A controversial release strategy: Beasts of No Nation (2015)

Use the links below to explore the groundbreaking release strategy of Beasts of No Nation from last year - create a new case study grid to gather your information:

IMDB
Participant Media
Inside Netflix's $12 million film
Beasts of No Nation brings the power of Original Cinema to Netflix and beyond
Beasts of No Nation gets mauled by cinema chains

Convergence and Synergy

Using the definitions below, identify all the examples of convergence and synergy across our case studies:

Behind the scenes: Gravity

Past exam questions

January 2009 Discuss the ways in which media products are produced and distributed to audiences, within a media area, which you have studied.


June 2009 * 2 example answers How important is technological convergence for institutions and audiences within a media area that you have studied?


January 2010 “Media production is dominated by global institutions, which sell their products and services to national audiences.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?


June 2010 What significance does the continuing development of digital technology have for media institutions and audiences?


January 2011 Discuss the issues raised by media ownership in the production and exchange of media texts in your chosen media area.


June 2011 “Successful media products depend as much upon marketing and distribution to a specific audience as they do upon good production practices.” To what extent would you agree with this statement, within the media area you have studied?


January 2012 To what extent does digital distribution affect the marketing and consumption of media products in the media area you have studied?


June 2012 “Cross-media convergence and synergy are vital processes in the successful marketing of media products to audiences.” To what extent do you agree with this statement in relation to your chosen media area?


January 2013 What impact does media ownership have upon the range of products available to audiences in the media area you have studied?


June 2013 (* excellent booklet of exemplars with commentary) Evaluate the role of digital technologies in the marketing and consumption of media products in the area you have studied.


June 2014 What impact does the increase of hardware and software have in the media are you have studied?

June 2015 To what extent does media ownership have an impact on the successful distribution of products in the industry you have studied?

"Media production is dominated by global institutions, which sell their products and services to national audiences."

Using the statement above, prepare your argument for or against, using case study information from our previous work and any ideas below:

Working Title Films info

http://variety.com/2006/film/news/euros-buy-creative-freedom-1117952377/

http://variety.com/2006/film/news/the-rolling-cornerstones-1117952379/

http://mediachs.edublogs.org/film-industry/as-working-title-films/

http://blogs.warwick.ac.uk/michaelwalford/entry/working_title_history/


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Working_Title_Films

A useful example essay

http://rbiggsfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/media-production-essay.html

oligopoly

ˌɒlɪˈɡɒp(ə)li/

noun

1. a state of limited competition, in which a market is shared by a small number of producers or sellers.

Marketing of a large budget film

After spending millions of dollars on making a movie, the studio spends millions more on letting audiences know about it. Marketing a big product like a movie can be a very expensive business, especially when that product has a limited shelf life. Movies have to be a hit on their opening weekend, often on their opening day, otherwise they tend to disappear very quickly, and the studio stands to make a loss on their investment. Most blockbuster movies already have an audience. The studio has greenlit a huge budget for the movie because they already know people will go and see it - often because it is based on a media text that already has an audience. This may be a previous film (eg Iron Man 2's audience consists of many people who are fans of the first movie), or the source material (the first Iron Man is based on the Marvel character of the same name created by Stan Lee in 1963). This is why remakes and reboots are so popular. Original movies like INCEPTION and AVATAR are the exception to the rule, and represent a huge risk for the studio backing them. Studios have a huge operating overhead, and put out a lot of flops that make no money at all, so they need a guarantee that a blockbuster movie is going to be make not just a small profit, but a comfortable one. After spending $100 million dollars on a movie they can spend 50% as much again (or more) on marketing.

Film 4 overview and case study: A Field in England

https://www.youtube.com/user/Film4video

http://www.film4.com/film4-productions/innovation-at-film4

http://www.picturehouseentertainment.co.uk/component/content/article/9-uncategorised/134-about-picturehouse.html (A Field in England)

http://www.film4.com/reviews/2013/a-field-in-england

http://www.afieldinengland.com/masterclass/

http://www.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-insight-report-a-field-in-england-2013_1.pdf

Using these two sites: http://www.afieldinengland.com/masterclass/

http://www.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-insight-report-a-field-in-england-2013_1.pdf

Research and prepare a detailed assignment on the following:

Production: art-house or blockbuster? Institutions involved? Impact of technology on filming process?  Budgets and impact? Actors, director and links to audience?  Locations and budget implications? Expansive or restricted? Why?

Distribution and Marketing:  niche or mainstream audience?  Why?  Use of Web 2.0 and impact? Digital or 35mm film? Why? Online, print, TV campaigns, social media, website roles?  Budget and impact?

Exhibition, consumption and exchange: time of year of release - significant?  Type of release - across which platforms? (Cinema, VOD, DVD) Target audience and links to release platforms?  Impact of social media/role in release and exchange? Box office figures for opening? How audience viewed film/reviews/audiences' engagement? How they shared thoughts?