MEST 1 Section B: Independent Case Study

MEST 1 SECTION B : INDEPENDENT CASE STUDY 

Case study research tasks

The basics

The film that I will be studying as my independent case study will be 'The Kings Speech'. The King's Speech was written by David Seilder however it was directed by Tom Hooper. There were 3 stars who played there roles in this film astoundingly. The first being Colin Firth, who stared in many successful films such as, 'A Single Man' and 'Shakespeare In Love'. The second being Geoffrey Rush, who also starred in many successful films such as, 'Shine' and 'Elizabeth'. The third notable star is Sir Michael Gambon, who starred in Harry Potter: The prisoner of Azkaban.

The King's Speech was first released at the Telluride Film Festival on the 6th of September 2010. However, it was released for viewing in the United Kingdom by the public on the 7th January 2011.

The genre of The King's Speech is a hybrid genre of; Biography, Drama and History.

The King's Speech was rated 8.0/10 on IMDB. Whereas, The King's Speech was rated 95% on the TOMATOMETER and the 92% on the audience Score 

 Broadcast


The cinematography used in The King's Speech trailer is effective as it helped give the audience a clear view into when exactly the film is and of what is expected of a film in that time. This is effective as the audiences expectations of a film like The King's Speech have been met as it relates to the power a King in those times would have. In particular the shot of London during the war enhances the power that the King has and how a whole nation is relying on him. On the other hand the shot of the King standing next to his aid sort of suggests that the King is just a figure face and that it is Geoffery Rush who is calling the shots. This is then enhanced in the way at first whenever Geoffery Rush is talking to the King it is a low angle shot however when he sits in St Edwards chair it goes to a medium shot which suggests that the King and Geoffery Rush have equal strength.

It also shows the trailer at the start of the clip to show the audience what the film they are talking about is actually like.

The King's Speech is promoted in this clip through the use of having two of the main distinguishable characters talk about The King's Speech. The two main actors Collin Firth and Geoffrey Rush constantly talk about the film and how long it took to produce such a high budget production. 

The King's Speech is promoted in this film through the use of having the director ,Tom Hooper, and the writer, David Seidler, talk about the production and how proud they are of the accomplishment and it goes on to talk about how they put there blood sweat and tears into this movie and they hope the audience like it. This promotes the film as it gets the audience to feel sympathy for them thus resulting in them going to watch it.

The King's Speech uses stars to promote and maintain the public's interest in the movie. Some of the main stars that were used are Collin Firth, Geoferrey Rush and Hellena Bonham Carter. These were a few of the stars that were used because they are very notable due to there successes in films such as Harry Potter, The Kingsman Secret Service and Shine.

Print

"It's an uplifting audience pleaser that also showcases film-making arts and crafts at an exalted level"

"A fascinating period drama that will mostly please everyone (and find few detractors), with a very fine dialogue and exquisite "

"This is a powerful, hilarious and deeply moving story, told against the backdrop of a critical juncture in modern history, of the emergence of a deep friendship out of a professional relationship between two men who would otherwise never have socially interacted"

















This print advert promotes the film as it shows the three most notable stars. This is effective  because each of these stars already have an established fan base(audience), so the advert is targeting those particular groups. 

This promotes The King's Speech as the title of the production is in another language, this suggests that the film is an internationally recognised film. This promotes the film as it targets more than one type of audience 

This promotes The King's Speech through the way it uses the three most notable stars in the film as its central image for the front cover. This is effective as each of the three stars already have a substantial fan base which will be willing to explore and watch The King's Speech as it is something new for them to go and watch.

3) Choose ONE print advert and write a textual analysis of what it communicates to the audience.


The use of mise-en-scene in this advert is effective as the use of a dark gritty background behind the second character foreshadows the impending doom that is to come over Britain during the film and how it is the job of the King to help change Britain so that does not happen, this further heightens how important the King's role is in a war and strengthens the narrative. 

4) How is the film’s brand constructed? What does the brand connote? Does it remind you of any other brands or similar films?



E-media

The King's Speech unlike any other art house has hardly any presence on social media platforms. The films presence only seemed to be on one social media platform which is Facebook. This could suggest to the audience that the core target audience for The King's Speech is the older generation. On the other hand The King's Speech presence was shown here and there on other social networking platforms such as Twitter as some 'Opinion Leaders' chose to talk about The King's Speech in either a positive way or a negative.



The King's Speech website shows synergy with The King's Speech DVD. It promotes the film as it gets the audience to feed in comments regarding the movie and then it talks about the questions which have come up more than once. For example, one of the questions that came up were "What is a Speech Disorder?"

