FILM INDUSTRY: ROMA

When answering in the exam about the film industry, we will prepare a selection of case studies, such as a couple of Hollywood films, a couple of British films, some evidence about key concepts (distribution, synergy, convergence, audience) and industry trends 

Below is a case study on Roma, made using a questionnaire.

Please use the questionnaire to investigate .....another film

• Who produced the film? 

• Who directed the film? 

• What other films have they directed? 

• What was the budget? 

• Who stars in it? 

• What other films have they been in?

• What technology has been used to make the film? (What cameras did they use? How was the film edited? What CGI was involved?) 

• How was the film marketed? Which different marketing tools were used?

 • What examples of synergy with other products/merchandise can you find? 
• What examples of cross media convergence can you find? 

• What examples of technological convergence can you find? 

• Where and when was this film released (nationwide, worldwide) and in what cinemas?
• What formats was it available in (digital / 3D etc…)? 
• Who is the target audience?

FILM INDUSTRY: ROMA

Case studies
Roma (2018) dir. A. Cuaron
Rogue One, A Star Wars Story (2016) dir. Gareth Edwards
Legend (2015) dir. Brian Helgeland

Complete the sheets that track the value chain of production, distribution, marketing and exchange

Our first case study film is: Roma (2018) dir. A. Cuaron

Roma is a 2018 drama film written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón, who also produced, shot, and co-edited it. Set in 1970 and 1971, Roma, which is a semi-autobiographical take on Cuarón's upbringing in the Colonia Roma neighborhood of Mexico City, stars Yalitza Aparicio and Marina de Tavira and follows the life of a live-in housekeeper of a middle-class family.

 •  Who produced the film? 
Nicolas Cellis
Alfonso Cuaron

• Who owns this production company and what other films have they produced? 

• Who directed the film? 

Roma is a 2018 drama film written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón,

• What other films have they directed? 
Children of Men, Gravity, Y Tu Mama Tambien, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999)

• What was the budget? 

$15 million
Netflix does not issue revenue figures

Roma was Netflix's best chance to win an Oscar for Best Picture. The marketing budget (by Netflix) was reputedly bigger than the film budget $25-40 million because Netflix created an intricate  digital marketing campaign to draw in viewers and secure Academy Award votes. Netflix spent this unprecedented amount of money to validate itself as a major movie studio. The streaming company went even further by building an interactive social network website for the film. Similar to Instagram or another social media website but only dedicated to the film, myromamovie.com lets people post photos, write stories, and show how “Roma” affected their lives. It is simple to look at, streamlined, and easy to browse. This social media site is only for “Roma.” That’s something that is not done for other films and might be the first social media website dedicated to one film.

The streaming company “set up a Roma immersive experience on a Hollywood production stage; it hosted cocktail parties celebrating the film, including one led by Angelina Jolie” (Laporte, 2019). It also delivered handmade chocolates signed by Roma’s main actress to voters (@aarondicer, 2018) while also inviting hundreds of critics for an overnight stay in New York City to screen the film with the director and cast
The way that Netflix used traditional digital marketing techniques along with more interactive and costly experiences shows just how much the streaming company had invested in “Roma.” Digital marketing for films needs to be more than just social media pages and posts. Netflix did this along with creating whole new experiences for fans and watchers of “Roma”. The popularity of the MyRoma website shows that people want more than just a Facebook page. They want fully immersive ways to connect with films and other content. This means specialized web experiences need to be created along with access with the creator and actors of films and shows. Alfonso Cuaron constantly drove audiences to the film by giving them an inside look into his filmmaking and process. The director took part in several question and answer sessions that were posted to YouTube with clips also posted on Facebook (ROMACuaron, 2019). This is quality content engages the audience and shows them that “Roma” is more than just a film, it tries to show that “Roma” is a full experience that goes beyond the theater. 

Comparing others also nominated for the Best Picture award, “Roma” had some of the highest numbers of social media impressions. “Roma” had more than 135,00 followers on Facebook (@ROMACuaron) compared to the eventual Best Picture winner “Greenbook” (@Greenbookmovie), which had only 80,000 followers. It also had more than four times the amount of followers on Twitter and Instagram (@ROMACuaron) than “Greenbook” (@Greenbookmovie). The trailer for “Roma” was watched more than 5 million times (Netflix, 2018). While the social media reach and impression of “Roma” seem high, it’s nothing compared to the astronomical number of people that “Black Panther” reached. The Marvel superhero film had more than one million followers on each of the social media networks (@BlackPantherMovie). Despite Black Panther having the largest social media reach it was not even considered a top contender for best picture.

