Risk and Trust in State-Socialist Co-Production Practice: DEFA-Barrandov Collaborations of 1970s and 1980s
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| Year of publication | 2015 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | The presented research implies that the most persistent and successful series of co-productions between DEFA and Barrandov strongly benefited from the high level of institutional trust. This trust was rooted in professionalization and corporate culture of the Barrandov's dramaturgical group of films for children and youth, as well as in the networks established with the partnering DEFA groups. On the other side, the main source of risk and uncertainty came from the corporate central dramaturgy. Co-production projects with the ideologically "trusted" partner were less exposed to unpredictable interventions during the later phase of the project. On the other side, co-productions were more closely followed in the preliminary phase, as it would be extremely difficult to stop a work on project with a socialist country. In general, however, DEFA and Barrandov of the 1970s and 1980s became politically pretty trustable partners in the eyes of the central dramaturgies. The compatible credibility of the studios and comparatively lower risk of failure in this sphere of production stimulated a proportionally long and exceptionally successful series of movies which was ceased with the film Magical Heritage – it was the moment when DEFA's central dramaturgy considered one risk as too strong: the political risk that the co-production model will be constantly accompanied by resignation on DEFA's own concepts and cultural preferences. Barrandov proved to be very credible partner, but the high credibility – and predictability – was tied to one specific mode of co-operation on projects for children: the mode in which Barrandov had a control over the aesthetic and cultural features of the co-produced movie. It did not represent a huge problem for the DEFA dramaturgical groups with networked with the Hofman's group, but turned out to be too risky in its ideological losses for the studio´s central dramaturgy. |
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