pdf

1. Film Industry - Straight Outta Compton and I, Daniel Black
THE FILM PROCESS
There are three distinct areas of the film industry.
Each one of these could be viewed as a type of media institution.
PRODUCTION DISTRIBUTION EXHIBITION
What happens at each stage?
For the exam, you will only need to be familiar with the first two stages in detail.
Some of the key issues that you will need to understand and relate to the case studies
Production Distribution
• Budget and funding
• The types of films produced (Hollywood vs.
British Film Industry)
• How the different stages of production can be
used in order to target the audience?
• The impact of technology
• The use of vertical integration
• The role of festivals
• Different types of release patterns used [cine-
matic and home release]
• Digital distribution
• Regulation - Film classification and age certifi-
cation
• Marketing
• The impact of technology (piracy)
The impact of media ownership – to what extent can Curran and Seaton as well as Hesmondhalgh’s theory
be applied to analyse the two case studies?
Production involves the creation of the media product and is the responsibility
of the PRODUCTION COMPANY
How do films get funded?
• The Studio Model
• Government funding
• UK Tax finance
• Pre sales
• Co-productions
• Product placement
• Music
• Crowdfunding
• National and regional agenciesWhat funding method is most likely to be used in the Holly-
wood film industry?
The writer/director/producer must find finance for a film – which may come from one or many production
companies (a co-production)
Which production company produced Straight Outta Compton?
Both use co-production in order to fund the film. But what is the main difference between the two films regarding funding?

2. Some of the production costs were covered by product placement in the film.
• You will watch the trailer of the film – what examples of product placement do you see in the film?
• Why would Straight Outta Compton be appealing to companies as possible place to advertise their
product?
Universal Pictures is part of a conglomerate
• What is a conglomerate?
• What is the benefit of being part of a conglomerate?
Why did Straight Outta Compton have a larger production budget?
It can be argued that Legendary Pictures and Universal’s deal is an example of horizontal and vertical inte-
gration. Why?

3. Why is important to look at the funding of film?
You can explore the following:
• The types of films made
• The production value
What is production value?
• In the movie industry, the quality of a film is referred to as its “production value.”
• Films with a higher budget will usually have a high production value.
high concept film
A major film that features global themes, a simply fairy-tale narrative, major stars, music by major compos-
ers or pop stars, is a genre film and has a saturated 360-degree marketing campaign.
A high-budget production
• Looks good exhibiting high production values
• Aimed at mass global markets
• Universally recognisable story
• Simple characters easy to understand
• Offers ‘synergy’, merchandising, TV/ DVD sales
• Relies on vital merchandising
High budget affords:
• Special effects
• Actors
• Great script
• Exotic locations
• New technology – camera
work
Cross-media convergence = They are looking to create brand that they can transfer to theme parks, games
and television.
Hollywood film industry is dominated by conglomerate
Characteristic of Hollywood
Films Today
• Franchise
• Prequel/sequel
• Blockbuster: sfx/cgi/3d
• Comic/book/tv/remake
• Genre and the repack-
aging of successful
elements
Power and media industries - Curran and Seaton Cultural industries - David Hesmondhalgh
• The idea that the media is controlled by a small
number of companies primarily driven by the logic
of profit and power.
• The idea that media concentration generally limits
or inhibits variety, creativity and quality
• The idea that more socially diverse patterns of
ownership help to create the conditions for more
varied and adventurous media productions.
• The idea that cultural industry companies try to
minimise risk and maximise audiences through
vertical and horizontal integration, and by format-
ting their cultural products (e.g. through the use of
stars, genres, and serials)
• The idea that the largest companies or conglom-
erates now operate across a number of different
cultural industries.
• The idea that the radical potential of the internet
has been contained to some extent by its partial
incorporation into a large, profit-orientated set of
cultural industries.
What is the benefit of taking this approach?
To what extent is the film is a high concept film and typical of the Hollywood film industry? Provide evidence
Argments in agreement

4. Hollywood – a brief overview
• Hollywood is built around studios and conglomerates
• Hollywood operates as an oligopoly especially when it comes to distribution.
• Hollywood film industry is vertically integrated.
• Companies who aim to make money from films through diversification, which is aided by cross media
convergence
• Focus on producing high concept films and building franchises.
To what extent is the film is a high concept film and typical of the Hollywood film industry? Provide evidence
Argments in disagreement

5. The British Film Industry
How do we define films as British?
Are these British films?
BFI Definition of “a British film”
• The British Film Institute (BFI) control who gets publicly funded money to make their films.
• If a movie is “not British enough”, it automatically fails to get approved for funding.
• They decide how British a movie is with the Cultural Standards Test.
• In order to qualify for tax relief and lottery funding, a proposed film has to pass what is termed the
Cultural Test.
Which production companies produced I, Daniel Blake? How many of them are British institutions?

