Film Industry: I, Daniel Blake CSP

1) What is independent cinema and how is it different to Hollywood blockbusters?

A low budget film with a small or relatively unknown cast. Hollywood blockbusters are films that usually bring large sums of audience and income and is also owned by a company called Marvel.

2) What is I, Daniel Blake about?

I, Daniel Blake is about stories that represent the lives of ordinary working-class people and the social issues they face, for example unemployment, poverty and addiction and also have political themes and messages.

3) Who directed I, Daniel Blake and why is this important?

Ken loach and he is a very popular director which means that he has director power on the film which people will watch as they might recognise the director for his pervious hit films

4) How was I, Daniel Blake promoted to an audience? List at least three different methods used by the film's marketing campaign and how they targeted their audience.

• Organise free (or ‘pay what you can’) screenings and talks in community centres across the UK to build local enthusiasm for the film’s message.
• Film was premiered not in London, but Newcastle (where the film is set) to gain local support. 
• ‘I, Daniel Blake’ was projected onto the Houses of Parliament ('guerrilla marketing') and in various cities

5) What unusual or creative marketing methods were used to get audiences talking about the film?

‘I, Daniel Blake’ was projected onto the Houses of Parliament (guerrilla marketing) and in various cities which made people curious to search and talk about it

6) What was the estimated production budget for I, Daniel Blake and how much did it make at the box office?

Estimated to be around £2 million but it actually grossed £11 million and received a wide range of positive critic reviews.

7) How can independent films like I, Daniel Blake compete with Hollywood blockbusters like Black Widow?

Independent films could make the film or story relatable to the audience's personal lives instead of making fictional super hero movies for money and for the audience to watch it for only entertainment purposes.

8) What is the name of the film regulator in the UK and what was the age rating for I, Daniel Blake?

The film was rated by the BBFC as a 15.

9) What aspects of the film contributed to the film's age rating?

‘I, Daniel Blake’ was awarded a 15 certificate by the BBFC for the following scenes being included:

• Bad language (uttered by the main characters out of anger and frustration or for emphasis. Was justified by context and not impactful.)
• Frightening and Intense scenes (There are two notable scenes of emotional intensity. They include 'the food bank' scene and the ending 'funeral' scene.)

10) Finally, considering everything you have learned about I, Daniel Blake, do you think the film was a success? Explain your answer in a well developed paragraph.

Overall, I think the film was a successful film for only being an independent film which received £11 million and received a wide range of positive critic reviews. The film was also marketed in a strategic way when ‘I, Daniel Blake’ was projected onto the Houses of Parliament and in various cities .This type of marketing was a disruptive, guerrilla marketing. The film was also premiered not in London, but Newcastle which was where the film was set to gain local support. The film is also about stories that represent the lives of ordinary working-class people and the social issues they face, for example unemployment, poverty and addiction and also have political themes and messages. This is a great way to put Independent films relatable to the audience's personal lives instead of making fictional super hero movies for money and for the audience to watch it for only entertainment purposes like our other CSP, Black Widow (2016) which wasn't as successful due to the pandemic.