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.
Key Questions and Issues • Identification of howChicken is characteristic of an independent film release, with consideration of budget, distribution, circulation. An independent film, is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies(B Good Pictures). • Micro budget rather than low budget film (approximately £110,000) – entirely independent financing. A low-budget film is a motion picture shot with little to no funding from a major film studio or private investor. Many independent films are made on low budgets, but films made on the mainstream circuit with inexperienced or unknown filmmakers can also have low budgets • Distribution techniques – reliance on new technology; VOD, streaming, audience ‘programming’ (open screen etc.) • Continued use of traditional marketing and distribution; trailers, posters, film festivals etc. Chicken used a traditional method of marketing their product by making a trailer and also used posters to advertise. • The concept of “risk-taking” in terms of narrative choice available to independent studios • Regulation of the industry through BBFC (British Board of Film Classification). • Regulation including Livingstone and Lunt
• Identification of how Chicken is characteristic of an independent film release, with consideration of budget, distribution, circulation. • Micro budget rather than low budget film (approximately £110,000) – entirely independent financing. • Distribution techniques – reliance on new technology; VOD, streaming, audience ‘programming’ (open screen etc.) • Continued use of traditional marketing and distribution; trailers, posters, film festivals etc. • The concept of “risk-taking” in terms of narrative choice available to independent studios • Regulation of the industry through BBFC (British Board of Film Classification). • Regulation including Livingstone and Lunt.
– The film follows 15 year old Richard, who has learning difficulties and often falls victim of brother Polly’s aggressive and violent mood swings
– Richard find is easier to communicate with animals, especially his pet hen, Fiona
– He forms a strong friendship with rebellious seventeen-year-old Annabel, whose family have recently acquired the farm that Polly and Richard live on
– Chicken had its world premiere on 27 June 2015 Edinburgh International Film Festival.
– The film had its international premiere in competition at the 2015 Busan International Film Festival, followed by screenings at the New Hampshire International Film Festival, Giffoni International Film Festival, Cine A La Vista International Film Festival, Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, Schlingel International Film Festival and Dublin International Film Festival.
– It eventually received a limited theatrical release in the UK on 20 May 2016.
– It was then acquired by MUBI UK, and had its British TV premiere on FilmFour April 2017. It received its DVD and Blu-ray released by Network on 18 September 2017.
– In order to make Chicken, director Joe Stephenson raised £110,000. He raised this 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
– 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.
Awards and Critics Reviews
– Grand Jury Award for Narrative Feature — Joe Stephenson (New Hampshire Film Festival 2015)
– Silver Griffoni Award for Best Film – Generation 18+ (2nd Prize) — Joe Stephenson & B Good Picture Company (Giffoni Film Festival 2016)
Award for Best Film — Chicken (Cine A La Vista International Film Festival 2016)
– Scott Chamber’s performance as Richard got a Special Critic’s Circle mention (Dublin International Film Festival 2016)The film was shortlisted for Best Director (Joe Stephenson) and Best Newcomer (Scott Chambers) by the British Independent Film Awards.
– CineVue praised the film and mentioned that it is “the sort of British indie which restores faith in cinema”.
– 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.”
– Mark Kermode rated the film at four out of five stars stating that Scott Chambers’ performance is “superb”.
– Anna Smith of Empire magazine gave the film a rating of four stars, responding that the film is “an enjoyable, involving British Drama with and impressive turn from newcomer Scott Chambers.
– With a three-star rating from Cath Clarke of Time Out, she commented that Chicken is “an impressively acted British Drama about a young man with learning difficulties
Technology within Chicken
– 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.
– Film4 shows mainstream films, as well as arthouse films that are aimed at niche audiences. Film4 was a good choice because it meant that a wider range of people would have seen Chicken – as well as those within the target audience.
– MUBI chose this film to be featured on the service because of the fact that the film being critically acclaimed and winning several awards at various film festivals. MUBI most likely wanted to invest in the distribution of Chicken due to its rising success and it receiving more recognition.
– ‘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
– The director, Joe Stephenson, used the power of New Digital Media (the internet) to keep control over his product through both marketing and distribution
– The critic reviews served as a source of free advertisement for the film
– 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 around the film and providing it with free advertisement (positive comments and likes.)
– It is a form of conventional film marketing, which is Trailers, teaser posters, theatrical posters, billboards, magazine features.
– Chicken used Influencer marketing – where focus is placed on gaining and then using the opinion of influential people rather than the larger target market. It identifies individuals that have influence over potential consumers, and shapes marketing activities around persuading these influencers whose recommendations are known to shape the behaviour of others (Two Step Flow).
