reading.
One line that stuck out to me in the introduction was: “Objects shift in meaning as they move through regimes and circuits of exchange…the meaning of texts or objects is enacted through practices of reception.” It immediately reminded me of our discussion yesterday, when we talked about how the production of knowledge is inevitably influenced by the geographies, histories, politics, etc. that constitute the unique environment in which the researcher is situated. Well, doesn’t that also go for the production of media?
Mapping out the production of a feature film all the way from screenplay to final “object” becomes extremely mind-boggling, as we have to not only account for all 3000 pairs of hands that contribute to this process, but for the infinite degrees of uniqueness and cultural backgrounds that shape all 3000 of these people. I mean…that’s A LOT of turtles. In this way, even in the editing stages between the director’s cut and the final cut, there are so many tiny decisions made that will irreversibly transform the film’s meaning- what will be conveyed to the audience. The remnants of the film’s original screenplay or the original story idea before any words were even written down are involved in one giant circuit of exchange; the bare concept changes and grows as it is handed off and received at different stages in the film production process.
In the same way that I wonder what is the use in trying to peel back layer by layer of representation if we’re never going arrive at the true, untouched “reality,” I wonder what is the use in…ethnography. I know that this is a gigantic question, but as we dive further into reflexivity and into the blurred boundaries between “objective truth” and “personal narrative,” I am very perplexed about the purpose of our discipline. Is it just glorified storytelling? Is ethnography art?
Ailee – a very vivid picture of the assemblage that constitutes any film or media piece. The attention to circulation and exchange is particular important to putting this picture in motion. A couple of sets questions for you:
1. Are circulation and exchange the same processes? How would you distinguish these? And how are they different from reception? If you are interested in reading more (and my take on these questions), check out the Introduction and Part 1 of my book Circuits of Culture.
2. I also wonder if the only possible choice or dichotomy we have at issue are between Objectivity and Personal narrative? Where does social context (e.g. Geertz or Mitchell) affect this pairing?