Chicken Blog Task

Funding

1) What was the budget for Chicken?

 £110,000 of borrowed money.

2) How did Joe Stephenson end up raising the money to make the film?

By borrowing money from rich friends and family. 
3) How does the Chicken budget compare to a Hollywood-funded British blockbuster such as Spectre or Paddington 2?

Spectre- $245 million

Paddington 2- 40 million USD

4) Joe Stephenson tried to secure funding from organisations that help low-budget filmmakers. What is the BFI Film Fund and how does it contribute to the British film industry?

Their aim is to give art house cinema a place in modern film. 

"Our aim is to champion diverse, bold and distinctive films and increase the audiences for them across the UK. See a trailer of the films we’ve supported."

5) Why do you think Chicken failed to secure funding from the BFI Film Fund?

Perhaps they were a bit scared of making a film about someone with a disability as it might appear insensitive.


Production

1) What difficulties did the film run into during production?

Because of the outside locations, rain and bad lighting were main issues during the filming.

2) How many days did the film take to shoot?

19 days.

3) What scenes were particularly difficult for Joe Stephenson to film?

External scenes.

Distribution

1) Why did the film fail to secure a distribution deal when first made in 2014?



2) What film festivals did Chicken feature at between 2014-2016?

"Chicken had its world premiere on 27 June 2015 Edinburgh International Film Festival. The film had its international premiere in competition at the 2015 Busan International Film Festival, followed by screenings at the New Hampshire International Film Festival,^[2] Giffoni International Film Festival, Cine A La Vista International Film Festival, Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, Schlingel International Film Festival and Dublin International Film Festival. It eventually received a limited theatrical release in the UK on 20 May 2016."

3) Why are film festivals an effective way for a low-budget film to secure a distribution deal?

It generates interest in the film.

4) When was Chicken released in cinemas in the UK?

May 2016

5) Why do you think film subscription service MUBI chose the film to feature on the service?

It was considered to be "GREAT CINEMA".

6) Why was Film4 a good choice to give the film its UK television premiere?

Yes as it reaches a mainstream audience as well as a niche one.

7) When was the film released on iTunes and other video-on-demand services in the USA and Canada?

January 2018


Promotion

Note: some of these pages will be blocked in school - you will need to complete those particular questions at home.

1) What does the trailer suggest regarding genre and the potential audience pleasures of Chicken?

The trailer contains action and enigma codes that suggest violence and social realism.

2) What synergy can you find between the trailer and other traditional marketing methods such as the film poster?


3) Why are reviews from industry figures such as Mark Kermode so important to a film's success?

It establishes respected figures have enjoyed the film, making audiences aware of it as a success. 

4) How does the Chicken Twitter account create and maintain interest in the film?

They can give updates and promotion material throughout the production and distribution to widen the pool of people who are aware of it.

5) Who does the Twitter account re-tweet? How does this help to promote the film?



6) How does the Chicken Facebook page use images and video content to promote the film?



7) What pages are liked by the Chicken Facebook page? What does this tell you about the film and potential target audience?



8) Go to the website of the B Good Picture Company. What does the homepage say and what other films have they produced or are in production currently?

"Films that get people talking, make people think, make people care. "


Wonder Of You is currently in production

9) Now go to the B Good Picture Company's website page for Chicken. How does this page promote Chicken specifically?

‘"Chicken’ was B Good Picture Company’s debut feature film. The critically acclaimed film had its theatrical release in 2016 in the UK during its award-winning festival tour. It has since been highly recognised by Stephen Frears, Ian McKellen, Noel Clarke, Karen Gillan and Mark Kermode.

The film went on to be selected by the curators of MUBI, and acquired by Film4. Its journey continued in September 2017 with its Blu-ray & DVD release in the UK courtesy of Network Releasing.

The film is on the new AQA Media Studies curriculum in the UK, studied by college students nationwide.

‘Chicken’ was released in the US exclusively on iTunes early 2018, and continues to maintain its 100% Fresh Rotten Tomatoes rating.

As well iTunes, it is now available in the US & UK on Amazon Prime"

They talk about the critical acclamation. 

10) Go to the B Good Picture Company YouTube channel. What videos feature on the channel? How do they help to promote Chicken?

They have official clips from Chicken as well as clips using Ian McKellen's star power.


Final reading: Media Magazine - the appeal of arthouse cinema

Complete the following tasks to improve your understanding of arthouse film and the possible audience pleasures that the genre offers:

Read Beyond Hollywood: Reading Arthouse Cinema. This is in MM45 on page 24 - go to our Media Magazine archive to find the article. 

1) Summarise the article in 50 words.

Arthouse cinema focuses more on the artistic integrity of the movie than the financial benefits.

2) What are some of the suggested audience pleasures for arthouse film?

personal identity, entertainment and information/surveillance.

3) 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).

It is suggested some audiences would struggle with arthouse as it perhaps needs a better understanding of culture, or 'culture city'.

4) To what extent is arthouse film only for the middle classes and older audiences? Why might this be the case?

Older audiences, as well as the middle class, have more refined tastes and have the necessary knowledge to understand most of the references. This makes it more appealing to them.

5) What type of audience would be interested in Chicken?

Perhaps a British or culturally aware audience would enjoy it most as it deals with realistic characters that are meant to represent different classes.