The King's Speech did not run some kind of E-media based campaign.

The characters in the The King's Speech are the only ones to have promoted The King's Speech on social media. The particular characters that promoted The King's Speech are Collin Firth, Geoffery Rush and Hellena Bonham Carter.

Audience

I believe the target audience for this film are 55% Male and 45% Female between the ages of 25 - 55. Firstly I would say that this is a fairly accurate target audience for The King's Speech as it uses Facebook as one of its promotional methods. This is because Facebook is not the go to social media website for the younger generation as more and more older people started using it. The psychographic group that are targeted in The King's Speech is Explorers, Succeeders and Aspirers. This is because Explorers are willing to try anything. I had picked Succeeders and Aspirers because the film is about a person who has overcome his stuggles to forge a way forward. 

The audience pleasures that are given are personal identification escapism and personal relationships. This is because the audience may be feeling upset over something they have just come across and they do not know how to get past it which is why they can relate to the character King George. Furthermore, I have picked escapism because the audience likes to get away from everything in life if nothing is going there way through another persons struggles.

A similar film to The King's Speech that the target audience may like is Suffragettes.
Suffragettes: The target audience would enjoy  this movie because it also talks about a persons struggle and how they overcame that struggle. Which in like The King's Speech is also about how a person, the king, over came his struggle which was his stammer.  


Institution


The two main film studios that produced The King's Speech were:
See-Saw Films
Weinstein Company

See-Saw Films have a track record of producing films that are associated with the past. A few examples of this are; Macbeth, Shame, Tracks, Mr Holmes and Life.

Weinstein Company have a track record of producing films of different time frames. A few examples of this are; Macbeth, Woman In Gold, Shanghai and Southpaw. 
The only company that distributed The King's Speech in the UK were Momentum Pictures. Momentum Pictures have distributed films such as; Bling, Area 51, The Woman In Black 2: Angel of Death and Forbidden Grounds.3) Do they have a track record with this kind of film and this target audience?
Momentum Pictures does not have a track record with this type of film and target audience as they distribute films from different genres. An example being; Insidious: Chapter and Arthur and Mike.


The film The King's Speech had a budget of fifteen million US dollars.

The film The King's Speech was said to be very profitable as it made a substantial amount of seventy five million dollars profit. I believe that this happened because the film was effectively produced in a way that would fit the audiences perception on Britain. I also think that it made a substantial profit due to the acting of the main characters and there original fan bases. There have been many reviews suggesting that Collin Firths acting as the King with a stammer made them genuinly believe he had a stammer.
The film was more successful abroad in the US as it fits the audience perception of Britain. This is reinforced by how only the 'High End' areas of Britain were shown. 


The film certification that was given to The King's Speech was a 12A. I believe this is because during the speech in therapy context is very strong. Furthermore, I believe that it would not affect the target audience of the film because it just opens the film up even to a younger audience getting them into the genre biography. Which would increase the more people that would watch the film.

Representation


The representation of people that are found in this film are of the upper class and of white males and females. However the lack of any coloured people could also be a form of representation of them.

The King's Speech shows 'Britishness' through the dialogue and the actors movements and costume. It also reinforces the 'Britishness' through the use of having iconic British landmarks. This represented Britishness in a positive way as it reinforced how regal and powerful the King is. However, the fact that the King shows weakness also subverts the ideology they use to have back then of Kings being like Gods.

The representation of Britain differs to Ill Manors because unlike Ill Manors The King's Speech shows the 'High End' sides of London. This differs to Ill Manors because it shows what is expected by people that do not live in London, this meets there expectations of the film which would get them to watch the film just by seeing the advert. Ill Manors, however, shows and portrays Britain as being broken and corrupt. This representation is not seen often in movies as it could cause a moral panic and 'scare' off tourists or people wanting to go and visit London.

The King’s Speech is extremely patriotic, pro-monarchy, anti-war, passive and it believes in equality.


Case study comparison

1) What similarities and differences can you find between Ill Manors, A Field In England and your chosen case study film? List all that apply.



A Field In England, unlike The King's Speech and Ill Manors, distributed their film on every platform at the same time which resulted in a maximum amount of viewers on its first day of release.

Ill Manors and The King's Speech may have distributed their productions the same way however the ideologies and values that were portrayed in each countered each other as one was reinforcing the British 'myth' of being regal elite and fair. Whereas, Ill Manors challenges the very ideas of The King's Speech as it gets them to wonder about what is not being shown in Britain. 

