Film Industry: Chicken Case Study
Funding
1) What was the budget for Chicken?
The film had a micro budget of £110,000.
2) How did Joe Stephenson end up raising the money to make the film?
Stephenson raised the funds through investment by individuals like his rich friends and contacts.
3) How does the Chicken budget compare to a Hollywood-funded British blockbuster such as Spectre or Paddington 2?
Hollywood-funded blockbusters are very high budget films that include well known people in the cast and the crew. Chicken would seem like an amateur film and less professional compared to a Hollywood funded film.
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 is an organisation that uses National Lottery funds to develop and support British films and filmmakers .The aim is to fund films that are bold and distinctive
5) Why do you think Chicken failed to secure funding from the BFI Film Fund?
The BFI film fund can't help fund every filmmaker that asks for help. It is very competitive and the BFI must of thought other films had more potential than Chicken.
Production
1) What difficulties did the film run into during production?
The film was made in almost all external locations, therefore they must of faced difficulties with lighting and weather.
2) How many days did the film take to shoot?
The film was shot in 19 days.
3) What scenes were particularly difficult for Joe Stephenson to film?
The scenes set outside would be difficult to film as they were victim to rain.
Distribution
1) Why did the film fail to secure a distribution deal when first made in 2014?
The film is a micro budget film so it is not the most professional film and getting a film into cinema's and TV can be expensive. Maybe those film industries did not want to take a risk on a micro-budget British film.
2) What film festivals did Chicken feature at between 2014-2016?
The New Hampshire film festival and Giffoni film festival.
3) Why are film festivals an effective way for a low-budget film to secure a distribution deal?
It is an effective way as it exposes the film to wider audiences and distributors can find new talent.
4) When was Chicken released in cinemas in the UK?
The film was released in cinemas in May 2016.
5) Why do you think film subscription service MUBI chose the film to feature on the service?
Maybe the film attracted the attention of MUBI due to its good reviews from film festivals and film critics.
6) Why was Film4 a good choice to give the film its UK television premiere?
Film4 is a well known television channel that supports independent films.
7) When will the film be released on iTunes and other video-on-demand services in the USA and Canada?
A digital distribution deal was secured in the USA and Canada in January 2018.
Promotion
1) What does the trailer suggest regarding genre and the potential audience pleasures of Chicken?
The trailer suggests that film is a drama the audiences may develop an emotional connection with the main character and have sympathy towards him.
2) What synergy can you find between the trailer and other traditional marketing methods such as the film poster?
The trailer and the film posters are traditional methods of promoting a film.
3) Why are reviews from industry figures such as Mark Kermode so important to a film's success?
Reviews from figures like Mark Kermode as they are the opinion leaders in media, people go to them to get their opinions on a film. If they give a good review the film will be exposed to wider audiences because they are trusting people like Kermode's opinions.
4) How does the Chicken Twitter account create and maintain interest in the film?
The Chicken twitter account is a great way of creating interest about the film as social media is a great marketing tool which creates a discussion and a way of connecting people and attracting wider audiences.
5) Who does the Twitter account re-tweet? How does this help to promote the film?
The twitter account retweets reviews about the film which allows it to maintain the audiences interest in the film.
6) How does the Chicken Facebook page use images and video content to promote the film?
The account is used to promote the film by posting Chicken film posters.
7) What pages are liked by the Chicken Facebook page? What does this tell you about the film and potential target audience?
The posts are liked by cinemas and film festivals which suggests the target audiences are distributors and people to watch the film.
8) Go to the website of the B Good Picture Company. What does the homepage say and what other films have they produced or are in production currently?
The homepage suggests they create educating and entertaining films that 'make people think'.
9) Now go to the B Good Picture Company's website page for Chicken. How does this page promote Chicken specifically?
This page promotes the film by showcasing reviews from critics and the trailer. The trailer gives people an insight of what the film is about and whether or not they would like the film.
10) Go to the B Good Picture Company YouTube channel. What videos feature on the channel? How do they help to promote Chicken?
The YouTube channel posts video clips from the film, which is used as a marketing technique as it is a teaser of what the film will be about.
Final reading: Media Magazine - the appeal of arthouse cinema
1) Summarise the article in 50 words.
Distributors categorise films as specialised, along with arthouse film,documentaries and re-released English language classics. However, these films are not popular films people go to see at the cinema. Arthouse cinema is artistic rather than commercial in character. The films are difficult to understand and read.
2) What are some of the suggested audience pleasures for arthouse film?
An audience pleasure is that they are difficult to understand for instance the film Lore which is about what happened to the children after world war 2.
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).
1) What was the budget for Chicken?
The film had a micro budget of £110,000.
2) How did Joe Stephenson end up raising the money to make the film?
Stephenson raised the funds through investment by individuals like his rich friends and contacts.
3) How does the Chicken budget compare to a Hollywood-funded British blockbuster such as Spectre or Paddington 2?
Hollywood-funded blockbusters are very high budget films that include well known people in the cast and the crew. Chicken would seem like an amateur film and less professional compared to a Hollywood funded film.
