blinded by the light csp Flashcards
backround of the film?
Blinded by the Light is a mid-budget film. As with any film it was conceived in the creative mind of the director, Gurinder Chadha, who is a director and producer of international renown.
Her production company, Bend it Networks, produces films and television shows that are usually about British culture, past and present.
Blinded by the Light is an adaptation of the autobiographical book by Safraz Manoor, Greetings from Bury Park, which recounts his experiences as a young British Pakistani growing up in the United Kingdom, his conflicted relationship with his Muslim father and his obsession with Bruce Springsteen, a white, American rock star.
In Blinded by the Light, racism and the culture clash of Pakistani and British identity provide the drama and reflect the context of the 1980s, and to some extent it echoes ongoing debates and issues around multi-culturalism today.
Blinded by the Light (2019) Dir: Gurinder Chadha is set in 1987, during the austere days of Thatcher’s Britain. It is a coming-of-age story, with a touch of Bollywood, about a young man called Javed who feels that he is growing up in a town where no-one really understands him. Amidst the racial and economic turmoil of the times, he finds solace in writing poetry about his family steeped in Pakistani tradition and the intolerance of his hometown. When his classmate Roops introduces him to the music of Springsteen who ends up being the unlikely rescuer of the hero.
what was happening in the world at the time of the book/film?
The setting of 1980s Thatcherite Britain is key to the narrative, especially considering the unemployment of Javed’s father, Malik, and the rise of fascist and racist organisations, such as the National Front.
production of the movie?
independant movie
synchronization license: they had too get bruce springsteens permission too use his music- luckily his wife liked past movies by the director and bruce liked the book it was based on so it wasnt too hard.
they joined with levintine films,cornerstone,ingenious media; which helped develop finnacing and bringing awarness of the movie out there- which is called horizontal intergration (Gustavus)
they had a budget of $15
distriubton of the film?
was first released in a film festial in utah called sundance which is the largest festival in the world.
at the film festival new line cinema which is apart of the warner brothers bought for $15M the film and distrubitited itself.
in first went into the new line cinema companys around mid august.
then after it had finished at the cinema it went onto netflix and was then was released onto all streaming sites and now can be found on BBC iplayer.
However, Blinded by the Light failed to be the box-office smash that New Line had hoped for, grossing 18.5 million at the box office. This means it was sure to have made a loss for New Line - this is the risk that companies take when they take on films. The Hollywood Reporter stated that internally at New Line the film is seen as a ‘noble failure’ –demonstrating that sometimes the risks that a company takes are not simply about commercial gain but also creative endeavour.
Distribution executives get films into cinemas and TV dramas onto TV screens and onto other streaming platforms like Amazon or Netflix. In film, distribution executives go to film markets where they look at films and acquire them from production companies or sales agents. They negotiate for the rights to release them.
These deals cover a set period of time and include agreements about promotion, classification of the film and any edits allowed.
Distribution executives then pitch the film to exhibitors (usually cinemas). They deliver the film materials to them and they plan the release, including how to market the film, targeting the film’s core audience to bring in the most profit. It costs a lot of money to market and promote a film especially if it is a global campaign.
Blinded by the Light had its first showing at the Sundance Film Festival. It did not win any prizes but was picked up by New Line Cinemas, a subsidiary of Warner Brothers that specialises in independent film for $15 million after it was chosen in all night bidding/auction war. This meant that the film was guaranteed a global cinema release. The film received a 5-minute standing ovation after its showing, so it obviously impressed the critics.
promotion?
BBTL had a alot of was too produce their fil.
they had four diffrent billboard posters too appeal too diffrent audiences that may like it.
they had two trailers: one for the uk audience for them too explain who bruce is and why he is famous and a us one that explained what was happening in britian at the time too explain too the americans so they are intrested.
they have alot of scoial media sites and websites too show the director and the the characters doing QandA,s and talking about the film and what it meant too them.
applying theories?
hesmondhalgh:horizontal : intergration where two similar com
panies join togther- levintine films and ingeious media.
vertical intergration: joined with warner brothers.
Marketing techniques of a film can include and what did bbtl use
Marketing techniques of a film can include:
• Press junkets.
Guaranieed to make you feat beller
than ady other film this year
• Trailers.
• Viral Videos and campaigns.
• Promotional tour.
• Film posters.
• Social networking.
BLINDED EY
THE LIGHT
• Official website.
• Tie-ins.
AUGUST 14
• Q and A sessions.
The marketing and promotion of Blinded by the Light focused on the positive emotional experience the audience would get. ‘Feel-good’ film and ‘smiling’ all evoke the idea that the film will bring pleasure. This is a good marketing strategy for a film that is set in a very specific cultural context because it focuses on universal feelings of joy and happiness.
