INTENTIONS

This post overviews a general strategy on how to conduct a cultural case study, with some aspects of The Golden Compass studies woven in. (Plus a few do-it-yourself activities.)

My next post will summarize the materials available for The Golden Compass and the His Dark Materials trilogy, and offer frameworks for at least five do-it-yourself critical issues mini-studies that you may want to try over the next few months before The Golden Compass DVD release.

I expect to wait until nearer to when the DVD is available to give my review of the film from a culturologist and futurist point of view, because that will tie in some findings and questions raised by my ongoing TGC cultural case study. Between now and then, I expect to begin posts for a tutorial on how to conduct a paradigm analysis, and then do the long-promised chapter-by-chapter blog-through of Willow Creek’s Reveal book.

INTRODUCTION

I can’t even remember when or how I woke up to the news that The Golden Compass movie would be out late in 2007. Maybe it was a cover article many months ago in Entertainment Weekly. As I recall, it talked about New Line Cinema’s big hope that Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy would be their next Lord of the Rings type mega-hit, but they more than hinted that there might be opposition due to the author’s atheistic views.

Whatever it was that alerted me, I began collecting odds and ends from The Golden Compass in the  summer of 2007. That was around the time I relocated and took a sabbatical, so I used that time to read His Dark Materials, of which The Golden Compass [titled Northern Lights in the original UK edition] is the first in the series.

Since I just had this gut intuition that this movie (and probable series) would be a significant cultural marker, in terms of formative global trends in spirituality, I concluded I would need to (and want to!) study this further. And that meant preparing for an in-depth watch for relevant concrete media.

I knew from my early years as a virtual shopper what that search would entail, from my experiences related to key films like The Matrix and The Lord of the Rings. And thus, I began regular “trolling” excursions on eBay and Amazon and Google to see what was already available. I also started taking note of what new materials and resources emerged, and when.

(Sidenote: Really, cultural case studies are like being an “archaeologist of the present” or a detective. You’re trying to learn and evaluate at the same time you discern what is significant. And part of the significance is seeing things in their context. In the case of contemporary films and their “tie-in products,” they’re not covered with dirt but you still have to go digging … and where you find things may be as important as what you find. So, keep that in mind when you do your own cultural trends treasure hunts.)

Because I started my Golden Compass hunt relatively early in the game, I ran across promotional and informational materials that turned out to be quite rare or unusual. That doesn’t necessarily make it valuable money-wise, though a collector or investor might find it so. But I’ve consistently found that the ephemeral stuff (i.e., items intended to have a short shelf-life, like a photocopied flyer promoting a temporary product) often has great research/resource value for the culture reader.

For instance, waaaaay back in about July 2007, someone put up for auction on eBay a group of early Golden Compass movie-related promotional materials – some promo trading cards, info sheets, and a four-page brochure that was a sort of insider “sell sheet.” It was the brochure that turned out to be the one-of-a-kind item, showing up only once in the last six months of my hunting and shopping. What made it useful to me was its summary list of all the companies which had been licensed to produce movie tie-in products. From there, it became far easier to do internet research on each company, their products, and the release dates of their items. Who knew … but the $15 for about a dozen pieces of printed paper and cardstock actually saved me hours of time and effort in trying to track down otherwise obscure cultural media production details. Plus, it gave me an insider insight into the ways the film would be promoted by the kinds of partners they licensed to develop products.

Likewise, because I was disciplined to check eBay at least several times a day, I ran across one of the earliest press kits for the movie, distributed at the Cannes film festival. Perhaps not of much intrinsic worth monetarily, but it had production notes that demonstrated the perspective of those deeply involved with the film, and gave some really intriguing quotes from all the principal cast and crew members. (I would see those quotes, or very similar ones, pop up repeatedly in magazine and videotaped interviews, which meant they represented important “artifacts” for a behind-the-scenes perspective.)

Anyway, there are a lot more isolated tips and how-to’s I could give on how to choose a relevant topic and find the concrete media that goes with it as a case study. But instead, I think I’ll shift to sharing an overall strategy, weave in some experiences from working on my Golden Compass studies, and then share some recommended resources. Oh, yes, and give some suggestions for do-it-yourself activities along the way. (Remember, this blog is about doing what I can to produce producers, not simply feed consumers.)

CORE STRATEGY

Here’s what has emerged in the last 10 years as a typical way I do case studies in cultural materials. Keep in mind that these represent various layers of study rather than steps. I’m a relatively non-linear kind of a guy, so I generally bounce all over the various layers according to “leads” I find in one place, or hunches, or just whatever interests me next at the moment about a subject. In the midst of a lot of details that emerge, it helps to tell yourself every so often that nothing gets wasted in studies like this. Everything has a purpose, even if it may seem irrelevant at the moment. So don’t go ga-ga if you’re more of a linear kind of person. There are other ways to approach “culture crud” studies. This is mine.

