Branded Content and Australian Hybrid Film Financing Dean Michael Chircop
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Branded Content and Australian Hybrid Film Financing Dean Michael Chircop BA (Communications), Honours in Humanities Griffith Film School, Griffith University Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctorate of Visual Arts August 2016 ii You have to be true to your own ideas and your own creative impulse. But at the same time, be aware of the market. —Roger Corman, Academy award–winning producer, director, and actor (cited in Holdsworth 2013) iii Declaration I certify that this exegesis does not incorporate without acknowledgement any material previously submitted for a degree or diploma in any university; and that to the best of my knowledge and belief it does not contain any material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the text. Signed: Dean Chircop iv v Acknowledgements The seven-year process of taking this exegesis and studio work from an idea to completion has been exhilarating. It has not, however, been painless and I have relied heavily on the advice and expertise of those around me. I would like to acknowledge a number of people who supported me throughout this journey: Professor Herman Van Eyken, for his strategic ideas, guidance and valued creative input; Mr James Greville, for his belief in this project from the get go and who has worked tirelessly alongside me in the development of my studio work; Associate Professor Trish FitzSimons, your editorial input, positivity, advice and mentorship helped me go the distance during this long, and sometimes weary academic journey; Jayne Manwarring, your unwavering support to help me connect with the right people through your vast network has been instrumental; Associate Professor Pat Laughren, I have always valued your practical research guidance and advice. Finally, I would like to acknowledge the Griffith Film School for its nurturing and diverse research culture. I would also like to say thank you to my wife Oxana, daughter Alisa, and son Alexander. I would never have been able to complete this doctorate without your encouragement and patience, allowing me time to write and research. To my parents, Michael and Joan, you have always been unconditional supporters of my filmmaking and academic career. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vi TABLE OF CONTENTS vii LIST OF FIGURES viii ABSTRACT ix CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1 Scope Rationale Literature Review Chapter Breakdown CHAPTER 2 STORY: GETTING TO THE WHY 16 Shaping the Brand Filmmaker Bloody Footy and Sports Films Uncovering the High-Octane Formula CHAPTER 3 BRANDR: TO BURN BY FIRE 30 What Is a Brand? A Plotted History of Branded Content Commoditised Imagination CHAPTER 4 FINANCING: SUPPLEMENT, DON’T REINVENT 47 The Status Quo Crowdfunding Branded Entertainment Mining for Red Dogs CHAPTER 5 APPLICATION 67 Phase One Regime Change and Creating the Brand Film Hose of Cards Swings and Roundabouts The Road Ahead CHAPTER 6 CONCLUSION 95 BIBLIOGRAPHY 98 FILMOGRAPHY 110 APPENDIX 1 1000 1 Page Synopsis 114 APPENDIX 2 Proposal to V8 Supercars 117 vii APPENDIX 3 V8 Supercars Letter of Support 120 APPENDIX 4 Logistical Summary 121 APPENDIX 5 King of Speed 1 Page Synopsis 123 APPENDIX 6 Recommendations for Filmmakers 124 Seeking Branding Partnerships viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Description Page Figure 1 The Porsche 928 as featured in Risky Business (1983). 35 Figure 2 Dr. Emmett Brown character standing in front of the 35 department store JC Penny in Back to the Future (1985). Figure 3 A modern shopping mall from Minority Report (2002). 35 Figure 4 A character plays with a Rubik’s cube in Brick (2005). 36 Figure 5 Actor Demi Moore in Indecent Proposal (1993). 36 Figure 6 Tourists visiting the Hobbiton set from the Lord of the Rings 37 and Hobbit trilogies in the ‘100% Middle-Earth’ campaign for New Zealand Tourism. Figure 7 Closing slide from the New Zealand Tourism ‘100% Middle- 38 Earth’ campaign. Figure 8 Orcs, Ringwraiths and Dwarfs featured in the Air New Zealand’s 38 safety video. Figure 9 Air New Zealand In-flight entertainment touch screen. 39 Figure 10 Neil Harbisson in Hearing Colour (2015). 54 Figure 11 A skateboarder riding on an apartment rooftop in Never 55 Extinguish (2011). Figure 12 Actor Zac Pearlman in The Power Inside (2013). 57 Figure 13 A Rio Tinto coal train as featured in Red Dog (2011). 59 Figure 14 A Hamersley Iron transportation bus in Red Dog (2011) 60 Figure 15 Dragline excavator and other mining equipment as featured in 61 Red Dog (2011). Figure 16 CAT mining trucks, a character in Woodside uniform and Koko 63 the red kelpie eating Pedigree dog food in Red Dog (2011). Figure 17 Logo design for short film The Parlour (2002). 75 Figure 18 First logo design for 1000. 75 Figure 19 Second logo design for 1000. 