Section B: Index

1) The British film industry: Media Factsheet questions
2) Institutional context of the British film industry: Factsheet questions
3) Ill Manors: film review
4) Ill Manors: trailer analysis
5) Ill Manors: music video
6) Ill Manors: TEDx lecture
7) Ill Manors: broadcast platform concluded
8) Ill Manors: print platform (newspaper interviews)
9) Ill Manors: print branding
10) Ill Manors: e-media Tag London campaign
11) Ill Manors: e-media social networking research
12) Ill Manors: official website analysis
13) A Field In England: reading, research and questions
14) Ill Manors & A Field In England: institution research

Section B: Institution Research

Ill Manors: Funding and production budget

What was the estimated budget for Ill Manors?

• According to the IMDb, it is estimated the budget was £100000.

Where did the money come from? List the different organisations and companies that contributed funding to Ill Manors.

• The three companies who contributed to the film were Film London Microwave, BBC Films, Aimimage and Revolver Entertainment.

How did the Ill Manors budget compare to a Hollywood blockbuster such as Skyfall?

• Skyfall had a budget of $200 million in contrast to iLL Manors which only had £100,000.l The scale of Skyfall is very large and aims at a worldwide audience while iLL Manors is very focused in its demographic of London and United Kingdom.

A Field In England: Funding and production budget

What was the estimated budget for A Field In England?

• A Field in England had a budget of £316,000.

Why did A Field In England manage to secure a higher budget than Ill Manors?

• Distributors and investor had more faith in Ben Wheatley due to his track record in film making such as the TV show 'Ideal' he made and several films in his career in contrast to Ben Drew who had experience in music but a first time director which didn't allow him to generate as much funding.

Where did the money come from?  

• Film 4
• Rook Films

Film London and Microwave Film

What is Film London and why does it exist?
Film London is an organization which specialises in funding upcoming Filmmakers with their projects. It is supported by the goverment and also by the Mayor of London, Arts Council England and the BFI.

What is the purpose of Microwave Film?
Microwave Film allows filmmakers with experience to fund their first feature film with a budget of £150k+. Directors are nominated and then able to work with professionals in all aspects of film to develop their projects. Microwave will teach them the fundamentals of the executive/ distribution side of filmmaking.


Vertigo Films and Warp Films

What are the most successful films Vertigo Films has been involved in?

• Sweeny
• Street dance
• Football Factory
• Monsters (1,2)

Why do you think those films were successful with their audience?
I believe they were successful because of the uniqueness of the content chosen by them. We don't see many football films and Football Factory was one of a kind therefore they could really focus on the audiences they wanted to aim for and reach a wide demographic because of the individuality of the film. The same applies to some other films but generally I think that they have a good eye for films which have potential to do well.

What different film genres has Vertigo Films worked with?

• Sport
• Family
• Action
• Comedy
• Sci-fi
• Kids
• Thriller

Where did Warp Films start out?

What are the most successful films produced by Warp Films?

• This is England
• '71
• The Last Panthers

How have Warp Films helped to develop new talent in the film industry?
Warp Films was established by Warp Records founding partners Rob Mitchell and Steve Beckett. It was initially created with financial support from NESTA and had a remit to produce a number of short films.


Certification: BBFC

How does the certification process work at the BBFC?
Examiners would normally view the content whether that is a movie/film or a DVD. The examiner normally would view a DVD on their own- this is known as 'solo viewing'. Content that are eligible for solo viewing would often be TV series as well as work aimed at young children. Works that seem to hold controversial opinions would be viewed to more than one individual so that the outcome is diverse opinions.

What is the difference between a 15 certificate and an 18 certificate? 
15, Any of the following:

• strong violence
• frequent strong language (e.g. 'f***').
• portrayals of sexual activity
• strong verbal references to sex
• sexual nudity
• brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence
• discriminatory language or behaviour
• drug taking

18, Any of the following:

• very strong violence
• frequent strong language (e.g. 'f***') and / or very strong language (e.g. ‘c***’)
• strong portrayals of sexual activity
• scenes of sexual violence
• strong horror
• strong blood and gore
• real sex (in some circumstances)
• discriminatory language and behaviour

Why was Ill Manors given an 18 certificate? 

