Behind the Scenes of International Co-productions: Understanding the decision-making processes of European co-producers in international co-productions

International co-productions have experienced a massive increase in the last years in Europe and across the globe, which is reflective of the changing market conditions and globalization processes. As a result, transnational media practices and international partnerships have become a standard in the current media landscape. Such transnational collaborations raise questions concerning the universalization in media production and cultural homogenization. Furthermore, the development of a transnational field in which the national and international interconnect, has led to a growing emphasis on transnational and global audiences. International co-productions also raise questions regarding the co-operation between media professionals and potential cultural differences that can lead to tensions due to diverging national interests. Consequently, by interviewing co-producers that operate in the film industries of smaller European countries (Luxembourg, Netherlands, Switzerland), this study aims to answer the following research question: How do international co-productions shape the development and content of films? By using the theoretical perspective of production research, this thesis analyses the experiences and decision-making processes of European co-producers involved in international coproductions. Its aim is to identify the organizational and structural factors that influence the decisions of professionals during the collaboration and understand how international co-productions shape the development of the content and final output of a co-produced film (narrative, script, cast, crew). The data for this research consists of six qualitative, semi-structured interviews conducted with European co-producers and the data was analysed by means of a thematic analysis. The findings of the research suggest that the decision-making of co-producers during the development is shaped by a variety of factors, reasoning, and motivations. It is often a combination of financial, creative, and personal reasons as well as regulatory and organizational influences that drive the decision-making of producers. In regard to the influence on content, the findings imply that international co-productions tend to predominantly produce ‘global’ stories and universal themes that can be widely understood by a large audience. International co-productions tend to avoid very local topics, which however doesn’t mean that such productions are not produced at all. In contrast, despite this focus on universality, the results suggest that such universal stories are often embedded in very local settings and contexts. Such productions however require a combination of a wellwritten script, an interesting cast and/or renowned producers/directors.