The effect of financial resources on the products and the careers of Dutch filmmakers

Abstract

This paper gives the results of a research project on how Dutch filmmakers practiced their profession during the period 1960–1983. The focus is on the conditions under which a number of them succeeded in pursuing their activities on a continuous basis. The two major research questions are (i) what were the socioeconomic conditions under which Dutch filmmakers developed their activities into a profession? (ii) what is the contribution of Dutch filmmakers to the professionalization of their activities?Practicing a profession means that activities are undertaken on a continuous basis. A professional filmmaker was defined in this research project as a person who has spent at least half of his or her career on making films. This means that there are financial resources, the possibility of receiving training for a future profession and that there is a union that unites most professionals. The development of professional careers shows differentiated patterns. In part, these points of view have also been developed within the sociology of professions and the sociology of culture. It should be noted, however, that very few studies in either field recognize the central role of financial resources in the development of (artistic) activities into a profession. One of these studies is La naissance de l'écrivain by Alain Viala.