– Viral marketing is applied to Chicken. Viral marketing is intending to set up a word of mouth spread by creating pages that appear to be real – that of the Blair Witch is the most famous – where a website made the myth appear real and one that is currently being investigated.
– Chicken uses social media. The website, social media pages, as well as the official trailer on YouTube, are all linked together. – Website is a portal with links to streaming services; so people can actually see the film (whatever their geographical location – broadens audience)
– Website also links to social media platforms which helps to make the audience feel connected to the product (engages them) and builds a sense of community around it.
– The synergy between all of them is that they are showing the main character in all the trailers and film posters.
– These review are important from people like Mark Kermode because these people are seen to be opinion leaders which people follow.
– Chicken uses social media to create and maintain interest in the film because people use social media a lot so they can connect with them easily.
– Both the poster and film trailer use the same font for the title ‘Chicken’. The colour scheme is also the same and the picture used on the film poster is from one of the scenes shown in the trailer. Furthermore, both the poster and trailer also feature film reviews about the film and the names of the film festivals where the movie was shown.
– The Chicken twitter account is constantly tweeting. Recently, they had been tweeting a countdown for the release of the film in the US and Canada. This maintains the interest of the film as audiences are constantly reminded of the film.
– The Chicken Facebook page uploads pictures and videos of scenes from the film. This intrigues the audience. Furthermore, they also upload reviews from film critics, such as Mark Kermode and magazines such as Empire.
– The Chicken Facebook page has liked the pages- @ArtHouseCrouchEnd, @Everymancinemas, @LittleWhiteLies, etc. This suggests that the target audience of the film are middle class white men and women who enjoy art house films, where the cinematography has been taken in to account and the story line is very different from typical cinema movies.
– The key purpose of the website is to link people to where they can watch the movie depending on where they live. This includes iTunes for those in the US and Canada and Amazon Instant Video, Film Doo and Volta for those in the UK and Ireland. This suggests that the influence of new technology means that audiences mostly stream and watch movies on demand rather than going out and buying a DVD.
Livingstone and Lunt and Chicken
– Chicken is a film in the style of social realism. It depicts two brothers, the younger of which is disabled, who run into conflict with the owners of the farmland on which they live.
– The BBFC works to protect audiences from discriminatory language regarding disability.
– Due to the depiction of a sensitive topic and the particular narrative involved, Stephenson may have run into issues when attempting to tell the story without using such language in the script, particularly the dialogue of the new landowners.
– This is representative of the struggle theorised by Livingstone and Lunt.
Curran/Seaton and Chicken
– If we consider the marketing of Chicken and its political values, those of which are oppositional to many of those in the mainstream media industry, we can see that despite the limited funding, creativity in the marketing indicates the cultural pessimism of Curran does not mean products outside such media institutions have to fail or cannot compete at a different level for audiences.
– It could be argued that the fact the film is outside the mainstream of media institutions allows it greater degree of freedom in its message and marketing.
Chicken received positive reviews and holds a 100% “Certified Fresh” rating on RottenTomatoes based on 12 critic reviews. The Guardian gave the film 3/5 stars and said “first-time director Joe Stephenson elicits lively, empathic performances from his small cast.”
No guaranteed previous audience as it is the debut film for the director/producer Joe Stephenson.
Production company: B Good Picture Company
BFI film fund uses the money paid for lottery tickets to provide financial aid and support to young filmmakers. It contributes to the British Film industry by giving these young filmmakers the platform to be able to produce films that otherwise would not be created or recognised. These films often target a niche audience.
Was premiered and played at multiple film festivals.
The British Board of Film Classification is a non-governmental organisation founded by the film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of films exhibited at cinemas and video works released on physical media within the United Kingdom.
Marketed through a facebook page, twitter and youtube.
Came out on Blu-ray and DVD on 18th September 2017
Grand Jury Award for Narrative Feature — Joe Stephenson (New Hampshire Film Festival 2015)
Award for Best Film — Chicken (Cine A La Vista International Film Festival 2016)
The film was shortlisted for Best Director (Joe Stephenson) and Best Newcomer (Scott Chambers) by the British Independent Film Awards.
Was originally a play by Freddie Machin
£110,000 (raised through investment)
Hoping for a deal with Netflix
Currently available on Amazon Prime and iTunes for rent and purchase
Marketed the film through Facebook, Twitter and Facebook
Making the main character have learning difficulties
Film festivals – small artsy films
2003 Communications Act – allowing small production companies to create and show their films
Curran and Seaton – diverse media landscape – main character with learning difficulties, living in a caravan, a life and environment that the media doesn’t often show. Can the often reach wider audiences.
