Distribution notes

The many aspects of releasing a film
There are tons of techniques, strategies and elements to use and consider when releasing a film, there are a possible 3 different company's that could be used just to get a film reel to the cinemas and vast legislation that dictates the parameters of a film.

Logistics of a film:
The logistics is the core of transport for newly released films. When a distribution company has the task of releasing a film they will tackle getting the film around by hiring a separate company to deliver the reels, the company will use their vans to transport the reels around the different film territories in circulation. However there is more to this aspect of film release than delivery-the logistics must meet the governing body's requirements of film and record and file their moves around the country as plans to be as effective as possible. depending on the budget of the film the logistics will also print the 35mm reels which will cost around £1000 for each film and will be split up into 5-6 reels. Also any extra touches to the films such as subtitling and 3D effects will cost double. Within the last 10 years the logistics has also been responsible for printing the DVD's. However the distributor will own these reels and the right to print the film making them the owners of any films they release. However these are some film company's that are also distributors and logistics, for instance Universal Studios will have the power to make a film, produce their own marketing and then circulate it around the world themselves which actually minimises the overall cost. Another example of logistics is that of the film This is England which on release only bought 20 prints which circulated to only independent cinemas and lasted 3 months.

Licensing:
before any film can be distributed it has to be given a certificate and verified by a board to gain its licensing, this means that all distributors need licenses to release the films they buy. this licensing allows everything from printing the reels to sending them to different cinemas. in the UK this is done via the BBFC-the british board of film classification, this is the governing body for all films released in the UK and is the licensing assigner to all distributors. In terms of licensing for distributors, buying a film from the producers means that royalties have to be paid whenever the film is in use, this could occur when its released, played on TV and even with DVD sales. usually films are bought and played in film territories, there are around 90 of these territories and in the case of film distribution a film can be released in more than 10 of these territories because of its large budget or just released in one because of the locally produced film. Licensing goes as far as TV and even the Internet where Distributors of TV like Sky will by the rights to play newly released films and company's such as Apple will buy the rights to sell a downloadable version on itunes.

Sterotypes `

Regional Identity presentation

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Above the line marketing and Below the line marketing

Promotion Strategies
Above the line promotion
Above the line is a type of advertising which is shown through media such as TV, Cinema, Radio, Print, Banners and search engines to promote brands such as films. The highest uses are things such as radio and television advertising, and web banner adverts. This type of ad is impersonal to customers as it is communication in a conventional nature.
Below The Line promotion
Below the line promotions are short-term incentives and are aimed at customers making it more personal. With increasing pressure on marketing teams to achieve communication objectives more efficiently despite their limited budget. They use less conventional methods with a delayed or immediate incentive to purchase with a temporary effect on the audience. They include activities such as direct mail, public relations and sales promotions.
2012 (Hollywood blockbuster) with a budget of $200 million, spent $4 million on advertising
The men who stares at goats (working title film) with a budget of $25 million.
Since Four Weddings and a Funeral in 1994 the advertising strategies developed are internet marketing such as banners, websites and targeted emailing. There is now mobile marketing, consisting of receiving the information through a text. Search engine marketing is the text ads that appear on the top and right column when someone performs a search using Google, Yahoo, etc. which are above the line marketing.

Digital Distribution

This is purely digital, meaning it is when things are downloaded to a computer. Any downloadable content is digital distribution meaning you will not need prints or reels. The advantages of digital distribution are that in the future it will be cheap; it will also cut costs on prints and film reels meaning less of the budget has to be spent, making more profit. It will also reach larger audiences as it is done on computers as there are no limitations on sending it out, this will benefit the independent companies. Although it may cause people to lose jobs if the work with the prints and reels e.g. cinemas, print companies.

