- Directed by Gurinder Chadha (Known for “Bend it like Beckham” 2002)
- The film released in Jan 2019
- Bruce Springsteen’s music was licensed for use within the film
- The film had a low-mid budget of 15M$
- New Line Cinema, Levantine Films, Ingenious Media and Bend It Films funded the film
- Film follows the experiences of Sarfraz Manzoor’s upbringing in 1980’s Luton and how Bruce Springsteen’s Lyrics impacted him
- New Line Cinema is associated with more “indie” and “niche” film releases and is a subsidiary of Warner Bros.
- Production in US and UK – Globalisation.
- They used social media i.e. Twitter and YouTube to help advertise the film (Distribution)
- The film is available to watch in several countries (Globalisation)
Daily Archives: January 16, 2022
Filters
Blinded by the light (2019)
- Blinded by the Light is an example of a US/UK co-production and distribution.
- Directed by Gurinder Chadha from Bend it Films, who also directed ‘Bend it Like Beckham’ (2002)
- Its distributor New Line Cinema (an American production studio owned by Warner Brothers Pictures Group) is associated with ‘indie’ films and is co-funded by independent production companies including Levantine Films. Bend it Films and Ingenious Media.
- Costing $15million to make, the movie is a low-mid budget production
- Traditional marketing and distributing techniques were used, such as posters, trailers, film festivals etc… , to promote the film
- The true story generates a sense of sentiment and makes it more relatable
- The role of Bruce Springsteen’s music engages a wider audiences through nostalgia based appeals
| Bend It Networks | – ‘based on the memoir ‘Greetings From Bury Park’ by journalist/broadcaster Sarfraz Manzoor which chronicles his experiences as a British Muslim boy growing up in 1980s Luton and the impact Bruce Springsteen’s lyrics had upon him’ – ‘he [Springsteen] had not only read, but admired the book’ |
| Deadline (Mike Flemming, 2019) | – ‘New Line has confirmed Deadline’s scoop that it has acquired Blinded By the Light after its big Sundance Film Festival bow’ – ‘It is the biggest sum paid for a Sundance film so far in what has turned out to be a very hot market. – ‘Some of the allure of Blinded by the Light had to do with the surprisingly universal appeal of Springsteen’s coming-of-age tunes’ |
| Variety (Roy Trakin, 2019) | – ‘setting up a spirited bidding war won by Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema’ – “It’s a reminder to all of us what our lives were like back then, and what we’ve achieved since then. I believe we’ve moved on from that.” – Chadha |
| Independent (Clarisse Loughrey, 2019) | – ‘strikes right to the heart of why Springsteen’s work has had such an impact on culture’ – ‘Blinded by the Light offers not only a reminder of Springsteen’s lyrical genius, but of how he’s always served as a beacon for the disenfranchised, wherever they may be.’ |
| Production | Levantine Films. Bend it Films and Ingenious Media |
| Distribution | New Line Cinema (owned by Warner Brothers) |
| Exhibition | Netflix, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter |
| Merging | in 2008, New Line Cinema shut down as an independent company in order to merge with Warner Brothers |
| Conglomerate | Warner Media – owns Warner Brothers, distributor or ‘Blinded by the Light’ |
| Globalisation | The American company New Line Cinema working with British company Bend it Films allows them to reach a wider market, creating much larger profit margins for the two companies |
| Horizontal Integration | multiple companies worked together to produce the film as well as the multiple platforms used to exhibit the film which ultimately increases market power and reduces competition |
| Cultural Imperialism | The American singer Bruce Springsteen dominates the way that the main character, Javed, perceives the world around him which according to his Father humiliates his Pakistani background |
| Gatekeeping | New Line Cinema will regulate certain aspects of the film in order to promote a certain message. Eg – the incorporation of America in the film appeals to a wider audience as it imposes western views and is representative of the American company |
| Regulation | Rated as a 12A by BBFC due to ‘racist language and behaviour’ and ‘ moderate bad language’ |
Livingstone and Lunt – the idea that there is an underlying struggle in recent UK regulation policy between the need to further the interests of citizens (by offering protection from harmful or offensive material), and the need to further the interests of consumers (by ensuring choice, value for money, and market competition).