Hesmondhalgh – he didn’t make the film to make money, but instead made it to educate society.
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
Directed by Joe Stephenson Produced by Joe Stephenson Tina Galovic
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.
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.
It eventually received a limited theatrical release in the UK on 20 May 2016.
It was then acquired by MUBI UK, and had its British TV premiere on FilmFour April 2017. It received its DVD and Blu-ray release by Network on 18 September 2017.
Funding In order to make Chicken, director Joe Stephenson raised £110,000. Key points:
Filmed in 19 days, almost all external locations so victim to rain, issues with lighting etc.
No distribution deal secured in 2014
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.
essay plan
talk about distribution companies involved
Livingston and lunt learnt about the 2003 communications act – law about small production companies having a chance to show their films, rather than Hollywood films
curran and seaton – we are seeing more diverse media – main character who has learning difficulties and lives in an urban environment (caravan)
Start your essay with a short introductory paragraph that outlines your intention for this essay. So think – what is it you want to argue / discuss / present in this essay?
Show knowledge of the film industry, specifically the key stages of: production, distribution, consumption
position contemporary film production within a couple of key theoretical positions for example:
Hesmondhalgh’s ideas that mitigate the ‘risky business’ of cultural production. – even though he didn’t make money from the film, he was able to show society about the urban and poor environment of the world through the and the understanding (didnt make money, wanted to educate soiety
Curran and Seaton’s arguments for a more diverse media landscape.
Livingstone and Lunt’s suggestion that cultural production exists in a loosely regulated framework, biased towards a consumers rather than citizen model.
The impact of new media technologies for cultural production.
Present details of the CSP (Chicken) but make sure you focus on production, distribution and consumption and NOT on a textual analysis of the film – remember the examiner / assessor is assuming that you may not have seen the 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.
approximately £110,000
Chicken is characteristic of contemporary cultural production in its use of new technology at production and distribution stages. Reflects shifting patterns of audience consumption. As a low-budget film, it will be interesting to consider this film in its economic context, especially in comparison to big-budget Hollywood films.
Note how there is a focus on making judgements and drawing conclusions in this essay
It was then acquired by MUBI UK, and had its British TV premiere on FilmFour April 2017. It received its DVD and Blu-ray release by Network on 18 September 2017.
Critical reception
Chicken received positive reviews and holds a 100% “Certified Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 12 critic reviews.[3] 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.”[4]Mark Kermode rated the film at four out of five stars stating that Scott Chambers’ performance is “superb”.[5]Anna Smith of Empire magazine gave the film a rating of four stars, responding that the film is “an enjoyable, involving British Drama with and impressive turn from newcomer Scott Chambers.[6] With a three-star rating from Cath Clarke of Time Out, she commented that Chicken is “an impressively acted British Drama about a young man with learning difficulties.”[7] CineVue praised the film and mentioned that it is “the sort of British indie which restores faith in cinema”.[8]
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.
Start your essay with a short introductory paragraph that outlines your intention for this essay. So think – what is it you want to argue / discuss / present in this essay?
Show knowledge of the film industry, specifically the key stages of: production, distribution, consumption
position contemporary film production within a couple of key theoretical positions for example:
Hesmondhalgh’s ideas that mitigate the ‘risky business’ of cultural production.
Curran and Seaton’s arguments for a more diverse media landscape.
Livingstone and Lunt’s suggestion that cultural production exists in a loosely regulated framework, biased towards a consumers rather than citizen model.
The impact of new media technologies for cultural production.
Present details of the CSP (Chicken) but make sure you focus on production, distribution and consumption and NOT on a textual analysis of the film – remember the examiner / assessor is assuming that you may not have seen the film.
Feel free to add in some audience theory.
Conclude your essay with a summative paragraph.
.
The production of media is now accessible to the everyday day throughs means of new technology the everyday phones can achieve up to 1080p HD quality so this means it is more likely that a common day person will produce a film as it isn’t that exclusive and expensive to do anymore, 110,000
The use of a noir visual style, conventions of the police procedural and multiple narrative strands, The Killing provides a rich area of study for media language, which would form the foundation for work on the other theoretical frameworks.
