Key Assignment: Researching the Film Chain

Production

The first stage in producing a film is pre-production, this is the stage at which all of the planning occurs. The production is broken down into individual scenes so that all the elements of the mise en scene can be identified along with the script (if not already complete). After this stage production takes place, this is when all of the filming is carried out as planned in pre-production. During this the scene may have to be filmed as many times as the director wants, to ensure the best quality film will be made in the end, this can be difficult because once the filming has taken place it is almost impossible to recreate certain events that have been filmed. The final stage is post-production, in which the film is put together by the editor. Firstly the editor creates a rough cut taken from scenes based on individual shots, the purpose of this step is to ensure the best shots are chosen. Next comes a fine cut, where they get all the shots for flow smoothly, this includes cutting, editing and adding elements such as music and graphics. After a private screening of the fine cut to the director and producer, if they approve of the editing the picture becomes locked meaning no additional changes will be made and the final product has been produced.

Some of the main production companies in America are DreamWorks Animation (distributed currently by 20th Century Fox), 20th Century Fox, Universal Studios (NBC Universal), Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures (Time Warner) and Walt Disney Pictures.

Ownership of studios has a major impact on what films the production companies produce for example: Walt Disney Pictures will produce child friendly films usually based upon fairy tales and having a target audience of young children. Whereas Universal Studios create films more likely to be real and not animation, stretching to older audiences.

Distribution

The definition of distribution is the action of sharing something out among a number of recipients. A film gets to a cinema by a studio making an agreement with a distribution company which then screens the film to prospective buyers representing the theatres. After a negotiation about the movie between the buyers and distribution company prints are sent to the theatres and people go to watch the movie.
Film distributors are responsible for the marketing of a film, usually the producers put it in the hands of companies like this to distribute the film rather than themselves.
Traditionally films are distributed into cinemas where people pay to come and watch the film. A newer and increasingly more popular way of film distribution is by using online resources such as netflix or lovefilm.

The definition of film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Their role in film distribution is that non-mainstream films find it hard to achieve theatre distribution therefore by wholesaling a lot of similar films at once the target audience can be reached a lot easier.

A distributor may release a film on a certain weekend as at that time it may be the only movie of their genre being released therefore there is less competition to face. Another reason is that it could be a bank holiday weekend making it more appealing for people to go out to places such as the cinema.

Distribution is the most important part of the film chain as it is where all the profits and earnings will be made and if this wasn't secure the film is unlikely/less likely to create as much revenue as it could have.

Marketing

Marketing is getting your product out to your target audience and is different to distribution as it happens before the film is finished or released.

Major marketing is taking place for the film The Book Of Life, this includes posters at bus stops and on buses, billboards and the following screen grabs are some of the other online ways it is reaching its target audience:

Films are promoted to different audiences such as non-English speaking people by creating alternate trailers and posters for them, the movie Avatar has featured some of these including: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmQ0vQ2CXy4

Exhibition

In this current day we engage with films in a broader way than we used to, some of these include: watching at the cinema, netflix ect, youtube, illegal download/streaming sites, film festivals, DVD's and renting.

The definition of box office is the amount of business a particular production, such as a film or theatre show, receives.

Box office return is is useful to identify the success of the film as it identifies how much the film makes in its early stages therefore how many people will see the film in the future.

From a successful film the distributor will get the vast majority of the money made from the box office.

Cinemas usually make their money from the on-screen advertisements and concessions, which explain the high costs of popcorn and drinks, as the cinema only receives a small proportion of the money from the ticket sales.

Cinemas put on promotions to keep customers coming to watch movies, as well as exclusive content and a better viewing experience.

The definition off Ancillary markets are non-theatrical markets for feature films, like home video, television, Pay Per View, VOD, Internet streaming, airlines and others. These enable exhibitions as the film is still on the market therefore can still make money from purchasing customers. 

The British Film Institute is a charitable organisation which encourages the development of film and television in the UK and to promote film education and their impact on society also to promote access to the widest range of British and world cinema. This helps the British film industry as it encourages more people to go out to the cinema and watch films as well as learn about them therefore sparking an interest in people who may like to work in the industry.