Peaky Blinders industry Flashcards
(28 cards)
When and where was the set product of Peaky Blinders broadcasted?
Broadcast in September
2013 on BBC Two in the UK.
Who produced Peaky Blinders?
Co-produced in the UK by Caryn Mandabach Productions and Tiger Aspect.
Who wrote the show?
Steven Knight.
He grew up in a small area of Birmingham.
Knight had previously written several successful film and TV titles, including Dirty Pretty Things.
His name on the project was a major draw for production companies and finance.
What is the storyline of Peaky Blinders?
The plot of Peaky Blinders focuses on the Shelby family, who run the eponymous criminal gang in 1920s Birmingham.
The first season examines the effects of WWI on the working classes.
Where was the film distributed in the US?
The show was first distributed
by the Weinstein Company.
However, in the wake of the #MeToo movement (a campaign about sexual harassment), it was purchased by Netflix in 2014, who also distributed it worldwide, leading to a global audience.
What award did the first season of Peaky Blinders win?
Best Director at the BAFTAs.
What is the significance of the BBC in broadcasting the show?
As a public service broadcaster and
non-profit institution, the BBC isn’t constrained by the commercial model of other broadcast TV in the UK.
Instead of ‘playing it safe’ by
repeating popular concepts or genres, it has a responsibility to develop fresh and unique content and diverse voices.
Where was a key area of investment for the BBC?
The Midlands - where the show is set.
They have been shifting their studios
and other offices from London to Manchester.
What is becoming more common as TV becomes a global industry?
International co-productions.
BBC has also collaborated extensively with cable and streaming channel HBO on big budget shows like His Dark Materials.
What is the BBC’s global reputation?
The BBC has a global reputation as a quality media brand which less well-known channels/platforms would be eager to collaborate with.
As of 2022, how many paid subscribers did Netflix have?
200 million.
How much of Netflix’s content is commissioned from outside the US or canada?
Give examples.
80%
Shows like Squid Game (South Korea), Lupin (France) and Money Heist (Spain) have been huge successes in different territories.
Who did Peaky Blinders receive a grant from?
Yorkshire Screen Content Fund.
This was set up to promote production and representation of the county.
Why is Peaky Blinders a good example of Netflix’s commitment?
Netflix’s commitment is to ‘telling local stories on a global platform’.
This is shown as they commissioned content based in a very specific location and culture - Birmingham.
What does the growing popularity of online streaming services mean for audience viewing figures?
Audience viewing figures for a
scheduled broadcast are no longer the main indicator of a TV show’s success.
How many views did season 6 get on BBC 1 compared to on Netflix? What does this show?
Season 6 of Peaky Blinders had 5.42 million viewers in the UK when it premiered on BBC 1 in April 2022.
When it premiered on Netflix in June 2022, it had 45.71 million hours of playing time in just one week (making it the second most popular title after Stranger Things).
Audience viewing figures for a scheduled broadcast are no longer the main indicator of a TV show’s success.
What have fans over the world done that show they are engaging in the show? What theory does this link to?
Fans from around the world – from Korea to Argentina – dress up in Peaky Blinders cosplay and share videos on social networking apps like TikTok, indicating the global reach of the show.
Links to Jenkins’ Fandom theory.
How does the BBC and Netflix both adhere to and reject Hesmondhalgh’s theory?
Hesmondhalgh claims media texts are purchased usually just once and then continually re-used.
This means intellectual property and the range of products using it must be sold (and re-sold in different forms) to maintain a profit.
This leads to heavy investment in familiar products and less experimentation.
The BBC and Netflix are free from these constraints - they are PSB and subscription based - meaning they have more opportunities to experiment.
Although, they do still need to tailor to their range of audiences.
What are the different audience pleasures that Peaky Blinders offers?
Fans of the gangster or even Western genre
would enjoy the clear genre conventions being used.
Audiences who enjoy historical dramas – both for educational purposes and for visual spectacle – would enjoy the lavish production design and fashions.
More particular and educated – especially
politically left-leaning – viewers would enjoy
the social and political issues explored.
Traditionally masculine viewers would identify with (and admire) the tough, no-nonsense male characters.
Female viewers, especially with feminist values, would admire the strong and complex female characters that defy stereotypes.
What would a preferred reading be of the show?
Viewers who agree with and enjoy the valuing of working-class lives and history.
What would a negotiated reading be of the show?
Some viewers may enjoy the depictions of industrial areas as vibrant and exciting but may find the stylized violence upsetting.
What would be an oppositional reading to the show?
They may find style of the show off-putting and superficial.
The historical accuracy dubious (factually, the Blinders mainly operated in the late 1800s, not the 1920s).
They may also reject the use of anachronistic punk and rock music annoying.
What does Henry Jenkins believe about genre films and TV?
Genre films and TV can unite marginalized people and even be appropriated for political purposes.
How can Jenkins views on genre films and TV uniting the marginalized be seen in Peaky Blinders?
Peaky Blinders has been credited with fuelling a cultural Renaissance in Birmingham (and the other Midlands filming locations).
Knight has spoken about a ‘cultural cringe’ in this locality - he wrote Peaky Blinders to address this.