It was set in Denmark
Created by: Søren Sveistrup
Producers: Sandra Foss and Piv Bernth
Director: Birger Larsen
Production Company: DR (Danish Broadcasting Corporation – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DR_(broadcaster) )
Genre: Danish Police Drama
Broadcast on: Amazon, BBC4 and Netflix
Started in 7th January 2007
The hero and victim is a female. Theory – Propp – character stereotypes
As we only watched the first episode the themes are introduced but we are not sure on how the story ends. Todorov – Beginning, Middle and End
Theme of city is safe and the countryside is not as that is where the girl got killed/was found – Levi-Strauss – there are 2 binary opposites (good or bad)
The Killing was the catalyst for the wider distribution of foreign language crime programming on UK television, its unexpected success influencing BBC4’s scheduling but also that of other UK channels. The Killing was produced the Danish national public service broadcaster DR, providing the opportunity to study PSB in a different national context. • The regulatory framework of contemporary media, with the focus on PSB • The Killing provides a case study for the specialised nature of media production, distribution and circulation within a transnational and global context. • The Killing personifies a successful transnational, contemporary media product with long duration (it was broadcast in the UK nearly five years after its success in Denmark) has been shown in its original form across Europe and remade by Turkish and US TV (AMC) • Cultural industries including Hesmondhalgh
The production, distribution and circulation of the Killing shows how audiences can be reached, both on a national and global scale, through different media technologies and platforms, moving from the national to transnational through broadcast and digital technologies. • The way in which different audience interpretations reflect social, cultural and historical circumstances is evident in the analysis of the series which are explicitly linked to contemporary issues – often related to gender and feminist issues • New types of characters to construct alignment for the audience/audience positioning. • The advertising campaigns (trailers, websites at home and abroad) for the series demonstrate how media producers target, attract and potentially construct audiences. • Audience behaviour in response to the series – the interest in Scandinavian culture and lifestyle. • Cultivation theory including Gerbner • Reception theory including Hall
No Offence
No Offence is a mainstream television series in which the codes and conventions of the police procedural crime drama are intertwined with aspects of social realism. Detailed analysis of this media form including the process through which media language develops as genre will provide students with an opportunity to understand and reflect on the dynamic nature of genre.
Directed by: Catherine Morshead, David Kerr, Misha Manson-Smith and Harry Bradbeer
Released on 5th May 2015
Production Company: Abbott Vision (Started in 2008) – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AbbottVision
The central way into an institutional approach is to consider No Offence as a Channel 4 programme and to examine how it can be seen to fulfill the demands of its Public Service remit. No Offence can be studied in the context of Channel 4’s commitment to be innovative and distinctive.
• No Offence is an AbbottVision production, an independent company founded by the writer Paul Abbott who also wrote Shameless • No Offence was a critical and commercial success in the UK, it was also a ratings success in France where it was shown on the national broadcast channel, France2. • Channel 4 uses series such as No Offence to add value to the channel through the availability of the ‘box set’ on All4.
The production, distribution and circulation of No Offence shows how audiences can be reached, both on a national and global scale, through different media technologies and platforms, moving from the national to transnational through broadcast and digital technologies • No Offence was broadcast on Channel 4, can still be accessed on All4, it was also broadcast in France. • The way in which different audience interpretations reflect social, cultural and historical circumstances is evident in the analysis of No Offence which is explicitly linked to contemporary issues. • Audience positioning through the construction of characters who are morally ambiguous. • The advertising campaigns (trailers, websites at home and abroad) for the series demonstrate how media producers target, attract and potentially construct audiences. • Cultivation theory including Gerbner • Reception theory including Hall
Curran and Seaton
“The media industry is driven by the twin forces of creativity and business. Media creatives – writers, directors, actors and photographers – are tasked to give us exciting, innovative and aesthetically pleasing products, while those we call the media’s business managers are responsible for ensuring the profitability and commercial viability of products.”
“Profit-driven motives take precedence over creativity in the world of commercial media”
“Money wins, while both audience size and audience share determine content”
“Peak time television schedules (where commercial space is most sought after and costly) are dominated by lighter entertainment formats, while less popular minority interest products are sidelined to secondary channels or late night slots.”
Definitions
Commercial Media – is a organisation that makes a product for profit – usually content made to entertain.
E.g. In the UK, the first episode of No Offence launched with 2.5 million viewers, Channel 4’s biggest midweek drama launch for more than three years. – Channel 4 annual revenue in 2019 was £975 million GDP.
Horizontal Integration – ownership of subsidiaries that produce similar types of products.