How might this have affected the Ill Manors target audience and commercial success?

What was the certificate for A Field In England? Why was this certificate awarded?

A Field in England has been given the 15 certificate.

This is because of the references to the drug use in the film which is part of the main plot and the appearances of violence and swearing.

What are the advantages and disadvantages for a film in being given an 18 certificate?

Advantages:

• It can prevent under age people from experiencing bad content that they are not prohibited to see.
• It can gain more hype because it is rated highly because of the content.

Disadvantages: 

• Lose target audiences and range of audiences. 
• It can make people afraid to watch the film.

A Field In England: the appeal of arthouse film

What are some of the suggested audience pleasures for arthouse film?
Certain audiences find subtitles off putting but others believe people can focus more on the dialogue and the story as it is the focus point of the film. Also art house films that are foreign tend to appeal better as audiences find them more artistic and less like a film made for commercial purposes. These types of films tend to affect the viewer with psychological effects rather than actual reactions and make people think more.

Why do some audiences struggle with arthouse film? Refer to some media theory here (there are some important media theories discussed in the article itself).
Many people find art house films off-putting as many of those films are foreign and therefore are presented with subtitles so when the film heavily relies on subtitles when there is a scene with a lot of dialogue, the audience states to be distracted from the main focus of the film. However, it is said that those types of films sometimes cross-over into the mainstream. An example being 'Crouching Tiger,Hidden Dragon' which had a budget of $17m and made an international box office of $213.5m (since 2010)

To what extent is arthouse film only for the middle classes and older audiences? Why might this be the case?
Arthouse film may appeal to older audiences more due to the films screening not being 'enough mainstream' for the younger demographic. The older viewer ship wants to see exotic films which multiplex cinemas do not show. However Arthouse screens are now implementing mainstream films into their shows so that can hopefully bring back audiences to watch a foreign film the next time. To add to this, Arthouse films narrative structure tends to be story driven rather than action driven which is one of the main reasons why a wider spectrum of audiences won't attend these screens.

What type of audience would A Field In England appeal to?
According to the BFI Insight Report:
'The primary audience was ABC1 18-25 years old, and frequent cinemagoers in the 25-35+ bracket, who might have already been aware of Wheatley's work.'

Section B: A Field In England

Summary:

A Field in England used a used an alternative marketing strategy by releasing the film on cinema screens, tv screens, DVD and on demand which meant that their marketing budget could be cut and audiences for this arthouse film could be reached much more naturally than to typical Hollywood distributors who follow a straight pattern of marketing their content in steps such as Trailer > cinema > DVD, etc. This allowed the film to earn over £20,000 in its opening weekend and over 1500 sales for a physical copy with 300k+ viewers tuning in on Film4 TV channel.

How was A Field In England’s release different to typical film releases?

They used a different distribution to the typical Hollywood distributor and released the film on all platforms the same day allowing audiences across the globe being able to access the content due to services such as VOD.

What are the advantages to releasing the film across all platforms on the same day?

The advantages are that audiences are able to be reached faster with the less need to market the film heavily and in a specific way. It allows audiences to make their own decision on how they wish to view the film.

What are the disadvantages to this approach?

Sales figures will suffer dramatically due to audiences not being forced to see the content in one place such as the cinema screen. If many people decide to view the film on TV then the sales drop down as it is a free service. Also the success of the film may fail as cinema screens decide whether to keep a film due to the tickets sold therefore they may not keep it on their screens for long.

What target audience would A Field In England be aimed at? Demographics and Psychographics.
Due to the variety of platforms the film was released on, I believe the film is aimed at B, C1, C2 category of people and explorers and reformers would appeal to this film because of the story of the film where men are forced to find hidden treasure.

Do you think all films in future will be released across all platforms simultaneously in future?
In terms of Arthouse films, yes. Simply because indie filmmakers do not have the budget to premier trailers and TV Spots before the release of their films and nor can they book large amounts of screens as their marketing is not strong enough to find a suitable audience and therefore this trend of multi-release will be a good option for those who want more recognition. However for Hollywood productions, this will not be the case just yet as the industry cares about their profits more than ever with the colossal list of films being rebooted just for the money side of it. On the other side, Spielberg and other Directors want to introduce a similar service to VOD called 'The Screening Room' which offers users to stream cinema releases same day for $150 per 48 hours. (This is in early development and may not happen at all.) As of right now this service is only available to wealthy figures in society with the company called Prima Cinema - The set-up box cost £25,000 alone and then films can be rented for £400 each.

