TV DRAMA: ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK

This week's practice exam question is based on an extract from Orange Is The New Black (2011, season 1, episode 1). It is an award-winning drama.
It is based on a memoir of a woman's experiences in prison. The series received critical acclaim and many awards and nominations including 12 Emmy nominations.

In point: 32.50 "Seriously, shut it off!"

Background: Sentenced to 15 months for a crime committed 10 years earlier, Piper Chapman leaves her supportive boyfriend Larry for her new home: a women's prison. She grapples with the racial dynamics of prison life and learns some of the rules.

Extract: "I wasn't Ready" 
In point: 32.50 "Seriously, shut it off!"
Piper Chapman is on the beach with her boyfriend Larry shortly before she is taken to Lichfield Penitentiary in the prison van along with other new inmates. She travels with Marollo and Watson. 
Out point: "I wasn't ready"

Out point: "I wasn't ready."

Look at the extract as a whole first, noticing the use of contrasts:

• the contrasts between the two settings (beach and prison)
• the ways in which characters are represented (Piper before incarceration / Piper in prison; the optimistic prisoner and the cynical prisoner; the aggressive officer and the sympathetic officer) 
• how the two photographs are taken (act of love, act of domination)

THE FILM INDUSTRY: MARKETING LEGEND

Assess the importance of marketing in the media area you have studied. [50]
(CIE 9607/02 Key Media Concepts Section B 2015)

Your exam essay might ask you to write about marketing films, so we prepare detailed case studies that are interesting to read and easy to remember. Here is Legend (Dir.  2015) Working Title. We view the WT website and the Legend trailer.

Read Mark Kermode's review  TOM HARDY DIVIDES AND CONQUERS AS THE KRAYS

Then read this article from  Screen Film Summit: marketing Legend 

10 December, 2015 | By Tom Grater

Insight was given into three of the year’s standout British film campaigns.

The people behind the releases of three of 2015’s standout British film camapigns discussed their processes at the Screen Film Summit today (Dec 10)
Hugh Spearing, head of marketing at Studiocanal, presented Legend, which stars Tom Hardy as the East End’s notorious gangster twins Ronald and Reggie Kray.
The film opened to £5.1m over 5-days and went on to take £18.2m in the UK, the company’s second highest-grossing film behind Paddington. 

A legendary concept

When approaching Legend, Hugh Spearing and Studiocanal believed from the start that they had the concept for a hit.
“The reason we got involved in the film was the central idea of Tom Hardy, who was becoming an iconic British actor, playing both of the Kray twins, iconic figures themselves,” said Spearing.
The company took the project to Cannes, showing rehearsal footage of Tom Hardy in character at the festival, an approach Spearing described as highly successful: “It sold incredibly well before it even started shooting.”
In the first week of production, the company released a still of Tom Hardy in character as both Ronald and Reggie Kray; even though the image wasn’t a part of the actual film, it proved very popular, particularly online, and is still used to promote the film today.
The next step was releasing an initial teaser trailer for the film, which quickly became Studiocanal’s biggest trailer ever in terms of online interest. “That meant we knew there was interest” recalled Spearing.
As a result of the buzz generated, he said the company felt confident utilising “a big budget across all types of media”.
In particular, the social media campaign for Legend proved highly successful. “It was our most successful and engaged campaign to date,” recalled Spearing.
The company also managed to make use of the burgeoning stardom of Tom Hardy, who Spearing notes is often reluctant to do much press or social media but in the case of Legend was very engaged.
The resulting hype saw the film open strongly and go on to be one of 2015’s top 20 releases in the UK.  “It didn’t just work in London,” noted Spearing, referencing the film’s success in locations such as Portsmouth, Norwich and Sheffield.

Finally, read how Benjamin Lee's two star review (The Guardian, 9.09.15) was spun into movie marketing gold.