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Shane Meadows interview

Whilst watching an interview with the writer/director from Warp films, we took notes on his styles and preferences. Firstly we noticed his love for low budgets and that he doesn't mind not using famous actors and that when using farely well known actors the end result didn't matter, it was the story that made the film. Also he mentioned his technique and system in making films and that it is ususally wrong but then said that directing all his films with this system was his style and that made all the films similar. He went on to say that his style is usually to improvise with his actors and develop a relationship, this stems from his dislike of writing, but he says he's comfortable with changing his script and creating an end result different to his previous plans. This is hugely different to Hollywood films and any other high budget films because he mentions that most directors feel compelled to keep to a plan and prevent creativity. Shane meadows style could be described as Social Realism for his use of realistic lighting and mise en scene. As he relies on his old system to create films when recieveing a bigger budget for his latest film he still used realistic elements.

Film budget question on affecting overall production

Question asked after watching This is England, Dead man's shoes and Hot Fuzz: How does the budget of a film institution affect production practices used to appeal to a target audience?Usually the budget for a film affects largely the outcome of the quality but by keeping the film production simple a budget doesn't have to affect the end quality. Sterotypically a low budget means the film wont use well known actors but instead aim for small time actors which suit the role of the characters within the film, this is highly effective because the actors can be chosen by their similarities to the characters within the script, this makes the film seem more realistic because the actor can feel at home with the script and the dialect of the character they are playing.

Advertisment in film

New film releases use a wide range of methods to advertise but the actual methods used will depend on the film institution and use of directors and actors.

In the case of a new film from universal studios many ‘above the line’ methods will be used such as trailers, posters and merchandising to advertise the film, these are called ATL because of the obvious nature they have and because often the audience will see these methods in play in the world around them. But when a smaller film corporation for instance Warp films releases a film they rely on ‘below the line’ methods such as word of mouth (viral), websites and interviews because the audience will have to search for the advertisements, another way of describing this would be: secondary advertisements.

The films I’ll be discussing are 2012, The Men Who Stare at Goats and Bunny and the Bull.

Possibly the biggest influence on which type of advertisement a film receives is its budget as we can see in these films:

2012: $200,000,000 – ATL advertising: trailers, posters, merchandise.

The Men Who Stare at Goats: $25,000,000 – ATL advertising: trailers, posters.

Bunny and the Bull: $5,000,000 – BTL advertising: websites, interviews. $500,000 of that was spent of marketing

Since the likes of 4 weddings and a funeral advertising has moved on immensely, whereas before the main use of advertising was trailers and bill boards current advertising incorporates the use of the internet and relies strongly on viral marketing. This is because of the huge increase in internet use and social networking sites which are viewed in the millions each day, this makes internet advertising usually better than the traditional method of trailers.

Film Budgets

Hot Fuzz

Directed by
Edgar Wright

Produced by
Nira ParkTim BevanEric Fellner
Written by
Simon PeggEdgar Wright
Starring
Simon PeggNick FrostJim BroadbentTimothy DaltonPaddy ConsidineEdward WoodwardBillie Whitelaw
Editing by
Chris Dickens
Studio
StudioCanalWorking Title Films
Distributed by
United Kingdom & Worldwide:Universal PicturesAustralia &New Zealand:Paramount PicturesCanada:Alliance FilmsUnited States:Rogue Pictures
Release date(s)
United Kingdom:February 14, 2007 (2007-02-14)New Zealand:9 March 2007Australia:15 March 2007Canada &United States:20 April 2007
Running time
116 minutes
Country
United Kingdom
Language
English
Budget
£8 million[1]
Gross revenue
Worldwide:$80,573,774

Dead Man's Shoes
UK DVD cover
Directed by
Shane Meadows
Produced by
Mark Herbert
Written by
Shane MeadowsPaddy ConsidinePaul Fraser
Starring
Paddy ConsidineToby KebbellGary Stretch
Cinematography
Danny Cohen
Editing by
Celia HainingLucas RocheChris Wyatt
Distributed by
Optimum Releasing
Release date(s)
1 October 2004 (2004-10-01)
Running time
86 min.
Country
United Kingdom
Language
English
Budget
£723,00