Murphy's Law in Action: The Formation of the Film Production Network of Paul Lazarus' Barbarosa (1982)-An Actor-Network-Theory Case Study

摘要

This paper explores the possibilities of Actor-Network-Theory as a methodological approach to Production Studies. On the basis of a detailed production log written by producer Paul Lazarus Ⅲ, the coming-into-being of the film Barbarosa (1982) is described. By using Bruno Latour s and Michel Callon 's approach, the assemblies of the film production, the hybrid networks and interconnections which are established by human as well non-human actors, are dealt with. Thus film production is not a one sided process of inscriptions by human actors on non-human actors. Rather it is thought as a reciprocal process of inscribing and acting. Consequently the "effects " are discussed which are produced by approaching the production of Barbarosa with ANT and conclusions are drawn as to how the theoretical scope of Production Studies needs to be modified: Films can be understood as "quasi-objects" or "epistemic things" which are produced and produce themselves in reciprocal processes. They translate themselves into other networks after postproduction and are thus constantly subject to translational processes and not endlessly stable, but should rather be considered metastable.