Index

British Film industry institutional context

British Film industry media fact-sheet questions

Ill Manors: Review

Ill Manors: Trailer analysis

Ill Manors: Music video analysis +research

Ill Manors Tedx Broadcast 

Ill Manors Broadcast platform concluded: DVD Extras, Broadcast/on-line, Television, Radio 

Ill Manors: Print platform

Ill Manors: Print branding 

Ill Manors E-media Tag London campaign

Ill Manors E-media Social networking research 

Ill Manors E-media website analysis 

A field in England secondary case study + Afield in England: The appeal of art house film

Ill Manors & A field in England institution research 

BFI NOTES

BFI NOTES

Arthouse cinemas are small independent cinemas 

Multiplex cinemas are cinemas which are Blockbuster and target a  mainstream audience for the purpose of entertainment.

Crossover cinemas are when cinemas that show nominations and award related films (prestige)

Uses and Gratifications theory is an approach to understanding why and how people actively seek out specific media to satisfy specific needs. Uses and Gratifications theory is an audience based approach to understanding mass communication. This theory can be applied to a national and International. US audiences are specifically significant as they have one of the largest audiences, however their audience pleasures may be different in comparison to the UK pleasures that are on offer, so this is why it isn't unusual to see large American stars in various British Films.

A British audience

A British audience would appeal to a culture proud film. These kind of films or shows would be The King's Speech, Downton Abbey where it shows British history and it's old culture. The target audience within this segment is an older generation as there are able to relate to some of the stories being portrayed in these films or are proud of the Royal's of the country.

An international audience

They would want to see the way British culture is/used to be as its an alternative way of living but more specifically to British culture, its uniqueness. The history of Britain amazes Americans (for example) which means they may be prone to watch films situated around a storyline of British history. However, Americans are known for having high enthusiasm and a British film like James Bond would be able to fill their appetite for action and chaos.

MEST 1 SECTION B : Institution Research

MEST 1 SECTION B : Institution Research

Ill Manors: Funding and production budget

1.  £100,000
2.  BBC Films, Revolver Entertainment, Film London Microwave.
3. There is a huge difference between the budget of Skyfall ($200m) and Ill Manors, due to the stunts and equipment needed to produce quality videography for a franchise that is globally known. 

A Field In England: Funding and production budget

What was the estimated budget for A Field In England?

Why did A Field In England manage to secure a higher budget than Ill Manors?

Where did the money come from?  

Film London and Microwave Film

1. Film London is film agency which discovers and promotes film making talent through short and feature film production — the platforms on which it is based is film, print and e-media. It is a not-profit organisation and is supported by the BFI and Mayor of London. 
2. Microwave is Film London's feature film making scheme and it helps produce films. 
3. List three other films funded by Microwave Film and embed their trailers in your blog

Three films that were funded by Microwave Film are:

Mum and dad

Shifty

Freestyle

1. Choose one film funded by Microwave film and explain how it compares to Ill Manors (similarities and differences) 

Freestyle is a film about how a boy and girl fall in love in an unforeseen way. By both competing against each other for the same dream they end up finding more and more of themselves in the other. The narrative is similar due to it being about council estate and as the costumes are urban and the music is too.Also another factor is that the main character sells drugs to maintain paying for his lesson to get better at basketball so its sort of different than usually drug film as it being for getting the girls and fancy and clothes.

Distributor: Vertigo Films and Warp Films

1. Vertigo Films are well known for three particular films:'Football factory' 'The Sweeny' and 'Spring Breakers'
2. The core target audience is British and 55% Male and 45% Female due to the fact that most of the films that are distributed by vertigo is predominantly male and would like these films because they are set in Britain. 
3. Mainstreamers and explorers would watch these films because these films are fit to the stereotype of what the international audience would expect of British Culture.
4. Vertigo Films have worked on comical films, sports related films and even dance films such as 'Street Dance'.
5. There are two very notable successful films produced by Warp Films these include 'Deadmans Shoes' and 'Southcliffe'.
6. Warp Films has created and found new talents by creating a subdivision, Warpx. Warpx have had a significant impact in shaping the British Film industry as it is. A significant amount of the projects have gained various nominations within the film industry including some gaining  BAFTA nominations.
7. The two films that have the most similarities between each distribution company are 'This is England' and 'The Football factory'. These are probably two of the most similar films because the type of genre and the year that both films are spoken about are roughly around the same time.

One final aspect of institution is the certificate the film was awarded for exhibition. This is decided by the British Board of Film Classification.

