Programmed Viewership
Japanese Tele-Mediality, Seriality, and Film as a Social Medium
Examines the divergent and convergent ecologies of the dissemination of Japanese films
Description
Programmed Viewership examines the concept of “program” in Japanese cinema as an organizing framework that links marketing and promotion, exhibition and distribution, viewing practices in public and domestic spaces. Rea Amit defines “program” as the ideological infrastructure or platform that perpetuates habitual and ritualistic patterns in film production and reception. Amit takes a holistic approach to understanding more than a century of Japanese cinema through the analysis of material film ephemera, cinema theatre, film content, and viewership. This framework positions programming, rather than provenance, as the decisive factor that confers a film’s cultural and institutional identity. While earlier scholarship has gestured toward loosening the tie between cinematic identity and its nation of origin, Programmed Viewership extends this insight by emphasizing that production constitutes only one dimension of a broader programmatic system.
Rea Amit is Assistant Professor of Japanese at the University of Oklahoma.
Reviews
"This highly original book takes the concept of the ‘program’ to create a holistic approach to understanding more than a century of Japanese cinema, encompassing film ephemera, cinema theatres, television, film content, and viewership. Engaging and enjoyable to read, Programmed Viewership is a valuable contribution to Japanese film studies."
- Jennifer Coates, University of Sheffield