Blinded By The Light case study

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

Adapted from a book called Greetings From Bury Park by Sarfraz Manzoor (a play on 'Greetings From Asbury Park' - a Bruce Springsteen album). The memoir outlined his experiences growing up in Luton in the 1980s and discovering the music of Springsteen. it is about a teenage British Pakistani boy whose life feels constrained by his class, culture and community until he discovers the liberating power of the music of Bruce Springsteen. The film is uncompromising in its cultural specificity – and given its subject matter, one would assume it would mostly appeal to British Asians who lived through the 1980s, Bruce Springsteen fans, and in particular, Asian Bruce Springsteen fans who lived through the 1980s.

2) What was the audience reaction to the film?

The most common responses to the film were in the ways that audiences found personal connections to the story. I could not have predicted that Israeli women in Jerusalem, white teenage American boys in Omaha, Nebraska and older white women in Australia who had seen the film would all contact me on social media and thank me for telling their story. I had not expected to be approached, at screenings from Glasgow to Seattle, by people who seemingly had nothing in common with the protagonist but said they had connected emotionally with the story.

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

They made well-known films which had a big impact on the society of flim industries. For example bend it like beckham and others 

Funding and industry contexts

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

Blinded By The Light cost around $15m to make. Key points

Bend It Films developed the film with support from Levantine Films and Ingenious Media

Levantine Films is an independent production company that had a major success with Hidden Figures in 2016 which grossed $230m at the worldwide box office.

The Ingenious Group is an investment company that invests money in projects that have the potential to deliver future profits.

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

Bend it networks has produced films like Beecham house,Viceroy House,Bend it like Beckham the musical,Desi rascals,It's A Wonderful Afterlife,Angus Thongs Perfect Snogging,Mistress Of Spices,Bride And Prejudice,Bend It Like Beckham,Whats Cooking?, Bhjai On The Beach and Im British But...

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.

WARNER BROS. PICTURES
For over 100 years, Warner Bros. Pictures has been at the forefront of the motion picture industry and continues to be a leading creative force in theatrical movies, producing the broadest slate of films for worldwide audiences. 
 
NEW LINE CINEMA
Building on 57 years of innovation and creativity, New Line Cinema continues its long and successful history of producing critically acclaimed hit films that resonate with audiences around the world. A pioneer in the horror genre, New Line is known for compelling storytelling and producing groundbreaking entertainment.

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? 

Chadha is a huge Springsteen fan, who pursued her dream of making a movie about The Boss’ music based on the true-life memoir of co-writer (and fellow diehard) Sarfraz Manzoor. After Chadha and Manzoor met Springsteen, they proceeded to reach out to Jon Landau and Barbara Carr at his management company, along with executive producer Tracy Nurse, a former SVP International Marketing at Sony Music, where she worked with Bruce for years, enlisting her to become part of the film’s production staff.

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?

New Line Confirms $15M Deal For Bruce Springsteen-Infused ‘Blinded By The Light’

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

The Sundance Film Festival, New Line and Warner Bros 

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

It tells about someone being different in their family and breaking out of the traditional rules and forced stereotype  

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?'

eOne enables every step in the entertainment value chain from development and production to marketing and distribution. With the reach of a studio and the flexibility of an indie, we share bold stories with audiences around the world.

Marketing, promotion and reception

Watch the following clips to learn about the marketing and promotion of the film. 

Watch the trailer for Blinded By The Light:

Watch the film being promoted on The One Show (BBC1): 

Watch writer Sarfraz Manzoor talking about 1980s nostalgia and British-Asian identity:

Watch this 'fans dream' featurette produced by Bend It Networks:

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

It suggested if you come from a discriminating background and you like Bruce Springsteen this is the movie for you     

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? 

It shows how passionate the actor is and what they personally think about the film. It also establishes the actors for the movie to the audience which allows them to already have their fan base anticipating the movie and ready to watch the movie 

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. 

This establishes that everyone should be comfortable to do what they really want to do they shouldn't be forced to act or pretend if they are someone else by their family. This is shown by the written text called the feel good movie of the year and you won't stop smiling. 

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.

they promote on Instagram twitter and YouTube  

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

their are Two different versions of the poster, Uk and USA. The UK one is more bland with orange stripes whilst the USA is red and blue reinforcing the movies storyline while a Bruce Springsteen vibe.

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?

The other films they produce such as bend it like Beckham and the culture issues they have experienced and recent interviews 

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?

They made $19.5 million they were unsuccessful due to another movie being released and the corona virus making the movie not reach its full potential 

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.