Learning Film Magic from the Professionals: The Film Studio as a Tourist Destination

The phenomenon of film tourism is about as old as the movies themselves. Many consumers have been inspired by their favourite films to travel either to the locations they have seen on screen or to the locations where they have... [ view full abstract ]

The phenomenon of film tourism is about as old as the movies themselves. Many consumers have been inspired by their favourite films to travel either to the locations they have seen on screen or to the locations where they have been filmed. Nevertheless, Connell (2012) argues that the film tourism literature is still in its early stages and lacks a decent understanding of how film tourists perceive, experience and relate to tourist destinations in general. And this is particularly true for the film studio as a tourist destination. Drawing on the author’s own film tourist experiences, observations and participatory interactions with fellow visitors at a major Hollywood film studio, this paper takes a photographic essay approach to explore from an autoethnographic ‘I’m-the-camera’-perspective to explore how consumers experience and engage with the magical world of film and filmmaking that film studios present to them in their guided studio tours. The study finds that the ‘authentic’ nature of the film studio tour appeals in particular to amateur filmmakers, who seek informative insights into the film business and to share their knowledge and experiences with other like-minded amateurs and professionals. The tour guide is ascribed by the visitors the role of a ‘facilitator’.