ABSTRACT
Methodological approaches draw on a number of various disciplines and research schools. Even though they have seldom been as explicitly discussed as their theoretical companions: they range from participant observation and ethnography to qualitative methods such as textual and discourse analysis, and interviewing in media industries research, to quantitative data gathering and statistical analysis in management. Researchers interested in the contemporary workings of the festival circuit have the clear advantage of potentially being able to collect material and data directly during the festival. Historical research questions, on the other hand, are to a large degree framed by the materials that are available in archives. Depending on the status and organizational context of the festivals, it differs greatly what kind of records festival catalogs; organizational, legal, and fiscal records; submissions; films; and festival ephemera are kept and to whom they are accessible.
