WSUV Faculty participants

• Clare Wilkinson-Weber

Now that there is considerable work on Hindi films as texts and on the consumption of films by Indian and diasporic audiences, it is past due to investigate the social contexts of film production in Bombay (known officially as Mumbai). My initial research in 2002 was to discover the everyday activities and interactions of film workers as participants in the making of cultural artifacts. I wanted to know how work habits were woven into the structure of a film, arguing that the professional activities of even low level crew members were not simply to be seen as tasks to be executed, but were reflective, informed practices that might cast new light on how to make sense of Hindi film. I ended up focusing mostly upon costume producers, as a logical progression from my previous ethnography of an embroidery industry in Lucknow, India. This allowed me to include film personnel from a range of backgrounds (from costume/fashion designers to dresswalas (costume shops) to tailors), with a variety of different skills, both men and women, and critically maintaining economic and social relations with the changing commodity economy of Bombay.

Over a seven year period, I have conducted over 100 in-depth interviews with film personnel, alongside participant observation at film and television sets, workshops and retail stores. The research has resulted in three published articles, with two more in press. Earlier this year I received a
WSU Vancouver mini-grant award for further research in the city in 2010.

Articles

Chapters