I've posted several articles here for you to read in the double lesson. When you have read them, try and answer the questions listed below. They are difficult and will need you to think carefully and think around the subject of the film and the film industry.
Feel free to use ideas from your study of ‘The English Patient’ and ‘The Duchess’ and any other films you think might be appropriate to help you answer these questions.
What issues of media ownership in the contemporary film industry are raised by the film ‘The Last King of Scotland’?
Tip - Think about the way the film was produced by lots of different, small companies. How does this affect the way films get made? Think about ‘The English Patient’ and the Miramax / Disney dynamic.
How does ‘The Last King of Scotland’ highlight the importance of synergy (different companies working together) in the production and distribution of a film?
Tip – Think about how film companies share the risk of producing films.
What is the importance of cross media convergence in the production, distribution and marketing of films like ‘The Last King of Scotland’?
Tip – How do film companies use TV, cinema, the Internet, games consoles, to help them produce, distribute and market their films?
Were any new technologies of production, distribution, marketing or exchange used by ‘The Last King of Scotland’?
Tip – How do film companies use new technologies, mobile ‘phones, video games, the Internet, YouTube, Facebook, MySpace etc to help them produce, distribute and market their films?
What issues are raised by ‘The Last King of Scotland’ in the targeting of British audiences by the film’s makers?
Tip – Why might ‘The Last King of Scotland’ be popular with British audiences?
What is the significance of the proliferation of hardware (e.g. DVD/BluRay/‘the Internet’) for the film industry and film audiences?
What is the significance of the increase in the number and different types of films being made (by the film industry and others) on the film industry and film audiences at home or in the cinema?
What is the importance of technological convergence for the film industry and film audiences?
In what ways do your own experiences of watching this film illustrate wider patterns and trends of audience behaviour?
