Chicken case study research

Funding

1) What was the budget for Chicken?
The budget for Chicken was £110,000

2) How did Joe Stephenson end up raising the money to make the film?
This budget was raised entirely through investment by individuals (e.g. rich friends/contacts)

3) How does the Chicken budget compare to a Hollywood-funded British blockbuster such as Spectre or Paddington 2?
It is clearly lower than budgets for Hollywood funded films that are British like Spectre as Chicken had a micro-budget.

4) Joe Stephenson tried to secure funding from organisations that help low-budget filmmakers. What is the BFI Film Fund and how does it contribute to the British film industry?
The BFI film fund uses lottery funds to provide financial aid, supporting younger filmmakers allowing them (like Joe Stephenson) to broadcast their film to a larger audience.
5) Why do you think Chicken failed to secure funding from the BFI Film Fund?
The BFI thought Chicken wouldn't generate enough profit and therefore believed it wouldn't benefit them at all or be in their best interests.
Production

1) What difficulties did the film run into during production?
The schedule was tight and so exterior therefore they were left at the mercy of British weather without a budget to have extra days.

2) How many days did the film take to shoot?
The film took 19 days to film entirely 

3) What scenes were particularly difficult for Joe Stephenson to film?
The scene towards the end of the film where there is a lot of confrontation and there is high energy and a lot of issues coming to head. The toughest challenge was the tight space of the caravan versus the blocking of the action and space for the camera to actually fit in and capture the brilliant work the actors were doing. 


Distribution

1) Why did the film fail to secure a distribution deal when first made in 2014?
The distributors felt it wouldn't generate enough profit

2) What film festivals did Chicken feature at between 2014-2016?
Chicken featured at the film festivals in, New Hampshire, Edinburgh, Dublin, Busan, Palm beach and Julian.

3) Why are film festivals an effective way for a low-budget film to secure a distribution deal?
These film festivals are great ways to generate interest for the films allowing them to reach a wider audience which will make the film more likely to be discovered by distributors 

4) When was Chicken released in cinemas in the UK?
It was released on the 20th May 2016.
5) Why do you think film subscription service MUBI chose the film to feature on the service?
The film was becoming increasingly popular generating a greater demand therefore it would be good for MUBI to feature something so popular and demand in a business perspective.
6) Why was Film4 a good choice to give the film its UK television premiere?
Film 4 is a big  UK industry so it would be in their best interest to promote a British film and most people in the UK watch Film 4 as it is extremely popular so it would make Chicken even more popular around the country creating a word of mouth.
7) When will the film be released on iTunes and other video-on-demand services in the USA and Canada?
It wil be released in January 2018 in the USA and Canada.  He is hoping to get it on other streaming sites like Netflix and Hulu.
Promotion

Note: some of these pages will be blocked in school - you will need to complete those particular questions at home.

