PAPER 1 Section B FILM MARKETING : Mainstream and independent films


TASK 1 MAINSTREAM AND INDEPENDENT FILMS 

What are  the main differences between a mainstream and an independent film ? 

Independent Film: Makes you think, ask questions, associated with critical issues, film more as art and cultural expression; mixture/undefined dramas, 
Social Themes/ Messages
Downbeat/ open endings 
Unknown actors, cheap stars
Small budget
Niche + small, older active audience 
Limited distribution
Lower production values
Typically targets older audiences
Conventions: no non diegetic sound, documentary feel (use of hand held camera), complex narrative, 
Realist genres, less escapist
on location shooting 
desaturated colour palette, natural lighting
Biutiful - 2010 - social realism - Alejandro Inarritu - social realism; conventions - 
Mainstream Film: Makes you laugh, makes you cry, associated with commercial success, film as escapist entertainment 
Genres: action, superhero, sci-fi
Franchise
Escapist entertainment, upbeat ending/closed, 
Funding and production - major studio
Budget, music, merchandising, marketing
Distribution - large scale 
Budget - commercial success
Historically and commercially the film industry is controlled by Hollywood and "the big six"
Large mass passive audience
Targets youth audience
Casino Royale 2006 action adventure - MGM/ Sony Columbia 

TASK 2 :   MAINSTREAM FILM : BLACK PANTHER

1 Why is Black Panther defined as a mainstream film ? - Black Panther is a part of the Marvel franchise, also fits into the action/superhero, therefore has a mainstream audience. 

Does it also have any of the key features of an independent film ? 


2 How does Black Panther fit into the Marvel franchise and universe ?

T'Challa is a fictional character portrayed by Chadwick Boseman in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film franchise, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name and known commonly by his alter ego, Black Panther. Boseman's performance as Black Panther is notable as one of the first black superheroes in a big-budget film and has received acclaim. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created Black Panther due to Lee's desire in the mid-60s to include more African and African-American characters in Marvel Comics. In a 1998 interview, Lee explained his motivation: "I wasn't thinking of civil rights. I had a lot of friends who were black and we had artists who were black. So it occurred to me... why aren't there any black heroes?"[5] The name, Black Panther, was inspired by a pulp adventure hero who has a black panther as a helper.

3 What makes it different from other films in the Marvel cinematic universe ? This is one of the first Marvel films with a black main character as the superhero. Boseman's performance as T'Challa/Black Panther has not only received critical acclaim from critics and audiences, but has become significant as one of the first superheroes of African descent to gain a leading role in a big-budget film.[38] With T'Challa's MCU debut in Captain America: Civil War, Eliana Dockterman, writing for Time, described the character's significance and wrote that he intrigued audiences in a supporting role.[39] Two years later, Jamil Smith, also of Time, wrote that T'Challa's character and the Black Panther film in general were significant as they showed "what it means to be black in both America and Africa—and, more broadly, in the world." He describes T'Challa as a "fictional African King with the technological war power to destroy you—or, worse, the wealth to buy your land" and argued that the film embodied "the most productive responses to bigotry" by showing the potential of minorities, especially those of black descent.[40] Likewise, Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter praised Boseman's performance, stating that he "certainly holds his own" among strong performances from other actors in the film.[41]Consider  the narrative of the film ,characters, critical response, range of audiences


4 What  made it successful ? 

Consider the film itself, the star, the existing fanbase , the cultural contexts of its release e.g  BLM , oscars so white , the range of audiences. 

Due to the BLM movement, people were questioning why films with back characters and black producers weren't winning any oscars, and the Black Panther came along, being a high-budget film of the Marvel franchise, that also did well, it was the perfect opportunity for the Oscars to give them awards, in order to make the industry look less racist and biased. 

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