Evaluative schemas and the attention of critics in the US film industry

Abstract

This article explores the constraints evaluative schemas place on critics’ allocation of attention. Prior research suggests that a critic’s ability to establish himself as an expert of the market is based on the appeal to a rationalized and defensible system of standards for evaluating products. In this article, I argue that this creates a fundamental bias in the allocation of critical attention such that critics will demonstrate a tendency to favor arenas in which they have developed clear and structured schemas for evaluation. As a result, producers within such categories will receive disproportionately greater critical attention. I test and find support for this hypothesis within the context of the US feature film industry. The implications of this bias in terms of producer legitimacy are discussed.

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