Chicken: case study blog task
Funding
1) What was the budget for Chicken?
£110,000
2) How did Joe Stephenson end up raising the money to make the film?
Private investments from rich friends and contacts.
3) How does the Chicken budget compare to a Hollywood-funded British blockbuster such as Spectre or Paddington 2?
It is significantly lower than Hollywood blockbusters such as Spectre. It has a microbudget which emphasises how little funding there was for this production.Chicken had a micro-budget of £110,000. Spectre had a budget of $245–250 million and Paddington 2 had a budget of $50 million. The budget for these films is much greater than the budget for Chicken because these films appeal to mainstream audiences and they're guaranteed to be a success due to loyal audiences and the success of previous films.
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?
The BFI film fund uses the money paid for lottery tickets to provide financial aid and support to young filmmakers. It contributes to the British Film industry by giving these young filmmakers the platform to be able to produce films that otherwise would not be created or recognised. The films that are created often have cultural and/or artistic value and are typically aimed at niche audiences.
5) Why do you think Chicken failed to secure funding from the BFI Film Fund?
Because the BFI did not believe that Chicken would make a substantial profit or be successful, as it was highly unlikely for it to be consumed by mainstream audiences.It also failed to secure funding because it was a film with a unknown filmmaker.
Production
1) What difficulties did the film run into during production?
The majority of Chicken was filmed in external locations. Therefore, it was victim to rain and all other aspects of the weather.
2) How many days did the film take to shoot?
The film took a total of 19 days to record.
3) What scenes were particularly difficult for Joe Stephenson to film?
1) Why did the film fail to secure a distribution deal when first made in 2014?
Distributors found it unlikely that Chicken would generate enough revenue to create a profit - therefore, companies were unwilling to invest time and effort into the film.
2) What film festivals did Chicken feature at between 2014-2016?
Film festivals help to promote low budget films to a wider audience. As a result, more distributors would see how successful and critically acclaimed the film is, which would lead to them being more inclined to distribute the film.
4) When was Chicken released in cinemas in the UK?
It was released in UK cinemas in May 2016.
5) Why do you think film subscription service MUBI chose the film to feature on the service?
I think that MUBI chose this film to be featured on the service because of the fact that the film being critically acclaimed and winning several awards at various film festivals. MUBI most likely wanted to invest in the distribution of Chicken due to its rising success and it receiving more recognition.
6) Why was Film4 a good choice to give the film its UK television premiere?
Film4 shows mainstream films, as well as arthouse films that are aimed at niche audiences. Film4 was a good choice because it meant that a wider range of people would have seen Chicken - as well as those within the target audience.
7) When will the film be released on iTunes and other video-on-demand services in the USA and Canada?
It is set to be released in January 2018 - Stephenson is currently discussing deals with Netflix and Amazon Prime to get the film distributed through these platforms.
Promotion
1) What does the trailer suggest regarding genre and the potential audience pleasures of Chicken?
The sound used in the trailer suggests that the film would have an emotional element to it. This is somewhat true (I cried). It suggests the movie would fit into the indie/Drama genre.
2) What synergy can you find between the trailer and other traditional marketing methods such as the film poster?
The synergy between the film trailer and the poster is that they both use review quotes to emphasises how good their movie is. They also right the names of the people who said them and list the awards the movie has received.
3) Why are reviews from industry figures such as Mark Kermode so important to a film's success?
Mark Kermode is a highly regarded film reviewer who has reviewed top hollywood blockbusters. His recognition of the movie alone would attract a new audience and because he's so trusted, a positive review means a lot more people would be likely to go see it and tehy'll be optimistic about it, therefore continuing the films success.
4) How does the Chicken Twitter account create and maintain interest in the film?
By posting regularly and updating followers on what's going on, it's constantly reminding the audience about the film.
5) Who does the Twitter account re-tweet? How does this help to promote the film?
The account re-tweets reviews on the film and the directors tweets regarding the film. When and if someone who has a large following tweets about the film, there's more people who see the page and who might be interested in the film.
6) How does the Chicken Facebook page use images and video content to promote the film?
The Facebook page uses video and picture content to promote the film by showing their film reviews, giving the audience insights on the movie, showing them the film poster with reviews and showing them where they can purchase or watch the film on.
7) What pages are liked by the Chicken Facebook page? What does this tell you about the film and potential target audience?
The pages liked by the Chicken Facebook page are New Hampshire Film Festival, Everyman Cinemas and Little White Lies. This tells us that the film is quite unique and appeals to a niche audience.
8) Go to the B Good Picture Company's website page for Chicken. What celebrities are mentioned on the page? Why might they be highlighted?
The celebrities that were mentioned on the page are Mark Kermode, Noel Clarke, Karen Gillian and Stephen Frears. These names are important because these people are very big, influential people in the film industry as they are critics and can persuade people to go and see the film or persuade them not to watch it..
9) Now go to the film's official website. What is the key purpose of the website and what does this tell you about the influence of new technology and how it is changing how people watch films?
The key purpose of this website is to promote the movie and give audiences an understanding of what it's about. It shows the audiences where the movie is currently available. This tells us that the influence of new technology is increasing as more people can talk about it on social media, this way it is faster and more efficient as people spend more time on social media nowadays.
10) Go to the B Good Picture Company YouTube channel. What videos feature on the channel? How do they help to promote Chicken?
The channel features clips from the movie and short scenes which might appeal to the audience. Even though they don't have a very large number of followers, the channel should be quite easy to find.
1) What was the budget for Chicken?
£110,000
2) How did Joe Stephenson end up raising the money to make the film?
Private investments from rich friends and contacts.
3) How does the Chicken budget compare to a Hollywood-funded British blockbuster such as Spectre or Paddington 2?