E.g. Abbott Vision produced TV and film such as No Offence, Hit & Miss and Exile (all TV) as well as Tony (2009), The Odds (2009 Short) and Twenty8k (2012)
Vertical Integration – Ownership of subsidiaries that enable a media producer to produce, promote and distribute products.
E.g. The Killing was made in Danish and was successful there, it also got re-made in Sweden as well as in English for the US and was successful there too. It also got subtitled for UK viewers for BBC4 and was successful in the UK.
Media Concentration / Media Convergence – a term used to describe the reduction in the number of media organisations that produce products.
E.g. The Killing got shown all across the world with different companies and is now on Amazon Prime Video, meaning one company made a product that got spread around the world by multiple companies.
Hesmondhalgh
Concept 1: Maximising profits and minimising risks
Concept 2: The effects of the internet revolution are difficult to diagnose
“The media is a risky business”
Hesmondhalgh
Case Studies
Changing Audience consumption patterns
– No Offence was originally broadcast live on Channel 4 (conventional TV) now it is also on All 4 so it can be watched at any time. – The Killing is available to be streamed via Amazon Prime Video – This links to Hesmondhalgh and how we are changing the way we consume content (available anytime, streaming, compared to set times on live TV like it used to be)
Multi-sector integration
– No Offence was made by Abbott Vision Productions and produced by Channel 4 this is horizontal integration. Channel 4 showing No Offence on Channel 4 is vertical integration
Star formatting
– No Offence does not have any massive names however Alexandra Roach was growing in fame at the start of No Offence after starring in Utopia 2013-14, Once Chance (2013) and The Iron Lady (2011). Since being in No Offence she has got some lead roles in films such as 2019’s 2nd Date Sex where she is the main female role.
Questions
What is the difference between a consumer based media regulation system and citizen based regulation system?
A consumer based media regulation system means that the content in the media is produced because it is what the consumer wants. This means that they content typically does well as it is content that is wanted; this typically increases profit.
A citizen based regulation system means the government tells media companies that they need to make certain content, i.e. news. However, the government does not dictate the media companies to make everything they want they just give certain things (again like the news) but the media also makes content for the consumer, i.e. sit-coms and Top Gear.
What impact did the 2003 Communications act have on media regulation?
Consumer based regulatory system that created the regulator Ofcom through the communications act by the labour government in 2003. The act promoted independent television production by requiring the BBC and Channel 4 to commission more content from smaller production companies. It also introduced Ofcom. Livingstone and Lunt thought the act tried to do something good however it was not strict enough and due to it being self-regulation, this meant that companies like the BBC work with a small production company you haven’t heard of (this technically applies to the act) however it can be traced back and is owned by a large media conglomerate, this does not apply to the act. The quote by Livingstone and Lunt is “little equivalent activity or accountability was forthcoming regarding actions to further citizen interests” (Livingstone and Lunt, 2012, 50)
Whats the draw back of a self-regulated system?
A self-regulated system is bad as often companies get complicates and say they look into it and actually don’t or they look at it and don’t see it as wrong. For instance, invading on the royal family/ celebrities at households to get pictures etc and this is wrong but they see it as ok. However the Leveson Inquiry started as Milly Dowler when the press got her phone and started texting her parents after she had been missing for days, this is because people would read this article however many thought this over stepped the boundary, however the self-regulated media company did not see this as wrong instead they saw it as a way to get a story to make the paper out-sell its competition.
How do you regulate media content and organisations on a global scale?
Due to the absence of government guidance organisations are left to create their own moral and ethical codes. Some companies are stricter than others allowing some papers like the guardian to be more sexually explicit. Some reasons for this are the code of conduct, audience-based factors, advertiser needs and institution-oriented factors. The only way to try to regulate the internet would be to force the search engine to regulate what is on their searches. However, it is a massive challenge to do it and for other media forms that are not on the internet it is even harder to regulate them.
Category
Similarities in the CSPs
Differences in the CSPs
Theory
Characters
In No Offence and the Killing the main detectives have a ‘natural’ instinct and ethics for law and order / good and bad
In No Offence and the Killing the main detective is not the typical ‘male hero’; instead they are females that go against what their bosses say as they have a ‘natural’ instinct that they are right and their boss is wrong.
PROPP, presents the idea of STOCK CHARACTERS, inc ‘hero’, ‘false hero’, ‘princess’, ‘father figure’, ‘dispatcher’
Narrative
Both start with a celebration/party (No Offence – Boss’s Bday, The Killing – Detective leaving). Both quickly introduce the case that needs to be solved.
No Offence follows the police’s POV but The Killing follows both the police’s POV as well as the family’s and friend’s effected by the case POV.
