Agents, Design, and Creativity in Moving Image Postproduction: Conditions for Collaborative Creativity in Digital Media

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Swenberg, Thorbjörn^{a; *} | Sverrisson, Árni^b

Affiliations: [a] Moving Image Production Department, Dalarna University, Falun, Sweden | [b] Department of Sociology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author. Email: tsw@du.se

Abstract: This article analyzes how creativity in the making of films and TV shows is constrained as a consequence of the shift to digital production technology, and the resulting change in work activities for different crafts involved in the postproduction process. We adapt the concept of creative spaces in order to describe these constraints, and we introduce the term audiovisual assemblies to facilitate the analysis of collaboration. We argue that this study is well-accomplished by analyzing collections of existing media productions. We identify two contradicting practices: first, the development of new conventions which reallocate roles and resources in the making of audiovisual assemblies; and second, the high rate and broad range of incremental technological change which demand unconventional, but creative, problem-solving practices from everyone involved. Examples are provided from an innovative Swedish TV production.

Keywords: media production, creativity, collaboration, workflow, file formats

DOI: 10.3233/JID200003

Journal: Journal of Integrated Design and Process Science, vol. 23, no. 4, pp. 29-44, 2019