maandag 12 oktober 2015

Made in Mexico señores!
The market forces of Mexican TV broadcasting and its reflection of change is global contemporary Media

In this blogpost we will write about how independent and local film productions are getting increasingly more popular outside of its national borders. We chose the Mexican movie La Dictadura Perfecta (2014) as a case study. Moreover, we will describe how most broadcasting in Mexico is done by only two big companies, the duopoly of Televisa and Azteca TV, which means that these two businesses decide what people get to see and not get to see. The independent film La Dictadura Perfecta addresses this issue by depicting Mexican broadcasters as manipulators of the people and even the government. The movie was later sold to Netflix (2015), thereby making its way across national borders, and as a collateral result many tourists started visiting its film location. The increasing popularity of independent and local film productions demonstrates that big companies are losing their previous social manipulation and power over the mexican population.

In this blogpost we would like to make use of the analysis of the market model and the public sphere model of media by Croteau and Hoynes. “The market model suggests that society’s needs can best be met through a relatively unregulated process of exchange based on the dynamics of supply and demand”, whereas “The public sphere model suggests that society’s needs cannot be met entirely through the market system” (Croteau and Hoynes 17, 21). We will use Michael Curtin’s theories on local media policy as well, emphasizing that policy makers are increasingly supporting locales that “seem to be gathering talent and resources” (552). Very briefly we also refer to Stijn Reijnders’ concept of lieux d’imagination, which explains “how people actively search for material references to reinforce their notions of ‘imagination’ as well as ‘reality’” (48).

In October 2014 the film La Dictadura Perfecta (The Perfect Dictatorship) was released in Mexico as a political parody. The movie was made by a Mexican independent film company, with local production and directed by Luis Estrada. Despite the film’s label as ‘parody’, it is actually a satire that mocks Mexico’s current government and claims to be taking a look at problems in Mexican society, like violence, manipulation of mass media, and government corruption. 


The film revolves around scrutinizing the role of Mexican TV broadcasters and revealing their amount of power. At this point it is important to remark that about 94% of the Mexican television broadcasting market is owned by only two corporations: Televisa and Azteca TV. An economical and mercantilist vision rules the Mexican TV market, where the social capital losses do not matter as long as there are abundant private profits.

In La Dictadura Perfecta, Mexican broadcasting companies are charged with corruption, dictatorship, and being selective in the manner in which they distribute news. The film remarks the media power in Mexico´s reality: the critical civic consciousness anesthetized  to the point of generalizing political conformism and encourage a profitable apathy. According to the filmmakers, Televisa and Azteca TV are often putting occurrences in either a positive or negative light in order to meet their own will or that of their benefactors. These broadcasters would thus fit into the market model of media, because their main success lies in making profits, whereas Luis Estrada uses the public sphere model of media, using his film to spread information and ideas to the public sphere (Croteau & Hoynes 16, 22).

The point of the movie was not only to bring forward claims about how the distribution of news is being controlled by the two biggest television broadcasters, but more importantly to bring forth a sense of awareness of media manipulation in the Mexican community (Curtin 551). The movie seeks to stimulate people to question the distribution of media in Mexico by television broadcasters. According to La Dictadura Perfecta, people need to be both critical of what is presented as well as become more active in debates in the Mexican public sphere. As Croteau and Hoynes state: “Even films and music can participate in and stimulate public debate about significant ideas and issues” (35). The government ridiculed the film, but did not attempt to stop its production or distribution. In 2011, however, Televisa - who was initially on board for funding and airing the movie - suddenly withdrew all its support and funding after reading the full script. Despite the several controversies, the movie was not censored in the end, a move which the director believes would have only helped to its spread.

Aside from stimulating critical thinking in the Mexican community, the film also helped other realms of Mexican society such as tourism. After La Dictadura Perfecta was released, the Mexican city of Durango - where the movie was filmed -  saw a sudden increase in visitors. People wanted to visit sights that are depicted in the film. Instead of being critical, Mexicans are mostly proud of those locations (Reijnders 47). Local productions are gradually becoming more and more important in Mexico and even outside of Mexico. 

Mexican cinema and television are said to be making new waves due to famous directors who have received worldwide fame by making popular films in Hollywood, such as Alejandro González Iñárritu, Guillermo del Toro and AlfonsoCuarón. 

Iñárritu, Del Toro and Cuarón
This new phase that Mexican broadcasting is gradually entering is characterized by funding local productions rather than big blockbusters by Televisa or Azteca TV, and also promoting them outside of Mexico’s borders. According to Curtin Chinese, Arab and Indian film making is undergoing a similar transformation (542-4).

La Dictadura Perfecta has begun to spread beyond the borders of Mexico since Netflix decided to add the movie to its database in March 2015. Since then it has been available to Latin American Netflix. Netflix’s choice has not so much to do with ideas in the film, but more with Netflix’s own expansion into a larger portfolio for the Latin America market. We gradually see how more and more local series and movies from around the world are added to their database, in addition to mainstream American series which can be seen everywhere. 




Even though La Dictadura Perfecta is not yet available outside of Latin America, it is still a reflection of the way media capital is developing globally; the American media industry is no longer the only important source of media in the world (Curtin 551).  

In this short reflection we have looked at the independent film La Dictadura Perfecta and how that movie has influenced Mexican TV market shares, transnational distribution, and local pride connected to tourism. In conclusion, local productions are increasing in their popularity and reaching massive social spheres with powerful messages, are gradually viewed more often outside of its national borders, and can result in local pride through flourishing tourism to famous film settings.


Statement: The increasing popularity of independent media with local production sites indicates that big media broadcasters will cease to be the only source of information #LaDictaduraPerfecta

Works Cited

Initials

RO, GK, AL
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