6. How the BFI categorises this:
• A – films made with British money, personnel & resources
• B – films co-funded with money from Britain
• C – films with mostly foreign (but non-USA) investment & a small British input
• D – films made in UK but with USA finance
• E – American films with some British involvement
The British Film Institute is responsible for deciding which films got public funding. This investment is
meant to:
• Broaden range of films being developed in the UK
• Support emerging talent in independent films
• Fund mainstream, commercially-driven British films targeted at a global audience
There is funding available from the BFI, which comes from Lottery Money. BFI have £6 million for develop-
ment and £17 to fund productions.
The BBC and Film4 are also partially funded by the public (license fee).
BBC Film - £1 million – £5million.
The UK film industry does
not have large conglomer-
ates like Hollywood.
British films are usually
funded by either:
• Deals with American
distributors and produc-
tion companies, which
include pre-sales.
• Publicly funded money
(The National Lottery,
BBC Films, Film4 Produc-
tions)
• Small independent
film companies (also
sometimes with public
money)
• Co-production
Why do we put public money into funding films?
What is the potential benefit of co-production for UK films?

7. Pre-sales is, based on the script and cast, selling the right to distribute a film in different territories before
the film is completed. When the deal is made, the distributor will insist the producers deliver on certain
elements of content and cast; if a material alteration is made, financing may collapse.
British Film Industry = Cottage Industry
The British film industry is considered ‘cottage industry’ because most of the productions are low key and
targeted mainly at a domestic, British audience compared to the Hollywood industry, which is global. and
majority of the films are financed either by being independently funded, use co-production or government
funding. However, there are a number of British films that studio backed. Working Title is a subsidiary of
Comcast, and films with the budget of over $17 million are funded by Universal Studios.
Film Budgets
• Micro budget – National Lottery/BFI/ Film London (Shifty £100k) and Vertigo Films (Monsters £500k)
• Small Budget – Warp Films, BBC Films, Film4
• Mid Budget – Indiewood (Focus Features, Fox Searchlight etc), Working Title.
• Big Budget – Hollywood Studios.
Important debate
The choices for the British film industry=
1. Make low budget films targeted at mainstream British audiences
2. Make low budget films for niche ‘art-house audiences’ in the UK and abroad
3. Look for partners in Europe and/or America and aim for more clearly an international audience
In what ways could a film like I, Daniel Blake attract funding through pre-sales?

8. Since the UK film industry doesn’t have the spending power of the US conglomer-
ates, purely British films tend to be low budget
What might this mean for the types of films which Britain produces?
What is a social realist film? Conduct research into the film genre social realism
Read through the statistic, what genre of film is most likely to be made?
Task 1
• What is meant by the term?
• What are the key conventions?
• Who are the key figures in the social realist movement?
• What is the potential appeal of social realist genre for audiences?

9. Decription of Indepent Films
• “Anyone who makes a film that is the film they want to make, and is not defined by marketing anal-
ysis or commercial enterprise, is independent.” (Jim Jarmusch)
• “It’s not about being autocratic, forcing your will on people, illustrating a grand vision. It’s about
finding a community of friends, speaking to the moment.” (Michael Almereyda)
• “A good, healthy, anti-Hollywood sentiment, working outside the system, generating your own
financing, trying to make movies free of a certain Hollywood aesthetic.” (James Mangold)
• “Independent filmmaker’s don’t make money. They’ll spend all the money they have to make the
movie. Money they don’t have. The movie can be as good as it’s gonna be, or as bad as it’s gonna be,
but it’s theirs.” (Quentin Tarantino)
Independent films are sometimes distinguishable by their content and style and the way in which the
filmmakers' personal artistic vision is realized. The standard belief is lower budgets give the possibility of
artistic and creative control.
Words used to decribe the style and content of independent films:
Provocative” “Experimental”“Dark” “Challenging” “Gritty”“Shocking”“Subversive”“Unconventional”
“Witty” “Questioning” “Exciting”“Cynical” Creative” “Surprising” “Edgy” “Topical” “Honest”
Watch the trailer of I, Daniel Blake
• Referring to specific examples from the trailer, to what extent is the film social realist?
• Referring to specific examples from the trailer, in what ways are social realist films evidence that the British film industry is a cottage
industry.
To what extent can Curran and Seaton as well as Hesmondhalgh’s theory be applied to I, Daniel Blake?