7.6: Conclusion – A Two-Tier, Departmentalized Work World

To gain a better understanding of the contemporary production world of Prague, we require a more balanced approach than those focusing primarily on the supposed exploitation of the global labor force, as neo-Marxism does, or on city development strategies, as creative industries and cluster theories do. Cultural intermediaries, knowledge transfers, and learning effects play major roles in a postsocialist, non-English-speaking country like the Czech Republic. As a result of historically specific experiences—communists discrediting labor unions, the interventionist yet selective cultural politics of the state—local film workers tend to contradict conclusions derived from studies of cultural imperialism or NICL. They criticize local policymakers rather than Hollywood producers and focus on learning and mobility barriers rather than exploitative working conditions. This is true even of individuals whose livelihood is threatened by Hollywood moving runaway productions to neighboring countries like Hungary. A new model of globalization is clearly needed if we are to gain deeper insight into the interplay between global forces “from above” like GPN’s “flagships” and those from below, such as local workers. As economic geography has shown, we also need to understand the relationships between local and translocal transactions,⁴³ whose interaction allows for extralocal knowledge flows. In the case of the Prague screen industries, such an approach might involve examining mediating mechanisms and agencies like the service production sector in terms of their interaction with local and international partners and competitors. The production culture of Prague is effectively a two-tier system split between production services and domestic productions, which are characterized by different salaries, career patterns, and work practices. Recognizing it as such opens up new avenues of investigation. We might, for example, consider the extent to which this instance of multitrack globalization precipitates “departmentalized” thinking, especially in service productions. We might also wish to consider the implications of the “glass ceilings”⁴⁴ that have prevented many local workers from moving into original projects and securing high-level creative jobs.