black panther

analysis of black panther

What are the main differences between a mainstream and independent film?

Mainstream films are often known as films that are released in cinemas, usually coming from hollywood. Typical mainstream films are released in cinemas for a small amounts of time and are marketed to attract mass audiences. The primary function of a mainstream film is to create a profit from the movies. On the other hand, independent films are much more different. Independent films are usually small budgeted films which are made to attract smaller audiences. These audience members for these independent films are much more older than those who watch mainstream films and they are also most likely to watch the independent film based on the director rather than the cast itself. The cast in independent films are usually unknown actors or very cheap stars, whereas in comparison to mainstream films, the cast are usually well known, which is one of the reasons why people watch it. Independent films also have a much smaller budget too. This means that a lot of the set and props will all be very limited and the set will usually be based in one area rather than multiple, which is what mainstream films does. Independent films usually focus on social themes and messages and a lot of the time the film is very downbeat and the endings are usually left for the audience to decide. In mainstream films however, the ending is usually revealed and most of the time the films are more unrealistic such as the use of super heros or action movies. Overall, there is a strong difference between mainstream and independent films.

Why is Black panther defined as a mainstream film?

Black panther was produced by Marvel Studios, who became subsidiary of Disney in 2008. Marvel studios and Disney are both huge media conglomerates which means that the audience can indentify with the film. In the film, there is a use of Chadwick Boseman and many other well known cast member which allow the film to gain more of a mass audience, with those that like the actors. There is also high uses of mise en scene which provides the audience to view this film as a way of escapism. There is also high budgets and funds that was put into making this film and the locations also are varied throughout the film.

How does black panther fit into the marvel franchise and universe?                                                              Black panther fits into the marvel franchise and universe. One of the reasons why is due to the fact that the film is a follow up from spiderman home coming which is a well known marvel film originally. Another reason is because Black panther is entirely focused on African Culture which is what Marvel failed to do beforehand. This has enabled Marvel Cinematic universe to do this. The use of them calling the movie black panther also refers to history, which is a fresh eye opener for MCU.

What makes it different from other films in the marvel universe?                                                                      Black panther is different from any other film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as it focuses entirely on the representation of African people. Black panther is one of the only films in Hollywood who's hero or leading star is a black actor. Alongside this, a majority of the cast is also black actors and actresses which is very rare within big brand films. This movie empowers black people and by breaking the stereotypes with this film, hopefully Marvel or any other films in the foreseeable future will start to use black people in a way which shows them as empowering and strong individuals. 

What made it sucsessful?                                                                                                                                        Black panther was a very successful film due to the fact of the praise it got for the unconventional stereotypes for both race and gender. The film contained a powerful black hero which is very rare not only within Marvels Cinematic Universe but also in a large majority of films ever made. The film also starred their first black women in powerful and engaging roles intimidating armed forces. The film as a whole focuses on black independence and self determination. The audience for the film is mainly based at Black people or people of different ethnicities which could influence them to show power in what they do. This film could also be based at a more younger audience too.

ANALYSIS OF THE AUDIENCE

audience: As a mainstream film the audience is defined as niche, large, often passive and usually younger . Traditionally a mainstream audience would have been  largely defined as white and films aimed at a black or Asian audience were automatically classed as niche. However, over time these boundaries have changed meaning the audiences for these black of asian films have increased and have allowed a crossover appeal. This is due to films such as Parasite and Black Panther.  The job of the producers is to successfully target, maximise and retain their audience to maximise the profits for the industry. This is so they can make sure their film is known and big.