 

• Who stars in it? 

• Yalitza Aparicio as Cleodegaria "Cleo" Gutiérrez, one of the family's maids - an unknown actor
  
• Marina de Tavira as Sofía, the mother of the family

• What other films have they been in?

film debut as Cleo in Alfonso Cuarón's 2018 drama Roma, which earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Aparicio is the first Indigenous American woman, the fourth Latina, and the second Mexican woman to receive a Best Actress Oscar nomination

• What technology has been used to make the film? (What cameras did they use? How was the film edited? What CGI was involved?) 

While Cuaron is known to produce big screen experiences, and shot “Roma” on 65mm (the film used the Alexa65 digital camera)
Cuarón shot the movie on 65mm using a “really pristine, almost never-before-seen black and white.” The film’s sound design is also instrumental to the experience, as it was constructed using state-of-the-art Dolby Atmos technology.

Cuarón tells Lubezki how he filmed ‘Roma’ — even one quiet shot needed 45 camera positions

Lubezki asked his long-time collaborator to explain the many rules he broke while making a film that could earn him his first cinematography nomination

As the director embraced being his own cinematographer, he asked himself: "What would Chivo do?"

Cuarón discussed the controversial decision for “Roma” — a movie shot on large-format film best appreciated on a big screen — to partner with Netflix. While the release plans for the movie remain unclear, Cuarón said the streaming giant was the best home for a secretive project that may be the closest he has come to an autobiography, and brought him back to his roots.

The film’s sound design is also instrumental to the experience, as it was constructed using state-of-the-art Dolby Atmos technology. 

• How was the film marketed? Which different marketing tools were used?

The film had its world premiere at the 75th Venice International Film Festival on 30 August 2018, where it won the Golden Lion. 
It began a limited theatrical run in the United States on 21 November 2018, before streaming on Netflix in the US and other territories starting on 14 December 2018.
Limited theatrical release in the UK in Curzon Cinemas

The trailer drew attention to Cuaron as an established director (Harry Potter; Gravity) thereby leveraging director power;

accolades on the trailer stressed its prestige credentials;

 

 • What examples of synergy with other products/merchandise can you find? n/a

 • What examples of cross media convergence can you find? n/a

• What examples of technological convergence can you find? n/a

• Where and when was ROMA released (nationwide, worldwide) and in what cinemas?

In April 2018, it was announced Netflix had acquired distribution rights to the film.^[24] A teaser trailer was released on 25 July 2018. 
While Netflix has not publicly disclosed box-office figures for Roma, sources deduced that the film made $90,000–120,000 in its opening weekend, 23–25 November, and a total of $200,000 over the five-day Thanksgiving frame, including selling out theatres in Los Angeles and New York City. Had the results been officially reported, its approximate venue average of $66,600 would have ranked among the best ever for a foreign-language film.

After Roma was nominated for Best Picture at the 91st Academy Awards, AMC Theatres and Regal Cinemas both issued statements saying that Roma would not be part of the line-up at either chain's annual Best Picture showcase. AMC said in their statement that this was due to them never receiving a license from Netflix to screen Roma in their theatres. Both theatre chains have refused to screen films from Netflix due to policies that stipulate a minimum 90 days between theatrical exhibition and home viewing.

• What formats was it available in (digital / 3D etc…)? 

Only available on Netflix

• Who is the target audience?

Cuarón admitted a conventional theatrical release “worried” him because “Roma” is a “Spanish-language drama shot in black and white” featuring “a cast of unknown actors.” A source told IndieWire these factors contributed to at least one studio passing on the film since having “no name” actors makes “Roma” a tougher sell. Cuarón wanted to partner with a distributor offering a more aggressive theatrical plan, which is what he said Netflix offered.

“It has to reach the biggest audience possible,” Cuarón said. “For me, when Netflix made a pitch to us, this film being so intimate for me, I was really concerned with the film not being able to reach as much of an audience as possible. Not even talking commercially, but securing a long life for the film …