Creativity: policy and practice. A study of Government, the BBC and UK Film Council
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Stirling
Department Name: Film Media and Journalism
Abstract
How is creativity, both as a concept and as a practice, affected by UK government policy? This project will analyse creative industries policy since New Labour's coming to power in 1997. It will document where ideas about cultural creativity and its economic significance have come from and investigate how policy debate was shaped. It will also undertake two detailed case studies of the impact of policy on creative practice in the BBC and the UK Film Council. Finally, addressing the question of how devolution affects policy and practice, attention will be focused on BBC Scotland and the film agency, Scottish Screen.
Organisations
Publications
Magor M
(2009)
'For this relief much thanks.' Taxation, film policy and the UK government
in Screen
Schlesinger P
(2010)
'The most creative organization in the world'? The BBC, 'creativity' and managerial style
in International Journal of Cultural Policy
Schlesinger P
(2013)
After Independence: The State of the Scottish Nation Debate
Schlesinger P
(2011)
Creativity and Cultural Policy
Schlesinger P
(2008)
Creativity and the Experts New Labour, Think Tanks, and the Policy Process
in The International Journal of Press/Politics
Schlesinger P
(2007)
Creativity: from discourse to doctrine?
in Screen
Schlesinger P
(2011)
Indústrias Creativas: Amenazas sobre la cultural digital
Philip Schlesinger (Author)
Los intelectuales, la mundializacion de la 'creatividad' y politicas publicas
Schlesinger P
(2015)
Power, Media, Culture
| Description | The point of this study was to examine how ideas about the creative industries were developed in policy and then taken up in key institutions - the BBC and the UK Film Council (closed down by the Coalition Government in 2010-11). It demonstrated clearly that the creative industry policies originated in 1997 set the frame for much of the approach taken and the legitimacy drought for cultural intervention. |
| Exploitation Route | The study provided a baseline for a follow-up work on the sociology of cultural bodies - Doyle, Schlesinger, Boyle, Kelly, The Rise and Fall of the UK Film Council (EUP 2015) and also for Schlesinger, Selfe, Munro, Curators of Cultural Enterprise (Palgrave Macmillan 2015). It is important to recognise how cultural bodies function as key intermediaries and how they are tasked by government and other public agencies to achieve goals and the often uncertain climates in which they operate. |
| Sectors | Creative Economy,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Description | PI Philip Schlesinger Project director, policy seminars and briefings for Creative Scotland joint board, funded by the Scottish Arts Council, April-August, 2007. Member FCO-AHRC delegation to UK-Brazilian creative industries workshop, Sao Paulo, 3-5 December 2007. 'Provovateur', Artist as Leader Lab, Hospitalfield House, funded by the Jerwood Charitable Foundation, Arts Council England, Scottish Arts Council, Arbroath, 21 January 2007. The project has informed contributions made as a member of Ofcom's Scottish Advisory Committee and of the Scottish Funding Council's Research and Knowledge Transfer Committee. CI Simon Frith Member of the Scottish Music Industry Working Group in 2006/7. Panellist at two events organized by the AHRC Research Centre for Studies in Intellectual Property and Technology Law at Edinburgh University. The meeting on 7 February 2007 focused on the implications of the Gowers Review of Intellectual Property for Scotland. The meeting on 30 March 2007 focused on the British Academy's Review of 'Copyright and Research in the Humanities and Social Sciences'. Addressed 'the top 100 executives' of Universal (Music) at their annual Research Day in London, 22 January 2008. CI Richard Paterson Heavily involved in a number of film and television industry responses to the Gowers Review on Intellectual Property. Drafted the BFI's response and participated in the development of responses from both the UK Film Council and the British Screen Advisory Council. Involved in the Creative Archive License Group's wide range of activities as well as the UK Film Council's Steering Group for a study of new platforms for film. PDRA Maggie Magor Attended series of Scottish Arts Council/CCPR seminars at University of Glasgow, 'Public Support for the Creative Industries in Scotland - I' (April 2007) and 'Public Support for the Creative Industries in Scotland - II' (June 2007). Co-authored the document that informed discussion at the Seminar I (see above) and contributed to Attended two AHRC workshops on 'Creativity and Regulation in the 21st Century' at Stirling Management Centre, University of Stirling (May 2007) and Channel 4, Horseferry Road, London (September 2007). Contributed to research and attended Schlesinger, P. presentation of policy paper to the Creative Scotland joint board 'From the creative industries to the creative economy: Where next for Creative Scotland?', Edinburgh (August 2007). |
| First Year Of Impact | 2006 |
| Sector | Creative Economy,Education |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Policy & public services |
| Description | AHRC creativity seminar |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Introduced the first session - titled 'Can government policy aid creativity?' - in the AHRC-funded workshop on 'Creativity and Regulation in the 21st Century', held at Channel 4 in London on 25 September 2007. Part of range of activities that began to shape the AHRC's focus on the creative economy. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2007 |
| Description | Chairing at international conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Invited chair, session on 'Industrialisation and Creativity', international conference on 'New frontiers of the cultural economy', organised by the French Ministry for Culture and Communication Quai Branly Museum, Paris, on 2-3 October 2008. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2008 |
