This document provides information about the film 12 Years a Slave including its production, distribution, marketing, audience, and financial performance. It was produced independently but distributed by major studios. It won numerous awards including Academy Awards. It had a budget of $20 million and grossed over $178 million worldwide. Celebrities promoted the film on social media and talk shows which helped its marketing. It was also marketed through posters and trailers on YouTube and websites. The film appealed to broad audiences and was made available through various digital platforms for video on demand.

1. 1
12 Years a Slave Case Studies
Co Production (produced by independent
companies but marketed and distributed by
conglomerates

3. 3
Awards
Academy Award for Best Picture,
Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role,
Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama,
BAFTA Award for Best Film,
Academy Award for Best Writing Adapted Screenplay,
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role,
BET Award for Best Movie,
BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role,
Independent Spirit Award for Best Feature,
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Motion Picture,
Producers Guild of America Award for Best Theatrical Motion Picture,
Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female,
Independent Spirit Award for Best Director,
BET Award for Best Actress,
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture,
Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay,
BET Award for Best Actor,
Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography,
BFCA Critics' Choice Award for Best Adapted Screenplay,
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Film,
AACTA International Award for Best Supporting Actor,
Satellite Award for Best Director,
AACTA International Award for Best Actor,
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture,
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress,
Satellite Award for Best Motion Picture,
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture,
Costume Designers Guild Award for Best Costume Design - Period Film,
Empire Award for Best Supporting Actor,
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director

4. Film Industry
Finance
Budget - $20,000,000 (estimated)
Opening Weekend
$923,715 (USA) (20 October 2013) (19 Screens)
£2,511,349 (UK) (12 January 2014) (207 Screens)
Weekend gross
$270,760 (USA) (12 January 2014) (114 Screens)
$4,604,706 (USA) (17 November 2013) (1,411 Screens)
Gross
$178,413,838 (Worldwide) (5 May 2014)
$56,667,870 (USA) (2 May 2014)
$121,745,968 (Non-USA) (5 May 2014)
$33,011,149(UK)(2014) – See next slide ->
http://www.imdb.com/title/t
t2024544/business?
ref_=tt_dt_bus

5. UK- 2014

6. Film Industry
Production and Distribution
• Production Institutions
• Regency Enterprises (USA) (presents)
• River Road Entertainment (presents)
• Plan B Entertainment (as Plan B)- founded by Brad Pitt in 2002
• New Regency Pictures (as New Regency)
• Film4 (in association with)
• Distribution Institutions
• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (2013) (World-wide) (all media)- one of ‘the big six’ -
Warner Bros. Pictures Walt Disney Pictures Universal Pictures Columbia Pictures 20th
Century Fox Paramount Pictures
• Entertainment One (2014) (UK) (theatrical)
• Fox Searchlight Pictures (2013) (USA) (theatrical)
• Entertainment One (2014) (UK) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2014) (USA) (Blu-ray) (DVD)

7. Film industry
Marketing
Connections
• 12 Years a Slave received support by celebrities such as Kanye West and
Sean Combs. They had featured in podcasts in which they promoted the
film.
Midnight Screenings:
Thor: The Dark World/12 Years a Slave (2013)
The Tonight Show -
Starring Jimmy Fallon (2014) 12 Days a Stripper
(2014) - A short film
spoof of the original
film

8. Film industry
Marketing
Competitions- below the line
1. 2.
3.

9. Film Industry
Marketing
Facebook
Twitter
Social media- below the line

10. Film industry
Marketing
Posters- (above the line)
Italian poster controversy
The poster had a huge controversy
in Italy, as it promoted the film's
white co-stars (Brad Pitt for
example – appeared in the last 20
minutes of the film) over black
leading role Chiwetel Ejiofor.
Resonation – ‘It’s time’
This poster was a major choice to
feature in newspaper and television
ads. It showcases an emotional close-
up of star Chiwetel Ejiofor as the man
forced into slavery with the words ‘It’s
Time’. The interpretation is ambiguous
though intends to resonate and promote
the truth about slavery.

11. Film industry
Video sharing - Trailer
Trailer from FoxSearchlight – 2,689,207 views in which was published 3
months before US release in October 18, 2013 (USA)
Mobile makes up
almost 40% of
YouTube's
global watch
time.
YouTube is localised
in 61 countries
80% of YouTube traffic
comes from outside the
US

12. The Film audience
Video sharing- Reviews
Jeremy Jahns – Youtuber
12 years a slave
257,173 views
650,547
subscribers

13. The Film audience
Reviews – Websites

14. 14
Stars as a way of selling a film to the audience.
Lupita Nyong'o
Michael Fassbender
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Brad Pitt
Benedict Cumberbatch
Use of social media by the
‘stars’. Do they help promote
a film?

15. 15
• What Genres (Types) of film are most popular amongst audiences (2013- 2014)?
• Genre is key to producers so that they are aware from the start of creating a film by preventing it from losing its
focus so that supply and demand can be more effective in attracting more viewers
The interrelationship between Institutions and Audiences:

16. Media convergence
• VOD {VIDEO ON DEMAND} – 25% of Internet users aged 12+ have streamed or downloaded a Film, 12
Years a slave was made available n a range of platforms eg
iTunes
BT vision
Amazon Prime
Compatible devices:
PC or Laptop
Video Game Consoles- Wii,
PLaystation,xbox
Set Top Boxes- Amazon Fire TV
Smart TVs- Samsung, Sony, LG
Blue-ray Players- Samsung, Sony, LG
Tablets- Kindle Fire, ipad
Mobiles- iPhone, Amazon Fire Phone,
Android mobiles
Content providers from the publishing worlds of newspapers, magazines, music, radio,
television, films, and entertainment software.
Subscribers pay $99 per year for free
shipping plus access to the video and
music. - 10 million members (2013) -
Business insider
800,000 subscribers (2013)- KIT
GURU
standard definition
version will set you back
$14.99. For the high
definition version, you
pay $19.99.
iTunes' high-definition version has
a 1280x720 resolution, as
compared to the higher
1920x1080 resolution of Blu-ray.
They have made
a partnership
with NETFLIX
(Nov 2014)

17. 17
Media convergence• 56% of the 25% of Internet users have streamed or downloaded a Film, represents Free downloading.
PutLocker
Piratebay
Survey Bay - comments