Black Panther

Question 1

product context

Answer 1

• grossed $1 billion
• won 3 Oscars
• Black Panther broke records for the highest opening weekend in the USA
• The film shows Wakanda, a country that achieved technological superiority and avoided European colonisation
• Directed by Ryan Coogler

Question 2

Historical context

Answer 2

• Black Panther was a political activist group that aimed to prevent police brutality, many members were arrested/ killed in confrontations with police
• In the 20th century African Americans attempted to establish a new black cultural identity (Harlem Renaissance)

Question 3

Economic/ Political context

Answer 3

• Worrying statistics of unarmed POC deaths has led to #blm campaign, using social media to raise awareness
• Obama has helped many minority groups and the following president, Trump has attempted to reverse these initiatives

Question 4

Cultural context

Answer 4

• 2016 Oscars, drew attention to the lack of diversity in industry
• Superhero dominated by white men
• Marvel films have a lack of female and black leads
• Black cinema has traditionally consisted in issue based social realism
• US / Europe news portrays Africa as an under privileged developing country, ‘the dark continent’

Question 5

distribution, circulation and impact of digitally convergent platforms

Answer 5

• March 2018, most tweeted film ever (35 million tweets)
• Before release, it gained 5 million tweets, making it also the most tweeted film
• teaser trailer had 89 million views within first 24 hours

Question 6

Regulatory framework of contemporary media

Answer 6

• Black Panther was rated a 12A, despite its fairly violent nature. lowered due to fantastical violence

BBFC - organisation that classifies film releases

Question 7

How media organisations maintain their success

Answer 7

• Disney’s research challenges conventional ideas about ethnic diversity
• Disney adapted ‘360 degree consumer experience’
• Raising the film into a cultural event, something more political
• Brand association deals targeting a diverse audience (Hasbro toys, Lexus cars, Interscope records)
• teaser trailer shown between NBA games
• release harnessed political element of being released during black history month
• crowd funding projects to buy tickets for under privileged kids
• welcome to Wakanda cat walk at NY fashion week, targets female audience

Question 8

Significance of patterns of ownership

Answer 8

• Marvel has historically sold options on individual characters
• When Disney bought Marvel, they agreed to have minimal influence over their projects

Marvel = film distributor
- vertical integration

Question 9

David Hesmondhalgh

Answer 9

• profit in relation to film industry
• films within a series often lack risk but marvel tends to stick to their own formulaic pattern and its popular enough that fans will consume content as it is marvel content
• media conglomerates operate across a range of industries (eg. sports, cars, toys, fashion etc.)
• characters are over 50 yrs old, low risk
• despite this, an Afrocentric film could be seen as a commercial risk outside of the USA and Africa

Question 10

Curran and Seaton

Answer 10

• films celebrated diversity challenges Curran and Seaton’s ideas that domination by a small number of media institutions limits creativity and variety
• conglomerate model offers a more complex pattern of ownership

BUT the dominance of marvel in the superhero genre can limit the opportunities for alternative, riskier independent films in this genre