directed by Ken Loach, who works for Sixteen Films and partnered with Why Not Productions
neither of these companies are distribution companies as they are vertically integrated, so used eOne Productions, who did the distributions and marketing for I, Daniel Blake
still needed more funding, so got it from the BBC and BFI
Ken Loach
very famous director - directed I, Daniel Blake
focuses on social realism as a genre - award winning director
Why Not Productions agreed to work with Sixteen Films to produce the film because they knew Ken Loach was on board
Ken Loach is used as a unique selling point in the marketing materials
the funding for the film (economic context) had an impact on the content of the film and marketing materials
the BBC and BFI like to fund projects which are:
innately British
niche/alternative
culturally significant
educational
show British culture
the low budget of I, Daniel Blake meant that there was no money for large extravagant sets or famous actors
the BBC is a public service broadcaster
the BBC's PSB remit means they have to:
be informative or educational as well as entertaining
showcase diversity
showcase new talent
Ken Loach is also very well known for being very left-wing and anti-conservative
so the directors' political views are clearly reflected in the film and its marketing materials
regional British films are considered quite niche as they are hard to sell to a global audience
for example, the Geordie accent may be difficult to understand for American viewers, making it harder to distribute the film globally
the niche nature of the film, along with its limited global appeal, might explain why the film had a limited distribution to just a handful of countries
sold better in countries like France where it would have been subtitled or dubbed
marketing for the film used a lot of traditional forms such as posters and trailers, possibly because the audience for the film was a little older
the Daily Mirror was chosen as a key marketing tool because they had a left wing stance and audience
the way the Palme D'Or Award is mentioned on the marketing materials would engage audiences looking for a culturally significant/quality film
eOne used a lot of low budget, high impact 'guerilla marketing' techniques
the light projections in London were a good way of targeting British audiences, but also global audiences (through tourists and it being shared online) and making the political message of the film clear
Regional Marketing Officers hired by eOne were used in northern counties to drum up publicity for the film in low budget ways in local communities
Northern audiences were targeted specifically because they were more likely to be living in poverty and more likely to be anti-conservative due to political issues from the 80s
did the independent ownership of I, Daniel Blake result in a more creative, less mainstream product (Curran & Seaton)?
is I, Daniel Blake all about profit and power, or may it have some political or educational purpose as well? Perhaps that's why they offered so many free screenings
the premiere took place in Newcastle, again to target a Northern audience, and reflect the film's alternative nature
inviting Jeremy Corbyn to the premiere was a good way of targeting and engaging left wing, anti-conservative audiences, as well as gaining more publicity for the film because of his status
very few 'new technologies' were used in the production of the film. For example, there was no use of 3D, IMAX, CGI etc. This was due to the genre of the film (e.g not needed in the narrative) and the low budget
they did have a Twitter and Facebook page for the film, but these were fairly basic, and much of the marketing was done using more traditional forms like newspapers and TV
the film was distributed on DVD after it had been at the cinema, but also was available as a digital download online
this might have made the regulation of the film harder as people could avoid age checks this was (link to Livingstone & Lunt's theory)
films in Britain are regulated by the BBFC
the BBFC awarded I, Daniel Blake a 15 certificate at the cinema and on DVD due to the feeling of some scenes being too emotional or disturbing
some people think that films with an educational benefit should get lower certificates
this reflects Livingstone & Lunt's ideas that regulators like the BBFC have to tread a fine line between protecting the public and offering us choice or benefits
Comments
Post a Comment