Lenka Rusňáková – Communication Today

THE FILM INDUSTRY AND ITS CRITICAL REFLECTIONS IN BIOGRAPHICAL DRAMAS

Lenka Rusňáková — Sat, 12 Apr 2025 23:00:34 +0000

ABSTRACT:

The film genre called biographical drama (abbreviated as biopic) focuses on depicting the unique fates and professional achievements or failures of public figures, including popular figures in the music industry. Given the long-term success of these film narratives, there is a need to explore biographical audiovisual narratives about musicians of the past and present. The main aim of the study, therefore, is to elucidate the conventional genre patterns and iconography of the film genre of biographical drama in the form of a critical reflection on feature films, contemporary biopics from the music industry that resonate in the world of cinema. To fulfil the stated aim, the first step is to explain key concepts and processes closely related to the issue at hand. In a follow-up case study, we explain the ways in which the music industry collaborates with the film industry in the application of qualitative content (narrative) analysis of selected research materials. We work on the assumption that biographical dramas about music personalities have the potential to create financially and audience successful media content, reaching relatively high qualitative levels, despite their generally low reputation by the professional public. This assumption opens up a debate about ways of working with the relevant genre iconography. We are also interested in answering the question of how and whether the meaning of the presented facts changes to dramatize the plot, and to what extent the examined film narratives referring to real life stories of selected persons fulfil their informative-educational character. In fact, we believe that the representation of reality in the media reality (represented by audiovisual images of the described genre) is modified to a certain extent. For this reason, we consider it necessary to approach the interpretation of cinematic works in a critical manner.

KEY WORDS:

biographical drama, biopic, film genre, film industry, film narrative, genre iconography, informative-educational function of biopics, media audiences, media (film) education, music industry, media reality

01_Rusnakova_Kvetanova_CT-1-2025 Download

DOI: https://doi.org/10.34135/communicationtoday.2025.Vol.16.No.1.1

The Blockbuster Biopic Bohemian Rhapsody as an Expression of Cinema/Music Synergy

Lenka Rusňáková — Sun, 23 Apr 2023 11:01:54 +0000

ABSTRACT:
The study focuses on Bohemian Rhapsody (2018, directed by Bryan Singer, later Dexter Fletcher), the biographical drama that reflects on the extraordinary lives and career patterns of the four members of the rock band Queen, predominantly the band’s frontman, Freddie Mercury. Given the fact that this feature film has changed the way we perceive the economic potential of biopics entirely, we offer an overview of some of the reasons why it was so successful in terms of the globalised film industry. The main objective of the study is to outline the biographical drama’s synergistic tendency in relation to the movie industry and the music business. Acknowledging Bohemian Rhapsody’s unprecedented global success, we work with the assumption that certain biographical dramas can, in fact, become globally popular, partly thanks to the fact that they utilise music as a nostalgia-driven narrative tool making portrayals of musicians deeper and more complex. The assumption is addressed via a theoretical reflection on the given topic and through a qualitative content analysis of the biographical drama Bohemian Rhapsody.

KEY WORDS:
biographical drama, Bohemian Rhapsody, diegesis, film industry, film music, movie narrative, music industry, soundtrack

01. RADOSINSKA et al. – CT 1-2023 Download

DOI: https://doi.org/10.34135/communicationtoday.2023.Vol.14.No.1.1

Philosophical Meta-Story about The Little Prince as a Synergy of Book and Film Industries: On the Possibilities of Film Adaptation of Literature for Children and Youth

Lenka Rusňáková — Sun, 24 Apr 2022 13:06:45 +0000

ABSTRACT:
The present study explores the ways in which children’s and young adult literature is adapted to film, as these stories allow the autonomous world of childhood, distinctly different from the adult perspective, to emerge. At the same time, however, literary testimony presented through children’s perception and interpretation of reality can bring contemporary social or existential problems closer to the adult reader through imagery accessible to people of all ages. A representative result of the confrontation of the children’s and the adult world is also the literary work of the French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, originally intended for children. The depth and topicality of the philosophical fairy tale The Little Prince (originally in French, Le Petit Prince, first published in 1943) lie in the fact that it is one of the world’s most translated fairy tales, which has been the basis for numerous dramatic adaptations, re-editions and film adaptations. The main aim of the study is, therefore, to clarify the way the philosophical metanarrative of The Little Prince is expressed in the literary source and in the audiovisual film of the same name, The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince, 2015, directed by Mark Osborne). In order to achieve this goal, we apply a narrative analysis of both research materials based on analytical categories defined in the methodological section of the study. The identification and subsequent comparison of the chosen analytical categories is the starting point for determining the mode of filmic adaptation of the literary subject matter. The categorisation of film adaptations of literary works according to L. Giannetti and T. Leitch becomes the focus. Within the theoretical delineation of the issue under discussion, we point to its interdisciplinary character (the ‘intermingling’ of media and communication studies, literary criticism, but also media philosophy, film studies and other related disciplines), emphasising the cultural overlap of the philosophical metatheory of The Little Prince. This timelessness opens up space for further research into the possibilities of the story’s cinematic adaptations and interpretative planes. Characteristic logical-conceptual procedures are employed to achieve the stated aims.

KEY WORDS:
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, film adaptation, literary model, literature for children and youth, narrative analysis, philosophical meta-story, The Little Prince

06. RUSNAKOVA – KOPECKA – CT 1-2022 Download

Mimicry – Principle of Identity Transformation from the Perspective of Digital Games Theory

Lenka Rusňáková — Sun, 06 Nov 2016 15:53:45 +0000

ABSTRACT:
The article focuses on man’s identity in the environment of digital games. Special attention is given to clarifying one of Roger Caillois’s game principles (mimicry) and its application into the process of creating digital games. The author defines corresponding terminological axis and works with an assumption that the reflection on identity transformation related to digital ‘mimicry games’ remains a subject of discourse analysis in the dimension of digital game studies. One of the aims of the article is thus to define the term “game” from the position of game studies, taking into account its multidisciplinary character. The analysed game principle mimicry is specified in greater detail; the existence of direct connection between ‘mimicry games’ and simulated, interactive or fantasy games represents an important base for further inquiry and is placed in the centre of the author’s attention. Based on the defined theoretical outlines, the author has an opportunity to apply the acquired information directly on specific games that may be classified as digital ‘mimicry games’. The primary goal of the article is therefore to address the given phenomenon by explaining its presence and meaning in the context of various digital games.

KEY WORDS:
digital games theory, game principles, game studies, identity crisis, mimicry, principle of identity transformation, Roger Caillois

02_Rusňíková_CT-2-2016 Download