Ill Manors E-media: Website Analysis

Ill Manors blog task


What examples can you find of the Ill Manors brand on the Ill Manors website homepage screengrab above?
Straight away we are presented with a banner on top of the screen which advertises the release of the film on DVD and Blu-ray. This was done to let the viewers know that the film is available on purchase for those who are fans and like to own a copy for themselves.
Furthermore, the side bar displays a logo with various links to videos, stills and reactions so that they audience can feel like they're in the world of iLL Manors and they can explore further if they wish. Other than that they only other branding is the image which has a hashtag embossed into the wall and encourages those who visited the site to tweet about the film.

How does the website encourage the audience to buy or interact with Ill Manors products?
The first thing is the banner on the top of the website which encourages users to buy the film and the second product is the graffiti on the wall in the centre which quotes 'iLL Manors Buy Now' which can have a meaning for both Drew's album and the film itself.  It could be said that the institutions are the brands themselves therefore at the bottom of the page below the credits are the institutional information.

Look at Plan B's official website. How does it use social media in terms of content and design? 
The website features all its social media links on the top right of the page however generally the whole page focuses on links to articles about Plan B himself, his music and most of the links are from Planbuk youtube page which are embedded and ready to watch. This website was also used to promote the iLL Manors campaign.

Scroll back through the wall to look at posts from around the release date of Ill Manors. How does this statement on Ill Manors link to other texts we have studied as part of this case study? Do you agree with his claim that he "won't justify" the riots? 

I agree with Ben Drew's points and beliefs about the riots. His song may inspire young people to leave those dangerous social groups but it won't stop it all at once. Drew believes that people who are 'alienated' should be given a second chance and therefore iLL Manors and the music that he will make should give some sort of justification towards the riots. The impact the film had can't be put into figures however it is story that many people look up to.

Why do you think social media is overtaking official websites in terms of film promotion?
Social media is more effective than independent websites as social media has been established over many years and therefore poeple are more likely to interact with the text and other people also. This is because people feel more 'at home' than to independent websites where they may need some type long process to interact and often people want to stay and adjust to one medium and therefore this is one of the reasons why social media is more effective in terms of film promotion.

Ill Manors: E-Media Off-Site Research

Ill Manors Facebook page

How many 'likes' has the Ill Manors film page had?
28,800 people have liked the facebook page.

What is the top of the page promoting?

The top banner of the facebook page is promoting the film but also the release of the film on DVD an Blu-ray.

Choose five of the posts on the page's wall, screengrab them and explain how they appeal to the Ill Manor's target audience.

1) News about the Brit Awards show, presents the target audience with an exciting event that can appeal to a much older generation as they can see if the film will win any awards.

2)BFI film academy post allows the younger audience who are interested in Ben Drew's approach to filmmaking give them a chance too for those who are passionate about making films.

3)Revolver Entertainment post is an example of cross promotion towards the film distributor and aims at the audiences who'd like to learn more about the production aspect of the film and how it was made.

4)Plan B shortlist Mercury Music Prize post focuses on the audiences who truly like Plan B's music and not just watch the film for what it is.

5)iLL Manors DVD promotion post aims at all audiences who wish to watch the film again after its theatrical release.

Find three examples on the Facebook wall of opportunities for user generated content or audience interaction (e.g. a question that invites people to comment or a competition to enter).

1)Mercury Prize awards post allows users to interact and vote/comment if Plan B on what they think Plan B will win.

2)HMV Signing post invites people on the page to talk about the film and the stars which feature in it.

3)Post asks about which scene had the most impact on the audiences and gets instant replies with people talking about the film.

How did the institution use the Facebook page to promote the film's release in May/June 2012?

Both the official page and Revolver Entertainment themselves cross promoted the film by interacting with the audience such as asking questions about the film and how it had an impact on them.

Ill Manors Twitter feed

How does the Ill Manors Twitter feed use the Ill Manors brand to promote the film?

