Who?
The Laboratory for Audiovisual Communication Studies (LACS) is integrated in the scientific activities and works produced at CECC's research group Media Narratives and Cultural Memory (MNCM).
What and why?
LACS seeks to understand the transformations identified in the audiovisual sector as a result of the broad digitalization of media practices, the proliferation of the so-called emerging media, and the rise of new modes of audiovisual content consumption.
The main aim is to analyze the audiovisual sphere as a whole and/or as an industry, especially in terms of:
- Displays, technologies, contents, contexts and texts
- Production, circuits, distribution, offer and consumption
Particular research subfields:
- Information: media and news contents
- Documentary and fiction: platforms and narratives
- Entertainment: devices, texts and protagonists
- Advertising: messages and meaning
Specific research contexts:
- The (industry of) audiovisual
- Financing
- Regulation and compliance
- Consumption and metrics
How?
The studies are based on:
- Multiple corpora and multiple focuses of analysis
- Different methodological approaches (comparative studies are taken as particularly relevant)
- Inter and transdisciplinary perspectives
Which results?
LACS has been developing its work and presenting its research outputs not only in/to the academic community (within Universidade Católica Portuguesa and other institutions as well), but also in collaboration with audiovisual entities, fomenting synergies between national and international students, researchers and market players.
Activities and outputs:
(i) International conferences and the publication of conference contributions - ex. Observatório Iberoamericano da Ficção Televisiva (OBITEL)
(ii) Teaching and applied research on television fiction - ex. advanced training for students and professionals in audiovisual: production, distribution and consumption (Formação Avançada em Audiovisual: Produção, Distribuição e Consumos), from a partnership between the Faculty of Human Sciences (FCH-UCP), the Association of Independent Television Producers (APIT), the independent production companies SP Televisão and SPi, and Grupo IMPRESA.
(iii) Transfer of knowledge between the academia and the audiovisual market – ex.:
As novas dinâmicas do consumo audiovisual em Portugal (2016) - presentation of a study prepared and developed under the scope of Entidade Reguladora da Comunicação Social
Anuário do setor de produção audiovisual em Portugal (2020) - publisher: Universidade Católica Editora; commissioning body: Associação de Produtores Independentes de Televisão
Plano legislativo e regulatório português para o audiovisual (2018) - a study pursued by Ernst & Young Global Limited for Associação de Produtores Independentes de Televisão