Primary Materials

Primary sources are the original materials that someone produces, usually a painting, a novel, a book, an article. They are not derivative – not majorly based on someone else’s story, concept, or work, even though they may have been influenced by other sources.

  • Read/listen to the original source materials. In this case, I read the entire His Dark Materials trilogy from books (that took a month or so of leisurely reading). Then I purchased the unabridged audiobook of The Golden Compass, and listened to it once before the movie was released and another time before watching the movie a second time.
  • Read/see interviews with the originator(s). It’s always helpful to glean the author’s/creator’s personal view on why they wrote/created what they did. Find different kinds of media resources (print, internet, DVD, CD) to learn about their purposes, perspectives, and what sources influenced them. From these kinds of materials, you’ll often find out what the author/creator values, how people tend to accurately or mistakenly interpret their work, what bothers them (if anything) about this, etc.

Usually the more we immerse ourselves in the original materials, the more ways we’ll be able to interconnect the author’s/creator’s concepts with other ideas or materials. That will make our analysis far more “textured” and rich for whoever we mentor or team up with on culture and contextualization skills, or whoever reads our interpretative works.

If you want a very accessible introduction to Philip Pullman and His Dark Materials, check out the DVD, “The Secrets of The Golden Compass.” This is a compilation of two other DVDs previously released by the same company (Artsmagic DVD): “The World of Philip Pullman” and “Inside His Dark Materials.” It overviews the trilogy, and contains interviews with Philip Pullman and several scholars. The last section of the DVD also gives a succinct analysis/critique of important philosophical and spiritual questions raised by the trilogy.

Secondary Sources

Secondary sources are produced from someone else’s primary materials, or about them. In terms of cultural case studies, there are several main clusters of secondary materials: licensed products, interviews and media articles, and responses.

1. Licensed Products

Generally, some kind of licensing agreement with the creator or copyright owner is required create the follow categories of products.

  • Direct adaptations that put the material into a different communication medium (e.g., plays and theatre productions, screenplays and films, radio plays and performances, graphic novel versions, young reader versions, abridged or unabridged audiobooks).
  • “Spin-offs” and “tie-in” products where concrete media or popular culture items use the original material or adaptations as the base for a product (e.g., trading cards, photo stickers, toys and games, storybooks, soundtracks, posters, jewelry, decorations. Oooh! And don’t forget action figures!). Such products can be focused on learning, playing, or just remembering the enjoyment of experiencing the original or an adapted version.

Once a license has been granted, the originator often has no involvement in the process of creating secondary source products – or the right of veto over them, if they happen to turn out to be unflattering, or incompatible with the originator’s values and philosophy. Sometimes there is an implicit veto by the creator/copyright owner by requiring submission of product proposals. So, if they don’t like what you want to spin off from their work, they don’t have to grant the license in the first place.

Philip Pullman seems to have had far more influence and/or involvement in direct adaptations of His Dark Materials and The Golden Compass than seems usual for contemporary authors. For instance, he serves as narrator for the unabridged audiobook versions of the trilogy. Also, you will often see in this product or that adaptation a note of thanks to Philip Pullman for his input during the development process. And he seems to have had significant influence (if not direct input) on the stage adaptation of His Dark Materials for National Theatre productions in 2003-2005, and in some aspects of the screenplay for the 2007 movie version of The Golden Compass.

The best general introduction book for primary sources, adaptations, and some tie-in products is Discovering The Golden Compass: A Guide to Philip Pullman’s Dark Materials by George Beahm with artwork by Tim Kirk (Hampton Roads Publishing Company, 2007). It is a goldmine, and includes an extensive autobiographical sketch by Philip Pullman; an overview of his literary works; the film, audio, and theatrical adaptations; and relevant books and websites.

Check out the fansite Bridge to the Stars for articles and links on tie-in products.

2. Interviews and Media Articles

Whenever we can, we should find copies of interviews with the author/creator and others who produce related products or work in a production. Whenever possible, find a wide range of interview media: print, audio, video, photographic. Internet quote searches can also yield insights, especially if there is enough context with quotes to find the original source they come from. Very important – document your sources so you can go back to them. We don’t need to waste time by duplicating those research efforts!

The words and images surrounding a producer of primary or secondary sources almost always yield a wealth of very important information. For instance, we’ll often find out more about what influenced the author/creator in sparking their unique story ideas, media formats, perspectives, etc. (With Philip Pullman, it is Milton, Blake, von Kleist, classic mythology …) We’ll also get a far better feel for their personality, values, philosophy, etc. I often transcribe audio or video interviews. This helps me focus on listening carefully, and checking my internal discern-o-meter to note when this or that quote seems to set off my culture-alert alarm. (This doesn’t mean there is something bad or wrong in the quote, but simply that this particular snippet that gives an espresso shot of important information.)

