I, Daniel Blake notes
social realist films
-deals with big social issues
-depict working class people
-small and fragmentary audiences
i, daniel blake - ken loach
What makes this an independent film?
Specific target audience - northern, working class/ underclass people looking for a job /people unwell looking for jobs
"tv ugly" actors - normal looking people, no makeup?
regional accents
What issues does this film focus on?
homelessness/ job benefit, health issues e.g heart attack, loss,
In what ways are working class people shown to be heroic?
strong and independent, fighting against the system
-not shot in a studio - filmed on location and cheaper
basic and straightforward narrative
-explain the ways in which social and political contexts may influence independent movies
not a focus on making money for indies
capitalist society - based on profit acquisition
how can a film that challenges capitalist ideology exist within a capitalist structure?
marketed by stunts - slogans projected directly onto the houses of parliament
I, Daniel Blake facts
Budget
16 Films Producer, Rebecca O’Brien, said it was a ‘modest amount’, even for a Ken Loach film. We know some of the funding it received (e.g. £300k from the BFI) and can estimate it to be around £2 million
estimated £1-2 million
earning box office, opening weekend, digital sales, total number of screens, worldwide gross
opening weekend
approx £15 million at box office
ownership - producers and distributors
director and actor resumes
ken loach
dave johns - stand up comedian
critical and audience reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 92%, based on 180 reviews, with an average rating of 8.01/10.
funding- how it actually got financed
300k from the BFI
& BBC
& national lottery (have also funded this girl can) - fund projects like this because gambling looks bad
canal + - french cable tv network - dubbed in france
awards and prizes
BAFTA for most outstanding british film in 2017
palme d'or in 2016
Box office of $15 million vs an ESTIMATED budget of $1-5 million. A low budget, independent film
Social realist film dealing with a hard hitting and intrinsically British issue. Clearly identifiable genre for white, middle class target audience
HOWEVER: the niche and fragmentary nature of the audience of independent films means that this film also appeals to a diverse, working class target audience; the 'true' audience as Loach doubtless sees it
Innovative marketing campaign saw ‘guerrilla’ screenings in town halls and projections of the trailer in public spaces
Funded by a range of sources, including French premium TV network Canal+, Film 4 and the National Lottery
Contradicts Curran and Seaton’s notion that media only exists for power and profit… or does it? Film was comparatively extremely financially successful, and saw international critical acclaim, winning a Palme D’or at Cannes
Curran and Seaton - The media is controlled by a small number of companies and primarily driven by profit and power.
Sonja Livingstone and Peter Lunt - Due to digitally convergent technologies made possible by the internet, it is now impossible to regulate any media industry.
David Hesmondhalgh - Every media industry is a specialised industry, and every media industry is structured to minimise risk and maximise profits
regulation is ineffective - netflix etc is easy to access
What is the dominant ideology ('message') of this scene?
BP- powerful person- super hero
DB- lower class has less power - differences between social class and the working class have less power
What genre conventions (superhero/social realist) does this clip encode?
BP- iconography of superhero suits, action, comedy
DB- emotional moments, high tension?
Who is the target audience for this product? How do you know?
BP- teenagers
DB- middle aged people (middle aged character)
In what ways are the target audience positioned through these scenes?
BP- alongside black panther, like a fellow superhero?
DB- with the characters - put into their shoes
In what ways can this clip appeal to local and global audiences?
BP- around the world - fantasy film
DB- maybe to teach people around the world about certain communities
I, daniel blake - 15 on BBFC - mild sex and nudity, moderate profanity and mild frightening and intense scenes
black panther - 12 on BBFC - moderate violence and gore, mild profanity (in the sound track also) , moderate frightening and intense scenes
daniel blake is rated harsher than black panther despite the tamer aspects - perhaps due to fantasy nature of black panther? or how social realist films can be "too real"
- In what ways did the critical reception of I, Daniel Blake differ?
The guardian praised it for it's directness, while The mail said the movie makes fun of the job centre workers/ government - How do these reviews reflect the two newspaper's political ideologies? Make sure you read the comments, which are a great way of assessing the ideology of the target audience! Click around both The Guardian website and The Daily Mail (Mail Online) websites to support your assertion
the guardian - left leaning - praising it for the true portrayal of the characters in the movie - e.g. people who want benefits are not lazy, some civil service workers just "doing their jobs"
the mail - imperialist - dislikes the portrayal of the civil service workers / government as the villain / heartless
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