2. Independent film
– ‘I, Daniel Blake’ is an independent film, as it is made outside the financial and artistic control of a large film
company.
– ‘I , Daniel Blake’ is privately conceived and funded.
– Production companies for ‘I, DANIEL Blake’’ consist of Wild Bunch, Why Not Productions, Sixteen Films,
British Film Institute and BBC films. Distribution companies for the film are eOne films (UK) and Le Pacte
(France)
– The low budget, independent film can often be hard to get shown in mainstream cinemas, due to its overtly
political message, which can be considered as a controversial choice for cinemas.
– In order to get the film out to audiences, the distributor eOne, appealed to grassroots organisations to put
on screenings. For a small fee, community groups were able to rent the film for a screening and charge an
audience whatever price they felt was appropriate to see the film.
– This lead to the film being available to be seen in a wide variety of venues, not normally associated with film
exhibition.
3. INDEPENDENT
FILMS
For example, a screening was
organised by the Edinburgh Tenants
Association at the Norton Park
Conference Centre in Edinburgh.
People could see the film for free and
it was followed by a panel discussion
to allow the audience to talk about
the issues raised by the film.
Other organisations arranged
screenings on a ‘pay what you can’
basis to ensure that people who
might not be able to afford to see the
film at a regular cinema would still
have a chance to see it.
4. Distinguishable content and style
– I, Daniel Blake is a 2016 drama film directed by Ken Loach and written by Loach's frequent collaborator Paul
Laverty.
– It stars Dave Johns as Daniel Blake, who is denied employment and support allowance despite his doctor
finding him unfit to work. Hayley Squires co-stars as Katie, a struggling single mother whom Daniel
befriends.
– The theme of the working class people in conflict with authority has been a constant presence in Loach’s
work from the start of his career.
– It remains the case that Loach’s work is concerned primarily with drawing the attention of the audience to
social injustice in the hope of provoking action to create a fairer society.
– Loach’s films could be said to fit into a tradition of film making known as social realism. Film in this style are
generally concerned with representing the lives of ordinary people, often also engaging with social issues
such as, for example, poverty, homelessness, drug abuse or unemployment.
5. Evidence of the presence of the film
maker and their artistic vision
– Loach is well known for directing films that have a political purpose.
– Rather than providing entertainment, it might be suggested that Loach’s
main aim as a film maker is to have an impact on the audience and expose
them to injustices in society, or increase their awareness of how life is for
people that are often under – represented or stereotyped in other parts of
the media.
– The most well known figure involved with the film is the director, Loach, who
has built a long career in British Film, producing dramas with a social
conscience.
– The evidence of the presence of the film maker is the use of his name in the
credits, the genre of the film and the visuals presented, e.g. unemployment,
further foreshowing the aspect of social realism.
6. Story/ narrative/ theme/ sub – genre
/ selling point
– The film, tells the story of a 59 – year – old joiner, Daniel Blake, who lives in
Newcastle.
– Over the course of the film, he struggles against the benefit system, and his
encounters with the benefits office bring him into contact with a young woman,
Katie, who is also struggling to get by after being rehoused in Newcastle.
– Daniel taker her under his wing and becomes a father figure to her and grandfather
figure to her children.
– Theme: Bureaucracy of the benefits system, poverty and unfairness of welfare state.
– Genre : Drama
– Selling Point : Film is based on social realism, thus drawing the attention of the
audience to social injustice in the hope of provoking action to create a fairer society.
7. Aesthetics /camera
– Loach generally favors long shots over close ups or medium shots.
– He tends to keep the camera at a distance from the action to create the
impression, that we, the audience, are observers, looking in on events in the
lives of his characters.
– A sense of realism is created, as the camera stimulates the point of view of a
passer – by who might be observing the behavior of strangers from across the
street, without coming over and getting involved.
– Lenses that mimic the human field of vision are used, as this means that the
shots in the film look as they would as if you were present at that scene and
seeing it through your own eyes.
– Wide angle lenses are avoided, so details in interior scenes are shown by
panning, rather than using wide lenses to distort the view and fit more of the
scene into the frame.
8. Actors/ settings/ props
– Daniel is played by Dave Johns, a stand up comedian performing in his first
serious acting role.
– Katie is played by Hayley Squires, another relatively unknown actor.
– The most well known figure involved with the film is the director himself; Ken
Loach, who has built a long career in British Film, producing dramas with a
social conscience.
– Settings include Katie’s home, the job Centre, the food bank, etc. , to further
stress the social realism aspect of the film.
– Props include the computer, the CV, tool box etc, to highlight the level of
poverty that is evident in Newcastle.
– The impact of digital technology and the falling costs of equipment have made
it much easier to make films on lower budgets than in the past.