1) What does the trailer suggest regarding genre and the potential audience pleasures of Chicken?
The trailer suggests the regarding genre for Chicken is drama and coming to age with a target audience of older middle class as this film would appeal to them as the film isn't easy to understand and maybe some can relate to certain parts of the film, therefore an older audience with cultural capital are able to engage and understand the film a lot better.
2) What synergy can you find between the trailer and other traditional marketing methods such as the film poster?
They show off the setting and the main characters not showing enormous amounts of detail which gets the audience much more interested in the film.
3) Why are reviews from industry figures such as Mark Kermode so important to a film's success?
Because getting good reviews from large industry figures will increase the films ratings resulting in more people going to view what all the hype is about as critics have a lot of influence over the consumers
4) How does the Chicken Twitter account create and maintain interest in the film?
The Chicken Twitter account allows different people from around the world to engage with the films producers, directors and actors and get a better insight on the film and the steps taken to make it. The twitter account also provides a connection as the audience can tweet at the account holders and talk to them and ask them a variety of questions
5) Who does the Twitter account re-tweet? How does this help to promote the film?
They re-tweet influential figures praising the film or just generally talking about it which is good because people who follow these influential people will see their thoughts and want to watch it themselves.
6) How does the Chicken Facebook page use images and video content to promote the film?
Facebook uses images and videos that highlight the fact that Chicken is a critically acclaimed film which will reach a wider audience as it is on the internet for many people to see and many people will view this and decide they want to watch it for themselves.
7) What pages are liked by the Chicken Facebook page? What does this tell you about the film and potential target audience?
Chicken likes pages that have to do with mature audiences that are most probably middle classed which tells us what the potential target audience is.
8) Go to the B Good Picture Company's website page for Chicken. What celebrities are mentioned on the page? Why might they be highlighted?
A celebrity that was mentioned on the companies website is Mark Kermode, an English film critic and musician and his fans will most probably want to watch what he is interested in as they may see him as someone they look up to therefore they'l want to follow in his steps.
9) Now go to the film's official website. What is the key purpose of the website and what does this tell you about the influence of new technology and how it is changing how people watch films?
The key purpose of the website is to promote Chicken as much as possible, showing how technology is the main way to influence people to watch your film as everybody uses it and will allow the film to gain more publicity therefore the producers have made a step in the right direction by using technology to share their message.
10) Go to the B Good Picture Company YouTube channel. What videos feature on the channel? How do they help to promote Chicken?
The clips on the YouTube Channel focus on the Character of Richard so the audience can gain a much better insight on the character before watching the film, even gaining a personal relationship with him which also gives them a better connection to the film.

Final reading: Media Magazine - the appeal of arthouse cinema

Complete the following tasks to improve your understanding of arthouse film and the possible audience pleasures that the genre offers:

Read Beyond Hollywood: Reading Arthouse Cinema. This is in MM45 on page 24 - go to our Media Magazine archive to find the article. 

1) Summarise the article in 50 words.
This article talks about arthouse film, which are films that are difficult to understand or read and are are very artist instead of being commercial. Arthouse film is characterised by maximum ambiguity, which is when a random turn of events can only be explained by characters subjectivity rather than the world of the film.


2) What are some of the suggested audience pleasures for arthouse film?
Some of the audience pleasures are that the humour has a dark hue to it, the films aren't easy to read therefore the audience stays engaged and don't figure out the plot before the film is finished. 

3) Why do some audiences struggle with arthouse film? Refer to some media theory here (there are some important media theories discussed in the article itself).
Arthouse is full of maximum ambiguity therefore the producers of arthouse film aren't making it easy for audiences to read their films , the fact that there aren't clear narratives is another reason why audiences can sometimes struggle with understanding arthouse films as the narrative could take random turns to something they won't understand. Todorovs equilibrium theory is often absent absent in arthouse cinema therefore the plot is often jumbled up.

4) To what extent is arthouse film only for the middle classes and older audiences? Why might this be the case?
A large majority of audiences struggle with arthouse film because of how it is stereotyped for a more intelligent upper classed audience, who have a good sense of cultural capital, usually associated with the middle-class audience, therefore the lower class will find it hard to engage with arthouse film. It is also difficult to read highbrow art and therefore people choose to watch the film, which still need cultural capital which will suit a more older audience with a better knowledge of cultural capital.

5) What type of audience would be interested in Chicken?
The audience that would be interested in Chicken would be niche audiences and the age range would be kind of young as the protagonist is only 15 so younger audiences will be more interested in an age they're closer to. But to properly engage with the film I think an audience of 17 or older would be best as they'd understand the plot a lot better than younger people and will learn something from the story to.

British film industry factsheets

1) Write a one-sentence definition of what makes a film British.

Are the people making the film British, is it being funded from within Britain, are the cast British if so the film is most certainly British .

2) What is the difference between a Hollywood production context and production context of a British film?

British films as a production context also tends to be varied but idiosyncratic to the story being told within the film. A films production context is the conditions under which the film has been made. The Hollywood production context means most films made by Hollywood studios have high budgets and a heavy reliance on celebrities both in the cast and crew and spectacle driven stories. Whereas the independent production context films tend to have low budgets, character rather than spectacle driven stories and heavier reliance on word of mouth and viral advertising.

