BLUE STORY: FILM REGULATION

Vue chain pulls Blue Story screenings after violence at Birmingham cinema

Vue, which has 91 cinemas in the UK and Ireland, announced yesterday that it was cancelling all viewings of Blue Story until further notice.

A spokesman said: “We can confirm a decision was made to remove the film from our cinemas. The safety and welfare of our customers and staff is always our first priority. We are saddened to have had to take this step, which is not made lightly, particularly as the film itself seeks to strike a strong message against violence.”

Some Showcase cinemas also said that they were cancelling showings.Blue Story, backed by Paramount Films and BBC Films, was written and directed by Andrew Onwubolu, a rapper and YouTube star. The film, which received a three-star review in The Times, has been described as a “hard-hitting crime drama” about two young boys from rival postcode areas in south London who become friends only to later become gang rivals. It depicts gang culture “with terrifying ferocity”, according to the Times reviewer.

Onwubolu, also known as Rapman, who grew up in south London and is now signed to Jay Z’s label, RocNation, said in response to the ban that he was “sending love to all those involved in the violence at Star City in Birmingham. It’s truly unfortunate that a small group of people can ruin things for everybody. Blue Story is a film about love not violence.”

He added: “There were also a few incidents earlier this year with the release of Joker. It’s always unfortunate, but I hope that the blame is placed with the individuals and not an indictment of the film itself.

“I pray that we can all learn to live with love and treat each other with tolerance and respect.”

West Midlands police said that the force received a 999 call from security at about 5pm. Dozens of officers arrived to find the group inside and outside the cinema complex armed with machetes, engaging in “pockets of fighting”. Police issued a dispersal order to move crowds on and arrest those who refused. The area was clear by 9pm.

Fans of the film commented on the irony of banning a film seeking to show the horrors of gang violence. The writer Jude Blay Yawson said: “Blue Story being removed from Vue cinema shows a lack of insight that people in such positions have regarded the content, its community and culture.”

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 … 

TV DRAMA: SALVATION

Salvation S1 E4 The Human Strain (Netflix)

We analyse the opening sequence from SALVATION Episode 1.
In particular, we use the exam technique of dealing with all aspects of mise-en-scene first, then camerawork, then sound and editing. This enables links to be made across the whole extract about how meanings are made.

For mise-en-scene:

• settings (such as the MIT grad student lab, MIT lecture theatre & technology for Darius's lecture, below; the Pentagon interior)
• casting choices (such as Harris's strong jaw, Grace's flawless hair)
• people's clothes & props (such as Liam's bare feet; Jillian's hair; Darius's outfit)
• lighting (gloomy interior of Liam's early morning lab; sharp lighting of lecture that showcases the glamorous imagery; daylight sunshine on the lawns of the privileged MIT campus; interior lighting of secretive Pentagon offices) 

For editing:

• the rapid pace of the cuts as Liam rushes from office to lecture

Camerawork

• Pan around Liam's MIT grad lab
• wide shot of Darius lording it over an adoring MIT audience; wide shot from behind to show how huge the audience is and how engaged they are
• point of view shot on Liam's bare feet as he arrives 
• panting at the lecture
• close ups on Jillian's smiling face as she makes eye contact with Liam

HOW TO: GOOGLE FORMS QUESTIONNAIRE

PREP Audience questionnaire using Google Forms. For prep by Friday 22 November, make the post and write the script. Include the images / trailer links.

First, decide what questions you wish to ask. They should be based on the type of production that you plan to make so that you elicit the info that you need. 

Use a mix of open and closed questions. They will yield different data.
Use a mix of images (film posters) and trailers with video links and image (film trailers).
Some questions may be yes/no, some may invite more than one option to be ticked.