Also, we need to remember that media always … make that ALWAYS … put a spin on things. They have to sell copies or find viewers, or they go out of business. And let’s face it – many people like controversy – maybe it’s the same biochemistry response as created by reality TV?? So, media have to feed themselves by feeding the addictions of their patrons. Thus, I really have to wonder if a certain level of inflammatory controversy was created by Golden Compass interview article titles and quips that were designed to seduce people into keeping their adrenaline flow going:

  • “What’s God got to do with it? The Golden Compass. Behind the scenes of the controversial family movie” (Entertainment Weekly #969, December 14, 2007).
  • “Daniel Craig, Nicole Kidman and religious controversy” (SFX #164, Christmas 2007).
  • “Losing Their Religion: The Golden Compass isn’t the only movie with an atheistic undertone” (Empire, December 2007).
  • Start rummaging around these kinds of resources, and you’ll find the Alethiometer referred to as a “soothsaying” device, and the daemons as “animal familiars” instead of as the more accurate “externalization of a person’s soul.” If you know your biblical theology, you’ll know why “them’s fightin’ words,” in the dialect of Lee Scoresby. (More on this in the next post.)

(Sidenote: A lot of cultural interpretation is about original context. Since Philip Pullman is a British writer, and Europe is basically considered a post-Christendom context, it’s wise to find magazines, reviews, and other interview/media sources from his native context there, instead of only North American sources. As a related do-it-yourself mini-activity, check out what the word provenance means in terms of archaeology and history.)

When it comes to Philip Pullman, it seems like he is a decent and cordial man, an imaginative thinker, and an intriguing conversationalist – even while clearly being anti-theistic and a provocateur. If I only read for myself what people said about Mr. Pullman, instead of reading what Mr. Pullman says for himself, I’m sure I’d have some other impression of him. As it is, I think I’d enjoy sitting and talking over tea and clotted cream, or (more preferable for me!) coffee and scones. (I have had engaging conversations before with people whose views I disagree with, so that’s nothing new, and we don’t even always talk about our disagreements.) And if it were up to me, I’d not want to focus directly on His Dark Materials. Actually, having scoured a lot of sources on His Dark Materials already, I find I’m rather more interested in tapping into his corollary views. So I’d propose topics like:

  • Danielle De Barbarac and Lyra Belacqua, and how we could use utopian and dystopian societies as simulation models for social transformation.
  • Forms of authoritarianism and anti-authoritarianism, and more of his views of the “Soviet Experiment” as a dysfunctional atheistic regime that ended up with pseudo-religious hierarchical power structures.
  • The strengths and challenges of pure-type or archetypal imaginational groups, and what would happen if we would, in the title of Thomas Armstrong’s book, work at Awakening Genius in the Classroom.

Okay, so I know those were really densely over-the-top topics. But hey, I figure that the one author I’ve read in the past five years whose vocabulary challenged me sufficiently that I had to look up at least a couple words per chapter could handle it … and hopefully would enjoy it.

 (As another do-it-yourself mini-study, absorb a series of interviews and articles and documentaries, and then see what spin-off topics you think might be of mutual interest if you had an opportunity to chat with Philip Pullman.)

3. Responses

The other major cluster of products revolves around responses – either to the primary sources, or to secondary adaptations and cultural products. Responses can take such forms as reviews, critiques, essays, documentaries, advertisements, promotional brochures, and studies. I tend to cluster them around the overall perspective of who is presenting the response, because that focuses on the overall content of the response, rather than cluster around the kind of media for the response, which is more about context. (Although, as a do-it-yourself project, you could make up a fill-in grid for finding a comprehensive set of responses, with perspectives across the top and media format types on the side.)

  • Academic perspectives that focus on intellectual exploration of the material and its concepts, or interpretation of it in the context of other relevant materials or genres.
  • Personal perspectives that focus on the impact of the material on their own thoughts, intuitions, imaginings/daydreams, and emotions.
  • Worldview perspectives that focus on how the material complements or conflicts with their own theological, philosophical, spiritual, or religious views and practices.
  • Advertising perspectives that focus on how the producers of secondary products want their materials to be viewed.

When we start delving into these multiple kinds of perspectives, that’s often where the fun REALLY begins. At least, I think so. I find that response items often ignite new questions … new concepts … a more three-dimensional view of the product and its impact. And that can lead to a more four-dimensional view, mining for insights into the impact of the product over time, and whether it is some sort of milestone of critical social trends that are driving long-term transformation. (See my posts of futurist skills for more about a four-dimensional perspective.)

I’m sure I’ll get into more about responses in the next post, as there are some intriguing response items that raise fascinating cultural impact questions. Also, I’m just plain tuckered out after writing nearly 3,000 words in the last five hours, and it’s time to stop! So, stay tuned, and be sure to pop on back in … 

Jump back to Concrete Media Systems – The Golden Compass, Part 4, Differentiation of Cultural Trends.