Independant Case Study

Belle ($11m budget)

What is the name of the film, the director and notable stars?

Name of the film: Belle

Director: Amma Asante

Notable stars: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Tom Wilkinson, Miranda Richardson, Penelope Wilton, Matthew Goode, Emily Watson. 

When was it released?

Release date: 2 May 2014 (United States) 13 June 2014(United Kingdom)

What genre is the film? What are the generic conventions that tell you the film belongs to this genre?

Genre: Drama film

You can tell that the film belongs to this genre because of the in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Also the theme of racial prejudice is portrayed throughout the film which is a dramatic theme.  

What was the critical reception? What is the film rated on IMDB or Rotten Tomatoes?

The film received a great reception and was rated 7.4 out of 10 on IMDB.

Broadcast

 Write a close-textual analysis of the trailer using the MIGRAIN key concepts of Media Studies.

The trailer for Belle clearly shows the audience the time the movie was set due to the costumes that were worn. It was set in England in the late 1700s were racial attitudes has not completely changed compared today. This would attract the American audience as the film portrays the British culture back in the days. The non-diegetic sound helps to create the setting of an old-fashion British lifestyle. The trailer itself helps to promote the film as it would be distributed around social media but also on the trailer, they reveal comments and ratings on the film. The trailer also shows the meaning behind the film, which is to do with racism and it includes the words "I have no idea she would be so black".

Find examples of television promotion on YouTube (adverts, chat shows, ‘red carpet’ interviews etc.) and post them to your blog along with an explanation of how these promote the film.

This red carpet interview promotes the film because it helps create a buzz about the film Belle. This would be posted on YouTube which would interest people and help bring more interest to Belle. 

This interview for the main character Gugu Mbatha-Raw and the director Amma Asante, allows the audience to see the true identity of the main character and the ambitions of the director. This helps maintain the audiences attention toward the film as they would be intrigued to find out more about the Belle. 

The chat show between most of the characters from Belle gives the audience some behind the scenes information about Belle. This helps promote the film because it keeps everyone interested and it helps increase the audience for the film as people would pay more attention to it. 

Does the broadcast promotion use stars to create interest in the film?

Yes, especially the main star as she is not a known actress and it was her first time doing a period drama therefore people are able to develop a personal relationship with her. People were amazed with the way she portrayed her character and so she was in most of the interviews and chat shows.

Print

Read at least THREE reviews of the film and provide a quote from each one.
Rotten Tomatoes - "a spirited, good-natured and crowd-pleasing costume drama"
Time Out - "a good-looking and exceedingly polite film"
IMDb - "worth traveling to see"

Find examples of print promotion (e.g. film poster, billboard adverts etc.) on Google images and post them to your blog along with an explanation of how these promote the film.

This print promotion is a billboard poster which promotes the film to people on the streets by informing them when the film comes and who are the main characters. 

This DVD cover promotes Belle as this would be the cover that people see at DVD shops. The print has a close-up of the main character posing sophisticatedly which can be seen amongst the majority of the print promotion so it is almost like the film's Brand. 

This magazine cover promotes the film also because the main character is once again posing in a sophisticated manner. The font used to write the title of the film "Belle" is also similar to the font used for the DVD cover. 

Choose ONE print advert and write a textual analysis of what it communicates to the audience.

Rolling Out is a magazine provides black celebrity news, entertainment, business and politics. Therefore it helps to increase the film Belle's fan base due to the relatable theme and narrative that Belle provides.

Gugu is portrayed in this magazine as a strong representation of women and as someone that all women should follow. This is because the posture that Gugu is posing conveys power and strength. The sell line also states the word "empower" which is definitely the theme that the magazine is trying to depict. The pose and the setting around her is usually how important royal people were asked to pose when having their painting drawn. Since she is in olden time costumer, the magazine might bring enigma codes as people will be confused why a mixed race women would be allowed to pose like that especially if the movie was set in the 1700's. This also gives hints about the narrative of the film because it is a true story all based around a picture where two women were drawn with equal standards despite being different races. 

How is the film’s brand constructed? What does the brand connote? Does it remind you of any other brands or similar films?
The film brand is constructed around the font of Belle as it is a recognizable way to recognize the film. Also the main character is a big part to the brand because she is always shown on chat shows or print promotions and when she is shown on these print works she is in the costume for the film and is posing in a sophisticated and powerful manner.
The brand connotes strength and power to the ones who are looked down on but also it connotes the 1700s and how racial opinions were much different than then how they are today. Overall, it connotes the settings of the film which brings the powerful meaning behind Belle.
This can be said to be similar to Ill manors because the ill Manors brand was also the font of ill Manors and how they conveyed the setting of the film which was estate buildings which then gives more information on the meaning behind the film.

E-media

Research the film’s presence on social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc. How does the film’s social media presence help promote the film?

On Twitter, there were a lot of hashtags used for the film such as #bellemovie. This helps promote the film because the more hashtags being used and seen the more people will want to know and see Belle which could make the hashtag go trending. 

