Introduction

The film theorists David Weddle spoke to argued that the purpose of film or media theory, and of an education in these fields, should not simply be to pass on the production knowledge contained in “how-to” books. Weddle’s argument expresses a hostility to academic media theories which is common among practitioners. Studies of media production are less common than studies of audience reception, analysis of media content or economic studies of media corporations. Nonetheless, since the 1950s, academics have studied newsrooms, production studios and television executive suites. One response practitioners like Weddle might make to these academic critiques of the commercial influences, ideological subtexts or bureaucratic constraints on media prosecution practices, is that that they contain very few practical proposals – short of some emancipatory social transformation – for resolving the problems with these practices. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.