CSP - Chicken
directed by Joe Stephenson
based on a play of the same name
made outside of one that was made outside of the conventional studio system, outside of Hollywood or any other large production studio.
the style of 'indie' films is a lot different to Hollywood blockbusters, as the directors and producers have more creative input - its being made in their vision, not the vision of studio bosses.
independent films have much smaller budgets, and are often supported financially by public service broadcasters, film institutions and charity funding
Usually distributed by smaller companies.
avengers infinity war
what was the budget?
$316 million
who is the director?
Antony Russo
What studio produced the film?
Marvel Studios
How much money has the film made at the box office on its opening weekend?
$678,815,482. set record
How has the film been promoted?
biggest promotional campaign of any Marvel Campaign
Donni Darko
what was the budget?
$4.5 million
who is the director?
Richard Kelly
What studio produced the film?
flower films
How much money has the film made at the box office on its opening weekend?
$110,494
How has the film been promoted?
wasn't promoted as much because of 9/11 and the advertising campaign featured a plane crash
Chicken
what was the budget?
£110,000 approx
who is the director?
Joe Stephenson - not well known at the time
What studio produced the film?
B good picture company
Bold Turtle productions
How much money has the film made at the box office on its opening weekend?
£8,300
How has the film been promoted?
trailer and poster
facebook page
twitter
Chicken - funding
he couldn't find funding from the national lottery or the BFI as they weren't interested in the film. they only usually provide funding for established directors/producers, or films that are going to be successful or have an impact.
director Joe Stephenson had to raise the money himself, a micro budget of £110,000. He had to ask around all his friends and film contacts to put the money together.
6 stages of film making -
stage 1 acquisition - ideas are created or bought, if necessary rights to the story are bought, screenplay is written and financing is sought.
stage 2 pre-production - cast and film crew are found, locations chosen and sets are built. this is the point where budgets are decided and funding is found (if required)
stage 3 production - the film is shot and filmed. this includes a massive crew and is the most expensive part of the production. its also seen as the 'point of no return' for most projects, as its difficult to recover the costs of production without a finished product after shooting begins.
stage 4 post production - the recorded film is edited. crew work on the sound effects and enhancement, images and visual effects.
stage 5 distribution - finished film is distributed and marketing strategies are employed to promote the film and draw in audiences. it is screened at the cinema and released for home viewing on a variety of formats
stage 6 exibition - films are screened in cinemas across the globe. screenings can vary, from 2D to 3D, from Imax to screens with seats that allow for more immersive experiences(e.g. Cineworld's D-Box seats)
Chicken production -
chicken is a characteristic of contemporary cultural production in its use of new technology at production and distribution stages.
Stephenson had to set up his own production company - B Good Productions - to create the film
filming took place over 19 days in locations across London. They couldn't film for longer or in a variety of locations as they couldn't afford it.
a lot of the film was recorded outdoors - for a micro budget, this would have been an issue because if the weather interrupted filming they couldn't afford to continue
the lack of budget also limited the amount of star power they could afford. these actors were not well known, meaning they could not rely on the names to promote the film.
How would the fact a film is produced independently impact on the success of the film?
gets less exposure because they can't afford a big advertising campaign, means that less people see the film, and that means it takes less money
How accessible is the film industry for film makers on low/micro budgets? is this fair?
not very accessible, not fair
Could the issue that strike producers on micro-budgets massively affect a production's quality and final output?
yes
independent films can never be as successful as mainstream films
financially mainstream tend to do better, but not always
critically independent films can be better received.
chicken - distribution
Stephenson failed to secure distribution interest in Chicken, coming across the same issues that he did with funding
Instead, Stephenson spent two years focused on showing the film at film festivals
the film showed at festivals in Dublin, Spain, Italy, Estonia, New Hampshire and Germany. it had its world premier in Edinburgh and international premier in South Korea
he won awards and special mentions at 5 of these festivals.
