Film Industry: Blinded By The Light case study

 Blinded By The Light: case study blog tasks

Background reading and production research

Read the following interviews and features on Blinded By The Light:

Writer Sarfraz Manzoor on the story behind the film - Guardian
Manzoor again on the promotion of the film and audience reaction
Variety feature on the best films from the 2019 Sundance Film Festival 

1) What is the story behind the production of the film?

The story behind the production of the film is about a young boy living in a asian pakistani household where his father makes it difficult for him to persue his dreams of becoming a writer,he gained more confidence on making his dreams come true by the influence of Bruce Springsteen and his music,the movie was set in the 1980s in Luton.

2) What was the audience reaction to the film?

The audiences reaction to the film was that some audiences could relate as they migt be living in a similar household,it make have influenced the positively to do whatevr they can and what they want to make their dreams come true.

3) Why is the Sundance Film Festival such an important part of the film industry - particularly for lower budget films? 

It gives independant directors and producers to make or launch their movies that was mabye created with  low budget, into the media industry. 

Funding and industry contexts

1) What was the budget for Blinded By The Light and which companies contributed to the production budget?

The company that contributed to the production budget was levantine and The ingenious gropu along with the $15 million budget.

2) Research the Bend It Networks website. What other films and projects has the company been involved with?

Bride and Prejudice

3) Research Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema on the Warners website here. Summarise the history of New Line Cinema in a short paragraph.

They joined with the Warner Bros in 2008,and have released movies like 'Shazam,fury of the gods!'for 50 years + new line cinema have been producing movies,New line cinema handles the business deals and helps develp,produce etc.

4) Read this Variety interview with director Gurinder Chadha explaining how the project came about - including budget details. What attracted Gurinder Chadha to the project and how did she manage to get the film made? 

This is when brexit was happening and she didnt like to see people getting hated for their skin colour on buses etc,and "it was a breakdown in society",and that when she picked up the script and started working on it,to show people what she was seeying around her.

Distribution

Read this Deadline feature on the distribution deal for Blinded By The Light and answer the following questions: 

1) Which company won the distribution rights after the all-night auction and for how much?

Newline cinema won and brought rights for  $15 million.

 
2) Which other companies were rumoured to be bidding for the distribution rights?

Lionsgate,and Fox Searchlight.

3) According to the article, what was the 'allure' of Blinded By The Light?

The influence of Bruce Springsteen and his words on how to do the mst you can to make your dreams come true,and to fight through all the obsticles.

4) UK distribution was secured by eOne Entertainment. Visit the eOne About Us page on their website - what do they claim to offer under the heading 'Passion meets possibility?'

They allow them to create uniques stories to share with the world.

1) What does the trailer suggest regarding genre and the potential audience pleasures of Blinded By The Light?

The trailer sugget that the movie is a coming of age,and about racism and how people struggle to fit,it also suggest that is a musical as they jump into singing while having a conversation.

2) What TV shows and websites did interviews with writer, director and stars of Blinded By The Light? Why are interviews a good way to promote a new film release? 

Interviews are a good way to promote the film as it intersest the audiences and gets their attention.

The Tv shows and Wensites:

.BBC ONE

.BEND IT NETWORK
.CBS NEWS

 

3) What did film posters for Blinded By The Light feature and where did they appear? You may need to research this on Google Images. 

The UK and the US posters were a little bit different as the UK poster had the pakistani boy jumping in a white and orange background,whereas the US poster had the boy in a red and blue background reprsenting Bruce Springsteen.

4) What social media accounts did Blinded By The Light use to promote the film? Note: some sites may be blocked if you are working in school - you will need to use your phone or complete your research at home.

Instagram and Twitter.

5) Select three posts from the Blinded By The Light Instagram page and explain how they promote the film.

One post was the trailer,this allows the audience to get a glimps and see if they would enjoy it,they will know the genre of the film and this will attract more people.

Another post was the poster of the film,to allow more poeple to see it and gain attention.

Another post was of the three young characters,to show the aduinece its a teenage movie.

6) Go to the Bend It Networks YouTube channel. How does Gurinder Chadha introduce the channel?  What other content is on the Bend It Networks YouTube channel?

She posts behind the scenes to show the audienecs inside the set.

7) Look at the box office figures for Blinded By The Light from The Numbers website. How much did it make at the box office and why do you think it was largely unsuccessful?

It only made $18 million,as it was released while the movie 'yesterday' was released which were similar movies.

8) Click on the tabs with further information (such as 'News', 'Box Office' and 'Video Sales'). Copy and paste some more statistics or sales figures to add to your understanding of the film's financial performance.

Date	Rank	Units this Week	% Change	Total Units	Spending this Week	Total Spending	Weeks in Release
Nov 24, 2019	17	9,720		10,981	$162,425	$185,435	5