1) Independent cinema is very different to Hollywood blockbusters in the way that they have a much smaller budget and are often financially supported by public service broadcasters, film institutions and charity funding. In most cases, they are also distributed by smaller companies and the directors and producers have more creative input, with the fact that they are solely made from their own visions and not from studio bosses.
2) I, Daniel Blake is about a 59-year-old man named Daniel Blake, who worked as a joiner for most of his life in north-east England and requires help from the State for the first time ever after undergoing a fatal illness. He comes across a woman called Katie who is a single mother to two young children, Daisy and Dylan. They live in a one-roomed homeless hostel in London with the only way out being to accept a flat that is 300 miles away. Daniel then starts to fight for his dignity and leads a one-man crusade for kindness that will help change the lives of struggling mother Katie and her two children. It is a drama which gives off a strong political message about Britain in an age of government austerity.
3) The director of I, Daniel Blake was Ken Loach, who specializes in a social realism style. This was important as he is a director with no desire to achieve success in Hollywood, and instead strives to tell stories which represents the reality of the ordinary working class and the social hardships they may face - such as: unemployment, poverty and addiction. His films also consist of political themes. Instead of attaining stardom in Hollywood or create films for fame or money, his goal is to educate others on the social issues many people have to face.
4) I, Daniel Blake was promoted through a number of ways. One of these methods were with free (or 'pay what you can') screenings and talks about the movie across the UK in order to build local enthusiasm for the film's message. Also, the film was premiered not in London, but in Newcastle - which is where the film was set. They did this so that they could gain support from the locals. 'I, Daniel Blake' was projected onto the Houses of Parliament (this tactic is called 'guerrilla marketing') and in other cities to obtain public attention. Ken Loach appeared on BBC Question Time to talk on issues which gave the film extra credibility.
5) One of the strategies used to market the film was guerrilla marketing. This was done by using an unusual way to promote the film, by projecting the title onto the Houses of Parliament, in order to acquire attention from the public and get more people talking about the movie.
6) The production budget of I, Daniel Blake is difficult to establish exactly, however it was said to have been a 'modest amount', even for a Ken Loach film. Although, the amount is estimated to have been at least around £2 million (compared to Black Widow, which cost $200 million to produce). I, Daniel Blake was exhibited in 24 counties, performing very well in Europe and other smaller countries. It grossed £11 million at the box office and received a large amount of positive reviews from critics.
7) Compared to a huge Hollywood blockbuster like Black Widow, which cost $200 million to produce and acquired $379.8 million at the box office, an independent film like I, Daniel Blake performed well seeing as it is a much smaller film in comparison to the largely known movie Black Widow, which is part of an even much larger franchise. Indie films such as I, Daniel Blake can compete with bigger films by bringing in a local audience rather than a world-wide audience, in order to make sure the message of the film goes through.
8) In my opinion, I, Daniel Blake was a success seeing as it is an independent film however it grossed as much as £11 million. This was also five times more than their production budget. I, Daniel Blake was also awarded the Palme D'or from the Cannes Film Festival, won other awards and gained positive audience reviews. It also managed to raise awareness and spread a very important message which needed to be heard.
No comments:
Post a Comment