Case study research tasks
The basics
Amma Asante's powerful, moving and gently subversive romantic melodrama is a finely wrought tale of a woman out of time, a film that plays eloquently upon the heartstrings as it interweaves familiar personal intrigue with stirring social history. Intelligently combining the enticing pleasures of a ripe costume drama with the still shameful legacy and lessons of the slave trade, Belle dresses its entryist agendas in the fashionable finery of a multiplex crowd-pleaser. The result is a handsomely mounted and emotionally engaging drama that smartly examines issues of race, class and gender while leaving nary a dry eye in the house.
1) What is the name of the film, the director and notable stars?
Belle
Director- Amma Asante
Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Matthew Goode, Emily Watson, Tom Felton
2) When was it released?
May 2, 2014 (USA)
3) What genre is the film? What are the generic conventions that tell you the film belongs to this genre?
Drama film, the generic conventions that tell me this film belongs to the 'drama film' genre, was the emotional narrative, as well as the rational development and progress of the characters as well as the narrative. Also the intense dramatic scenes of the heroin facing the conflicts of society
4) What was the critical reception? What is the film rated on IMDB or Rotten Tomatoes?
rated 7.4/10 on IMDb
rated 4.1/5 or 83% on rotten tomatoes
Broadcast
1) Write a close-textual analysis of the trailer using the MIGRAIN key concepts of Media Studies.
2) Find examples of television promotion on YouTube (adverts, chat shows, ‘red carpet’ interviews etc.) and post them to your blog along with an explanation of how these promote the film.
The trailer here is in Spanish, this promotes the film to a wider audience from the Spanish community.
The trailer has been uploaded onto Youtube
exclusive interview
Amma Asante gives a TEDx lecture
Anna Asante on TIFF 2013
raw interview of Gagu Mbatha
3) Does the broadcast promotion use stars to create interest in the film?
Yes Bella had stars in the production to generate interest in the film, these include Tom Felton, James Norton, Gugu Mbatha-Raw (who has won many nominations). However they are not extremely well known especially to the British audience.
Print
1) Read at least THREE reviews of the film and provide a quote from each one.
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/02/movies/belle-centers-on-a-biracial-aristocrat-in-the-18th-century.html?_r=0
'Melodramatic and grounded in history'
The Guardian
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jun/15/belle-review-costume-drama-teeth-slavery
' Belle dresses its entryist agendas in the fashionable finery of a multiplex crowd-pleaser'
'powerful, moving and gently subversive romantic melodrama is a finely wrought tale'
'This is the heart of Asante's enjoyable and uplifting film, '
'Building on the promise of her award-winning 2004 debut feature A Way of
'Life, Belle confirms Asante as an assured and insightful film-maker who knows just how much window dressing a picture requires to make it appealing to the eye. Embracing sentiment without going soft on substance, she hides her stronger purpose beneath a facade of gentility in a manner that would make Jane Austen smile. Bravo!'
IMDb
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2404181/
'
I walked out of the theater stunned at this passionate story of love, justice, acceptance, and society'
2) Find examples of print promotion (e.g. film poster, billboard adverts etc.) on Google images and post them to your blog along with an explanation of how these promote the film.
promotes the film as it has the date 'may 2'
'official selection Toronto international film festival'
'from the producer of 'the iron lady' has a targeted market and simultaneously appeals to the specific target audience. The fact that the characters are along the bottom of the poster may highlight recognisable film stars.
3) Choose ONE print advert and write a textual analysis of what it communicates to the audience.
The poster portrays English culture of the
Augustan Age, this is subsequent through her attire and the iconic furniture and setting she in in, therefore attracting the American audience. Moreover the fact that it says 'based on the inspiring true story' indicates the realism of the film and would be attractive to people who are slightly nostalgic. It directly communicates with the audience as the protagonist is looking directly at the camera. Furthermore, the assertive expression on her face contradicts the traditional gender roles of the society, therefore there the subversion of unfair traits are predicted through the poster. Ultimately the poster conveys a message of there being historical acknowledgement in the poster.
4) How is the film’s brand constructed? What does the brand connote? Does it remind you of any other brands or similar films? the film has links with Instagram, Facbook, Twitter
E-media
1) Research the film’s presence on social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc. How does the film’s social media presence help promote the film?
the film has links to the fox Instagram, Facbook, Twitter
2) Analyse the official website for the film. How does it use the film’s brand? What examples of synergy can you find with the other platforms?
http://www.belle-themovie.com/#/
on every page of the website there are links at the bottom of the page leading to the facebook, youtube, instagram and twitter.
