Visible Things Unseen: Co-creation and Its Philosophical Turn

In response to being called an “auteur,” the Australian director of such films as The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith (1978) and Roxanne (1987), Fred Schepisi, scoffed: “Auteur theory just denigrates everyone else's job.”¹ Unfortunately, the acts of denigration alluded to are in the name of an idea that has found expression in many critical texts and received the blessings of scholars and critics across a large spectrum of constituencies. As a result, we have witnessed theoretical battles and multiple contentious debates pursued over the historical meanings and cultural implications of “auteur theory” or single authorship in film and media arts production. The accumulative result...