Tuesday, 29 April 2025

Film industry revision 2025

 The film industry - only industry questions can come up for this!!!!






Two films - Black Panther and I Daniel Blake...


Fact file - version one


Black Panther 

I, Daniel Blake

  • High production values

  • Clear, Hollywood narrative 

  • Traditional marketing techniques: interviews, billboards, trailers


  • Multinational distribution, many world markets

  • Huge Hollywood budget (200mil)

  • Huge star appeal (Chadwick Boseman and Michael B Jordan) 

  • Soundtrack - big budget, dramatic, conventional, known songs 

  • Action, superhero, blaxploitation, social justice


  • UK BBFC rating 12A - under 12s can attend with a guardian 

  • Minimises risk and maximises profit

  • All black cast

  • Exotic expensive locations

  • Major conglomerate production 

  • Produced by Marvel Studios, distributed by Disney

  • Low production values

  • Depressing, tragic narrative 

  • Guerilla marketing techniques: projecting quotes on to the houses of parliament 

  • Predominantly successful in the UK and France

  • Low budget (8 million)

  • Unknown actors 


  • Low budget, sparse


  • Social realist (reflects reality, themes of poverty, white working class identity) 

  • BBFC 15. One use of very strong language 

  • A risky financial venture. For the message

  • All white cast

  • Newcastle 

  • Independent production

  • Produced and distributed by many companies, 16 Films, E1, Why Not?. BBC. National Lottery, Canal +...




Explain how the producers of films  ensure their financial success. Refer to I Daniel Blake to support your points. [15]


  • Clear and easy to understand narrative, typical of the social realist genre

  • Relatable to working class audiences… although the actual target audience is clearly middle class

  • Marketing techniques - trailers, posters, as well as guerilla marketing techniques such as projecting quotes on the houses of parliament

  • Relatable and appealing to a left wing audience. Film has a socialist ideology. The antagonist is the capitalist right wing government

  • Construction of brand identity - the director is an auteur and makes distinctive films. Therefore the film targets a pre-sold audience!

  • Film financed by a number of international organisations, spreading the risk factor 

  • Recognisable location for UK audiences 

  • David Hesmondhalgh - minimising risk and maximising profit

  • Curran and Seaton - the media industries are motivated by power and profit…

  • However, as an independent social realist film, I Daniel Blake will always be limited in it’s financial potential. Curran and Seaton argue that we should move to a system of smaller producers, making interesting products that are not influenced by rampant capitalism. 

  • There are other ways of being successful beyond financial success!

  • Social message drawing attention to social issues

  • To raise awareness of poverty

  • The love of making films, and making art

  • To entertain and appeal to an audience 

  • To win awards, IDB won the Palme D’Or award


Fact file - version two


Black Panther

I, Daniel Blake

  • High production values

  • Extensive use of CGI

  • Fantasy/superhero/action/adventure/sci fi

  • Hybrid genre

  • Studio production

  • Costumes - conventional superhero 

  • Chadwick Boseman and Michael B Jordan - established star appeal 

  • Part of an established franchise - the MCU

  • A classical Hollywood narrative: narrative closure, but part of a series

  • A mainstream, mass, global audience

  • Marvel Studios, subsidiary of Disney





  • Budget $200 million

  • Total revenue: 1 billion dollars

  • Advertised in high profile traditional means. Superbowl ad, online ads, billboards, TV interviews, magazine preview features and teaser trailers


  • A range of accents and settings across the world

  • A mainstream Hollywood blockbuster

  • Low production values

  • Absolutely no CGI

  • Social realist film


  • Single genre

  • On location shooting

  • Authentic costumes

  • Unknown actors


  • Not part of a franchise


  • A depressing and somewhat unconventional narrative

  • A niche, predominantly UK and French audience

  • Produced and distributed and funded by many companies, inc 16 Films, BBC, E1, Canal +, Why Productions and The National Lottery

  • Budget and advertising $8 million 

  • Total revenue: 15 million dollars

  • A cross media campaign, using social media, guerilla marketing campaigns including projecting quotes on to houses of parliament, and screenings in village halls

  • Use of regional accents and specific UK setting (Newcastle) 

  • A indie film 




(c) Explain the role of regulation in the global distribution of films. Refer to Black Panther to support your points. [9]


BBFC - 12A. A desirable certificate, as everyone can access, including younger audiences

MPAA - PG13. Suggests that this film is suitable for children worldwide, in order to minimise risk 

In the final sequence, we see an epic fantasy battle. While there is much on screen violence, it is fantasy violence, and unlikely to harm or offend the audience. The lack of extreme sadistic violence allows for a lower BBFC rating, and worldwide distribution 

The lack of explicit sex, foul language, overt political themes allow this film to be distributed without censorship worldwide

Livingstone and Lunt argue that the regulation of media is largely ineffective

Digitally convergent technologies allows for easy and largely unregulated access to films, through the use of pirate unregulated streaming services, and also through the almost completely unregulated Disney+ service


Bonus task - make sure you can define the following terms


BBFC

Circulation 

Conglomerate

Distribution

Horizontal integration

Independent studio

Major studio

Monopoly

Regulation

Subsidiary

Target Audience

Vertical integration