The twitter feed promotes the film in all aspects such as the DVD promotion of the film but it also links the film to events in time of the tweets so when Plan B was accepting music awards, the twitter page would link him to the iLL Manors campaign within the tweets etc.

What hashtags are used on the Ill Manors Twitter feed?

#IllManors

#HMVSigning

Find celebrities the Ill Manors Twitter feed re-tweeted to promote the film and explain how they appeal to the Ill Manors target audience.

Ed Skrein - Actor in the film helps to reach audiences and promote the film because he was actually in it.

How has the Ill Manors Twitter feed used pictures to help promote the film?

The twitter page provided the audience with behind the scenes pictures from the film so that people can be more involved with the the filmmaking part of it. Also the twitter page has graphics of the DVD release to promote it visually.

How was the Ill Manors Twitter feed used to specifically promote the release of the film (May/June 2012) and the release on DVD (October 2012)? 

The twitter page displayed retweets of the public purchasing their copies of the film and they also used this time to promote and 'hype' people before the release of certain content related to the film. The page also posted reviews of the film from review sites such as imdb and amazon.

Instagram: Not Available.

YouTube - Planbuk Channel

How was the planbuk YouTube channel used to promote the Ill Manors film?
The Planbuk channel was used to promote Plan B's music that was featured thoughout the iLL Manors film. This channel promoted the music which highlights from the film which encouraged audiences see the film.

Find examples of synergy or cross-promotion between the planbuk YouTube channel and other media texts you have studied as part of the case study. Explain how they both promote the film and appeal to the Ill Manors target audience.
The Planbuk youtube channel cross promotes the music made by Ben Drew and allows both platforms of the music and film to relate to each other and have an impact on the people watching the film and the people listening to the music.

What links to other social networking sites can you find on the planbuk channel homepage?
iTunes
Facebook
Twitter
Soundcloud

Ill Manors e-media: Tag London campaign

Summarise the Ill Manors Tag London campaign in 100 of your own words.

The Ill Manors campaign allowed people and audiences to interact with the Director Ben Drew and feel like the way part of the film and story. The campaign consist of people tweeting out phrases that anwsered how Plan B's music was relateable to the real world and the lyrics behind it. Plan B's intention was to make people think of the untold truths of the youth in the London and from this marketing strategy, people had to think deeply about the meaning behind everything that was mentioned. In my opinion in terms of members of the public seeing the projected messages it seems like due to the graffiti text it was difficult for people to read.

How does the Ill Manors Tag London campaign help to promote the film

The Ill Manors Tag London campaign helps to promote the film as it is automatically generating free word of mouth around London from passers by who see the projected hashtag and find this interesting and therefore want to interact with it in the hope that their tweet will make it on the campaign page. Furthermore, the campaign is an effective strategy to market the film as instead of showing the trailer of putting up a film poster, instead the film is using public opinions to present to the general public how they feel about the motion picture.

What synergy (links) can you find between the Tag London campaign and other texts you have studied as part of the Ill Manors case study?

The synergy is in this campaign is between word of mouth, social media and the film itself. This is because the Tag London campaign wanted to ensure that this low budget feature film reached a wider audience and demographic of young people but also the middle and working class as it was important to Ben Drew to get his message cross to the public that the government is not doing anything about young kids who are troubled. This links to Ben Drew's interview on Jonathan Ross Show where he explained this whole situation to the nation. Drew did this in other television shows also but this one was important as it appeals to a range of audiences.

Why might user-generated campaigns like this be more successful than traditional media campaigns?
User generated campaigns give more interaction to the viewers as they are able to give their own opinions on all aspects of the film such as the actors, behind the scenes process, Ben Drew's intention and the use of his music in the film. Both mainstreamers are able to discuss these things but also critics and highs status celebrities. This gives everyone an equal chance to interact in contrast to traditional methods of marketing such as TV Spots where it is a one way marketing technique.

Examples of Tweets:

#ILLMANORS JUST ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF CAMERON'S BROKEN BRITAIN

SOUNDS LIKE THE TRUTH #ILLMANORS

LONDON IS CALLING, THE CITY IS CRUMBLING #ILLMANORS.

#ILLMANORS INCLUSION NOT EXCLUSION.

Most of these appeal to most likely middle class and mainstreamers as they link to Britain and David Cameron which the younger generation don't really care about.