We have completed our first term of GCSE Media Studies - and it's amazing how much content we've already covered! This includes our first TWO exam Close Study Products - the two Film Industry CSPs (Doctor Strange and I, Daniel Blake). We now need to create an index of all our blogposts so far this term. This process is an excellent start to our ongoing revision and will also highlight if you've missed anything through absence or isolation. Your index should include the following:
For your index, the text should link to YOUR corresponding blogpost so you can access your work quickly and easily for checking and revision. This also means if you have missed anything you can catch up with the work and notes and won't underperform in assessments and exams due to gaps in your knowledge. Creating your index To create your index, first copy the list of work above and paste it as plain text into a new blogpost called 'GCSE Media Autumn term index'. Then, open your Media blog in another tab and use your blog archive to open up all your work from last term. For each post, copy the URL - this is the web address that will end .blogspot.com/name of the post. For example: https://mediamacguffingcseyear1.blogspot.com/2020/01/representation-introduction.html Once you've got the hang of it, you should find the index only takes 10-15 minutes to produce.
Your audience power and industry essays have shown fantastic progress in Media - well done! It's brilliant to see you writing in such depth having clearly picked up many of the key points regarding audience power, media industries and the impact of the internet. The first part of your learner response is to read the email from your teacher giving you feedback on your essay. If anything doesn't make sense, ask your teacher - that's why we're here! Your audience essay learner response is as follows: Create a new blog post called 'Audience essay feedback and learner response' and complete the following tasks: 1) Copy and paste your feedback from the email in full - WWW, EBI and LR. 2) What was the word count for your essay? 3) What was your strongest paragraph? Why do you think it was better than others? 4) What was your weakest paragraph? Why do you think it wasn't as good as others? 5) How can you improve your extended writing in GCSE Media Studies in future? 6) Write ONE thing you have learned about the internet, audience and industry from completing this essay. Extension task Research one of the three industries (music, film/TV, news) and find statistics and quotes that link to how the audience experience of that industry has changed as a result of the internet. For example, social media has now overtaken TV as the main news source for young people - showing how power is shifting in the news industry away from traditional institutions (full details in this BBC news article). Revision: January assessment When you come back in January you will have your next GCSE Media assessment. This will be on everything we have learned in Media so far including:
Denotation and connotation
Audience theories
Industry terminology
Film Industry CSPs (Doctor Strange and I, Daniel Blake)
If you do not finish your learner response in the lesson, this needs to be completed at home by your next Media lesson.
Our second Film Industry CSP is Ken Loach's independent social realist film I, Daniel Blake. Remember: for film, we only need to study the industries key concept - so this means the companies behind the film, the budget, the marketing and promotion and finally the box office success. Hollywood v Independent cinema Independent films are very different to Hollywood blockbusters like Doctor Strange. The style of ‘indie’ films is very different to Hollywood blockbusters, as the directors and producers have more creative input – it’s being made in their vision, not in the vision of studio bosses. Independent films have much smaller budgets, and are often supported financially by public service broadcasters, film institutions and charity funding. They are also distributed by smaller companies.
I, Daniel Blake notes
I, Daniel Blake is an award-winning independent British Drama film. The main character, Daniel Blake, 59, who has worked as a joiner most of his life in the North East of England needs help from the State for the first time ever following an illness. He crosses paths with a single mother Katie and her two young children, Daisy and Dylan. Katie’s only chance to escape a one roomed homeless hostel in London is to accept a flat some 300 miles away. Daniel stands up and fights for his dignity, leading a one-man crusade for compassion that will transform the lives of a struggling single mother (Katie) and her two children. It is a drama that has a strong political message about Britain in an age of government austerity.
Key details:
I, Daniel Blake was released in 2016 and was directed by Ken Loach. The film was rated by the BBFC as a 15.
A UK/French co-production, the film is a classed as a drama due to the nature of the narrative and themes within the film.
The cast is made up of lesser known actors, including Dave Johns, Hayley Squires and Sharon Percy.
The film is classed as an independent film, due to the fact that it is a low budget film with a relatively unknown cast.
