Browsing by Author "Arnatt, Mary"

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    "We must be burning film like mad": Exploring Canadian production cultures at Cinepix, 1976-1986.
    (2018-09-05) Arnatt, Mary; Tepperman, Charles; Rudd, Annie; Taylor, Gregory; Keller, Jessalynn
    This thesis examines the Canadian production, distribution, and exhibition company Cinépix between the years 1976-1986. Best well-known for their films Valérie (1969), Shivers (1975), Meatballs (1979), and My Bloody Valentine (1981), Cinépix has been neglected in the field of Canadian film studies. This thesis uses the framework of Media Industry Studies, and especially John Caldwell’s research on production culture, examining Cinépix’s previously unused archival material, including original memos, letters, storyboards, scripts, production notes, location documents, and producer’s notes on rushes. Films researched include the previously under- examined Meatballs III (1986), State Park (1988), Ilsa: Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks (1976), The Vindicator (1986), and Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (1983), among others. This research argues that Cinépix’s production cultures were defined through commercial adaptability, independence, masculinity, and most importantly, the concept of the producer, exemplified by the company’s figureheads John Dunning and Andre Link. Through its use of Media Industry Studies approaches, this thesis also presents a new way of conceptualizing Canadian cinema and provokes new research within the discipline.