Developing, producing, editing, and releasing European audiovisual policy

Lecture (19/4) and hands-on workshop (21/4) with Alex Traila (National University of Theatre and Cinema Art Bucharest/Eurimages).

It rarely happens that European film and TV professionals engage in the process of policymaking even though they are the ones with the highest stake in this process. Alex Traila’s lecture and hands-on workshop will focus on the value of making the European film and TV professionals understand the policy-design process, and are actively involved in it. Moreover, based on his extensive experience in both filmmaking and policymaking, Traila will provide insights into the entire process of designing, formulating, fine-tuning, and launching a socially and culturally relevant European audio-visual policy.

Traila will depart from the innovative premise that designing a European audiovisual policy does not differ from making a movie or a TV series. Namely, in policymaking, just as in filmmaking, one develops a concept, produces the content, fine-tunes it in ‘postproduction’, and releases it. Moreover, just like a good film or TV series, a good policy relies on powerful storytelling. Good storytelling in policymaking requires a vision and extensive structural and dramaturgical work that would make a policy understandable and easy to follow. Finally, both a good film and a good policy requires sound research, talent, knowledge, inspiration, and a specific toolkit.

To illustrate the policymaking process in the European audiovisual sector, Traila will focus in particular on the ongoing controversial process of imposing the obligations for streaming services to invest in the local European content. This example will not only show how the policymaking process functions technically. It will also highlight the role of European audiovisual policies as a tool for strategic structuring, framing, and enabling elements in the European audiovisual sector whenever the power balance between stakeholders has been disrupted and economic and societal gaps have become too large.

About Alex Traila

Alex Traila is a senior film consultant and researcher in European audiovisual policy. He has more than ten years of experience in the film industry and public governmental affairs. He has been an advisor to the minister of culture in Romania, and expert during Romania’s Presidency of the Council of the EU drafting the Council’s conclusions. He has participated in the transposition process of the revised EU Audio-visual Media Service Directive into the Romanian legislation. Currently, he oversees the development of a set of policies dedicated to drama series at the Council of Europe’s Film Fund Eurimages (Strasbourg) – committed to the promotion of culture, diversity, and freedom of expression in the European TV series sector by enabling international co-production in the era non-European platforms’ domination. Traila is also a lecturer in film production at the National University of Theatre and Cinema Art “I.L Caragiale” Bucharest. He co-authored industry reports for the European Audiovisual Observatory, the European Commission, and the Council of Europe.