Blinded By The Light case study

 Background reading and production research

Read the following interviews and features on Blinded By The Light:

Writer Sarfraz Manzoor on the story behind the film - Guardian

Manzoor again on the promotion of the film and audience reaction

Variety feature on the best films from the 2019 Sundance Film Festival 

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

• Blinded by the Light is a rites of passage comedy drama directed by Gurinder Chadha, who also directed Bend It Like Beckham. Set in 1987, it revisits my teenage years and much of it is directly based on real events.

2) What was the audience reaction to the film?

• One of the most common reactions is that people say they were touched by the depiction of the friendship of Javed and Roops, to the extent that people now tweet me to tell of the friend who was “their Roops” – the one who introduced them to a life-changing musician or band.
• Audiences found personal connections to the story. I could not have predicted that 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? 

• The Sundance Film Festival allows smaller films to have a chance to be picked up by investors who are willing to invest in their films 

Funding and industry contexts

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

• $15,000,000

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

• Beecham house, Viceroys house, Bend it like Beckham the musical, Desi Rascals, its a wonderful afterlife, Angus thongs and perfect snogging, Mistress of spices, Bride and Prejudice, Whats cooking?, Bhaji On The Beach, I'm British But...

3) Research Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema on the Warners website. Summarise the history of New Line Cinema in a short paragraph.

• New Line Cinema continues its long and successful history of producing critically acclaimed hit films that resonate with both mainstream and niche audiences around the world. Part of Warner Bros. Entertainment since 2008, New Line coordinates its development, production, marketing, distribution and business affairs activities with Warner Bros. Pictures Group to maximize film performance and operating efficiencies.

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? 

•  It took almost a decade from Chadha’s chance meeting with Springsteen, who gave his thumbs-up to the book after a 2010 U.K. screening of The Promise. 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. New Line Cinema, who acquired it for the $15 million it cost to make.  Offers were being texted to Chadha as she sat in the audience watching her own film.

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 cinema for $15 million

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

• Fox Searchlight, Lions gate

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

• universal appeal of Springsteen’s coming-of-age tunes, which tell honest stories about a hardscrabble upbringing, ambition and the fight to break free of all shackles to do something worthwhile with one’s life.

4) UK distribution was secured by eOne Entertainment. Visit the eOne About Us page - 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?

• The trailer suggests that the movie is a coming of age feel good musical with aspects of social realism, I believe that the potential audience pleasures come from people potentially identifying with the struggles faced by someone who doesn't fit in to the environment they're in.

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? 

1. BBC one
2. Hey You Guys
3. Bend it networks.

• Interviews are a good way to promote a new film release as it garners public attention and interest towards your film as they can reach towards a more mainstream audience who might not have originally been interested in the film.

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. 

• The posters mainly featured the main character 'Javed', in the UK distribution it was Javed on an orange and white background with him jumping up while in the US poster Javed is seen in more denim reminiscent of a Bruce Springsteen fan on a red and blue background but unlike the UK poster he doesn't have the Walkman or headphones from the 80's

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.

• YouTube, Instagram, Twitter.

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

• One post is a screenshot of the film which could give audiences an idea of what the movie is like.
• Another post is the trailer of the movie which allows it to reach a wider audience who might not have seen the trailer through more traditional means like on the TV.
• A third post is a poster for the film which could inform more people of the film similarly to the trailer but for people who might not have wanted to sit through a whole trailer.

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?

• She describes the channel as a place where people can go if they want to share their hobbies and become a part of a larger community where people can discuss their interests as well as their cultures. Along with interviews and behind-the-scenes footage from Chadha's other films, the channel features movie trailers for her previous works.

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?

• It made $19.5 million in the box office, I think it was largely unsuccessful due to it not being clear on what genre it was which could turn audiences away as they aren't sure if they'd be interested in the film or not, furthermore they were competing with 'Yesterday' which had a similar plot to BBTL but featured the beatles who are a much more well known group when compared to Bruce Springsteen.

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.