Influences of popular culture in the Ghanaian film industry

Abstract

Globalization has facilitated the adoption of new trends that are influencing and challenging existing structures in a variety of world disciplines, including the arts and sciences. Popular culture, which arose as a result of the globalization drive, is a major factor influencing patterns of change in existing cultures and systems. The popular culture movement has also had an impact on Ghana's film industry, influencing some new developments. The study sought to investigate how popular culture has influenced filmmakers, film development, audience preferences, and the film industry's marketing and distribution structures in Ghana. The study used a qualitative method and was based on the Social Influence Theory. Data was collected from directors, actors, and scriptwriters from Ghana's two main film industry blocs in order to answer the four research questions. Audience members and a distributor across both industries were also polled for their opinions. The main findings suggest that filmmakers mostly incorporate elements of popular culture into their films for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to meeting audience demands, attracting actors to their projects, and breaking into some viable markets. Although some filmmakers recognized the value of cultural representation in films, popular culture came to the fore as the driving force behind the majority of informed decisions made during the development and creation of film content. The study made recommendations for additional investigation and engagements to examine additional film industry sectors where popular culture has taken a dominant role and what can be done to ensure that indigenous culture is not ignored in the creation of films.