<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> This article investigates how director Valeria Anderson constructed heroes in the documentaries she directed between 1960 and 1985. It also asks how far one could go with social criticism in the post-Stalinist/pre-Perestroika era, how pointed the revelations of economic disorder could be, and what rank of leadership could be blamed for the occurrences of these problems. The article concentrates on the documentaries made by Valeria Anderson that depict positive heroes sacrificing their personal interests for the good of the homeland. The narratives are examined by using discourse analysis.</abstract>

Heroes and Social Criticism in the Works of Valeria Anderson

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> This article analyses and maps the links between caricature and animated film, as well as their development during the post-World War II era, in communist Eastern Europe. The article also deals with the specific nature of animation production under the conditions of political censorship and the utilisation of Aesopian language as an Eastern European phenomenon for outmanoeuvring censorship.</abstract>

On the Links between Caricatures and Animated Films in Communist Eastern Europe

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> This article explores whether a specifically regional quality can be identified in the following Finnish and Estonian multi-protagonist/network narrative films: Aku Louhimies’ Frozen Land (Paha maa, Finland, 2005) and Veiko Õunpuu’s Autumn Ball (Sügisball, Estonia, 2007). The article begins by providing an overview of the discussion regarding multi-protagonist films - a film form in which several lead characters are commonly connected via accidental encounters. Thereafter, an examination is made of how the form’s widely recognised generic qualities are represented in the Northern and Eastern European examples. As an overview of the discourse illustrates, multi-protagonist film is mainly interested in urban spatiality, contingency and human interconnectedness. It is also shown that these examples from the cinemas of small nations follow global trends rather closely. At the same time, Frozen Land and Autumn Ball can be seen as representing a specifically regional sensibility that is not only interesting in its own right, but which can also be understood as directly influencing the character-action.</abstract>

Global Multi-Protagonist Trends in a Local Setting: The Case of Frozen Land and Autumn Ball

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> Stemming from the concept of active audiences and from Henry Jenkins’ (2006) idea of participatory culture as the driving force behind the transformation of public service broadcasting into agencies of public service media (Bardoel, Ferrell Lowe 2007), this empirical study explores the attitude and behaviour of the audiences of two crossmedia projects, produced by the public service media of Finland (YLE) and Estonia (ERR). This empirical study aims to explore the behaviour, wants and needs of the audiences of cross-media productions and to shed some light on the conditions that support the dynamic switching of the engagement with cross-media. The study’s results suggest that audiences are neither passive nor active, but switch from one mode to another. The findings demonstrate that audience dynamism is circumstantial and cannot be assumed. Thus, thinking about active audiences and participation as the lymph of public service media becomes problematic, especially when broadcasters seek generalised production practices. This work demonstrates how television networks in general cannot be participatory, and instead, how cross-media can work as a vehicle of micro participation through small acts of audience engagement (Kleut et al. 2017).</abstract>

Exploring Cross-Media Audience Practices in Two Cases of Public Service Media in Estonia and Finland

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> This article presents the results of a study in which the Estonian audiences of various stage versions of the same opera (live opera theatre performance and live-in-HD, which were shown at cinemas) during the same season were compared in a social constructivist paradigm to underline whether, and to what extent, audiences’ membership, cultural consumption preferences, attitudes, expectations, values and perceptions differ or coincide, thereby revealing what audiences distinguish as the differences or similarities between live and mediated opera performances. It presents the preference dimensions of the Estonian opera audience and provides an opportunity to discuss the issue of whether a technologically mediated cultural event offers any new opportunities for traditional opera to expand its audience, or whether it captures the audiences and creates competition for the theatres whose performances are not mediated. The survey was carried out among audiences attending performances of Carmen (Georges Bizet, 1875) in the 2014/2015 season at five different venues in Estonia. The findings revealed that, due to the fact that the hierarchy of motivators for the target groups of live and live-in-HD opera differs, it does not support the idea that opera theatre will gain new audiences from cinema or vice versa.</abstract>

Preference Dimensions of the Estonian Opera-Consumer: A Comparison of the Audiences at Opera Houses and Mediated Opera Performances

