Film 4 - Distribution

2002 Big Chances

• Tessa Ross
• Need to boost annual investment through third party partnerships
• Will no longer distribute its own films

Today

• Ross has secured an increased budget from £8-£10m a year to £15m
• Make between 6 - 8 films a year
• Set up a low-budget studio with the Film Council and distributors Optimum: Warp X (digital production house)
• Working across TV and film drama also allows for economies of scale and cross-fertilization

Partnerships

• Ross sees Film 4 as part of a wider creative community with, for eg, ‘Working Title’, the BBC and BBC Films
• Partnerships with Distribution companies

Warp X and Film 4 Hub

• Warp X - A Film 4/UK Film Council joint project with the Sheffield-based indie Warp - that can finance three low-budget films a year

Editing - Memento

The film show’s man at the start holding a picture, using an extreme close up to show this. He then shakes the photo as it a Polaroid’s photo. It that become’s apparent that the movie is being played in reverse. After this we understand that the man suffers from sort of memory loss. He overcome’s his problem by making notes over his body and over the room.

Through out the start of the film he has having flashbacks like he is overcoming his illness. Close up’s are used a lot during the start to impact on the viewer of a certain detail. He solves the issue by reading the notes on his body and writing them down on the photo’s. This is repeated, step by step each time it’s played.

Distribution

Distribution

Tony Angellotti

• Films are made with the audience in mind
• Audience decide film choice, stars and etc

Toby Miller

• Hollywood anticipates tastes + forces them
• Distribution + promotion is the key to financial success

What I think

I think that a film with a good trailer and a good amount of advertising makes me want to go and see a film.

What is film distribution?

It describes everything that happens in between production and exhibition

Promotion

Above the line - Advertising such as trailers, funded as part of the project

Below the line - Not paid for

Is it all fair?

• The bigger companies control distribution over their own products
• Films are loaned to Cinema’s on a finite period

Five major distributors dominate the UK film industry

1. United International Pictures (Universal is part of this company)
2. Warner Brothers
3. Buena Vista
4. Twentieth Century Fox
5. Sony

(Above) All American

Key points

• Roughly 9 out of 10 films seen in the UK are viewed as a result of these distributors
• In most cases these distributors are directly linked to the Hollywood production companies who make the films AND exhibitors who prioritize Hollywood films over others for profit
• Usually the blockbuster films we are familiar with are distributors via ‘blanket release’. so even if a small UK independent company manages to get its product into Cinema’s, it is usually competing for attention which one or more films that take on the status of an ‘event’.
• One of the outcomes of the above distribution arrangement is that half of the films released in Britain do not reach the whole country.

Problems smaller companies face

• Every films shown in a Cinema is a separate ‘print’ of the film, projected via a reel
• Cost smaller companies a lot of money

Does marketing really matter?

Despite bad reviews, lavish marketing ensured that Pirates of the Caribbean 2 made over £50 million was made in the UK box office, and 1.5 million copies of the DVD were purchased in the 10 days after release

The Black Knight

It broke all kinds of records for Viral Advertising

Cost to make £185,000,000

Shown on 4336 screens

The Piracy Problem and Film Distribution

• 10% increase each year in revenue lost illegal distribution
• Make Problem
• UK high degree of DVD piracy.
• Answer
• Digital filming and projection

Digital Distribution Advantages

• Promises to transform the film industry more than any other technological chance since sound
• Once it becomes the norm to download a film via broadband, the only potential for a new form of ‘blanket distribution’ it obvious - not only do you no longer need multiple prints, you can also bypass the Cinema’s (although the big screen offers a separate experience this likely to remain attractive)
• Digital film has the advantage of offering identical versions of the film to each viewer, and this will without doubt save billions of pounds at the distribution phase. So no more wear-and-tear of copies.
• Another advantage of digital distribution will be control and security and eradication of the pirate cinema-goer with a hidden camera
• Simultaneous global distributions by the internet will put an end to this ‘time gap’ and thus it’s exploitation by pirates.

www.launchingfilms.tv/distribution.php

www.christophernicholson.com/downloads/distribution.guide.pdf

Marketability simple means identifying the target audience

Media partnership - decide who is best to link up with

45+ audience take about a week to go and watch a movie

Teenagers are more spontaneous

Advertising through either the press, TV, internet, radio, free forms, free screening and word of mouth.