3) Did the film run any kind of e-media based campaign to generate interest in the film? dont have one
4) Can you find any examples of the two-step flow theory online – did celebrities or journalists tweet or post about the film in order to promote it to their followers?
Audience
1) Who is the target audience for this film? Demographics and psychographics. DEM=C1,B,A
PSY= Resigned, Main Streamers (conformist), Aspirer's (image, appearance,materialistic)
2) How does the cross-media promotional campaign target this audience?
through the use of props, setting, lighting (mise-en-scene) many Americans and international countries may be interested in the British/English Heritage. On the CD cover, the website etc.
3) What audience pleasures does the film provide? Think about the BFI lecture on audience pleasures in British film.
Visceral Pleasures- when the Belle is hit
emotional pleasure- when she gets racial/ verbally abused
intellectual pleasures- when finding out what her Father is up to.
4) What similar films would the target audience enjoy? Justify your suggestions.
- The Madness of King George (1994)
- Sense and Sensibility (1995)
- Emma (1996)
- Pride and Prejudice (2005)
- The King’s Speech (2010)
Institution
1) Which film studio produced the film? What other films have they produced? Do they have a track record with this kind of film and this target audience?
Pinewood studios
http://www.pinewoodgroup.com/our-studios/uk/pinewood-studios
Television
The Weakest Link
Death Wish Live (Channel 4)
The Apprentice
Brainiac: Science Abuse - Series 4
Extras - Series 2
Take it or leave it
The IT Crowd - Series 1
Doctor Who - Series 2: The Impossible Planet
Commercials
LG
Walkers
BT
Lloyds TSB
Opel Cars
1824 Collective
Promos & Rehearsals
James Blunt (Pop Promo)
Thrice (Pop Promo)
Hard-Fi (Black Dog)
Gillette (Product Launch)
2009
Film
The Wolf Man
Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows
Gullivers Travels
Television
My Almost Famous Family
Little Charley Bear
2010
Film
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
2011
Prometheus
Skyfall (23rd James Bond film)
yes they do have track record of the kind of productions they produce as most of them are aimed at middle class consumers
2) Which company distributed the film in the UK? What other films have they distributed?
Distributed through the Fox Searchlight and the BFI,
8 1/2
Blade runner:the final cut
cry of the city
German concentration camps factual survey
3) Do they have a track record with this kind of film and this target audience?
no
4)What was the budget for the film?
| In Theaters: | Jun 13, 2014 Wide |
| On DVD: | Oct 20, 2014 |
| US Box Office: | £10.7M |
5) How successful was the film financially? Why do you think this was?
Opening Weekend: $106,578 | Total Domestic Gross: $10,726,630 |Worldwide Gross: $16,202,630,
this may have been because of how much money went into making it, but also because how how distant the release
on DVD and theaters were, this allows them to maintain an audience over a longer period of time.
6) Was this film more successful in the UK or worldwide/USA? Why do you think this is?
American audience would be bigger due to the attraction of British heritage
7) What certificate was the film given (12A, 18 etc.)? What was the reason for this certificate? Is the certification important for this film in terms of targeting its audience? Why?
http://www.bbfc.co.uk/what-classification/12a-and-12
Not generally suitable for children under 12. 12A - moderate violence, discrete sexual reference, Aggressive discriminatory language (for example homophobic or racist terms) is unlikely to be passed at 12A or 12 unless it is clearly condemned.
Representation
1) What representations of people, places or groups can be found in this film?
Middle class English background, Georgian aristocracy
2) What representation of ‘Britishness’ does the film contain? all the mise-en-scene ie setting, props etc.
3) How does the representation of Britain differ to Ill Manors? The rep for Belle are reformers, and the rep for ill manors are strugglers. They're both presented in positive and negative lights
4) What values and ideologies can you find in your chosen film? (E.g. The King’s Speech is extremely patriotic, pro-monarchy etc.) Intelligently combining and subverting the traditionally inferior stereotype of black people. (social equality in late 18th century)
Case study comparison
1) What similarities and differences can you find between Ill Manors, A Field In England and your chosen case study film? List all that apply.