Director power: Ken Loach
Ken Loach has been a director for over 50 years. He’s never had Hollywood success, mainly because he’s never wanted it. Loach’s style is social realism – telling stories that represent the lives of ordinary working-class people and the social issues they face, for example unemployment, poverty and addiction. His films also have political themes. Rather than create films for entertainment or money, his goal is to expose and educate people to the issues that many people in society face.
Ken Loach's 2019 film Sorry We Missed You highlighted the difficulty of working class people working on zero hour contracts (you can watch the trailer here). Here he talks to Sky News about the film and how it compares to Marvel superhero blockbusters like Doctor Strange:
Marketing and promotion
Along with traditional trailer and print adverts, the film makers eOne also used disruptive marketing such as:
Organise free (or ‘pay what you can’) screenings and talks in community centres across the UK to build local enthusiasm for the film’s message.
Film was premiered not in London, but Newcastle (where the film is set) to gain local support.
Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn attended the London premiere and people that had been denied benefit payments were asked to placard the event.
‘I, Daniel Blake’ was projected onto the Houses of Parliament ('guerrilla marketing') and in various cities
Loach appeared on BBC Question Time to talk on issue giving the film extra credibility
A conventional trailer was also produced for the film:
Additional promotion:
A partnership was set up with Trinity Mirror (Daily Mirror owners) to run a marketing campaign based on the film. The Daily Mirror traditionally supports the Labour Party and left-wing causes so therefore agreed with the main message of the film.
The film also paired up with NomadiX Media's iProjector to create an outdoor campaign using quotes from the film.
Ken Loach and the writer did interviews with newspapers and magazines to promote the key messages of the film (see clip from Economist below).
Finally, a video was released using members of the public and politicians that supported the film’s message. This was highlighted with the hashtag #WeAreAllDanielBlake
Secret Cinema Youth screening
Secret Cinema, as part of their charitable Secret Youth campaign, organised a screening of the film in both London’s East End and Newcastle. The event was aimed at first-time voters, and the event happened just before the 2017 general election The screening was accompanied by talks from Ken Loach and performances from artists that either supported or had a connection with the film’s themes. They also organised food bank donation stalls at the screening and encouraged people to contribute
Budget, box office and critical success
It is very difficult to establish the exact production costs of ‘I, Daniel Blake’ although 16 Films Producer, Rebecca O’Brien, said it was a ‘modest amount’, even for a Ken Loach film. We know some of the funding it received (e.g. £300k from the BFI) and can estimate it to be around £2 million. Compare that to the $165 million that it cost to make our other CSP, Doctor Strange. I, Daniel Blake was exhibited in 24 countries and performed well in Europe and other smaller countries. The film grossed £11 million and received a wide range of positive critic reviews. ‘I, Daniel Blake’ Is Ken Loach’s most successful UK release ever and continued to sell well around Europe. Like all Ken Loach films, it did particularly well in France. As well as Box Office success, it was also a critical success and award winner (including the renowned Palme D’or from the Cannes Film Festival).
Regulation: BBFC rating
‘I, Daniel Blake’ was awarded a 15 certificate by the British Board of Film Classifications (BBFC). This was despite the following scenes being included:
Bad language (uttered by the main characters out of anger and frustration or for emphasis. Was justified by context and not impactful.)
Sexual scenes (There are some verbal sexual references voiced in the film, particularly in a scene where a man pays a surprise visit to a woman who is working as a prostitute secretly, to try to dissuade her from prostituting herself.)
Frightening and Intense scenes (There are two notable scenes of emotional intensity. They include 'the food bank' scene and the ending 'funeral' scene.)
I, Daniel Blake: blog tasks
1) What is independent cinema and how is it different to Hollywood blockbusters? 2) What is I, Daniel Blake about? 3) Who directed I, Daniel Blake and why is this important?
