Straight Outta Compton

Question 1

What type of film is SOC?

Answer 1

A biopic.

Question 2

Who produced SOC?

Answer 2

Legendary pictures.

Question 3

Who distributed SOC?

Answer 3

universal pictures.

Question 4

Who directed SOC?

Answer 4

F. Gary Gray

Question 5

Which hip hop band does the film follow?

Answer 5

N.W.A

Question 6

Which members of the band were co-producers?

Answer 6

Ice Cube and Dr. Dre

Question 7

Being a huge commercial & critical success, what did the film become?

Answer 7

Highest grossing music biopic of all time.

Question 8

What award was it nominated for?

Answer 8

Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

Question 9

What events are predominantly portrayed in the film?

Answer 9

mid-1980s California, USA.

Question 10

What impacted the depiction of the period to be in a contemporary film?

Answer 10

Social upheaval caused by radical tension in LA Riots 1992.

Question 11

How is the portrayal of places and people influenced by subsequent events?

Answer 11

1980s California, glorification of N.W.A as agents of social change, revise/influenced by subsequent events.

Question 12

How we’re N.W.A significant in terms of social change?

Answer 12

Advocates for free speech, produced protest songs, highly successful black men from disenfranchised American urban communities.

Question 13

What were N.W.A heavily criticised for?

Answer 13

Misogynisitc lyrics, promoted lifestyle objectifying and marginalise women.

Question 14

Arguably what could it imply if 2 of the band members co-produced the film?

Answer 14

Sanitised attempt to “cash in” by band members.

Question 15

When did Legendary Pictures enter partnership with Universal pictures (the film’s distributer)?

Answer 15

2014

Question 16

Who owns Universal?

Answer 16

NBC Universal, a Comcast company.

Question 17

What is significant about the distribution of the film?

Answer 17

produced & distributed by major, vertically integrated film studio, part of media conglomerate?

Question 18

What is significant about the vertical integration of the distribution of the film?

Answer 18

Sig in terms of funding, possibilities for cross-promotion and reaching a global audience.

Question 19

What might audiences of Universal/Legendary expect?

Answer 19

Sense of quality from previous releases.

Question 20

What might having 2 band members co-producing the film get them accused of?

Answer 20

Downplaying or sanitising the problematic aspects of their work- (“N” in band name, F*** tha Police” not referenced in the global film trailer).

Question 21

List the 4 potential audiences the film is attempting to target?

Answer 21

Fans of N.W.A, Fans of rap/gangster rap, fans of biopic films, fans of the film studios/ producers.

Question 22

Which genres have specific and well identified fan bases?

Answer 22

Rap and the sub-genre of gangster rap.

Question 23

What does the marketing have to do in terms of music?

Answer 23

Appeal to Rap & sub-genre of gangster rap, Plus get the music to appeal to wider audience.

Question 24

What might fans of N.W.A or that genre be attracted to?

Answer 24

Trailer scene of band being formed or music being discussed/ recorded.

Question 25

What might wider audiences (not fans of rap) be more interested in?

Answer 25

Scene of social tension, cultural change or personal drama.

Question 26

List 3 of the 10 conventions used for the trailer?

Answer 26

Duration, green band disclaimer, rating card, use of production logos, use of inter titles, use of music, condensing film to showcase dramatic scenes & establish narrative expectation including 3-act structure, links to social media/ website.

Question 27

What conventions does the trailer NOT include?

Answer 27

No traditional trailer voice over, no specific release date.

Question 28

How are audiences encouraged to align with hip hop artists as underdogs/disenfranchised minority?

Answer 28

identification with protagonists in the trailer (e.g. members of the gang forcefully restrained by police).

Question 29

How is Star Appeal used?

Answer 29

“real life” characters portrayed on screen & identified using inter titles.

Question 30

What are the names of actors or directors replaced with?

Answer 30

Real names of some members of N.W.A.

Question 31

What is shown by the Film logo?

Answer 31

Explicit design reference to music parental advisory (social conventions fo rebellion, challenge ti authority).