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> Today, opera houses are confronted by new (global) digital media offers that enable people to remain outside the opera house while attending a live-opera, e.g. via livestreamed opera performances in the cinema. This is a challenge for media managers in these fields because they need to find new ways to work with these new opportunities. Within a cultural marketing context, branding is highly relevant. Based on the brand image approach by Kevin Lane Keller (1993), we use a complex qualitative-quantitative study in order to investigate if, and how, the brand images of live-opera performances and live-streamed operas differ between countries and cultural contexts. By comparing Estonia and Germany, we found that the perception of live-opera is rather a global phenomenon with only slight differences. Furthermore, the ‘classical’ opera performance in an opera house is still preferred, with a corresponding willingness to pay, while the live-streamed opera offer may provide a modern touch. The study may help media managers in adapting their brand management to include new digital product offers and to find targeted differentiation strategies for increasingly competitive markets.</abstract>

The Branding Potential for the Digital Transmission of Live-Operas to the Cinema: An International Comparison of Estonia and Germany

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> The article suggests that cinematic figures can be divided into two basic groups - barbarian and intellectual. The definition is based on the level of the figures’ intelligibility in the works of Jean-Luc Godard and Andrei Tarkovsky. As Claude Lévi-Strauss’ myth analysis shows, there are structural similarities between cinematic figures and myths, the article searches for a closer, more site-specific link, engaging fairy tales, i.e. local myths, as a more efficient way of observing the distinctive features of the figures in specific regions.</abstract>

Intellectual and Barbarian Figures in Film: The Bear and the Devil

AHEAD OF PRINT

Volume 11 (2023): Issue 1 (December 2023)

Volume 10 (2022): Issue 2 (December 2022)

Volume 10 (2022): Issue 1 (April 2022)

Volume 9 (2021): Issue 1 (December 2021)

Volume 8 (2020): Issue 1 (December 2020)

Volume 7 (2019): Issue 1 (December 2019)

Volume 6 (2018): Issue 1 (December 2018)

Volume 5 (2017): Issue 1 (December 2017)

Volume 4 (2016): Issue 1 (December 2016)

Volume 3 (2015): Issue 1 (November 2015)

Volume 2 (2014): Issue 1 (November 2014)

Volume 1 (2013): Issue 1 (October 2013)

Baltic Screen Media Review

 Why subscribe and read   Only journal in the Baltic Sea Region that focuses on all forms of audiovisual culture emerging from the region and approaches these from a fiercely interdisciplinary angle – incorporating conceptual and methodological insights deriving from film and media studies, new media studies, culture studies, media innovation and management studies, political economy of media and cultural industries, media policy studies, etc.   Why submit      Quick, fair and constructive double-blind peer review   Good visibility in the scholarly target community      Rejection Rate    40%      The core mission of Baltic Screen Media Review is to publish original and critical research articles on a variety of screen media forms and phenomena that are either produced in or represent the cultures and realities of the Baltic region. Therein we define the Baltic region flexibly – it may not only refer to the three Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), but include all the countries and cultures around the Baltic Sea, a region typically neglected in film and media studies. Our specific interest is to discuss and critically analyze the interconnections and exchanges between the countries of the region and their audiovisual cultures. The term ‘screen media’ indicates that the journal’s focus is ‘convergent’ – we publish articles on film, television, interactive media, video art, video games, mobile augmented reality, etc. Manuscripts scrutinizing the co-evolution of these various screen media forms are given a priority. We also invite articles on the full spectrum of audiovisual culture and different methodological takes on it – including textual analyses, accounts on education, production, exhibition, distribution and reception, as well as reflections on relevant theories and frames of references.   The journal is currently published twice a year and is a blind peer-reviewed journal addressed to the international scholarly community.   Archiving   Sciendo archives the contents of this journal in Portico - digital long-term preservation service of scholarly books, journals and collections.   Plagiarism Policy   The editorial board is participating in a growing community of Similarity Check System's users in order to ensure that the content published is original and trustworthy. Similarity Check is a medium that allows for comprehensive manuscripts screening, aimed to eliminate plagiarism and provide a high standard and quality peer-review process. 