4) How was I, Daniel Blake promoted to an audience? List at least three different methods used by the film's marketing campaign and how they targeted their audience. 5) What unusual or creative marketing methods were used to get audiences talking about the film? 6) What was the estimated production budget for I, Daniel Blake and how much did it make at the box office? 7) How can independent films like I, Daniel Blake compete with Hollywood blockbusters like Doctor Strange? 8) In your opinion, was I, Daniel Blake a success? Grade 8/9 extension tasks Read this Media Magazine article on the disruptive marketing campaign used to publicise I, Daniel Blake. Media Magazine is an excellent publication aimed at A Level Media students and it's a great resource for GCSE students aiming for the top grades.
Our first Film Industry CSP is Marvel blockbuster Doctor Strange. For film, we only need to study the industries key concept - so this means the companies behind the film, the budget, the marketing and promotion and finally the box office success. Reminder: industry terminology In our Introduction to Media unit, we learned a range of media industries terminology that we may well be tested on in the exam. Make sure you know the following: Conglomerate Most major media companies are conglomerates that own a range of smaller companies (called subsidiaries). An example of this is Disney owning Marvel. Vertical integration Vertical integration is when one conglomerate owns different companies in the same chain of production. E.g Disney owns film studios, CGI specialists, film distributors and TV channels such as the Disney Channel. This gives Disney the chance to make money at every stage of production. Complete ownership = more profit.
Horizontal integration
Horizontal integration is when one company buys other companies at the same level of distribution. E.g Facebook acquired Instagram in 2012 (at a cost of $1 billion) so that they could cancel out the competition by making money from both. Horizontal integration allows companies to widen their audience and find other ways to make money.
Synergy
Synergy is when a company creates a brand that can be used across different media products and platforms. E.g Disney makes movies but then also has related stage shows, theme parks, merchandise, soundtracks and events.
Doctor Strange notes
Doctor Strange is a superhero film from the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) which is part of the Marvel media franchise. A film franchise is a series of films film franchises are multi-picture stories, often including some of the same characters from film to film.
Franchises have become even more important than individual stars. They consist of connected universes (Marvel's Cinematic Universe, Middle Earth, and the DC Extended Universe) and many sequels (or prequels).
Blockbuster movies
Doctor Strange is a blockbuster movie. A blockbuster is a major studio movie that's made with a large budget, big stars and often involves a franchise.
A true blockbuster is extremely popular and brings in a lot of money. Typically, a blockbuster is a summer movie that audiences line up to see the first weekend it's released (which coincides with the school holidays and more family time).
Disney and Marvel
In 2009, The Walt Disney Company acquired Marvel Entertainment for US$4 billion. The Walt Disney Company now owns Disney Pictures, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm and Pixar.
Walt Disney Studios are one of Hollywood's major film studios and generated an income of $2.4 billion in 2017. This means that they can afford to make more expensive films, market them around the world at great expense and ensure that they are hugely profitable.
Marketing and promotion
Star Power implies that people will want to see a film with a certain star in it. Most mainstream films and blockbusters will use Star Power to attract audiences to their film. The main star in Doctor Strange is British actor Benedict Cumberbatch (from Sherlock) who is very well known and has established fans.
Walt Disney Studios had a huge budget to make and market Doctor Strange. Some of the strategies used included:
Traditional methods such as posters and teaser trailers on TV and in cinema.
Cumberbatch also appeared on a range of TV chat shows and press events.
Film-based website with gallery, story synopsis.
Social Media profiles on Facebook and Twitter. Social Media advertising was also used on Twitter and YouTube. Marvel produced Twitter stickers, Facebook Live events, Snapchat lenses and filters, Tumblr stunts, Giphy content and Instagram special content.
Specific IMAX promotions:
Additional promotion:
Specific TV campaign with TV-only clips shown.
Promotional Partners were established and promoted the film in various ways (Mobile phone company Honor, Google, Lamborghini, Microsoft, Yakoult, Skype and Philips). This resulted in product placement meaning all had some role in the film – for example, Doctor Strange uses a Microsoft Surface Tablet – and were part of the promotion campaign in response to this. The rationale is the more people that see the film, the more will see their products so they pay for this.
Marvel introduced a Doctor Strange character to their mobile and video games line-up.
Marvel released prelude tie-in comic.
