FILM DISTRIBUTION
What Do Distributors Do?
Firstly, what is a
distributor company? A distribution company is one of four elements of the marketing
mix, you can have product or wholesaler distribution but as a film distribution
company they proceed a process which enables the consumer to watch a certain
film, although you don’t hear much about film distribution is one of most
important parts of making a film.
A film distributor is about releasing and
sustaining films in the market place, they also decide a method of which the
film is viewed either by theater, television or home viewing such as DVD
or blue ray. International distributors ensure that films find their way to 90+
market “territories” around the world, in the US most studios have their own distributor.
In contrast small independent film companies however don’t have links with
distributor and therefore makes it harder for smaller films to reach cinemas,
however film festivals happen one year in different part of the world and one
most famous one is Cannes Film Festival which gives small independent companies
the chance for distributor to buy the film.
How Are
Films Distributed?
Film distributor is the process of making a movie available for viewing by an audience. The process includes
·
There is an idea for a film .
·
They create an outline and use it to
promote interest in the idea.
·
A studio or independent investor
decides to purchase rights to the film.
·
People are brought together to make
the film (screenwriter, producer, director, cast, crew).
·
The film is completed and sent to the
studio.
·
The studio makes a licensing
agreement with a distribution company.
·
The distribution company determines
how many copies (prints) of the film to make.
·
The distribution company shows the
movie (screening) to buyers representing the theaters.
·
The buyers negotiate with the
distribution company on which movies they wish to lease and the terms of the
lease agreement.
·
The prints are sent to the theaters a
few days before the opening day.
·
The theater shows the movie for a
specified number of weeks
·
You buy a ticket and watch the movie.
·
the theater sends the print back to the
distribution company and makes payment on the lease agreement.
The steps above are mainly how a film reaches the consumers to watch in cinema, however for small independent companies they may require more work to have a link with a distribution company which when they might hire a specialists sales agent who will set up stalls at film festival such as London and Cannes which then gives them the chance to purchase the film and sell it across theaters.
FDA-Film
Distributors’ Association-https://www.launchingfilms.com/furtherdiscussions#fragment-2
I wanted to show that
I have looked at FDA website to understand the concept of the role of
Distribution, the screenshot below is someone explaining what film distributors
do and says, “There is whole business process which is fast moving, highly competitive”
The short video then
goes onto explaining what elements of a film will attract an audience such as
the genre: horror, comedy, romantic, thriller or sci-fi. Also who is it going
to appeal to and who is the audience?
The next screenshot
shows Mark Batey, chief executive, Film Distributor again describing how it’s
very fast process but also highly competitive as the distribution company will
want to sell the film and make it a success for the consumers. As distributor,
they have to go with what the film offers and then from then on try promote it
to many people as possible, says Ian George, Managing Director.
The Business of Film- week 3-
I enrolled onto a course and started on week 3 which goes in depth about film distributors which again helps my understanding, the main points made are similar to what I wrote earlier about what film distributors do etc.
The Distribution Life Cycle Of A Film
“Alex Hamilton is Managing Director of Entertainment One UK,
one of the more significant independent film distribution companies in the UK,
with operations all around the world.”
Alex Hamilton, explains the life cycle of film called “windows” which
refers to the fact that films can been seen on different platforms such TV,
DVD, cinema. Although there is change in audience behavior as we are used to
it being out in cinema and then onto DVD to which eventually placed on TV to be
aired for free, however most people nowadays watch films on free TV or on demand
services.
Case Study: Distribution Tortoise in love
The film tortoise was realised across rural villages due to
BFI association, eventually it was premiered as well at Leicester Square. The
film is about a Tortoise who is in love, it’s a British aromatic comedy made by
a village that set out on exciting journey from Oxfordshire to eventually bound
for London’s Leicester Square, the director (Guy Browning) managed to
corralled the entire village of Kingston Baqpuize to make the vision a reality. They believed that Tortoise In love, could be the film a unique approach to distribution.
Which, in order to make possible they approached BFI Print and Advertising fund to ask for financial support.
It enabled them to fund the distribution costs such as supplying the venues with a copy of the
film in the correct format; as well as printing cinema-style quad posters for
all venues and lastly the fund helped enabled recruit a distribution manager to
manage and administer the bookings.
“Whilst
the BFI has been running rural cinema Pilot Scheme recently, moat films are
still only available to non-mainstream venues 12-16weeks after their cinematic
release” The BFI distribution strategy “created by immense productions for tortoise in love- which aimed to
bring a current movie to the countryside at the height of its media buzz and
allow rural venues the opportunity to be part of the national release at the
price of a Filmbank title”
Case Study: “71
warp films released the film "71 an indepdent film, starring Jack O'connell. The film is based about a soldier who becomes deserted from his army unit.
The distributors "wwarp" benfitted from holding the film until america audiences had seen jack o'connel in Hollywood film with Angelia Joule who is massive Actor which gained him huge media attention and a BAFTA. The distribution, stragety also involved targeting uk and us audiences who were concerned abou the radicalization