76 Figure 20 Final logo design for 1000. Figure 21 A camper exhibiting their allegiance to the Ford brand at the 78 2013 Bathurst 1000. Figure 22 The logos of the 2014 official sponsors of V8 Supercars. 79 Figure 23 An online readers poll from the Daily Mail. 82 Figure 24 King of Speed logo. 88 ix Abstract This exegesis proposes an alternative strategy for financing feature films in Australia, one centred on working to create a fictional narrative screenplay in conjunction with commercial brand partners. The studio project at the heart of this reflective practice research is the writing and development of King of Speed, a feature film script set in the realm of competitive automobile racing. I argue that the alignment of this milieu and industry with my narrative interests has provided a unique opportunity to partner with key corporations and brands without ceding creative control. I suggest that a major challenge confronted in the design of the project is the aesthetic contextualisation of commercial content. A key aim of the script development is to provide opportunities for sponsorship and the showcasing of ‘products’ that appear to be contextually naturalised and hence not to violate the integrity of the artwork. This research contributes to the field of screen producing and filmmakers who are seeking ways to finance feature films that are outside entrenched and established models. The exegesis investigates the process of script development; the financial advantages and disadvantages that can be gained from associating films with brands; the ethical and aesthetic limits of product placement; the complex issues surrounding artists’ rights; and the commercial challenges to influences on creative integrity. x Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION My entire life has been shaped by stories. Stories recounted by my working-class grandfather of the hardships of the Depression. Stories recounted by my mother of her near-drowning as a child that scared her so much that she never set foot in open water again. Bizarre confessional stories of alien encounters recounted from strangers who attended monthly UFO research meetings that my father presided over. These stories have shaped me into a passionate screenwriter. I relish the creative thrill I feel from plotting out ideas, shaping characters, and researching new worlds. Over the years, I have also come to appreciate that writing the story is only one component of the filmmaking journey. Applying for government development grants, seeking private investors, and securing a distribution guarantee are all equally challenging and complicated processes in the realisation of a film, and filmmakers are often at the mercy of other factors. In the following chapters, I will describe the creative development process of one of my stories and its union with a financial plan. My intention has been to provide the film with a self-determined bankrolling strategy, underpinned by advertising and brand partnerships. I became aware of the power of brands, albeit unconsciously, in my father’s Tuckerbag supermarket when I was a little boy growing up in Melbourne. My parents had a very strict policy regarding what I could take from the shelves, and it wasn’t chocolate or soft drink that I wanted most. I was convinced my remote-controlled car went faster with Energizer brand batteries. I had no real evidence for my claim; nevertheless, I was convinced from the in-store and television advertising that the Energizer brand would make my remote-controlled car superior. In my teens, growing up on the Gold Coast, my yearning transferred to what I considered ‘cool’ brands that were aligned with my social activities and extracurricular pursuits: Billabong, Quicksilver, Vans, and Converse. Thirty years later, I reflect on my need for branded goods with both sentimentality and pity. ‘Brand’ is an elusive word with many associations and meanings. In the introduction to Brand Thinking and Other Noble Pursuits (2011) by Debbie Millman, Rob Walker explains: Brands do not exist, you can’t extract them from the earth, craft them in a workshop, manufacture them or fabricate them. You can’t put one in your pocket, grow it on a farm, put a fence around it, fling it through a window or even leave it in a restaurant by accident. You can’t even download a brand, a brand is nothing but an idea. Creating the idea is a complicated process involving design, anthropology, advertising, public relations, semiotics and of course, the often over-looked factor of tangible reality. (Walker 2011, 2) A brand can be as simple as a manufactured product by a particular company or an identifying mark that can be burned on with a hot iron. Millman proposes that a brand is a creative achievement that is as capable as any art form of stimulating our emotions and intellects (Millman 2011, 11). In contrast, Naomi Klein argues in her book No Logo (2000) that brands are “the surrender of culture and education to marketing” (Klein 2000, 14).