Hidden Figures is a 2016 American biographical drama film directed by Theodore Melfi and written by Melfi and Allison Schroeder. It is loosely based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Margot Lee Shetterly about black female mathematicians who worked at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration during the Space Race.

Hidden Figures had a limited release on December 25, 2016, by 20th Century Fox, before going wide in the United States on January 6, 2017. The film received positive reviews from critics and grossed $236 million worldwide. It was chosen by National Board of Review as one of the top ten films of 2016 and was nominated for numerous awards, including three Oscar nominations (Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress for Spencer), and two Golden Globes (Best Supporting Actress for Spencer and Best Original Score). It also won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

summery bullet points about hidden figure

• Initial Release: January 6, 2017 (Canada)
• Director: Theodore Melfi
• Awards: Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture (MORE)
• Nominations: Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role (MORE)
• Running Time: 2 hours 7 mins
• Budget Size: 25 million USD
• Box Office: 236 million USD 

• RATING: 
• IMDb- 7.8/10
• Meta-critic: 74%
• Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
• Google User: 94%

1.) What do you think was the appeal of this film to Fox studios?

I understand that the appeal for this movie was to use the theory known as Uses and Gratifications to educate and shine a light to viewers about the past discrimination at such big event in history, the space race.

2.) What was the appeal of this film to audiences? 

I think the appeal was to make viewers more aware of events that would have transpired when the space race was happening and that was overlooked. This can link to the uses and gratification theory by Katz, Gurevitch and Haas by tending to the social needs and educating about the worlds history, or it can tend to the needs in the category of personal needs by helping viewers understand them selves more and there place in society, and how different life was back then.

3.) Do you think this film was a success?

the films budget started at $25 million and almost tripled in profit after being released so on the more corporate side of things I would say the movie was successful. however I would say that the movie in itself could have been more truthfully deciding on how accurate the film was going to be instead of adding in inaccurate scenes for the should purpose of drama.

Media Concentrations / conglomerates: when various small productions are owned by larger corporations.

Globalisation (in terms of media ownership): distant countries are interrelated and connected together by trade communications and cultural experiences

Vertical Integration: company expands into other areas of the industry

Horizontal Integration: production company expands into other areas of one industry

Gate Keepers: craft and construct what’s published

Regulation / deregulation:reduction or elimination of power by goverment

Free Market: somewhere government has no control in

Monopolies: a place of no competition

Mergers: combination of firms

Neo-liberalism: everything against liberation = no equality

Surveillance / privacy / security / GDPR: general data protection regulation

Explain the appeal of low to medium budget films to Hollywood conglomerates. Use Hidden Figures to support your answer. [15 marks]

Conglomerates: a company that owns lots of companies.

Media concentration / Conglomerates: a pattern of ownership whereby fewer and fewer hands own more and more of the assets of that industry. Patterns of ownership across a multitude of media industries.

Globalisation (in terms of media ownership): the worldwide integration of media through the cross-cultural exchange or ideas.

Horizontal integration: a company takes over another that operates at the same level of the value chain in an industry.

Vertical integration: the combination in one firm of two or more stages of production normally operated by separate firms.

Gatekeepers: a person who controls access to something or someone. They craft and conduct what is being published to the masses.

Regulation: laws, rules or procedures.

Deregulation: the process of removing or loosening government restrictions on the ownership of media outlets.

Media concentration / Conglomerates– A media conglomerate, media group, or media institution is a company that owns numerous companies involved in mass media enterprises, such as television, radio, publishing, motion pictures, theme parks, or the Internet. 

Globalisation (in terms of media ownership)– is the worldwide integration of media through the cross-cultural exchange of ideas 

Vertical Integration- The combination in one firm of two or more stages of production normally operated by separate firms. 

Horizontal Integration- is the process of a company increasing production of goods or services at the same part of the supply chain 

Gatekeepers- Gatekeeping is the process through which information is filtered for dissemination, whether for publication, broadcasting, the Internet, or some other mode of communication. 

Regulation- Rules in media. The principal targets of media regulation are the press, radio and television, but may also include film 

Deregulation- Media deregulation refers to the process of removing or loosening government restrictions on the ownership of media outlets. 

Free market- The free market is an economic system based on supply and demand with little or no government control. 

Monopolies- A monopoly refers to when a company and its product offerings dominate a sector or industry. 

Mergers- a combination of two things, especially companies, into one. 

disney – owns fox 2000, 21st century fox

follow PEE

reviews for evidence – eg 93% on rotten tomatoes

evidence for outrage marketing, like a quote

Hidden Figures:

Release date: January 6, 2017 (Canada)

Director: Theodore Melfi

Hidden Figures grossed $169.6 million in the United States and Canada, and $66.3 million in other territories, for a worldwide gross of $236 million, against a production budget of $25 million.

On review website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 93% based on 262 reviews, with an average score of 7.6/10.

A conglomerate is a combination of multiple business entities operating in entirely different industries under one corporate group, usually involving a parent company and many subsidiaries

The Hollywood conglomerates include “the big six”:

• Warner Bros. Pictures. Warner Bros. …
• 20th Century Fox.
• Paramount Pictures. Paramount Pictures is the longest operating major studio in Hollywood. …
• Universal Pictures.
• Sony Pictures Entertainment (earlier known as Columbia-Tristar Pictures)
• Walt Disney Studios.