3) When did the James Bond franchise start?

The James Bond franchise first started in the 1960s.

4) In terms of film censorship and graphic content, what began to change in British film in the 1970s and 1980s?

In the 1970s the British film industry was dominated by the subject of censorship that continued into the video nasties banning of the 1980s. The 1980s also saw a dramatic decline in American investment in British film that didn't rise again until the 1990s.

5) What groups are often represented in British film? Give examples of films these groups feature in.

There is a persistent consistency in the way some films portray young people, especially in the British Horror Film. For example if we look at the way youth is portrayed in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange the focus is on violence, anti-establishment and a compulsion to act in an anarchic way. There are contemporary representations of youth in films such as Attack the Block that attempt to show a deeper more realistic portrayal of youth that challenges the stereotype of the threat or the rebel. Representation of women has gone through the same changes with the common sterotyping of women as either the virgin, the mother or the whore.

6) What does the Factsheet suggest might be the audience appeal of British film?

The main characteristics that can be identified as appealing to a native British audience would include; the actors, British actors are often clearly identifiable as British and will often be associated with a particular genre of British film, e.g. Hugh Grant having an association with British Rom-coms. British locations tend to be a heavily used feature for the film with London being the most popular.

1) What is the 'cultural test' to see if a film counts as British?

If a film does not qualify as a co-production it must pass the British Film Institute's Cultural Test in order to be defined as British. The Cultural Test is divided into four sections and a film must score at least 16 out of a possible 31 points to be classified as British.

2) Complete the task on the Factsheet, researching the films listed and finding out what they score on the cultural test: Sweeney, Attack The Block, The King's Speech, We Need To Talk About Kevin and Skyfall.

The Sweeney

Financing: £3,000,000 budget

It was filmed in London, the lead characters are British citizens and the original dialogue is recorded in the English language. The film represents British culture which ultimately means it is a British film making it pass the cultural test

Attack the Block

Financing:£13,000,000 budget

It is filmed in London and the lead characters are British citizens  and the original language is recorded in the English language. The film represents British culture meaning that it scores enough points to pass the Cultural test. 

The King's speech

Financing: $15,000,000 budget

Opening weekend USA: £355,450

It is filmed in London, the lead characters are British citizens, the original dialogue is recorded in the English Language and the film represents British culture this means the film earns enough points to pass the Cultural test.

We need to talk about Kevin

Financing: $7,000,000 

Opening weekend USA $24,587

This film wasn't filmed in London and the lead characters are not British therefore this film would not pass the Cultural test.

Skyfall
Financing: £200,000,000

Opening Weekend: £20,180,369 UK

Opening Weekend USA: $88,364,714

Gross USA: $304,360,277

Cumulative Worldwide Gross: $1,108,561,013
The film is filmed in London, the lead characters are British and the original dialogue is in English and the film represents British culture which gives it enough points to pass the Cultural test.

3) What is the main problem for the British film industry?

Historically, the British film industry has been production led rather than distribution led which means many UK films are made but in order for them to be exhibited the filmmakers have to sacrifice the distribution rights by selling the film to a distribution company. Once sold all revenue from cinema screenings, DVD and Blue-Ray sales plus sales to television companies are lost.

4) What are three of the strengths of the British film industry?

-The British film industry has several strengths that make it the third biggest film industry in the world. British films take 5% of world box-office takings which is extraordinary for a small nation.

-Outstanding creative skills of practitioners

 Directors like Richard Curtis have made films such as Love Actually (2003), which have grossed billions of dollars worldwide and intellectual property, such as J.K Rowling's Harry Potter books, have also enabled British film production companies to be involved in the production of financially successful franchises.

-Outstanding facilities

British studios, camera companies and digital post-production houses all attract investment from filmmakers around the world,  especially the USA

5) What are the two options for the future of the British film industry?

