Mainstream Hollywood Film

0. For the exam question you are likely to be asked to consider the significance of patterns of ownership and control, including conglomerate ownership, vertical integration and diversification. You will need to define these terms and ensure that you understand them if they come up in the question.
   
   Therefore present a definition of each of the following terms in your case study;
   
   • conglomerate ownership
   • vertical integration 
   • diversification.   
   • subsidiary
   
   
    
   
   
   Black Panther was produced by Marvel Studios, who became a subsidiary of Disney in 2008. They are also the film’s distributor, which makes this a good example of vertical integration. 

   Often a conglomerate will buy a subsidiary  which it thinks will make money. Alternatively they may think it is a threat to their business model. In buying the subsidiary they can own it and control it.  For example, a fizzy drink conglomerate may buy a smoothie company and bury it, or slowly wind it down, so that healthy drinks don't catch on and take market share.

   The benefit can be mutual in a creative sense. For example, Working Title films became a subsidiary of Universal. This allowed them creative control and more money to take more risks and make more ambitious and more expensive films. In return Universal recognised a 'British' studio that made a healthy profit and had a strong track record of  success.
   In the film industry this relationship is usually quite healthy. Although the conglomerate has ultimate control they do not usually try and hinder creativity in the subsidiary as they have a proven business model. When Disney bought Marvel, they agreed to minimal creative influence over Marvel products.

   In this example the over arching, huge global company is COMCAST.  UNIVERSAL is the media arm of the company, recognised for its production and distribution aspects as well as concerns such as theme parks.   Working Title is one of their many subsidiary companies along with Legendary Pictures. This relationship is shown in the opening titles.

   
   

   
   

    Disney is a huge conglomerate like COMCAST.  Before being bought by Disney, MARVEL would sell options on their comic books for interpretation by television or film companies. For example, 'Spiderman' was optioned by Paramount which is partly owned by SONY.

   
   

   In early 2000s, Marvel Studios began to produce films, starting with Blade (1998) and the X-Men  films (2000). 

   Blade is worth investigating in terms of representations and hybridity of genre. Wesley Snipes played the first African American super hero portrayed in film. The genre is a mixture of two genres; 

   • the super hero genre, which was re-emerging at the time but pre-dates the boom of Avengers and X Men.
   • the vampire genre which was popular with examples like 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' and the 'Twilight' series. 
   • There have been characters of colour in Marvel films but they are often sidekicks like The Falcon in Captain America. 

    
   In 2013, Marvel also signed a deal with streaming service Netflix to develop TV series for six more characters (including Daredevil and Punisher who had already been made into films. This caused conflict with Disney who were planning their own streaming channel, and in 2019 Netflix cancelled their Marvel shows. Streaming is now the future of the film industry whether studios like it or not. That is where distribution will happen in the future. Exhibition at cinemas will be like marketing. Consumption online will be where the money is made. Therefore studios like Disney need to control the means of distribution and make revenue from subscribers. This is the new business model in the online age.  In March Disney plus launched in the UK. It has been phenomenally successful and we will investigate the figures.  The Marvel content is a key attraction for audiences. It broadens the age range so that Disney is not just for younger children. 

   This relationship needs exploring as it is key to the future of the film industry.  Begin by researching the content available on Disney plus.

    Make a list of examples of key content. 
   

   • Star Wars
   •  Disney Classics
   • Marvel

   How many people have subscribed to Disney plus in the UK since its launch?
   Click the following to Read some articles to find out some key facts. Then find some more to continue your research
   
   The service is only 5 months old and has 50 million subscribers worldwide. 
   
   This has allowed it to absorb the economic hit of closed theme parks and the closure of studios. 
   
   There have been some controversies about altering films so that they become child friendly and avoid censorship in all countries. For example, Daryl Hannah' mermaid in Splash has had her long hair enhanced by CGI to make sure her body is covered.  
   Read the article here.
   Key markets like China are being targeted because of the huge audience potential. The key selling point of Disney is that it is suitable for all ages.  
   
   Outline the reasons that Disney has for launching its own film streaming site. 
   Why does it feel the need to replicate the NETFLIX subscriber model? 
   Who are the companies offering streaming services?
   
   Research film streaming services one and gain an understanding of how they work, their business model and their audience.
   
   Here are a few you could explore. 
   
   

   • APPLE
   • NETFLIX
   • Curzon Home Cinema
   • HULU
   • BFI player
   • HBO