WORK IN LOCKDOWN

THEORY TASK

How does the film’s much celebrated diversity challenge Curran and Seaton’s idea that domination by a small number of media institutions limits creativity and variety?

The film celebrates diversity as the cast for the film is majority black; also the film shows us the fictional African kingdom of Wakanda and how it has avoided European colonisation and achieved a technological superiority.The film’s celebration of diversity challenges Curran and Seaton’s theory as it suggests media concentration generally limits or inhabits variety, creativity and quality, however this is not the case as the film has a variety of cast members who represent different communities it further subverts this theory as the main character is played by a black man and usually within the science fiction/superhero genre the main leaders are played by white males.The film also doesn’t lack risk as the name of the film and the film itself is inspired by the Black Panther party which is a political activist group established initially to provide armed monitoring of police behaviour , therefore the film isn’t afraid to show a political side therefore not lacking risk. The film also harnessed a political element by having crowd-funding projects to buy under-privileged children a ticket won support from celebrities. The film was also released during black history month which may be seen as risky for other media conglomerates but allows marvel/disney the variety of a wider audience, the sales for tickets was 44% women when the film came out, which contradicts Curran and Seaton theory as the film shows powerful female characters that a female audience would relate to, and as most superhero films don’t tend to show female leads or powerful characters. Furthermore, the film shows creativity through the “Welcome to Wakanda” catwalk show at New York Fashion Week and features in numerous fashion magazines, this then shows creativity as it represents ones culture.

How could the conglomerate model (Marvel as a separate brand to Disney) offer a more complex pattern of ownership than Curran and Seaton describe?

A media conglomerate is a large company that owns other companies for example Disney, marvel is a subsidiary of Disney. Curran and Seaton argue that a small number of companies have lots of power which inhibits creativity, Marvel have does this for many years as a large majority of their superhero films contain white male lead roles and how their films could be see as repetitive, this has been overlooked due to how big Marvel and Disney are until recent years , however in the later 90s they produced the film Blade with the main character being a black man. Marvel and Disney have tended to lack risk with their films as there has been a lack of female lead roles and black characters are often sidekicks. However Marvel do show a more complex pattern when it comes to the film Black Panther and subvert Curran and Seaton’s theory of how big companies lack variety and creativity. Black Panther was directed by Ryan Coogler who has also directed other films which focus on the lead roles being played by a black male such as Creed. The film also contains an almost full black cast unlike past marvel films, which could be seen as risky for other large companies but not for Marvel as the film is based on the 1966 comic Black Panther.

The film Black Panther was also marketed differently than regular Marvel/superhero films as the film was released during Black History month, relating to the history of African culture within the film and in general, it was released February 16 2018; the release of the film brought black people all around the country and world to embrace the cultural context of the film as red carpets and even long lines at theatres wore outfits inspired by African Kingdoms. Many of these people also painted their bodies and faces with African tribal designs. People’s joyful expressions weren’t only for the nearly all black cast but for the collective exhale. There was also detailed interviews from the production teams and cast members talking about how the film celebrates African Culture, the film was carefully marketed as Marvel showed their respect and appreciation for culture shown within the film by having red carpets with cast members wearing traditional African clothing and catwalk shows called ‘Welcome To Wakanda’.

The film also utilises historical events for example the film is based about the African country Wakanda which has avoided European colonisation and achieved a technological superiority through the use of a mineral called Vibranium, therefore telling us about the historical event of colonialism(European powers colonised African countries and exploited the continent) which took place during the 15th-20th century, and deepens on how these countries would of thrived if this didn’t happen it could also suggest the fact that if Wakanda was colonised European countries could of gotten a hold of Vibranium and exploited it giving them countries more power, the film further utilises historical movements such as the Black Panther party which the film has the same name as; was a political activist group established initially to provide armed monitoring of police behaviour and prevent police brutality in the US. Also Jack Kirby’s original concept art for Black Panther used the name Coal Tiger. Which has influences on the character included historical figures such as 14th century Mail Empire sultan Mansa Musa and 20th century Jamaican activist Marcus Garey, as well as Biblical figures such as Ham and Canaan.

To what extent does the dominance of Marvel in the sci-fi/superhero genre limit the opportunities for alternative, riskier independent films in these genres?

Marvel is subsidiary of Disney which is a one of the big six. Marvel is also a comic book brand therefore they have a huge audience within that genre and as these comic books are adapted into films, the audience they already have for the comic books are going to be the same people who are interested in the films, and as films are shown and produced they tend to go all out with marketing techniques for example posters on buses/billboards, online streaming of the trailer, celebrities that are associated or are in the film tweeting about it and film premiers . Disney also signed a deal with the streaming service Netflix to show their Marvel films, however this was cancelled when Disney themselves created their own streaming service, furthermore when a Marvel film is being distributed it is usually the most talked about subject and is shown everywhere, also when the film is released in cinemas the showings are always sold out; this limits the opportunities for independent films as they usually made by small companies who don’t reply on profit and their usual marketing technique is online or limited release at film festivals their films aren’t as star driven for example Marvel have actors such as Robert Downey Jr and Chris Hemsworth who are high brow celebrities that are well known, however independent films tend to have lesser known actors/actresses meaning it could be riskier to produce a independent sci-fi/superhero film as viewers and fans may only watch the films because of the actors. It is also limits opportunities for independent films as have low budgets and do not reply on special effects unlike Marvel films, they make millions at the box office meaning they can afford lavish sets and a big budget to produce a high quality film but this wouldn’t be the case for an alternative indie film. Therefore by Marvel dominating online platforms and the film industry it would be very hard for a independent superhero film to be released.