introduction into production distri market
TRANSCRIPT
INSTITUTIONS AND AUDIENCES
FILM INDUSTRYINTRODUCTION TO
PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION AND
MARKETING
AIMS
• To understand the focus for the Audience and Institutions section of your Exam
• To understand the structure of a Media Triangle
• To understand the different sectors of the film industry
KEY TERMS
Audience
Institution
Production
Subsidiary
Distribution
Marketing
Exhibition
Horizontal Integration
Vertical Integration
THE EXAMSection B: Institutions and
Audiences Candidates should be prepared to understand and discuss the processes of production, distribution, marketing and exchange as they relate to contemporary media institutions, as well as the nature of audience consumption and the relationships between audiences and institutions. In addition, candidates should be familiar with:
•the issues raised by media ownership in contemporary media practice;
•the importance of cross media convergence and synergy in production, distribution and marketing;
•the technologies that have been introduced in recent years at the levels of production, distribution, marketing and exchange;
•the significance of proliferation in hardware and content for institutions and audiences;
•the importance of technological convergence for institutions and audiences;
•the issues raised in the targeting of national and local audiences (specifically, British) by international or global institutions;
•the ways in which the candidates’ own experiences of media consumption illustrate wider patterns and trends of audience behaviour.
This unit should be approached through contemporary examples in the form of case studies based upon one of the specified media areas.
Film Four
• Trainspotting
• Looking for Eric
• Slumdog Millionaire
MEDIA TRIANGLES
Institution
Target Audience
Media Text
Who has produced the
media text
What they have
produced
Who it is produced for.
THE FILM PROCESS
PRODUCTION
DISTRIBUTION
EXHIBITION
There are three distinct areas of the film industry.
Each one of these could be viewed as a type of media institution.
What would you expect to happen at each stage?
PRODUCTION
DISTRIBUTION
EXHIBITION
IDE
A
(Pre
-pro
duct
ion)
FIL
MIN
G (
prod
uctio
n)
(in/o
ut
of
sets
)
ED
ITIN
G (
post
-pro
duct
ion)
MA
RK
ET
ING
DIS
TR
IBU
TE
TO
CIN
EM
A
(prin
ts)
EX
HIB
ITE
D (s
own
in) C
INE
MA
DIS
TR
IBU
TE
TO
D
VD
/SH
OP
S
EX
CH
AN
GE
(TV
, on
line
(itun
es,)
, do
wnl
oadi
ng (
net
flix)
pira
cy e
tc)
• Production involves the creation of the media product and is the responsibility of the PRODUCTION COMPANY
• This includes all pre-production, production & post-production processes.
• Before that the writer/director/producer must find finance for a film – which may come from one or many production companies (a co-production)
Figment Films is the production company who made Trainspotting.
Channel 4 (film 4) financed the film
•Film distributors are responsible for prints and marketing:PRINTS – producing physical copies of a film for cinema/home release and finding the exhibitors/retailers to sell the filmMARKETING – raising audience awareness and anticipation of a new release
•A distributor may:-Be a part of the same parent company as the production company-Have a long term arrangement with a production company and provide financial assistance for many of their productions-Provide financial assistance for a single film by a production company-Acquire a film after it has completed production
•A film will likely have different distributors for:-Releases in different countries-Cinema Release-Home-Video Release
Miramax distributed Trainspotting and bought the rights for $750,000 – in your case study look carefully at how it was marketed and distributed.
• Exhibition is divided into two sections:- Cinema – the distributor is paid by the cinema for a copy
of the film- Home – the distributor is paid by the company who is
selling the film for a copy
• A film’s success is often decided on the amount of money it makes during it’s cinema release. This is known as the Box Office Takings
• Home Exhibition is becoming an increasing valuable and varied source for distributors to increase profits.
WHAT METHODS OF HOME EXHIBITION CAN WE THINK OF?
FilmFour made its reputation with films such as Trainspotting in 1996, which made £23m at the box office but cost only £2.4m and was the highest grossing British film in 1996.
However, it was far more successful on DVD, spawning numerous versions and special editions
Why would this film be more successful on DVD than in the cinema?
HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL INTEGRATION
PRODUCTION
Often a single parent company will own multiple companies in the film industry.
This is divided into two types of ownership:
PRODUCTION PRODUCTION
HORIZONTAL
The parent company owns multiple companies at the same stage of the film industry. A smaller company, owned by the parent is a subsidiary.
VERTICAL
The parent company owns multiple companies across different stages of the film industry.
What are the advantages for a parent company of each type of ownership?
EXHIBITION
DISTRIBUTIONFor example Walt Disney also owns:
•Miramax Films
•Hollywood Pictures
•Pixar Animation
For example Warner Bros owns:
•Warner Bros Studios (Production)
•Warner Bros (Distribution)
•Used to own Warner Bros Cinemas in the UK (Exhibition)
RECAP
What do the following terms mean in relation to the film industry?
• Production
• Subsidiary
• Distribution
• Marketing
• Exhibition
• Horizontal Integration
• Vertical Integration