Black Panther

Question 1

What is vertical integration?

Answer 1

When a company owns and controls every stage of the production, distribution and exhibition process.

Question 2

What is horizontal integration?

Answer 2

When a media company acquires companies of the same media type. (Rivals before acquisition)

Question 3

What is Curran &Seatons key ideas?

Answer 3

• Media is controlled by a small number of companies driven by profit.
• Media concentration limits variety creativity +quality.
• Profit driven works overtake creativity.

Question 3

What 2 forces do C&S claim media is driven by?

Answer 3

• Creativity (writers, directors, actors, photographers etc)
• Business (managers responsible for ensuring profitability and commercial viability of products)

Question 4

3 advantages of horizontal integration?

Answer 4

• Production costs minimized
• Resources can be shared
• Markets can be controlled

Question 5

Why does Disney horizontally integrate?

Answer 5

To be able to have rights to produce more films of a franchise/rights to a character

Question 6

What’s some examples of horizontal integration in BP?

Answer 6

• Shared resources: Marvel characters, Disney production studios
• MarvelStudios/LucasFilm/Pixar- potential rivals

Question 6

Advantages of vertical integration?

Answer 6

• Disney retains all profits from product distribution
• Full control of when and where products broadcasted
• Cross media synergies - use subsidiaries to promote + max profits
• Producing and distributing sales costs
• Restricts access to competitors on their distribution channels
• Disney do not have to pay distributors thus capturing downstream profits
• Distribution company doesn’t have to pay for content, thus capturing upstream profits

Question 7

What is a conglomerate?

Answer 7

A company that owns other companies across a range of media platforms.

Question 8

What are criticisms of conglomerates?

Answer 8

It prevents creativity (Curran & Seaton media concentration)

Question 9

What does distribution mean?

Answer 9

The way media productions are advertised and delivered to audiences.

Question 10

What does artificial scarcity mean?

Answer 10

Hesmondhalgh argues media producers control commercial risks through careful supervision of distribution and promotion practices - restricting access to product by limiting availability.

Question 11

What is brand cultivation?

Answer 11

Building your brand and increasing awareness.

Question 12

What is Hesmondhalgh’s argument about internationalization?

Answer 12

Media expansion is often pursued so producers can develop the ability to distribute their products on a global scale. (appeal to global audiences)

Question 13

Why is the media industry high risk?

Answer 13

• Audience aste virtually impossible to predict
• High production costs
• Mass competition
• Media products have limited consumption capacity

Question 14

What is over production ?

Answer 14

Success is hard to predict so industries deliberately over produce in the hope one or two will be hugely successful

Question 15

What is Hesmondhalghs argument on over production?

Answer 15

Over production compelled media production companies to expand through horizontal and vertical integration.

Question 16

What is meant by multi-sector integration?

Answer 16

Buying companies across the culture industry allows for further opportunities for cross promotion.

Question 17

What are the 5 formatting strategies?

Answer 17

• Star power
• Genre-based formatting
• Serialisation
• Remakes
• Independent labeling

Question 18

What is star power formatting?

Answer 18

Using well known actors/actresses/directors.
- Can deliver ready made audiences

Question 19

What is genre-based formatting?

Answer 19

Genres pre-promise consumer satisfaction - you know what you’re getting.
Allows audiences to identify the potential rewards of consuming a particular media product in advance of consumption

Question 20

What is serialisation /remake formatting?

Answer 20

• Franchises, sequels, prequels, remakes, spin offs.
• Needs less investment in marketing activities to create audience visibility
• Piggy backs on preexisting audiences

Question 21

What is independent labeling formatting?

Answer 21

• Independents provide a useful means of engaging audiences that are reluctant to consume mainstream media.
• Conglomerates also delegate production to independents to shield themselves from impact of potential failure on their brand identity.

Question 22

Star power in BP.

Answer 22

• Kendrick Lamar
• Michael B Jordan - Creed
• Lupita Nyong’o - Star wars
• Danai Gurira - TWD
• Martin Freeman - International appeal

Question 23

Genre based formatting in BP.

Answer 23

- Marvel studios branding in trailer - Repetition of superhero genre

Question 24

Remakes/Serialisation in BP.

Answer 24

Part of MCU - seen in civil war Superhero genre reshaped for a more diverse audience

Question 25

Independent Labeling in BP.

Answer 25

Non mainstream aesthetic through Afrocentric settings and cast to attract a wider audience.

Question 26

What is digital convergence?

Answer 26

Combining different technology, media, information etc into a single service.

Question 27

Uses of new technologies in BP?

Answer 27

- Teaser trailer released in June 2017 and was views 89 million times on YT. - BP was the most tweeted about film of 2018 with more than 5 million tweets globally. - Frederick Joseph's GOFUNDME online campaign and the #BlackPantherChallenge.

Question 28

How is artificial scarcity evident with BP?

Answer 28

You're unable to rent BP, you can only or buy view on Disney+.

Question 29

Black cinema has traditionally consisted of issues-based social realism, how is BP different?

Answer 29

Is one of the few superhero films to have a black main character.

Question 30

What is a 360 degree marketing strategy and how is it evident in BP?

Answer 30

Aims to contact the target demographic through many platforms and channels. (In hopes that wherever you go, you'll see ads of that product - Eg for BP: Synergy with Hasbro toys and Lexus

Question 31

What are some of BP's marketing strategies?

Answer 31

- Partnership with Lexus and Hasbro Toys - 360 degree marketing campaign -

Question 32

How can BP and IDB be compared to each other in economic contexts?

Answer 32

Due to BP being produced and distributed by a conglomerate/vertically and horizontally integrated company, they obviously had a much larger budget and funds to make the film, whereas because of IDB's independent film labelling, it had to work on a much smaller budget which is evident by the lack of post production, real locations, non-starbased actors, minimalist costumes etc. Furthermore, the funding directly impacts how the film could be marketed. Whilst BP was marketed through expensive methods like high quality posters, partnerships with car brands, 360 degree marketing, IDB used guerilla marketing and more subtle but powerful marketing like free screenings.

Question 33

How can Curran & Seatons theory be applied?

Answer 33

BP is arguably much more creative than other Marvel films due to it's predominantly black cast and Afrofuturistic settings (also unconventional, ties in with Neale's genre theory) - Some people argue that Disney did this in order to move out of the preconception that they represent ethnic minorities poorly.

Question 34

How has recent technological change had an impact on the production and distribution?

Answer 34

- Audiences no longer can only watch films in the cinema but can be seen on multiple streaming platforms on a singular device. This has impacted distribution of films as production companies no longer want to distribute to cinemas as it's too expensive and risky. For BP, because Disney is vertically and horizontally integrated they have the option for whether or not to distribute their films in the cinema or on one of their streaming platforms like Disney+.