Neha BAHTIA (University of Calgary, Canada)
Based on production stories collected through semi-structured interviews, popular press, producing workshops, and industry events, this research analyzes data and information through the notion of ‘thick description’ that entails interpreting the interpretation provided by the informants. This emphasizes a deeper ‘microscopic’ understanding of the context and codes of culture by ‘reading over the shoulder’ of the informant (Geertz, 1973, p. 453). This means interpreting how producers make sense of their own work. This kind of interpretive approach contextualizes production stories within the larger global film industry structure and culture, which producers of transnational co-productions navigate on a day-to-day basis.
Neha Bahtia is a Ph.D. candidate in Transcultural Studies at the University of Calgary, Canada. Her research interests include production studies, film festival studies, transnational cinema and cultural studies.