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A Commonplace Art? Understanding Amateur Media Production

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Video Cultures

Abstract

Despite the growing popularity of amateur video-making, documented in Chapter 1, it has been generally neglected by academic researchers. While the widespread availability of video cameras is a relatively recent development, popular photography and amateur film-making have a much longer history; yet these too have largely fallen below the academic radar. This chapter considers previous work on these topics, and seeks to identify some of the broader questions at stake in understanding such popular representational practices. In the process, it looks beyond these visual media to other forms of artistic endeavour, as well as considering more general issues to do with amateurism, leisure, creativity and learning.

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© 2009 David Buckingham

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Buckingham, D. (2009). A Commonplace Art? Understanding Amateur Media Production. In: Buckingham, D., Willett, R. (eds) Video Cultures. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230244696_2

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