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 is an organisation that uses National Lottery funds to develop and support British films and filmmakers .The aim is to fund films that are bold and distinctive
5) Why do you think Chicken failed to secure funding from the BFI Film Fund?
The BFI film fund can't help fund every filmmaker that asks for help. It is very competitive and the BFI must of thought other films had more potential than Chicken.
Production
1) What difficulties did the film run into during production?
The film was made in almost all external locations, therefore they must of faced difficulties with lighting and weather.
2) How many days did the film take to shoot?
The film was shot in 19 days.
3) What scenes were particularly difficult for Joe Stephenson to film?
The scenes set outside would be difficult to film as they were victim to rain.
Distribution
1) Why did the film fail to secure a distribution deal when first made in 2014?
The film is a micro budget film so it is not the most professional film and getting a film into cinema's and TV can be expensive. Maybe those film industries did not want to take a risk on a micro-budget British film.
2) What film festivals did Chicken feature at between 2014-2016?
The New Hampshire film festival and Giffoni film festival.
3) Why are film festivals an effective way for a low-budget film to secure a distribution deal?
It is an effective way as it exposes the film to wider audiences and distributors can find new talent.
4) When was Chicken released in cinemas in the UK?
The film was released in cinemas in May 2016.
5) Why do you think film subscription service MUBI chose the film to feature on the service?
Maybe the film attracted the attention of MUBI due to its good reviews from film festivals and film critics.
6) Why was Film4 a good choice to give the film its UK television premiere?
Film4 is a well known television channel that supports independent films.
7) When will the film be released on iTunes and other video-on-demand services in the USA and Canada?
A digital distribution deal was secured in the USA and Canada in January 2018.
Promotion
1) What does the trailer suggest regarding genre and the potential audience pleasures of Chicken?
The trailer suggests that film is a drama the audiences may develop an emotional connection with the main character and have sympathy towards him.
2) What synergy can you find between the trailer and other traditional marketing methods such as the film poster?
The trailer and the film posters are traditional methods of promoting a film.
3) Why are reviews from industry figures such as Mark Kermode so important to a film's success?
Reviews from figures like Mark Kermode as they are the opinion leaders in media, people go to them to get their opinions on a film. If they give a good review the film will be exposed to wider audiences because they are trusting people like Kermode's opinions.
4) How does the Chicken Twitter account create and maintain interest in the film?
The Chicken twitter account is a great way of creating interest about the film as social media is a great marketing tool which creates a discussion and a way of connecting people and attracting wider audiences.
5) Who does the Twitter account re-tweet? How does this help to promote the film?
The twitter account retweets reviews about the film which allows it to maintain the audiences interest in the film.
6) How does the Chicken Facebook page use images and video content to promote the film?
The account is used to promote the film by posting Chicken film posters.
7) What pages are liked by the Chicken Facebook page? What does this tell you about the film and potential target audience?
The posts are liked by cinemas and film festivals which suggests the target audiences are distributors and people to watch the film.
8) Go to the website of the B Good Picture Company. What does the homepage say and what other films have they produced or are in production currently?
The homepage suggests they create educating and entertaining films that 'make people think'.
9) Now go to the B Good Picture Company's website page for Chicken. How does this page promote Chicken specifically?
This page promotes the film by showcasing reviews from critics and the trailer. The trailer gives people an insight of what the film is about and whether or not they would like the film.
10) Go to the B Good Picture Company YouTube channel. What videos feature on the channel? How do they help to promote Chicken?
The YouTube channel posts video clips from the film, which is used as a marketing technique as it is a teaser of what the film will be about.
Final reading: Media Magazine - the appeal of arthouse cinema
1) Summarise the article in 50 words.
Distributors categorise films as specialised, along with arthouse film,documentaries and re-released English language classics. However, these films are not popular films people go to see at the cinema. Arthouse cinema is artistic rather than commercial in character. The films are difficult to understand and read.
2) What are some of the suggested audience pleasures for arthouse film?
An audience pleasure is that they are difficult to understand for instance the film Lore which is about what happened to the children after world war 2.
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).
Audiences may struggle with arthouse film because of its complexity and the difficult to understand it. The return to equilibrium is not seen in arthouse film which may be off putting and dissatisfying as the narrative problem isn't solved.
4) To what extent is arthouse film only for the middle classes and older audiences? Why might this be the case?
Older audiences tend to step away from mainstream content and appreciate arthouse. Also, texts thar are difficult to read have been associated with middle classes.
5) What type of audience would be interested in Chicken?
I think young people might be interested in Chicken as it is a coming of age film and presents some key issues such as the struggles of the working class etc.
4) To what extent is arthouse film only for the middle classes and older audiences? Why might this be the case?
Older audiences tend to step away from mainstream content and appreciate arthouse. Also, texts thar are difficult to read have been associated with middle classes.
5) What type of audience would be interested in Chicken?
I think young people might be interested in Chicken as it is a coming of age film and presents some key issues such as the struggles of the working class etc.
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