ANALYSIS OF THE INDUSTRY

producers: Black panther was produced by Kevin Feige and David J. Grant who are both american film and tv producers for Marvel Studios. Marvel studios is subsidiary for Walt Disneys company. They are also the films distributor which is an example of vertical integration. 

ownership: The film black panther is owned by a global multinational coperation, which is the reasons as to why this film is as mainstream as it is. The film is a 

franchise: The marvel films as a whole are all based entirely on the idea of superheros and sci-fi which are very popular genres as of todays current era. By making a different super hero film, already put into the marvel franchise allowed the audience to be familiar with the franchise and would help maximise the audience. Even though the film takes place in a fresh corner of Marvel cinematic universe, it is still apart of the timeline Marvel has been creating ever since iron man. 

budget: The budget for Black Panther was estimated at around $200 million for film and $160 million for marketing. This budget is very substainal and the use of this budget can be used across many different areas in order to create the film. For example, the budget for black panther is based of production and film making process, also including the pay that the stars get for being apart of black panther. Usually this figure is very high, meaning we can tell it is a mainstream film. The budget will also go towards the set, locations, props, costume and marketing too to make sure they spread the message across. 

funding: The funding for mainstream films are very easy to get access to, seeing as some of the time the film is a sequel to a previous film already made. The funding for the films would come from major studios in this case marvel and disney.

stars: The stars used in a mainstream film would usually be well known and recognisable stars. In this case there was well known stars such as chadwick boseman aswell as micheal b jordan and many others. Using well known stars would increases the audiences attention of going to watch a film, due to the fact that actors they know are good are starring in it.

marketing campaign: A marketing campaign is a way to promote or sell a product etc. This is so they can get a mass audience for the film. Black panther sold their film in many different ways. For example, black panther had an advert which appeared at one of the biggest places to advertise in the world, which is the Super Bowl in 2018. Black panther also did a feature with hasbro toys, where figures of the film and other toys based on the film was made. Marketing budget was 160 million.

distribution: The film was made by marvel who is in a conglomerate to disney. Disney is one of the biggest film industry in the world, and due to this there ownership has expanded. Disney not only owns marvel, but they also own other big brands such as sky, 20th century fox, go pro and many more. Having a film come out in such a big mainstream industry, will also increase the audience for the films that come out in the industry. 

profits and reception: Black panther came out in many different cinemas across the world. From commercial they gained 1.3billion which means they got a really large profit. They also was included within the top 5 marvel films, meaning they did better than anybody thought they would do. Due to this, they won best pictures at the oscars. 

What genres and genre conventions does the film use to appeal to a wide audience?                                        Black panthers genre is a combination of action, superhero, science fiction alongside a fantasy and adventure genre. Black panther covers so many genres for many reasons. One of the main reason is due to audience appeal. Seeing as the film has so many different genre elements, the audience will most likely watch the film if they like a certain genre. The film tackles the basic superhero films however, it is different from the others due to an African descent. The genre sets the expectation of what the film is about.

Is the film apart of the franchise?                                                                                                                          Yes. The franchise of Black Panther fits nicely into the distuputiors franchise marvel. Marvel has released 23 films since 2008 which means that these films have been going around for a long time. The use of a new marvel film which is different from the others, such as Black panther, is an exciting opportunity for these marvel fans, meaning people will be familiar and will probably watch it due to this reason.

Narrative structure. Is the theme linear and have a clear and upbeat ending? Any room of a sequel?       Black panther has a clear structured film, where it ends with a cliffhanger, meaning there is unanswered questions the audience want to know. By doing this, it leaves a good amount of room for a sequel and will hopefully answer the questions of the audience.

Themes such as heroism, freedom etc, that would appeal to the mainstream audience?                                The audience may watch media texts for lots of different uses and gratifications. One of the reason that the audience may watch the film Black Panther, is for the reason of escapism and entertainment. The film contains many different heroism features such as people saving people and protecting people, which people could find a sense of escapism. However, the more graphic scenes such as the fighting or violence could be seen as more of an entertainment feature, rather than anything else.

Cultural context                                                                                                                                                         The title black panther is influenced on the Black Panther party of 1966. This party was structured for black power and self defence within the groups of people. The title could be influenced by the film, due to the power of black people shown in the film also, using this idea of heroism as self defence too. This is a good example of culture in a movie. Another cultural context could be #oscarssowhite. This hashtag refers to how there is a lack of diversity, especially people of colour, in nominations for awards or oscars. However, due to the film black panther, the film got given some awards, therefore there has been a social change based on this hashtag.