I Daniel Blake
what is it?
• I, Daniel Blake is an independent social realist
film directed by renowned filmmaker Ken Loach
(Kes, Raining Stones, Sweet Sixteen etc.).
• A UK/French co-production, it received
funding from the BFI and BBC Films.
• It became Ken Loach’s largest grossing film
at the box office (taking over $8 million), was
highly critically acclaimed and generated
much debate due to the contemporary social
and political issues addressed in the film.
• I, Daniel Blake was exhibited at many
film festivals, won the Palme d’Or at
Cannes, and was nominated for many
awards including several BAFTAs.
Social and Political Contexts
I, Daniel Blake addresses contemporary British
social issues such as poverty, the welfare system and
the Work Capability Assessment. The film portrays a
group of traditionally underrepresented characters in
Newcastle struggling in poverty to gain benefits and
support. I, Daniel Blake conveys a clear left-wing
political message and criticises specific government
policies. Consideration of the wider economic
context and concept of “austerity” might be useful
in exploring how changes to benefit policy had been
justified.
Much of Ken Loach’s work has addressed similar
issues (Cathy Come Home, Raining Stones) and
he is a social campaigner, known for his socialist
political views. This is important to consider in
terms of film production and maintaining audiences
(arguably the intended audience for this film is educated, media literate and socially aware).
Economic factors
• Economic factors including funding are
extremely significant to this independent British
co-production. The funding bodies are the BFI
(through National Lottery Funding) and the BBC.
production,distribution and circulation
• I, Daniel Blake is a low budget social realist film, funded by the BFI and BBC. It was filmed largely on location (hospital, job
centre etc.), features lesser known actors and does not rely on special effects.
• The I, Daniel Blake website includes links to social media and the trailer offers a hashtag (#idanielblake) suggesting links with Twitter, but it is worth considering the ways in which the marketing might be more likely to be consumed in more traditional ways. Might an assumed older audience be more likely to see the trailerat the cinema and less likely to search for it on the internet?
• The film was exhibited at various film festivals and received a theatrical release in Britain and various other countries (including France, Spain, Brazil and Japan – although not in the USA). It was later released on digital download and DVD/Blu-ray.
ken loach
Ken Loach is a well-known n producer known for producing films that challenge some topics in society shed light on them and sometimes attack some political factors
there exists a pre-sold audience of Loach fans who are eager to watch his films and the extent to which this gives him a license to make films that might not otherwise secure finance.
Power and media industries – Curran and Seaton
» The trailer seems to offer an experience
that sits outside the logic of profit and
power and may arguably also demonstrate
a level of variety and creativity that does
not reflect Curran and Seaton’s ideas about
the impact of media concentration.
the trailer is able to offer a more
adventurous production due to socially
diverse patterns of ownership or (as
above) Loach’s own pre-sold audience
marketing
• The marketing materials establish the status
and reputation of film – positive critical
comments on the poster, reference to the
Palme d’Or award in the trailer etc.
• The genre (British social realist film) and
director Ken Loach are important factors in
maintaining an audience. Loach has a long
history of directing work in the genre (Kes from 1969 might be a useful specific comparison)
and, unlike some film genres which have
been impacted by technical developments
and special effects
» The trailer references the BBC, BFI and the
Palme d’Or. Discuss the extent to which these
references suggest an assumed education and
level of media literacy in the target audience.
» The trailer explores specific governmental
policy which also may suggest audiences
will have an awareness of political
and social issues in the UK.
» The only specific “star” identified in the
trailer using intertitles is the director
Ken Loach. Loach’s work whilst having
broad appeal sits firmly within the niche of
social realism and candidates may discuss
the extent to which the fans of his work
are pre-sold based on his name alone.