The Producer as Salesman: Jeremy Thomas, Film Promotion and Contemporary Transnational Independent Cinema Articles uri icon

publication date

  • December 2009

start page

  • 467

end page

  • 481

issue

  • 4

volume

  • 29

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0143-9685

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1465-3451

abstract

  • The author assesses the career of independent producer Jeremy Thomas, arguing he has primarily performed as a "master salesman." Meir considers how Thomas's career has been discussed in film industry journals, noting that this discourse has been insufficient for understanding the nature and importance of Thomas's work. He begins with a discusses of film marketing, promotion, and the independent producer, followed by examinations of how Thomas uses brands of auteurism, "conspicuous adaptation," sexuality and controversy, and genre and cross-over films. Thomas attempts to broaden the popular appeal of his films while maintaining the cultural cachet necessary for films that exist outside the world's popular film industries.

keywords

  • film; radio; television; discourse analysis; dramatic arts; independent filmmakers; film industry; film-business/finance/sales; film-international; motion picture directors & producers; filmmakers; motion picture industry; independent films