Violaine Roussel
Representing Talent
Hollywood Agents and the Making of Movies
Chicago Press
2017
Présentation de l'éditeur
Audiences love the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, but beyond the red
carpet and behind the velvet curtain exists a legion of individuals who
make showbiz work: agents. Whether literary, talent, or indie
film, agents are behind the scenes brokering power, handling mediation,
and doing the deal-making that keeps Hollywood spinning. In Representing Talent,
Violaine Roussel explores the little-known but decisive work of agents,
turning the spotlight on how they help produce popular culture.
The book takes readers behind the scenes to observe the day-to-day activities of agents, revealing their influence on artistic careers and the prospects of Hollywood’s forthcoming projects. Agents are crucial to understanding how creative and economic power are intertwined in Hollywood today. They play a key role in the process by which artistic worth and economic value are evaluated and attributed to people and projects. Roussel’s fieldwork examines what “having relationships” really means for agents, and how they perform the relationship work that’s at the heart of their professional existence and success. Representing Talent helps us to understand the players behind the definition of entertainment itself, as well as behind its current transformations.
The book takes readers behind the scenes to observe the day-to-day activities of agents, revealing their influence on artistic careers and the prospects of Hollywood’s forthcoming projects. Agents are crucial to understanding how creative and economic power are intertwined in Hollywood today. They play a key role in the process by which artistic worth and economic value are evaluated and attributed to people and projects. Roussel’s fieldwork examines what “having relationships” really means for agents, and how they perform the relationship work that’s at the heart of their professional existence and success. Representing Talent helps us to understand the players behind the definition of entertainment itself, as well as behind its current transformations.
Sommaire
Prologue: An Agent at Work
Chapter One Introduction
The Invention of Agenting
Filling a Lacuna in the Sociology of Hollywood
Facing Stereotypes
In the Field with Hollywood Agents
What This Book Unveils: Agents and (E)valuation Communities
Chapter Two Mapping HollywoodFilling a Lacuna in the Sociology of Hollywood
Facing Stereotypes
In the Field with Hollywood Agents
What This Book Unveils: Agents and (E)valuation Communities
Agenting in Big versus Little Hollywood
“The Other Side:” Interdependent Transformations of Studios and Agencies
The New Reality of Agenting in Big Hollywood
Chapter Three The Making of Professionals in Talent Agencies“The Other Side:” Interdependent Transformations of Studios and Agencies
The New Reality of Agenting in Big Hollywood
“Fulfilling Somebody Else’s Dreams”
An Agent’s Initiatory Path
Under the Wing of a Mentor
Forming “Generations” in Hollywood
Chapter Four Agenting as Relationship WorkAn Agent’s Initiatory Path
Under the Wing of a Mentor
Forming “Generations” in Hollywood
The Meaning of Relationships
The Definition of an Agent’s Style
“Trust” between Agents and Production Professionals
Chapter Five Agents and Artists: Enchanted Bonds and Power RelationsThe Definition of an Agent’s Style
“Trust” between Agents and Production Professionals
Agents’ Emotional Competence
Controlling Talent?
Embedded Identities and Hierarchies
Chapter Six Naming Quality and Pricing TalentControlling Talent?
Embedded Identities and Hierarchies
Agents in Hollywood’s Evaluation Communities
“What It Takes to Get a Movie Made”
Pricing the Unique
Chapter Seven Agents of Change: The Formation of New Evaluation Communities“What It Takes to Get a Movie Made”
Pricing the Unique
Conclusive Word
Acknowledgments
Notes
References
Index
Notes
References
Index
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