Blinded by the Light is an example of a US/UK co-production and distribution. Its distributor New Line Cinema is associated with ‘indie’ films although it is a subsidiary of Warner Brothers Pictures, part of the global conglomerate, WarnerMedia.
Blinded by the Light is a low-mid budget production ($15m) co-funded by New Line Cinema (an American production studio owned by Warner Brothers Pictures Group) and independent
production companies including Levantine Films. Bend it Films and Ingenious Media.
It is based on the ‘true story’ of a Pakistani boy growing up in the UK in the 1980s. These links demonstrate how the historical context, nostalgia and British-Asian identity is used in the promotion of the film.
• website (Bend it Networks)
• website (Warners)
• posters
• trailer
• social media presence (Twitter, Instagram, facebook etc).
It is based on the ‘true story’ of a Pakistani boy growing up in the UK in the 1980s. These links demonstrate how the historical context, nostalgia and British-Asian identity is used in the promotion of the film.
They use instagram, twitter facebook
They have 1472 Instagram followers and 37 posts. They last posted on the 17th august 2019.
13k likes on their facebook page
Blinded by the light has a trailer on Youtube posted on the Kinocheck.com channel with 1.1 million views.
3488 follwers on twitter
They use social media to advertise(distribute)
- Cultural industries- Refers to various businesses that produce, distribute, market or sell products that belong categorically in creative arts. Including clothing, decorative material for homes, books, movies, television programs, or music.
- Production- The action of making or manufacturing from components or raw materials, or the process of being so manufactured.
- Distribution- Distribution means to spread the product throughout the marketplace such that a large number of people can buy it. 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.
- Media concentration-in which decreasing numbers of individuals and organizations own media outlets, effectively concentrating the ownership of multiple organizations into the control of very few entities.
- Conglomerates-a company that owns numerous companies involved in mass media enterprises.
- Globalisation (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-Western nations dominate the media around the world which has a powerful impact
- Vertical Integration-When a company does all 3 production, distribution and consumption
- Horizontal Integration-When a company only produces.
- Mergers- Combining two or more things into one.
- Monopolies-concentrated control of major mass communications within a society.
- Gatekeepers- is a process by which information is filtered to the public by the media.
- Regulation-a rule or directive made and maintained by an authority.
- Deregulation-the removal of regulations or restrictions, especially in a particular industry.
- Free market-an economic system in which prices are determined by unrestricted competition between privately owned businesses.
- Commodification-Process by which things, services, ideas, and people relations are transformed into objects for sale.
- Convergence- a phenomenon involving the interconnection of information and communications technologies, computer networks, and media content.
- Diversity-it means understanding that each individual is unique, and recognizing our individual differences.
- Innovation- the process of not just an “invention” of a new value for journalism, but also the process of implementing this new value in a market or a social setting to make it sustainable.
David Hesmondhalgh says; “All business is risky, but the cultural industries constitute a particularly risky business”
Independent production companies can secure funding from private investors but usually they are funded by arts agencies, such as the British Film Council or the British Film Institute.
Unlike studio films, which usually have a mainstream cinema release, independent production companies enter their films into local, national and international film festivals to gain exposure with distributors who may then buy the distribution rights.
Producers: Gurinder Chadha, Jamal Daniel, Jane Barclay
DistributionBlinded By The Light was picked up by New Line Cinema at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival after a bidding war with various other major film distributors. The film had been well received by audiences at the film festival. The all-night auction following the world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2019 guaranteed the film a major global cinema release which many films never achieve.
Previously offered for sale at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival but did not attract a buyer at that point although UK distribution was secured by eOne Entertainment, a Canadian media company.
New Line Cinema are an American production studio owned by Warner Brothers Pictures Group.
The film was released in cinemas worldwide in August 2019. The DVD release followed in December 2019 distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment – a Viacom company.
Deal with Amazon Prime secured in early 2020 for streaming in the UK.
Promotion and marketingBlinded By The Light was backed by a major international marketing campaign: Traditional marketing: trailer, film poster with review quotes etc.
Premieres – London, Luton and Asbury Park, New Jersey (attended by Bruce Springsteen).
Heavy social media presence – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube.
Funding
Blinded By The Light cost around $15m to make. Key points:Bend It Films developed the film with support from Levantine Films and Ingenious Media.
Levantine Films is an independent production company that had a major success with Hidden Figures in 2016 which grossed $230m at the worldwide box office.
The Ingenious Group is an investment company that invests money in projects that have the potential to deliver future profits.