1.  The BBFC examine each film in depth,in a generic comfortable environment,  looking at the extent of which nudity, sex, drugs, violence etc are presented in the production. Through this they determine the age certificate of the film.
2.  The BBFC would give a film a 15 certification if the explicitness of the film would be on a low-scale compared to how explicit a film would be if it was an 18 certificate. If the production is hugely explicit then it would result in an 18 certificate.
3.  The advantage of having an 18 certificate is that explicit cinematography is not available for immature audiences who can suffer from the hypodermic needle issue, this theory suggests that the audience is passive and they they are vulnerable to the manipulation of the media. On the other hand, an 18 certificate can hold financial disadvantages as distributors would struggle to maximise their profits.

Post-Exclusion Catch Up: Lesson Notes

Ill Manors & A Field In England: Institution



What are the similarities and the differences between these two films?

Similarities
Arthouse films
Star Ratings
Reviews
Quote Selection
Central Image
Credits



A Field In England was fully financed and distributed by FILM 4.

Behind the scenes of Ill Manors there were a few institutions that were backing them. Two key institutions behind the making of Ill Manors were Film London, Revolver Entertainment.

Film London provided some of the money to make Ill Manors through Microwave Film, their micro-budget film making scheme.

Revolver Entertainment was then responsible for distributing the film and making sure it was successful.


Film London is an organisation dedicated to promoting filmmaking in London. Some of this is persuading big Hollywood movies to film in London - The new Star Wars.

However, Film London also has a scheme called Microwave Film to help new film makers create their first low-budget feature. Ben Drew used this scheme to help fund Ill Manors.

Film Distribution is the highly competitive business of lauching and sustaining films in the market place. UK film distributors alone spend around £300 Million a year on bringing new releases to market, and building awareness and interest among audiences.

Even if a film finds the funding to be made, without a distributor it may never reach its intended Target Audience.

REVOLVER ENTERTAINMENT, UNFORTUNATELY MET ITS DEMISE IN 2013. IT MADE A LOSS IN REVENUE AND PROFITS BECAUSE THE DVD INDUSTRY WAS BEING OVERTAKEN BY ONLINE SITES.

A Field In England: The Appeal Of Art House Films

A Field In England: The Appeal Of Art House Film

Read Beyond Hollywood: Reading Art House Cinema. This s in MM45 on page 24 - go to our Media Magazine Archive to find the article.


What are some of the suggested audience pleasures for Art House Film?
The audience pleasures that are suggested are surveillance(Uses and Gratifications Theory: Blumler and Katz). This is suggested as it gives the audience an insight into the Art House industry. Furthermore, I think it would link to personal identification as an art house viewer may want to know more about why they enjoy it.


Why do some audiences struggle with Art House Film? Refer to some media theory here (there are some important media theories discussed in the article itself).

Some audiences may not understand the narrative of an arthouse film due to either the language of the film or the suttle implications that are suggested through out an arthouse film. The uneducated audience are particularly the type of audience that would not understand the narrative of an arthouse film, this could be because of there short attention span or because they would rather prefer to watch a mainstream action film. Furthermore, the psychographics of the audience would need to be applied to find the exact reason why some audiences would not comprehend or understand the narrative of an arthouse film. Unemployed people would usually go under the category of strugglers which could also lead to the reason why they out of all the catagories are the most likely to not understand an arthouse film this is because they would usually go to the cinema to escape (Blumler and Katz Uses and Gratifications theory) from everyday life.



To what extent is Art House Film only for the middle classes and older audiences? Why might this be the case?
Arthouse cinemas will only go into the realm of being only for the middle class and the older audience when they live out of the city and in country side areas that do not have any main stream cinemas. In addition to this it could be because they find mainstream movies nowadays to be more violent compared to how they use to be. This could also suggest that arthouse movies are created and produced and distributed solely for the audience that fit the psychographic group of resigned. 
What type of audience would A Field In England appeal to?

A Field In England would appeal to a more older educated audience because the film is set in the 1600's. This would suggests that it is for the more older generation or the people that just want to educate themselves more.

MEST 1 Section B: A Field In England

100 Word Summary
In this article the writer talks about how the original distribution method was a little bit perplexed and unusual as it would mean that anyone would be able to steal the contents of the video and post it online for the world to see. Thus, resulting in the company not being able to get as much revenue if they distributed it the normal way. It then goes onto compare it self to much larger Hollywood methods.


How was A Field In England’s release different to typical film releases?

A Field In England's release was different to the release of a typical film release because it distributed it's film on every platform at the exact same time. This means that it was streamed online, on the TV, Cinemas and was available for purchase in stores on the same date day and time.
This was a very different form of distribution because it meant that anyone with the right technology would be able to record the film and make it available for the public to view.

What are the advantages to releasing the film across all platforms on the same day?