Moral Panics, Hypodermic Theory And The Passive Audience

Moral Panics, Hypodermic Theory and the Passive Audience

Billy and Rupert

Topic:

Columbine High School Massacre

Issues and Debates:

How the first person shooter game called ‘Doom’. 2 teenagers were already being punished and that the massacre was a relief of stress. They thought they were influenced by already existing products and people such as music and movies.

Matt and Abbie

Topic:

Skins

Issues and Debates:

Teenagers, after watching the program, want to to go and live their lives like it.

Tom and Rhys

Topic:

Man Hunt

Issues and Debates:

How people who play the game might think it’s acceptable to act out the contents of it.

Sam and Emma

Topic:

Paranormal Activity

Issues and Debates:

People believe it’s all real and some people drive themselves to suicide.

Xtranormal Video Script - Facebook

Lindsey

Facebook is the 2nd most used website in the world with over 400 million accounts. Not only that but it is linked to thousands of external websites which allow you to like articles. People use them to socialize and to keep up to date and in touch with family and friends. But there have been huge issues and controversy surrounding it as its popularity has increased. Professor Arnold Geller is here with us to tell us his passionate views against Facebook and it’s problems.

So Professor, what are the problems with Facebook?

To start with there is a complete lack of security. All good information and personal details are exposed. You can find out almost everything about people that they share. This is dangerous for more vulnerable people such as children. Because its on the internet as when, regardless of if you delete it they will always be a hard copy. This is especially bad for photo’s you’ve accidentally uploaded or if you want to delete your account it’s very difficult. With hardly any privacy you are at risk. People can post information about themselves, but this puts them at risk. A recent case in a national newspaper reported a year old had had her identity stolen on Facebook. A women set up an email + Facebook account in her name, stole and edited pictures of her on the internet, and added all her friends and family. She started a 17 month affair with a man and claimed to be the mother of her child. She was found out when the man tried to meet the unsuspecting real Carolyn. The women turned out just to be a gan who’s dedication accounts spiraled out of control. But if this  is what someone with no harmful motives can cause, imagine those who want to cause harm do.

Another example is the girl who advertised a house party on Facebook and had 21,000 people confirm they were coming

Another big issue has been cyber-bullying. Many people, particularly then, have suffered due to severe abuse being sent over Facebook. Although Facebook takes steps to prevent it, it is impossible to monitor and we often stories in the news when it gets out of hand. People have lost their jobs through employers seeing inappropriate pictures or profiles. Overall Facebook is very dangerous if the wrong people use it for the wrong reasons which is why it is controversial.

Thank you. That was Professor Arnold Geller telling us of the problems with Facebook.  

What Is A British Film?

What is a British film?

• A Setting in the UK? or
• A focus on British people abroad? or
• A predominantly British cast? or
• A Storyline about some aspect of British life? or
• Based on the work of a British author?

The Importance of a National film industry

• Significant returns for the UK economy through film making, inward investment, film exhibition, DVD rentals and sales, film exports

• The UK Film Council estimates that a successful Brit Film will make up to 70% of its revenue outside of the UK

British Cinema and Hollywood

• British film production companies have co-production and distribution with Hollywood studios

• ‘British’ films can be funded and distributed by US companies

• Decisions on which British films to produce and how to market them are often based on the tastes of both domestic and American audiences

Avatar - Marketing Facts


 


Avatar was given a $237 million + $9 million budget to work with. Over the time it’s been released it has made a gross revenue of $2,772,598,443. The $9 million extra was for the re-release of the movie as in a weekend it had turned over massive amounts of money.

Books

The movie itself was based on an already existing book. The book itself is about a confidential report into the biological and social history of the planet Pandora. Having this book already released would of helped the movie into being an already success.

Video’s Games

There is also a video game been made in 2007. It was released in every platform including iPhone thus maximizing marketing.