Firstly, British filmmakers could choose to rely upon co-productions with American studios to keep the industry afloat, but the drawback would be that much of what makes the film British would be completely gone leaving no British culture.

The second option is to try and make low budget films targeted at a niche, British audience. Though the production costs will have to be lower and box-office taking and profits will necessarily be lower too, the filmmakers will be able to retain what it is that makes British films so distinctive without compromise.

6) In your opinion, which of these two options would best safeguard the future of the British film industry?

I think making low-budget films would be the better option is because films like Chicken are very low-budget but were still very successful and it doesn't take away British culture like how it would be if we were to rely on co-productions with American studios.

Film & TV Language index

1) Film poster analysis

2) Mise-en-scene blog tasks

3) Star persona:video feedback and learner response

4) Lighting blog tasks

5) Sound blog tasks

6) Sound: parallel and contrapuntal video feedback and learner response

7) Cinematography blog tasks

8) Cinematography video task and learner response

9) Cinematography additional clip analysis

10) Editing video task and learner response

11) Editing blog task- 750 word analysis

Sound blog tasks

Funny Games
1. The sound used in this video clip at the start indicates that the family lives a calm and happy life with an atmosphere you'd expect however the music then makes a change from parallel to contrapuntal which could indicate that the family is wreckless and may have some problems, which is suggested by the music.

2.The music at the start is parallel as it matches that atmosphere inside of the car and is what you would expect from a normal family. However the music then becomes contrapuntal as it changed to loud rock like music that doesn't match the families expressions which may show how they're feeling inside.

3. I think the narrative may develop into that of a thriller because of the disturbing loud contrapuntal music that begins to play.

Clockwork Orange
1.  The music in this scene is what you would expect as the characters are doing humorous things throughout like falling over and kicking each other so there is a use of parallel sound

2. This piece was used as the director wanted this music to represent one ofn the key themes in the movie.

Life On Mars 
1.  The sound helps establish the fact that it is set in an older time period back when this kind of funky music was first coming into trend.

Once Upon a Time in the West 
1. The sounds of the different props  grinding against each other and fly buzzing can build tension as it continuously goes on as the scene progresses as we wait to see what the protagonist is going to end up doing

2. The sound bridge in this clip is the fly continuously buzzing. This makes the audience think something dramatic is going to happen as you can see the man getting visibly irritated by it so he is obviously going to do something about it

Once Upon a Time in America
1. The digetic sound  is at the beginning when the two characters are having a conversation and the non digetic sound is the music sound track as the audience can only hear music and nobody else speaking.

2. The sound of the phone sets the films tone as it creates tension which could suggest the narrative could be a mystery and could also maybe be horror because of the fact that the phone rings at the end.

Editing video feedback and learner response

 B-

Q1) Teachers comments

WWW:                                                                                                       

• Use of disolves 
• Match on action-effrective editing
• Sound(non diegetic)- appropriate
• cross cutting
• Close up (I'm gonna kill him)
• Tracking shot/POV
• Well scripted

EBI

• Pre production
• Mix of face in frame 
• Framing/composition
• Shot/reverse shot
• Sound levels-distortion
• Abrupt ending
• Attention to detail 

Q2)Student comments

www: Good shots and camera movements The storyline was great

ebi: Better match on action 

www: Good :) very good :)

ebi: Improve match on action

www: All 3 cinematography used

ebi: Sound echos. Narrative does not make sense

www: Nice acting. Good transitions from one clip to the other

ebi: you played the sound of the door shutting twice

www: All shots used. Good narrative

ebi: The quality changed inbetween

www: One of your actors was good

ebi: Absolute snake

www: Good dialogue. Good shots

ebi: Use more locations in video

www: Good use of tracking shot

ebi: Too much neck 

www: Me love da video man 

ebi: Nothing 

www: Pretty nice fadeout 

ebi: Some sound effects would've been better

www: Ferdi

ebi: Song at the start 

Q3) I believe I successfully included all of the editing aspects we were taught in lesson into my video.

Q4)  A strength of my video is the simple narrative and the wide range of shots. A weakness was that