The poster also denotes a specific time setting through the selection of a Walkman as a prop, this could appeal to both older audiences through nostalgia and to younger audience through the retro appeal of technology. The orange and yellow colour palette was also used throughout the campaign to constructs an image for the film. Other posters were red, white, and blue
- perhaps these were chosen to appeal more to an American audience. Viveik Kalra would not be recognisable to global audiences but the appeal of youth and the joyous expressions on his face could be an attractive element for all audiences. What is interesting is that they did not use Bruce Springsteen’s image in the marketing. There could be many reasons for this, but it is likely that the film makers wanted to sell the film on its own merits rather that market it as a Bruce Springsteen film.
Other traditional promotional products such as the trailer the trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1YFA_J5JBU
combined many multi-cultural elements. The trailer starts with the music of Human League and an aerial shot of Luton and titles referring to ‘From the director of Bend it like Beckham. Edited clips of conflicts of cultures are shown through the opposing characters and the direct reference to The Boss - Bruce Springsteen with his major tracks playing over the action could appeal to audiences because the narrative shows that a love music transcends race, class, and place.
The twitter feed of Blinded by the Light promotes interest in the film in different ways. https://twitter.com/bbtlmovie?lang=en.
Having not posted since the film came out, they posted on June 4th- the day protesters were gathering about the murder of George Floyd an American citizen. These types of social media posts are not uncommon as companies become more aware of how their audiences view such issues.
There were also several live events that Manoor and Chadha attended. These events create positive word-of-mouth and build up a buzz around a film where traditional marketing might not reach. It also can foster an authenticity about the film’s meaning and content- all of which differentiates it from the unreal blockbuster spectacle.
Benefits of making an indie film
If so many big-name filmmakers have chosen to go down the independent route, there must be a good reason for it.
One of the major draws of independent filmmaking is the freedom it gives directors. They’re able to create a film that follows their own vision, without any interference from studios who may want to take the film in a certain direction to appeal to mainstream audiences. Commercial films are, unsurprisingly, made with money in mind - but independent films may not necessarily have box office success as their driving force (although most indie filmmakers wouldn’t argue that it’s nice to make money from their movies!). That means that filmmakers may be more guided by their creative vision when making an independent film - which can result in some of the funniest, most beautiful, or most thrilling films out there, as in the indie film examples noted above.
Another big benefit of independent filmmaking is that it’s more accessible to everyone. It can be hard to get noticed by the big studios when you’re just starting out or are in the initial stages of your career. But there’s no need to wait to hit the big-time - all you need to get started as an indie filmmaker is an idea, and the means to turn it in to a film. As Edgar Wright says in his BBC Maestro course on Filmmaking, “The wonderful thing about filmmaking is that, like most art forms, you don’t necessarily need to attend a school in order to learn the craft.” So, if you want to make a film, you can - and in the process, you’ll start to develop new skills that will help you when it comes to the next film!
You also get to choose who you work with when you go down the indie route. Sometimes, when you work with a big film studio, you get less say in who you make the film with, but as an indie, you can build a solid crew of likeminded people, from independent producers to actors you really admire,- and it’s likely that you’ll have a ball while making your film. And, as Edgar Wright notes in his BBC Maestro course: “You never know where your early collaborators will end up. So, take advantage of other young and motivated individuals around you and find projects you want to make with them.”
Limitations of an indie film
course, it’s to be expected that there are also some downsides to independent filmmaking.
It can be challenging for new filmmakers to get funding to turn their dreams into reality. When they’re not funded by big film studios, filmmakers must look elsewhere for money and many filmmakers turn to crowdsourcing, film funds or private funding as a means of getting their film made. Great films can be made on a shoestring, though, as in the case of Edgar Wright’s feature-length directorial debut, A Fistful of Fingers, which was made with a budget of around $15,000. As Edgar says in his Filmmaking course: “And while I wouldn’t call A Fistful of Fingers a must-see film, it was a very essential part of my development as a filmmaker and it led to my first TV directing gigs which would, in turn, lead to me writing and directing Shaun of the Dead.”
Some low-budget indie movies do go on to become big box office hits, though - like The Blair Witch Project, which was made in 8 days with a budget of $60,000. It went on to make over $246 million worldwide. So, don’t let a lack of budget dissuade you from making an independent film - you’ll learn a lot along the way, and you may still have a commercial or critical hit on your hands.
Another problem indie filmmakers face is how to get their film out there - but there are ways to market your movie that don’t involve the backing of a big studio. From good old-fashioned networking to building an online presence that will get you noticed organically, it can be harder for your film to get noticed when you’re an independent filmmaker - but it’s not impossible.
