Title: Emergence of film industries in small countries: on the needs for an integrated cluster and branding strategy

Authors: Jan Vang; Sean Maher; Annalisa Brambini

Addresses: Center for Industrial Production, Aalborg University, A C Meyers Vænge 15, 2450 SV, Denmark ' Creative Industries Faculty, School of Media, Entertainment and Creative Arts, Film and Screen, GPO Box 2434, Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia ' Center for Industrial Production, Aalborg University, A C Meyers Vænge 15, 2450 SV, Denmark

Abstract: Studies on the spatial organisation of film industries have grown steadily during the last decade. This literature has, however, neglected to pay attention to the specificities of the challenges faced by small countries aimed at building up a film industry in the context of global dominance by media conglomerates located in major audio-visual hubs. The conventional cluster and regional innovation systems-literature highlight respectively, reduced transaction costs, cluster-based learning and knowledge externalities, tax incentives and systemic effects in explaining the spatial distribution of film activities. These issues are all supply factors. We illustrate how the supply factor-based explanations need to integrate demand side factors for explaining emergence of film clusters located in small countries. Based on an original case study on the emergence of the Copenhagen film cluster, we document how the co-evolution of cluster externalities and shared branding (i.e., demand side) paved the way for its successful transformation.

Keywords: innovation; cluster; film; dogma; von Trier; creative industries; experience economy.

DOI: 10.1504/WREMSD.2018.094339

World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, 2018 Vol.14 No.5, pp.637 - 656

Received: 01 Sep 2016
Accepted: 09 Sep 2016

Published online: 30 Aug 2018 *

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