I Daniel Blake

Question 1

What year did IDB come out?

Answer 1

2016

Question 2

What is the name of the Director?

Answer 2

Ken Loach

Question 3

What are examples of Loach’s other works?

Answer 3

Cathy Come Home, Kes (1960s)

Question 4

What award did IDB win and where was it won?

Answer 4

The Palme D’or at Cannes Film Festival

Question 5

What social issues does IDB tackle?

Answer 5

Poverty, the Work Capability Assessment, the Welfare system.

Question 6

What genre does IDB come under?

Answer 6

British Social Realism

Question 7

What did the film make at box office?

Answer 7

$8 million grossing (Loach’s highest grossing film).

Question 8

What institutions was the film funded by?

Answer 8

The BBC and the BFI.

Question 9

What is the significance of being funded by the BBC and the BFI rather than being commercially funded?

Answer 9

It is more interested about the message it sends and making a statement than the profit it makes. It does not have to make a massive profit (Hesmondhalgh).

Question 10

What were some of the features of the film being described as “low-buget?”

Answer 10

• Filmed mostly on Location in Newcastle
• No special effects
• Less well known actors
• Discussion point: this may also help influence the “realism” of the genre.

Question 11

What is the significance of Ken Loach being the director of the film?

Answer 11

• He is a big name in British social realism, has a career spanning decades.
• He may already have a loyal “fan” base that would recognise his name and watch the film.
• His star power may have secured him funding that a lesser well known producer may not have gotten
• His “guaranteed” audience may mean he can get away with more risks in the film as he acts as financial stability.

Question 12

What are examples of marketing used in IDB?

Answer 12

• An article written “by” Daniel Blake in the Independent portraying the film’s beliefs and messages as advertisement.
• Projecting messages onto the houses of parliament drove home the political motivation of the film.
• # WeAreAllDanielBlake on Twitter trended and created discourse and exposure for the film below the line.
• YouTube trailers featuring the award it won and the companies it received funding from

Question 13

What do Curran and Seaton say variety in ownership will encourage in media products?

Answer 13

More variety and creativity in media products. IDB arguably upholds this as it does not operate on a logic of “profit and power”.