What are the purpose of film festivals?
to promote films
Name 3 mainstream film festivals
Cannes Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
Toronto Film Festival
what sort of people would attend film festivals?
actors, celebrities
what do you think are the costs associated for marketing films at film festivals?
why do you think Stephenson chose film festivals as a way to screen his film?
notes:
what evidence shows that this is a typical independent film?
filmed in one location - minimal locations
no CGI/special effects
low budget
small cast
small amount of promotion
not made by a big studio
unknown actors
outdoor locations
primary and secondary target audience -
primary audience - 35 - 55 more cultured, socially aware, liberal, niche audience.
secondary audience - younger audience/demographic - who may relate to characters
production values - low production values
low star theory?
no special effects
countryside not cities
unknown director and actors
small cast
focus on narrative/message rather than entertainment.
more passionate
trailer -
poster -
release date
social media
websites
critics reviews
quotes
magazine - empire
podcasts - can't afford advertising slot
film festivals - they would get promotion - involves Q&A
more print the audio/visual(cheaper)
more online marketing viral marketing important
took 19 days to film
film 4 part funding in return for initial screening rights
exclusively independent financing
adapted play to a film - main character played by the same person
director of the film saw the play
added extra scenes to film
initially filmed on one camera
relies on web 2.0 to reach audience
foreign audience? landscape, countryside.
streaming services used to distribute film - BFI player(despite the funding rejection)
streaming services:
Mubi
Film Doo
Mapping Theory
Curran and Seaton
the idea that the media are controlled by a small number of companies - eg. the big 6(that were not interested in Chicken)
driven by profit and chicken would not have provided a big box office return
the film challenges that distribution pattern.
livingstone and lunt
the idea that UK regulation policy eg - the BBFC is driven by conflict - to 'protect' from harm but also allow diversity/choice.
David Hesmondhalgh
big companies try to minimise risk and maximise audience/profit through vertical and horizontal integration (pattern of ownership theory)
chicken challenges this
chicken is more like a revenue drip than a revenue drip
Questions-
explain how Chicken could be considered an independent film? (10 marks)
what is the impact of budgets on the production of independent films? (15 marks)
identify the differences between studio financed and independently financed films in the way films are distributed? (15 marks)
to understand the financial restriction to independent film makers
what do you know about the film industry?
what is the difference between a mainstream and independent film?
mainstream - bigger budget, aimed at wider audience
independent - unlikely to reach a wider audience, lower budget, less marketing.
mainstream - bigger budget, aimed at wider audience
independent - unlikely to reach a wider audience, lower budget, less marketing.
do you know the name of any of famous film directors?
martin scorsese
martin scorsese
chicken -
example of micro budget raises issues around the role and future of national cinema as well as the viability of media products outside of the mainstream for niche audiences.
students need to be familiar with the production context and distribution materials including the official website, posters, trailers, social media presence.
example of micro budget raises issues around the role and future of national cinema as well as the viability of media products outside of the mainstream for niche audiences.
students need to be familiar with the production context and distribution materials including the official website, posters, trailers, social media presence.
directed by Joe Stephenson
based on a play of the same name
made outside of one that was made outside of the conventional studio system, outside of Hollywood or any other large production studio.
the style of 'indie' films is a lot different to Hollywood blockbusters, as the directors and producers have more creative input - its being made in their vision, not the vision of studio bosses.
independent films have much smaller budgets, and are often supported financially by public service broadcasters, film institutions and charity funding
Usually distributed by smaller companies.
avengers infinity war
what was the budget?
$316 million
who is the director?
Antony Russo
What studio produced the film?
Marvel Studios
How much money has the film made at the box office on its opening weekend?
$678,815,482. set record
How has the film been promoted?
biggest promotional campaign of any Marvel Campaign
Donni Darko
what was the budget?
$4.5 million
who is the director?
Richard Kelly
What studio produced the film?
flower films
How much money has the film made at the box office on its opening weekend?
$110,494
How has the film been promoted?
wasn't promoted as much because of 9/11 and the advertising campaign featured a plane crash
Chicken
what was the budget?
£110,000 approx
who is the director?
Joe Stephenson - not well known at the time
What studio produced the film?
B good picture company
Bold Turtle productions
How much money has the film made at the box office on its opening weekend?
£8,300
How has the film been promoted?
trailer and poster
facebook page
Chicken - funding
he couldn't find funding from the national lottery or the BFI as they weren't interested in the film. they only usually provide funding for established directors/producers, or films that are going to be successful or have an impact.
director Joe Stephenson had to raise the money himself, a micro budget of £110,000. He had to ask around all his friends and film contacts to put the money together.
