Film: Chicken is an example of micro budget film making and raises issues around the role and future of national cinema as well as the viability of media products produced outside of the
mainstream for niche audiences.

‘Chicken’ was B Good Picture Company’s debut feature film. The critically acclaimed film had its theatrical release in 2016 in the UK during its award-winning festival tour.

The film went on to be selected by the curators of MUBI, and acquired by Film4. Its journey continued in September 2017 with its Blu-ray & DVD release in the UK courtesy of Network Releasing.

‘Chicken’ was released in the US exclusively on iTunes early 2018, and continues to maintain its 100% Fresh Rotten Tomatoes rating.

As well iTunes, it is now available in the US & UK on Amazon Prime

Starring –

scott chambers –

Fiona –

Production company	B Good Picture Company
Release date	27 June 2015 (Edinburgh)20 May 2016

Chicken received positive reviews and holds a 100% “Certified Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 12 critic reviews. Leslie Felperin of The Guardian gave the film 3/5 stars and said “first-time director Joe Stephenson elicits lively, empathic performances from his small cast.”

Accolades

• Grand Jury Award for Narrative Feature — Joe Stephenson (New Hampshire Film Festival 2015)^[2][9]
• Silver Griffoni Award for Best Film – Generation 18+ (2nd Prize) — Joe Stephenson & B Good Picture Company (Giffoni Film Festival 2016)^[9]
• Award for Best Film — Chicken (Cine A La Vista International Film Festival 2016)^[9]
• Scott Chamber’s performance as Richard got a Special Critic’s Circle mention (Dublin International Film Festival 2016)^[9]
• The film was shortlisted for Best Director (Joe Stephenson) and Best Newcomer (Scott Chambers) by the British Independent Film Awards.

B Good Pict6ure Production Company

Funding
In order to make Chicken, director Joe Stephenson raised £110,000. Key points:

• Raised entirely through investment by individuals (e.g. rich friends/contacts)
• No funding body (e.g. BFI Film Fund) was willing to fund Chicken
• Raises questions about whether film industry is accessible to lower-income filmmakers

Production
Key points for making Chicken:

• Adapted from a play by Freddie Machin that originally ran at Southwark Playhouse.
• Filmed in 19 days, almost all external locations so victim to rain, issues with lighting etc.
• Film produced and distributed by a new company set up by director Stephenson: B Good Picture Company.

Distribution Chicken’s distribution has been very difficult:

• No distribution deal secured in 2014
• Two-year festival circuit won awards and generated interest and critical acclaim for film
• UK cinema release followed in May 2016. Selected for film subscription service MUBI and acquired by Film4 for TV premiere in April 2017.
• UK DVD release distributed by Network Releasing. Digital distribution in USA/Canada – January 2018.

Promotion Alongside film festivals, new technology was vital to promoting Chicken to a wider audience: 

• Some traditional marketing: trailer, film poster with review quotes etc.
• Social media very important to market film – Facebook, Twitter, YouTube.
• Film available on-demand now; Stephenson hoping for deal with Netflix or Amazon Prime to bring in revenue and find wider audience.

Who was the film distributed by?

• B Good Picture Company – Joe Stephenson’s own film company.

How do indie films usually find a major distributor?

• By going to film festivals. Example: Tangerine went to Sundance Film Festical and was picked up by Magnolia Pictures

How did Joe Stephenson try to control the distribution Chicken?

• He used the power of New Digital Media (the internet) to keep control over his product through both marketing and distribution

How did Joe Stephenson use festivals to benefit Chicken? What was the result?

• He used festivals to bring his film to the attention of critics. He received glowing reviews from Mark Kermode, BBC and Variety). The film has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Big critic endorsements means free advertising for the film.

How do big critic endorsements benefit a film?

• Free Advertisement

How does Chicken subvert the traditional film business structure?

• The distribution company, especially when we think about independent films, is usually a separate entity from the production company and exhibition company. In Chicken’s case, Joe Stephenson was the director of the film (production) and owned the distribution company: B Good Pictures.

In the UK, what streaming services was Chicken made available on?

•  BFI player (which tells the audience that is is a product with artistic merit).
• – Others include big services such as iTunes and Amazon Instant Video.
• – As well as curated services such as Film Doo and Volta, which serve an audience who want to watch international, independent films. These are niche services which reach a niche target audience.

How does Chicken avoid traditional distribution chains?

• The film is available through streaming services, as well as being available on DVD and Bluray through Amazon.

How were FilmFour involved in the film?

• Helped to finance the film and so had exclusive screening rights. The film was shown on TV on the 5th April 2017.

How did B Good use a range of strategies to tackle the limited budget for distribution?

• The aim was to build a buzz through putting the film in front of tastemakers (critics, tastemakers and the like – Ian McKellen gives a glowing review and is coincidentally in B Good’s next film) and using the internet (streaming services) to slash the cost of distribution and exhibition.

How did Chicken use YouTube?

• Official trailer available on YouTube, as well as being embedded in Chicken’s own website. This helps to promote the film virally, encouraging a broader audience as YouTube is accessible globally. Comments and likes help to produce a buzz as well as building a community aroud the film and providing it with free advertisement (positive comments and likes.)

What type of filmmaking is chicken an example of?

• Independent filmmaking – a film that has no financial support from a major studio or lacking in a major distribution deal. Such films, once financed – usually on a limited budget – seek deals with small arthouse cinemas or franchised cinema chains.

Use of conventional film marketing – Trailers, teaser posters, theatrical posters, billboards, magazine features.

What style of film is this?

Social realism. Films in this style are concerned with representing the lives of ordinary people. In doing so, such films construct a narrative enabling the audience to engage with pressing social issues which, in the case of Chicken, is disability.