CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2010
| Author | Chapman, Samuel James |
|---|---|
| Title | Modalities of Impact: Typological Analysis of Social Issue Documentary and Video |
| Summary | Political communications research into the impact of social issue documentary film and video has garnered significant attention in the last decade. Researchers in media and communications studies, sociology, and political science have begun to focus on the particular intersections of film and video and social change in the context of civil society action. Research by Whiteman (2004) has incorporated models for assessing impact beyond the individual, attitudinal and behavioral effects of media, expanding the focus to mobilization and education of activist groups and agenda-setting for public policy deliberations. Rodriguez (2001) and others in the fields of participatory video, citizen media and media development have developed theoretical frameworks and methodologies for understanding the impact of media interventions at the civic and local level. At both levels the medium at work should be placed in the context of alternative media, social movements and global civil society engagement and deliberation in order to explain not only the extent of impact but also the modalities of impact. This project explores the modalities of political impact of social issue documentary film and video by mapping the spectrum of its utility. Through qualitative analysis, anecdotal assessment and content analysis of case studies, films and video projects, associated outreach campaigns, and following the course of development of the activist documentary film and video movements, I describe how the film medium operates at the level of political impact in different contexts, in order to show how mainstream activist documentaries are taking cues from the use of alternative media by social movements, participatory video projects and advocacy campaigns, which reveals a merger of practices, repertoires, the possibilities for new genres and techniques in the creation of social issue documentaries and video projects and opportunities for future academic measurement assessment. The media landscape, and in particular, the ecological network of social issue documentary film and video exist in a broad spectrum of use by a variety of actors, each who employ the medium for different purposes in different sectors of public sphere and civil society action. This typological analysis of film and video use designed for social change, navigates this growing field of research, contributes to the understanding of strategic innovations in political communication, and focuses on particular aspects of the complex relationship between media, communication, politics, culture and social change. |
| Supervisor | Kate Coyer |
| Department | Political Science MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2010/chapman_samuel.pdf |
Visit the CEU Library.
© 2007-2021, Central European University