Media Production: Towards Creative Collaboration UsingCommunication Networks

  • Authors:

  • Ellen Baker;John Geirland;Tom Fisher;Annmarie Chandler

  • Affiliations:

  • School of Management, University of Technology, Sydney, PO Box 123, Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia E-mail: Ellen.Baker@uts.edu.au;Center for Executive Learning, Loyola Marymount University, USA E-mail: Geirland@aol.com;School of Management, University of Technology, Sydney, PO Box 123, Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia;Dept. of Media and Text, University of Technology, Sydney, PO Box 123, Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia

  • Venue:
  • Computer Supported Cooperative Work
  • Year:
  • 1999

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Abstract

To examine the diffusion of remote collaboration technologies within themedia production industries, a series of case studies was recentlyconducted with early adopters of advanced electronic networks in Sydney,Los Angeles and London. The studies assessed: 1) user reactions to thesecollaboration technologies and types of activities being supported and 2)factors influencing their adoption decisions. Interviews conducted alsoprovided early indications of the conditions likely to facilitate remotecollaboration and the likely impacts on work practices in media productionorganizations. It was established that electronic delivery, remote access toresources and materials, and remote creative collaboration were all beingcarried out, even internationally. Although most network applications wereroutine substitutions for non-electronic equivalents (e.g. couriers orcatalogue browsing), some did involve shared creative activities, thusconfirming that remote creative collaboration is a viable option. Key factorsinfluencing network adoption were cost considerations and regulatoryissues, time savings and productivity, and security concerns. Certainindustry segments -- animation, post-production, and advertising -- weremore likely to be early adopters, as were companies who found innovativeways to achieve greater benefits. Conditions likely to facilitate remotecollaboration include more sophisticated change-agent strategies,increasing the perceived control of creative outputs, developing andmaintaining trust, providing more auxiliary support for coordination needs,and making more effective use of timing and time-zone differences. Likelyimpacts of remote collaboration in media production are: more overlapbetween pre-production, production, and post-production activities; fasterwork pace; enhanced creativity; and improved quality of work life.