On Facebook, the Bell page has a lot of people who follow the page and therefore, in order to promote the film and maintain the interest of the readers, videos and pictures as well as statuses about Belle was constantly uploaded so that the audience can gain knowledge about the film. 

On Instagram, there wasn't a page for promoting Belle, however, numerous amounts of hashtags of users who enjoyed the film was to be seen. This helps promote the film because more and more people will see the hashtag as well as a picture of or from the movie. This can help expand the fan base for the film.

Analyse the official website for the film. How does it use the film’s brand? What examples of synergy can you find with the other platforms?

http://www.belle-themovie.com/#/

The website has a big picture of Gugu, the main character on the website. There are many details that are on the website. The trailer besides other videos are on the website along with pictures from the movie. Links to social media is seen on the website, which is an example of synergy, as well as film review quotes from The New York Times and the Screen Daily. The website uses the film's brand as Gugu is seen in her usual 1700's costume but also the font of Belle is clearly seen at the top. 

Did the film run any kind of e-media based campaign to generate interest in the film?

There was synergy shown during the campaign on twitter where people would hashtag #belle alongside with #12yearsaslave which is a popular movie to do with racism. This would have helped promote the film and make it more known.

Can you find any examples of the two-step flow theory online – did celebrities or journalists tweet or post about the film in order to promote it to their followers?

On Facebook, Oprah Winfrey stated: I loved the #BelleMovie so much I invited cast to lunch at my house. GuGu Mbatha-Raw is a rising star! Watch tonight on Entertainment Tonight.
She then uploaded a picture of her with the stars of Belle. 

This is an example of the two-step flow theory because, as a famous person who has millions of fans that look up to her and listen to her advice besides opinion. Oprah has shown her fan base that she loves the movie. This promotes the film because her fans would be interested to watch the movie and perhaps even love it because Oprah did. Also the picture she uploaded helps to promote the film and the stars as people would recognize them after seeing the picture.

Audience

Who is the target audience for this film? Demographics and psychographics.

The target audience for Belle would be people of the age 24-50 who are reformers and strugglers. They would be in the demographic group of B and C1 so in the middle of the social class group as they would be interested in the setting of the film.

How does the cross-media promotional campaign target this audience?

It targets the audience through social media and synergy between broadcast and e-media especially with relating the film with 12 years a slave which shares a similar narrative.

What audience pleasures does the film provide? Think about the BFI lecture on audience pleasures in British film.

Due to the use of British accents and olden time costumes that was worn in the 1700s, this would appeal to the British audience but also the American audience as they usually enjoy watching films that provide a historical background on Britain. There is also a sense of personal relationship in the film as the audience would feel sympathy for Dido and would taker her side and view her as the protagonist.

What similar films would the target audience enjoy? Justify your suggestions.

Films with a story behind it would greatly appeal to the target audience for example 12 years a slave. Other films would be those who send a positive message or a film that displays the change form our generation to the earlier generations.

Institution

Which film studio produced the film? What other films have they produced? Do they have a track record with this kind of film and this target audience?

DJ Films

Isle of Man Film
Pinewood Pictures
BFI

Which company distributed the film in the UK? What other films have they distributed? 

Fox Searchlight Pictures
Slumdog Millionaire , 12 Years a Slave , and Birdman

Do they have a track record with this kind of film and this target audience?

The films that they produce can be similar and the target audience is also similar but that is not the case for all the films.

What was the budget for the film?

$10.9m

How successful was the film financially? Why do you think this was?

Financially, the film was successful as at box office, it made $15,500,793. This was due to the narrative of Belle. However, Belle's e-media and print campaign helped promote the film and make it more known. 

Was this film more successful in the UK or worldwide/USA? Why do you think this is?


What certificate was the film given (12A, 18 etc.)? What was the reason for this certificate? Is the certification important for this film in terms of targeting its audience? Why?

12A because the film has some parts of the film may be too much for people under the age of 12.

Representation

What representations of people, places or groups can be found in this film?
Representation of black people and white rich people is made here which brings us to what Dyer suggested about people with power stereotype those with less power. Their was representations of the places as their were many big houses and mansions shown which represents wealth and riches.

What representation of ‘Britishness’ does the film contain?

The film overall contains a lot of 'Britishness'. You can see this through the british accents used and the costumes that people in Britain would wear in the 1700's. This also applies to the setting of the film as it is set in the late British times.

How does the representation of Britain differ to Ill Manors? 

Ill Manors represents Britain as 'broken britain' and shows all the drugs and violence that happens on the streets. However, Belle showed the posh and rich side that Britain had.

What values and ideologies can you find in your chosen film? (E.g. The King’s Speech is extremely patriotic, pro-monarchy etc.) 

The main ideology and value shown here is about going against the ideology of everyone not being equal. Also the factor of strength and difference is applied to the film.

Case study comparison

What similarities and differences can you find between Ill Manors, A Field In England and your chosen case study film? List all that apply.

All the films are filmed and show some sort of British side. They all show some sort of reality  and Belle and Ill Manors are both based on some sort of true story but Ill Manors focuses more on social realism.