CHATMAN / FREYTAG /TODOROV
Themes
Both have themes of good vs bad and young vs old as the young is the effected whereas the old has to solve what happened to them.
The Killing has themes of community as everyone seems to know one another; this contrasts to No Offence where they seem to not know many. The Killing also has the theme of urban/rural as urban is safe and rural is bas as rural is where the murders occur.
LEVI-STRAUSS the use of key themes to structure stories and characters around familiar themes: family, community, law and order, justice. Often set up as binary oppositions: right/wrong urban/rural, young/old, good/bad
Representation
Both represent the police and the law in a good way. Both represent family as a hub that stands together to stay strong.
No Offence represents the disabled community through all the victims being down-syndrome, this is radical as most shows do not represent this community as they just want a simple story that audiences engage with to make a profit.
PIERCE / BARTHES / SAUSSURE: SEMIOTICS radical and reactionary representations of police, family, law and order, through a range of signs (visual, graphic, audio, narrative, thematic etc)
Technical Codes
Both use similar camera angles and shot sizes
No Offence: Setting is a city. Is more comedic with scenes like the meeting in the ladies bathroom. The lighting is also more high key. The Killing: Is set in rural and urban backdrops. The lighting is more low key but also has high key depending on the mood of the scene.
LANGUAGE OF MOVING IMAGE (music, setting, props, lighting, use of camera, editing etc)
Students are not required to watch the film for the assessment, but is available on both i-tunes (rent + purchase) & amazon prime (rent only).
The film should only be studied in relation to Media Industries, specifically the production and distribution context.
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.
Students do not need to watch the film but will need to be familiar with the production context and distribution materials including:
Key Questions and Issues • Identification of how Chicken is characteristic of an independent film release, with consideration of budget, distribution, circulation. • Micro budget rather than low budget film (approximately £110,000) – entirely independent financing. • Distribution techniques – reliance on new technology; VOD, streaming, audience ‘programming’ (open screen etc.) • Continued use of traditional marketing and distribution; trailers, posters, film festivals etc. • The concept of “risk-taking” in terms of narrative choice available to independent studios • Regulation of the industry through BBFC (British Board of Film Classification). • Regulation including Livingstone and Lunt
Social, economic and cultural contexts Chicken is characteristic of contemporary cultural production in its use of new technology at production and distribution stages. Reflects shifting patterns of audience consumption. As a low budget film, it will be interesting to consider this film in its economic context, especially in comparison to big-budget Hollywood films.
Theoretical approaches Chicken is characteristic of the ‘risky’ business of cultural production (Hesmondhalgh), £100K + is a lot of money for a single individual, without a guaranteed return. Chicken also represents diversity in media production (Curran and Seaton) as this film provides a voice and narrative to groups who are not necessarily represented in mainstream media. Henry Jenkinsand David Gauntlett would acknowledge that web 2.0 enabled big businesses to exploit the web for commercial reasons, but would also argue that the internet remains the capacity to work as a social good and that online communities created via ‘participatory culture’ have the power to change the world for the better. Web 2.0 refers to websites that emphasize user-generated content, ease of use, participatory culture and interoperability for end users. Similarly, Clay Shirky argues that the media industry is increasingly driven by audience feedback systems rather than top-down control of proprieters. Read page 140 below.
Note how there is a focus on making judgements and drawing conclusions in this essay
Release
Chicken had its world premiere on 27 June 2015 Edinburgh International Film Festival. The film had its international premiere in competition at the 2015 Busan International Film Festival, followed by screenings at the New Hampshire International Film Festival, Giffoni International Film Festival, Cine A La Vista International Film Festival, Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, Schlingel International Film Festival and Dublin International Film Festival. It eventually received a limited theatrical release in the UK on 20 May 2016.
It was then acquired by MUBI UK, and had its British TV premiere on FilmFour April 2017. It received its DVD and Blu-ray release by Network on 18 September 2017.
Critical reception
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, empathetic performances from his small cast.”
Mark Kermode, also in a Guardian review, rated the film at four out of five stars stating that Scott Chambers’ performance is “superb”.
Anna Smith of Empire magazine gave the film a rating of four stars, responding that the film is “an enjoyable, involving British Drama with and impressive turn from newcomer Scott Chambers.
Cath Clarke of Time Out, commented that Chicken is “an impressively acted British Drama about a young man with learning difficulties.”
CineVue praised the film and mentioned that it is “the sort of British indie which restores faith in cinema”.
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.