| Description | Conference on media and nationalism |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | Panel speaker, session on Scotland, 'Media and Nations' conference, Wolfson Medical Centre, University of Glasgow, 13 June 2008. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2008 |
| Description | Discussion Forum |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Chair, Discussion Forum. 'National Identity and Cultural Policy', Royal Society of Edniburgh in collaboration with the Centre for Cultural Policy Research, University of Glasgow, Edinburgh, 5 February 2007. The RSE published a report of the meeting. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2007 |
| Description | Inaugural lecture |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | 'The politics of cultural policy', Inaugural Lecture held at the Gilmorehill Centre, University of Glasgow, 25 March 2009. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |
| Description | Keynote lecture at an international cultural policy conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | 'Intellectuals and the politics of cultural policy', invited keynote lecture, opening panel, ECREA 2008 international conference on 'The politics of communication and culture in Europe', Barcelona, 26 November 2008. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2008 |
| Description | Keynote lecture at international conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | 'Discurso de la creatividad, intelectuales y politicas culturales', invited keynote, IV Panamerican Communications Conference on 'Creative industries: creativity, cultural industries and challenges for communicators', Universidad Mayor, Santiago de Chile, 22-24 October 2008. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2008 |
| Description | Outreach to communications experts |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | 'De las industrias creativas a la economía creativa?', invited paper presented (in Spanish) to Intercom, the Brazilian Society of Interdisciplinary Communication Studies, Sao Paulo, 6 December 2007. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2007 |
| Description | Paper to expert group |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | 'La creativité: discours, doctrine et pratique', plenary panel paper at the international conference on 'Mutations des industries de la culture, de l'information et de la communication', held at the Maison des Sciences de l'Homme Paris-Nord, 25-27 September. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2006 |
| Description | Policy advice to Creative Scotland |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | 'From the creative industries to the creative economy: Where next for Creative Scotland?', presentation of policy paper to the Creative Scotland joint board, Edinburgh, 31 August 2007. This was part of the soundings then taken as the mission of Creative Scotland was formalised for its first phase of activity. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2007 |
| Description | Provocation of a group of artists |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | 'Provocateur' at the 'Artist as Leader Lab' held at Hospitalfield House in Arbroath on 21 January. The event was supported by the Jerwood Charitable Trust, the Arts Council England and the Scottish Arts Council. This activity was later reported in the Artists as Leaders report compiled by Grays School of Art at Robert Gordon University. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2008 |
| Description | Public lecture |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Invited Media and Communication Department public lecture on 'The politics of media and cultural policy', London School of Economics, 28 October 2009. The lecture was webcast. A podcast is available on http://richmedia.lse.ac.uk/publicLecturesAndEvents/20091028_1830_thePoliticsOfMediaAndCulturalPolicy.mp3and |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |
| URL | http://richmedia.lse.ac.uk/publicLecturesAndEvents/ |
| Description | Public lecture |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | 'Can Scotland have a communication policy?', Stevenson Adam Smith Research Foundation lecture, University of Glasgow, 21 February 2008. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2008 |
| Description | Scottish Arts Council seminar |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Chair, 'Public Support for the Creative Industries in Scotland - I', Scottish Arts Council/CCPR Seminar, University of Glasgow, 30 April 2007. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2007 |
| Description | Scottish Arts Council seminar |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Chair, 'Public Support for the Creative Industries in Scotland - II', Scottish Arts Council/CCPR Seminar, University of Glasgow, 12 June 2007. Set context for Blair Jenkins' article in The Herald on BBC expenditure on TV production in Scotland. This in turn influenced the debate that led to the setting up of the Scottish Broadcasting Commission by the SNP Government. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2007 |
| Description | Study weekend |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | 'Broadcasting and media in Scotland', invited lecture at 'Changin' Scotland 11', The Ceilidh Place, Ullapool, 14-16 March 2008. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2008 |
| Description | UK-Brazil exchange |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | 'Policy and the creative industries in Scotland', invited paper in the panel on 'Changing policies for research and creative industries in Brazil and the UK', UK-Brazil Workshop on Innovation and Investment in Research and the Creative Economy, 3-4 December 2007, FIESP, Sao Paulo, Brazil. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2007 |