6 stages of film making -
stage 1 acquisition - ideas are created or bought, if necessary rights to the story are bought, screenplay is written and financing is sought.
stage 2 pre-production - cast and film crew are found, locations chosen and sets are built. this is the point where budgets are decided and funding is found (if required)
stage 3 production - the film is shot and filmed. this includes a massive crew and is the most expensive part of the production. its also seen as the 'point of no return' for most projects, as its difficult to recover the costs of production without a finished product after shooting begins.
stage 4 post production - the recorded film is edited. crew work on the sound effects and enhancement, images and visual effects.
stage 5 distribution - finished film is distributed and marketing strategies are employed to promote the film and draw in audiences. it is screened at the cinema and released for home viewing on a variety of formats
stage 6 exibition - films are screened in cinemas across the globe. screenings can vary, from 2D to 3D, from Imax to screens with seats that allow for more immersive experiences(e.g. Cineworld's D-Box seats)
Chicken production -
chicken is a characteristic of contemporary cultural production in its use of new technology at production and distribution stages.
Stephenson had to set up his own production company - B Good Productions - to create the film
filming took place over 19 days in locations across London. They couldn't film for longer or in a variety of locations as they couldn't afford it.
a lot of the film was recorded outdoors - for a micro budget, this would have been an issue because if the weather interrupted filming they couldn't afford to continue
the lack of budget also limited the amount of star power they could afford. these actors were not well known, meaning they could not rely on the names to promote the film.
How would the fact a film is produced independently impact on the success of the film?
gets less exposure because they can't afford a big advertising campaign, means that less people see the film, and that means it takes less money
How accessible is the film industry for film makers on low/micro budgets? is this fair?
not very accessible, not fair
Could the issue that strike producers on micro-budgets massively affect a production's quality and final output?
yes
independent films can never be as successful as mainstream films
financially mainstream tend to do better, but not always
critically independent films can be better received.
chicken - distribution
Stephenson failed to secure distribution interest in Chicken, coming across the same issues that he did with funding
Instead, Stephenson spent two years focused on showing the film at film festivals
the film showed at festivals in Dublin, Spain, Italy, Estonia, New Hampshire and Germany. it had its world premier in Edinburgh and international premier in South Korea
he won awards and special mentions at 5 of these festivals.
What are the purpose of film festivals?
to promote films
Name 3 mainstream film festivals
Cannes Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
Toronto Film Festival
what sort of people would attend film festivals?
actors, celebrities
what do you think are the costs associated for marketing films at film festivals?
why do you think Stephenson chose film festivals as a way to screen his film?
notes:
what evidence shows that this is a typical independent film?
filmed in one location - minimal locations
no CGI/special effects
low budget
small cast
small amount of promotion
not made by a big studio
unknown actors
outdoor locations
primary and secondary target audience -
primary audience - 35 - 55 more cultured, socially aware, liberal, niche audience.
secondary audience - younger audience/demographic - who may relate to characters
production values - low production values
low star theory?
no special effects
countryside not cities
unknown director and actors
small cast
focus on narrative/message rather than entertainment.
more passionate
trailer -
poster -
release date
social media
websites
critics reviews
quotes
magazine - empire
podcasts - can't afford advertising slot
film festivals - they would get promotion - involves Q&A
more print the audio/visual(cheaper)
more online marketing viral marketing important
took 19 days to film
film 4 part funding in return for initial screening rights
exclusively independent financing
adapted play to a film - main character played by the same person
director of the film saw the play
added extra scenes to film
initially filmed on one camera
relies on web 2.0 to reach audience
foreign audience? landscape, countryside.
streaming services used to distribute film - BFI player(despite the funding rejection)
streaming services:
Mubi
Film Doo
Mapping Theory
Curran and Seaton
the idea that the media are controlled by a small number of companies - eg. the big 6(that were not interested in Chicken)
driven by profit and chicken would not have provided a big box office return
the film challenges that distribution pattern.
livingstone and lunt
the idea that UK regulation policy eg - the BBFC is driven by conflict - to 'protect' from harm but also allow diversity/choice.
David Hesmondhalgh
big companies try to minimise risk and maximise audience/profit through vertical and horizontal integration (pattern of ownership theory)
chicken challenges this
chicken is more like a revenue drip than a revenue drip
Questions-
explain how Chicken could be considered an independent film? (10 marks)
what is the impact of budgets on the production of independent films? (15 marks)
identify the differences between studio financed and independently financed films in the way films are distributed? (15 marks)
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