A Field In England's distribution methods may have been perplexed and different however it had a significant advantage. The advantage was that they took into consideration the fact that there would be people stealing there film so they distributed it everywhere. So that there would not be a point in illegally uploading it when the real high quality version is available to view. 

Secondly, it was effective because it managed to target a wide audience. It managed to target the elderly and families as it distributed the film onto TV so that the family can watch it together. They targeted the film at the youth and young adults as they made it available to be viewed in cinemas.

What are the disadvantages to this approach?

The disadvantages to this distribution method is that anyone with the right technology would be able to record the film and make it available for the public to view. This would be a disadvantage as it would mean the distribution studios would not be receiving as much profit or revenue. 

What target audience would A Field In England be aimed at? Demographics and Psychographics.
The psychographic group that is suitable for this film would be Explorers because Explorers are more likely willing to try new things out. It is also good to mention what the social class that this film would fit into would be A B C1 this is because the people in these classes would be more willing to spend there money to try out new things.

Do you think all films in future will be released across all platforms simultaneously in future?
I think that films will not be released simultaneously because it will result in companies that are behind the distribution and production of the film will not be receiving as much of a revenue as they could possibly get. Also because digital technology is gradually increasing and makes me think that later on in the future TV's and the cinema will not be the go to place to watch Films, which means that companies will be making a loss if they distributed on every platform

MEST 1 Section Social Network

How many 'likes' has the Ill Manors film page had?

31,590 total likes.

What is the top of the page promoting?

The header for the Facebook page promotes the Ill Manors DVD

Choose five of the posts on the page's wall, screengrab them and explain how they appeal to the Ill Manor's target audience.

Find three examples of synergy with other platforms (links to broadcast clips or newspaper/magazine articles). Explain how each one promotes the film.

One example would be the synergy of the DVD and Blu Ray copies of the movie, using the Facebook page helps promote the audience to buy the dvd and contributes towards the overall success of the film, another use of synergy would be Plan B as an artist and his album, the page promotes plan bs shows and new music.

Find three examples on the Facebook wall of opportunities for user generated content or audience interaction (e.g. a question that invites people to comment or a competition to enter).

One example would be the BFI competition that helps youth make a film by the same institution that made ill manors. Another example is by sharing the ill manors music video and writing "is ill manors the anthem of the year" this helps the audience comment. They also ask questions like "Did you like ill manors?" to help promote other films.

Find three examples of the Facebook page cross-promoting the soundtrack or DVD release.

The Facebook page uses the stream of the album launch to promote along side images of the party, they also use many posters of the album to help promote.

Find the Twitter graffiti campaign link on the Facebook wall and screengrab it.

How did the institution use the Facebook page to promote the film's release in May/June 2012?

Ill manors used a countdown technique with new articles, interviews and exclusive links for whoever followed the countdown to the film, this helped keep the audience anticipated.

Twitter:

How does the Ill Manors Twitter feed use the Ill Manors brand to promote the film?

What hashtags are used on the Ill Manors Twitter feed?

The twitter feed interacts with its audience by retweeting tweets made by fans to keep them in touch, the feed also used the hashtag #iLLManors to help expand the audience.

Find three celebrities the Ill Manors Twitter feed re-tweeted to promote the film and explain how they appeal to the Ill Manors target audience.

Ed Skrien as he is a key actor in the film, Riz Ahmed as he is the main actor & also Plan B has he has the highest amount of audience that will watch the film.

How has the Ill Manors Twitter feed used pictures to help promote the film?

They have used behind the scenes images to help keep the audience interacted and in touch with the film, lets them know what the film is going to be like.

Find examples of the Ill Manors Tag London campaign in the Ill Manors Twitter feed and explain how they help to target the right audience for the film.

https://twitter.com/taglondon/status/228425592536711168

https://twitter.com/taglondon/status/228553122887385088

https://twitter.com/taglondon/status/228479799302164480

How was the Ill Manors Twitter feed used to specifically promote the release of the film (May/June 2012) and the release on DVD (October 2012)? Choose three tweets for each and explain how they effectively promote the film.

The twitter feed also used a countdown technique like they done for the Facebook page, they also used the same media, they may have done this ensure both social media sites are linked into Ill Manors.

How was the planbuk YouTube channel used to promote the Ill Manors film?

Uploaded music videos from the soundtrack as well as trailers, interviews and teasers.

Find examples of synergy or cross-promotion between the planbuk YouTube channel and other media texts you have studied as part of the case study. Explain how they both promote the film and appeal to the Ill Manors target audience.

Synergy is found with the design constantly as well as the featuring of the cast members.

What links to other social networking sites can you find on the planbuk channel homepage?

Linked to iTunes, Google+, Twitter, Facebook and SoundCloud.