Black Panther Flashcards
Who produced BP?
Marvel studios
Who are Marvel a subsidiary of?
Disney
Disney is vertically integrated so both produce and distribute the film.
What are the major film studios, based in the US?
Disney
Warner Bros
Universal
Sony
Paramount
What does Disney have subsidiaries in?
Film, TV, theatre, music, parks/resorts, video games, retail etc.
What is a mainstream film?
Made with a big budget, typically produced by big production houses.
Black Panther would be considered a mainstream film as they are owned by the conglomerate Disney.
What is vertical integration?
When a media company owns various stages of the production process within the same industry.
Disney owns streaming services. eg. Disney+
Advantages of vertical integration?
Disney retains all of the profits.
There is full control of when and where the products will be distributed
Producing and distributing products internally creates substantial cost savings.
What is horizontal integration?
When a media company owns several businesses of the same value.
Disney owns Marvel.
Advantages of horizontal integration?
Resources can be shared (Disney production studios).
Markets can be controlled.
Reduced competition.
What is 360 degree marketing?
A plan that focuses on reaching the target audience from multiple platforms and channels.
This type of strategy generally combines both traditional marketing and digital marketing channels
What did Marvel aim to do through using 360 degree marketing?
The concept was to make the film into a ‘cultural event’ across a variety of media and platforms and raise its profile from being ‘another superhero’ film into something more politically resonant.
When was the official trailer released?
October 2017 (before the released in February 2018)
What did the trailer allow viewers to see?
This gave viewers an insight into the fictional town of Wakanda, alluding to Afrofuturism (unique aesthetic).
Who featured in the track of the trailer and why was it significant?
Featured the track Bagbak by rapper ‘Vince Staples’ and an excerpt from the 1970s track ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised’ by African American poet and musician Gil Scott-Heron.
Shows the illusion to the Black Power movement in the 60s.
What car manufacturer did BP have a synergetic partnership with and who did this target?
Lexus
This was shown during the Superbowl.
The film also used product placement.
The appeal moved beyond ‘comic nerds’ into the mainstream - young adults or parents of children seeing the film may be enticed by expensive products featured throughout the movie.
What did Disney do to market the film at the College Football National Championship in 2018?
Lamar performed.
A new trailer dropped during the game, featuring Lamar’s and SZA’s song from the film, “All the Stars.”
How does the marketing of the film at the College Football National Championships show the success of Disney’s vertical integration?
The football game was aired on the Disney owned channel ESPN.
This was watched by 28.4 million people.
Why did the use of Kendrick Lamar as the soundtrack appeal to audiences?
The product appealed to fans of Lamar meaning it brought in a pre-sold audience, fans then associated him with Marvel.
How did Kenrick Lamar create a ‘buzz’ for the film?
Independent songs were released before the whole album used in the film.
Who made up the most of BP’s audience?
BP drew the most diverse North American audience ever for a superhero film.
African Americans made up the largest share of the audience - sold on the appeal of diversity.
Examples of strong black female characters in the film?
Queen Ramonda, Princess Shuri (B.P. ‘s sister) - genius inventor/engineer.
What toy company did BP have a synergetic partnership with and what audience did this bring?
Hasbros - created masks, claw gloves, nerf accessories, toy cars, action figures, etc.
Advertisements for the toys included children of different races.
This was aimed at a lower age demographic.
Who raised money for black children to go and see BP?
New York resident Frederick Joseph raised over $50,000 on GoFundMe to take Harlem children to see Black Panther.
Launched the #BlackPantherChallenge.
Political context surrounding the film?
Barack Obama (2009-2017), America’s first African-American president, created many initiatives that aided minorities. Donald Trump has vowed to reverse many of these.
Worrying statistics about the amount of unarmed black people shot by US police led to the #blacklivesmatter campaign, which has utilized social media to raise awareness.
Historical context surrounding the film?
During the early 20th century, African-Americans attempted to establish a new black cultural identity - Harlem Renaissance.
The Black Panther Party (October 1966-82) was a political activist group established initially to provide armed monitoring of police behavior and prevent police brutality in the US.
What did the #oscarsnotsowhite movement highlight?
The lack of diversity in the film industry.
What do the media tend to portray Africa like?
Under-privileged, developing country, focusing on civil wars, famine and terrorism.
How does BP counteract the representation of Africa portrayed by the media?
By creating an Afrofuturistic setting.
What is Afrofuturism?
A movement in literature, music, art, etc., featuring futuristic or science fiction themes which incorporate elements of black history and culture.
Who regulates film?
BBFC
What certificate did the theatrical release of BP gain?
12A
This means no one under the age of 12 can see the film in the cinema without the accompaniment of an adult - could be potentially dangerous behavior moderate bad language, sexual content should be discreet
What is the violence like in BP?
It is fairly violent, but the combat is fantastical (hard to imitate) and there is a strong moral code to most of the conflict.
What was the film classified in the US?
PG-13
What is Hesmondhalgh’s cultural industries theory?
The media is dominated by large conglomerates.
These conglomerates maximize profit and minimize risk.
How was BP a low risk film and validates Hesmondhalgh?
The characters of T’Challa and Wakanda were introduced in Captain America: Civil War.
The comic is over 50 years old, and all previous Marvel films have been hugely successful.
How was BP a somewhat risky film to make?
The introduction of Afrofuturism may have been risky seeing as this posed a difference.
What is Curran and Seaton’s media theory?
Media is driven by the logic of profit and power.
Media concentration typically inhibits or limits variety, creativity and quality.
How does Disney’s ownership of Marvel reject Curran and Seaton’s theory?
Although Disney is a powerful conglomerate, they let Marvel have full creative control when they took ownership of the brand - against the idea that creativity is limited.
How may Marvel align with Curran and Seaton’s theory about power?
Marvel may limit the opportunities for other sci-fi / superhero genres - dominate the market - may be riskier for independent films to be creative.