At AS, you are making a film opening, so you may want to discover the answers to questions about:

• the age, gender of your audience
• where do they watch films: cinema, DVD, BBC iPlayer, Amazon, Netflix, other streaming platform
• the genre of film that the target audience enjoy
• identify three recent films that they have enjoyed
• have they seen any if these trailers / films? (Identify three with links)
• what is the most likely reason they would see a film? director, actor, sequel
• would this poster tempt you to see the film? If so, why?
• what platforms they use to find out about films? Cinema, Television, Website, DVD, Social media
• whether they are influenced by reviews, recommendations, social media, talk shows (like Graham Norton)

At A2, if you are making a short as well as film postcards, you should  have a link to at least 3 short films (so your respondee can watch them) and three film postcards (visual). Ask about film festivals.

Think about how you open and close a questionnaire. Don't force a respondent to include their email address. Keep your greeting / explanation brief and courteous; thank them at the end.

• aim for 30 respondents, ideally of your target age 15 - 35+
• present the data analysis in bar chart /pie chart form with a written explanation on your blog post.
• email me the questionnaire before issuing it so that I can stress test it for you.

YOUR POST:

RESEARCH: AUDIENCE QUESTIONNAIRE

• state that you used Google Forms and why it is so useful
• explain what was the aim of the questionnaire and where you intend to publish it
• comment on the kinds of questions that you asked, drawing attention to the fact that you wanted to research the target audience for the kind of film that you yourself and your production team were planning to make, in particular, the target age group
• "Through the use of Google Forms, I was able to collect data that I will be able to present in both graphical forms and words, as I asked questions that yielded both quantitative and qualitative data."
• Use Bit.ly to shorten links. Open Bit.ly and paste your long hyperlink. It generates a nice short one.

REPRESENTATION

British film makers often deal with topics that are British in their focus of interest, that explore issues that are socially relevant to British society and that concentrate on individuals and their stories. Today we look at Ken Loach, whose film I, Daniel Blake we recently discussed and whose most recent film Sorry We Missed You is out now,

We watch the opening of Ken Loach's Ae Fond Kiss which offers multiple complex representations and powerful sound codes to deliver its narrative.

PLANNING: MY TARGET AUDIENCE

Complete for PREP
Your aim in this post is to follow this path as in the example below.

1. Who is my primary target audience?
2. What kind of films and television are they likely to prefer?
3. What platforms do they choose to watch films and where are they likely to see information about films?
4. What brands do they prefer?
5. What makes my film stand out from the competition?
6 . Why should my audience watch my film? For example:  Total Film / Empire / Cinema Scope / Slant / Sight and Sound says: Most powerful psychological thriller since Don't Look Now!

I needed to plan how to reach my target audience. I also needed to know who they were. I had to research age, gender, ethnicity and social class. I also needed to research what their media needs were so that I could produce a product that they will want. Finally, in order to market our movie, I had to know how to reach them. I will show how my research has influenced my planning by answering the question below along with pictures to help support my answers.

I started by studying how brands define audiences to help create my own audience profile for our production. For example I looked at how Sky and NME defined audiences. This helped when I was profiling my audience, as a part of distributing my film I created a Facebook page, and other members of my group created things like an Instagram and Twitter accounts and also a film website. When trying to find out who my audience was I worked out why they enjoy the genre of this film. Why would they want to watch my film? What makes my film different from competing films? And How will my film appeal to the viewing needs of my target audience?

1. Who is my primary target audience?

British, Male and female aged from 15-35 who love sci-fi and adventure films.

2. What kind of films and television are they likely to prefer?

After doing some film research we discovered that the film “Morgan” would seem like a popular movie for our target audience. It’s a story about a bio-generated girl created by human however things didn’t go quite as planned as she ended up turning lethal and dangerous. 

3. What platforms do they choose to watch films and where are they likely to see information about films?

Our audience is most likely to enjoy a film in the cinema most likely at an IMAX as they can experience the true richness and quality of it.

4. What brands do they prefer?

As shown below in my mood board, I did some research into some brands that our audience would like. For food, I used places I enjoyed such as SubWay. For clothing, my age group and I agreed that our preferred shops are Palace, Off-White, Nike Etc. Finally, for media, My fellow peers and I all love films like Star Wars (George Lucas) and Morgan (Luke Scott). In addition we are the first film in just under 17 years to solely focus on A.I as the last film to do so was Steven Spielberg's “A.I. Artificial Intelligence” from 2001.