David Hesmondhalgh wrote The Culture Industries (2002) which highlights his concerns with the creative industry and it being too business and economically driven, effecting the quality of work life and human well being. Forbes magazine estimated that in 2018 over 80% of the 700+ films created made no profit, which supports Hesmondhalgh’s view that the creative industry is a ‘RISKY BUSINESS‘
| Risks | How the Risks are Minimised |
|---|---|
| It can take considerable marketing efforts to break a potential writer or performer as a new ‘star’, especially without a built initial fanbase meaning hiring newcomer Viveik Kalra as the main character may have posed potential risk | Star formatting allowed the producers to introduce well-known stars, such as Hayley Atwell from the avengers franchise, with a ready-made audience in order to neutralise a potential loss of engagement whilst also allowing opportunity for new actors to thrive. Furthermore, the use of traditional social media marketing techniques allows for wider publicity without being too expensive |
| An audiences tastes are continuously adapting which makes predicting their needs and wants nearly impossible which is especially difficult in such a competitive market | Remaking a previously successful book with a ready made audience ensures the company that the film will generate sales whilst also saving time and money, which could make up for possibility of potential loss, for the production companies as the narrative is already laid out for them. |
| With such a varied market it can sometimes be difficult to generate new and unique ideas, especially when a film is being distributed by such a huge mainstream company like Warner Brothers, and therefore could result in a failed production and a loss in profit | Rebranding Springsteen’s patrimony, the narrative can engage the tastes of more contemporary audiences whilst also touching a wider audience through nostalgia based appeals, such as those who listened to Springsteen during his prime era. Also the use of independent labelling engages the alternative audiences who are reluctant to consume mainstream media. |
plan
- 1: david hesmondhalgh – risky business
- 2:about the film – budget, quote bend it networks
- 3: risk 1 – merging, exhibition
- 4: risk 2 – globalisation
- 5: risk 3 – horizontal integration, production, distribution
- 6: conclusion – quote Variety and Deadline, many risks in the industry however producers minimised them effectively
blinded by the light
New Line Productions, Inc., doing business as New Line Cinema, is an American film production studio and a label of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye as an independent film distribution company, later becoming a film studio.
Warner Bros. Pictures[4] is an American film production studio and division of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which is owned by AT&T’s Warner Media. The studio is the flagship producer of live-action feature films within the Warner Bros
‘Blinded by the Light’, directed by Gurinder Chadha (known for 2002 film ‘Bend it like Beckham’), was released in January 2019.
Budget film that had a cost $15 million to make
The music is by Bruce Springsteen a well known American artist
True story about a young Pakistani boy growing up in 80s Britain
The film is regulated by BBFC
The movie has Social Media accounts such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to help the distribution by promoting it.
A ‘feel good jukebox musical film’ – description of Blinded by the Light film.
A mixture of independent and major production / distribution contexts, targeting towards a different audience to ‘indie’.
Indie – Produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies.
Box office – $18.1 million
Initial release: January 27, 2019
Director: Gurinder Chadha
Music by: A. R. Rahman (Bruce Springsteen)
Production companies: Levantine Films; Ingenious; Bend It Films; Cornerstone Films
Key words/definitions
- Cultural industries – An economic field concerned with producing, reproducing, storing and distributing cultural goods/services.
- Production- The act of producing an output, goods or service which has value and contributes to the utility of people.
- Distribution- The methods by which media products are delivered to audiences, including the marketing campaign
- Exhibition / Consumption-The sum of information and entertainment media taken in by an individual or group. It includes activities such as interacting with new media, reading books and magazines, watching television and film, and listening to radio.
- Media concentration-
- Conglomerates-a thing consisting of a number of different and distinct parts or items that are grouped together.
- Globalization (in terms of media ownership)-The production, distribution, and consumption of media products on a global scale facilitating the exchange and diffusion of ideas cross-culturally.
- Cultural imperialism-the imposition by one usually politically or economically dominant community of various aspects of its own culture onto another non-dominant community.
- Vertical Integration- Vertical integration refers to the process of acquiring business operations within the same production vertical. A company that opts for vertical integration takes complete control over one or more stages in the production or distribution of a product. (distribution company buying a production company)
- Horizontal Integration- Horizontal integration is a business strategy in which one company acquires or merges with another that operates at the same level in an industry. Horizontal integrations help companies grow in size and revenue, expand into new markets, diversify product offerings, and reduce competition. (Production company buying another production company)
- Mergers-The voluntary fusion of two companies on broadly equal terms into one new legal entity
- Monopolies- The exclusive possession or control of the supply of or trade in a commodity or service.
- 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- The process by which a range of specific, often legally binding, tools are applied to media systems and institutions to achieve established policy goals such as pluralism, diversity, competition, and freedom.
- Deregulation- The removal of regulations or restrictions, especially in a particular industry.
- Free market- A system in which the prices for goods and services are self-regulated by buyers and sellers negotiating in an open market.
- Commodification – The transformation of things such as into objects of trade or commodities. (charging people for things)
- Convergence – Transforms established industries, services, and work practices and enables entirely new forms of content to emerge.
- Diversity – The condition of having many different elements.
- Innovation – The practical implementation of ideas that result in the introduction of new goods or services or improvement in offering goods or services.
A=1 B=2 C=5