It is significantly lower than Hollywood blockbusters such as Spectre. It has a microbudget which emphasises how little funding there was for this production.Chicken had a micro-budget of £110,000. Spectre had a budget of $245–250 million and Paddington 2 had a budget of $50 million. The budget for these films is much greater than the budget for Chicken because these films appeal to mainstream audiences and they're guaranteed to be a success due to loyal audiences and the success of previous films.
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?
The BFI film fund uses the money paid for lottery tickets to provide financial aid and support to young filmmakers. It contributes to the British Film industry by giving these young filmmakers the platform to be able to produce films that otherwise would not be created or recognised. The films that are created often have cultural and/or artistic value and are typically aimed at niche audiences.
5) Why do you think Chicken failed to secure funding from the BFI Film Fund?
Because the BFI did not believe that Chicken would make a substantial profit or be successful, as it was highly unlikely for it to be consumed by mainstream audiences.It also failed to secure funding because it was a film with a unknown filmmaker.
Production
1) What difficulties did the film run into during production?
The majority of Chicken was filmed in external locations. Therefore, it was victim to rain and all other aspects of the weather.
2) How many days did the film take to shoot?
The film took a total of 19 days to record.
3) What scenes were particularly difficult for Joe Stephenson to film?
- The scenes involving the chicken - difficult to control the chickens whilst filming
- Outdoor scenes - using an external environment meant that the weather wasn't always best for filming.
1) Why did the film fail to secure a distribution deal when first made in 2014?
Distributors found it unlikely that Chicken would generate enough revenue to create a profit - therefore, companies were unwilling to invest time and effort into the film.
2) What film festivals did Chicken feature at between 2014-2016?
- Edinburgh Internal Film Festival (2015) - world premiere
- Busan International Film Festival - international premiere
- New Hampshire Film Festival - US premiere (won Grand Jury Award)
- Giffoni International Film Festival - 2nd prize
- Cine A La Vista International Film Festival
- Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival
- Schlingel International Film Festival
- Dublin International Film Festival
Film festivals help to promote low budget films to a wider audience. As a result, more distributors would see how successful and critically acclaimed the film is, which would lead to them being more inclined to distribute the film.
4) When was Chicken released in cinemas in the UK?
It was released in UK cinemas in May 2016.
5) Why do you think film subscription service MUBI chose the film to feature on the service?
I think that MUBI chose this film to be featured on the service because of the fact that the film being critically acclaimed and winning several awards at various film festivals. MUBI most likely wanted to invest in the distribution of Chicken due to its rising success and it receiving more recognition.
6) Why was Film4 a good choice to give the film its UK television premiere?
Film4 shows mainstream films, as well as arthouse films that are aimed at niche audiences. Film4 was a good choice because it meant that a wider range of people would have seen Chicken - as well as those within the target audience.
7) When will the film be released on iTunes and other video-on-demand services in the USA and Canada?
It is set to be released in January 2018 - Stephenson is currently discussing deals with Netflix and Amazon Prime to get the film distributed through these platforms.
Promotion
1) What does the trailer suggest regarding genre and the potential audience pleasures of Chicken?
The sound used in the trailer suggests that the film would have an emotional element to it. This is somewhat true (I cried). It suggests the movie would fit into the indie/Drama genre.
2) What synergy can you find between the trailer and other traditional marketing methods such as the film poster?
The synergy between the film trailer and the poster is that they both use review quotes to emphasises how good their movie is. They also right the names of the people who said them and list the awards the movie has received.
3) Why are reviews from industry figures such as Mark Kermode so important to a film's success?
Mark Kermode is a highly regarded film reviewer who has reviewed top hollywood blockbusters. His recognition of the movie alone would attract a new audience and because he's so trusted, a positive review means a lot more people would be likely to go see it and tehy'll be optimistic about it, therefore continuing the films success.
4) How does the Chicken Twitter account create and maintain interest in the film?
By posting regularly and updating followers on what's going on, it's constantly reminding the audience about the film.
5) Who does the Twitter account re-tweet? How does this help to promote the film?
The account re-tweets reviews on the film and the directors tweets regarding the film. When and if someone who has a large following tweets about the film, there's more people who see the page and who might be interested in the film.
6) How does the Chicken Facebook page use images and video content to promote the film?
The Facebook page uses video and picture content to promote the film by showing their film reviews, giving the audience insights on the movie, showing them the film poster with reviews and showing them where they can purchase or watch the film on.
7) What pages are liked by the Chicken Facebook page? What does this tell you about the film and potential target audience?
The pages liked by the Chicken Facebook page are New Hampshire Film Festival, Everyman Cinemas and Little White Lies. This tells us that the film is quite unique and appeals to a niche audience.
8) Go to the B Good Picture Company's website page for Chicken. What celebrities are mentioned on the page? Why might they be highlighted?
The celebrities that were mentioned on the page are Mark Kermode, Noel Clarke, Karen Gillian and Stephen Frears. These names are important because these people are very big, influential people in the film industry as they are critics and can persuade people to go and see the film or persuade them not to watch it..
9) Now go to the film's official website. What is the key purpose of the website and what does this tell you about the influence of new technology and how it is changing how people watch films?
The key purpose of this website is to promote the movie and give audiences an understanding of what it's about. It shows the audiences where the movie is currently available. This tells us that the influence of new technology is increasing as more people can talk about it on social media, this way it is faster and more efficient as people spend more time on social media nowadays.
10) Go to the B Good Picture Company YouTube channel. What videos feature on the channel? How do they help to promote Chicken?
The channel features clips from the movie and short scenes which might appeal to the audience. Even though they don't have a very large number of followers, the channel should be quite easy to find.
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