Budget and box office
Doctor Strange cost $165 million to make (which compares with £2 million for ‘I, Daniel Blake’). This money would have been spent on the huge salaries of the stars of Doctor Strange and the amazing effects and locations (New York, Nepal, Hong Kong and London). In addition, Disney spent many more millions on the huge marketing campaign. Doctor Strange had box office receipts of nearly $700 million (at a cost of $165 million), so can be viewed a success. However, it is not the most successful film in the Marvel Comic Universe. Infinity War, for example, took $2.03 billion at the Box Office and Endgame $2.79 billion. This places both in the top ten highest grossing movies ever. At the time of release Doctor Strange reached a major milestone by surpassing Iron Man’s box office record and setting a new global benchmark for a single-character introduction film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Film industry: Regulation Films in the UK are regulated by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). Doctor Strange was awarded a 12A by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). It was deemed to have “moderate fantasy violence and injury detail”, yet was not too graphic. With a 12A, no-one under the age of 12 can see the film unless accompanied by an adult. It is quite a new classification (1989) and was introduced due to the large gap between PG and 15. It is important that all MCU films are 12A at the most as the major film companies want to keep the young audience for:
Merchandising opportunities.
Better potential box office.
47% of cinema audiences were aged 7-24 in the UK in 2014. Word of mouth and peer influence is important in generating interest.
Doctor Strange: blog tasks
1) List the companies involved in the creation of Doctor Strange. 2) What is conglomerate ownership and how does it link to Doctor Strange? 3) Who regulates the film industry in the UK? 4) What age rating was Doctor Strange given? Why?
5) How was Doctor Strange promoted to an audience? List at least three different methods used by the film's marketing campaign. 6) Analyse the film trailer for Doctor Strange. What aspects of the trailer tell you this is a big-budget blockbuster movie? 7) What was the production budget for Doctor Strange and how much did it make at the box office? 8) Would you consider Doctor Strange a successful Hollywood blockbuster? Why?
Our first exam Close-Study Products will be from the Film Industry. In our lesson, we learned the importance of film marketing and what a risky business it is for film studios. The two Close-Study Products (CSPs) we'll be studying for the Film Industry are:
Doctor Strange (2016)
I, Daniel Blake (2016)
A summary of the notes from our research activity: Risky business The creative industries are a risky business for companies - it costs a huge amount of money to create a media product like a film and there's no guarantee the audience will like it. No brand loyalty A new, original film has no established brand or audience - it has to generate all the interest through marketing. This is why film companies prefer to make sequels, reboots or films from an established franchise (like the Marvel Cinematic Universe) - there is an existing audience ready to buy the product. Star power If the film isn't from an existing franchise, film studios use star actors or directors to help generate interest in the film and find an audience. Star directors like veteran political filmmaker Ken Loach have an established audience that will always watch his films regardless of subject matter. A matter of timing Marketing campaigns need to be carefully timed to create excitement about the film's release. Often, the first teaser trailers will drop up to a year before release - particularly for established franchise films like the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Social media marketing Once the film is out, the marketing campaign has less power - because audience word-of-mouth will take over. In the digital age, people will post online about the film immediately after seeing it - which means word-of-mouth is more important than ever. Why does Hollywood keep making sequels? Film Industry: Marvel Cinematic Universe blog tasks Read this BBC article on the Marvel Cinematic Universe and answer the following questions based on the article: 1) How many films are there in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)? 2) How much money have the MCU films made in total so far? 3) Why did Marvel create the Avengers films? 4) What will Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe involve? 5) What will happen with Doctor Strange and who is the main star? 6) Who owns the rights to Spiderman and why is the character now appearing in Marvel films? 7) Which company owns the rights to the Fantastic Four and the X-Men? 8) Look at the very end of the article. What has Disney announced regarding TV shows on their new streaming service Disney+? Grade 8/9 extension tasks Read this Guardian review of Doctor Strange to prepare for studying our first CSP next week. What did the Guardian think of the film? Read this BBC feature on Marvel at 80 years old. How has it survived so long and why is the Marvel Cinematic Universe so important to the recent success of the brand? Complete for homework if you don't finish in the lessons - due next week.
