Audiences & Institutions

We watched a video produced for schools which talked us through the production of a film and it's distribution.

Production
The role of the producer is to find an original idea, and bring together a script, director, and leading roles in terms of cast. The producer tends to look at the bigger picture, having to mediate between the creative and other sides of the production process. The producer tends to "protect" the director in the sense that they help to ensure that the directors vision gets realised on the big screen. There are 4 blocks in the production process - developing; raising money; making it; distribution.

The Idea
The idea behind the film has to revolve around a good story, well told. Producers look for an idea which is explained simply and consistently, which the writer is passionate about. The script tends to act as sort of a blueprint for the director, which is continuously developed throughout the production.

The Package
Producers have to ask certain questions in order to create a type of "package" to present to potential financiers. Among these is "who will be in the film?". Script will be polished and rewritten multiple times, which may involve the creation and elimination of main characters, and even transposing of the location - for instance, the novel of War of The Worlds was set in London, but due to differences in era, it was changed to being in the USA.

Attracting Investment
Films can get financial investment from a variety of different sources, such as television companies such as the BBC and Channel 4, regional films funds and other independent investors. There are typically between 3 and 10 financiers on each film - there needs to be a selection of people with a financial stake because only having one investor means that they ultimately control the entire film, whereas multiple financiers means that the producer and director stay in control.  Production companies can also join to create films.

Planning
Producers read through the script and find the hardest to film scenes first, and then shape the schedule around these. The cinematographer is usually the directors "right hand man" as they help to visualise the script in new ways and help the director get their vision exactly onto the screen.

Budget
Each film as treated as an individual business in the sense that each and every aspect has to be accounted for in the budget. The script is gone through carefully and broken into sections which are then budgeted for separately such as the cast and the cost of filming in locations.
There are two kinds of cost:
Above the line --> the creative talent package - rights to the novel, producer and their team, the director, the actors.
Below the line --> cost of actually making the film - setting up shoots etc.

Audience 
Several questions are asked about the audience:

• Does the film have a defined audience? Is it niche or widely accessible?
• Where will the film be shown? In a mainstream cinema or an arthouse?
• Who are we making this for? Young or older people?
• How many people will watch it? Is it worth releasing it in the cinema?

The film needs to be understandable to the audience, and be definable without sticking to formulas laid out by other films, as well as being a fresh idea, without being too out there for people to actually want to access.

Marketing

The cost of marketing is considered to be "hidden" because it is not at the forefront of everyone's mind in the production process. It has to be taken into careful consideration when films are released; for instance horror movies do much better in cinemas around Halloween. 

It helps to create a "need to see" through having a special genre and cast, even if the film itself is not too good this should bring in a wide audience. 

There are differences in the way that the UK and US film industries market films; in the UK, the film is made and then marketed, but in the USA a release date is set before it is even made. They need to have a release date and a distributor in order to get the go ahead in making the film.

Distribution - The Role of the Distributor

The Role Of The Distributor

A distributor helps the producers to find an audience. They bring the film into the movie marketplace, having to be both strategic and creative in the film campaign. Independent distributors have to hunt down films at film festivals. Large studios distribute their own films and even can manufacture DVDs themselves, which is something Sony does.

Marketing

Distributors have to find one line of the film which sums it up and describes it. They have to pinpoint the genre and then market it in a way that best suits that genre. They can also play on the unique selling point, or USP of a film as a way to entice an audience.

Target Audience

The main groups that attend the cinema are 15-24 year olds and family groups. Hence most films are targeted at this demographic in order to attract people to the cinema. Any films which stray from this audience have to be exceptional in order to fare well in the movie marketplace.

Release Date

Distributors have to decide when the best time to release a film is, in order for it to stand the best chance of doing well. In school holidays, more child friendly films are released, in order to reduce the risk of the film failing.

Film Research

It's not common to take a risk with films, so they are shown to carefully selected audiences, through giving them a questionnaire to fill out. In the USA, people are shown posters and trailer ideas to check that the films message is being properly conveyed in the advertising of the film.

Marketing Budget
This depends on how much the movie is predicted to bring it at the box office. Between 25 and 30% of a films budget is spent on marketing.

Advertising/Publicity

There are different ways to make a film known. There is straightforward advertising such as on buses, billboards and through advertising on television. Promotions also bring in an audience, through teaming up with radio shows and having big name actors in the film.

Distribution - The Campaign

The Marketing Campaign

People are saturated with media messages everywhere, so adverts have to stand out. The trailer is considered to be one of the most important elements in a film's marketing strategy. Synergy is important here;  without it, the marketing elements do not work well together.
It often helps to create a recognisable brand, in the form of a font for example. The font for the film Spiderman, as seen in the image here, is easily recognisable as it was used widely in three films. It was only changed when the franchise re-branded itself.

The Poster
These tend to be the first look people will have at a movie and hence it has to stand out. Teaser posters and campaigns can be made early in the production process and give the audience an early knowledge of the film in order to slowly build up an awareness of it.

The Trailer
This is the public's first exposure into what they are actually going to be shown. They tend to work well because the adverts are shown on the same size screen, with the same audio quality, as they will experience in the actual film. There are three types of trailer; a teaser trailer, which is released either before production or very early on in the production; a main trailer, and a condensed one for the TV, when it has been released. There tends not to be voiceovers in trailers, but this is dependent on the genre of film. Comedy films usually have a voiceover to help the jokes stand out, but thrillers will most likely only feature a soundtrack and a few phrases from the film itself, in order to help recreate the mood that will be experienced in the film.
There are new kinds of trailers being made constantly - for instance, there is a 15 minute long trailer for Star Trek being shown in some screenings of other fantasy/sci-fi films.

TV Spots
These show a more finished version of the film, and have three main aims; to show the films name, when it opens in cinemas, and who's in it. They are between 15 and 30 seconds long, enough to leave an impression but just enough to intrigue viewers.

Multimedia
Films often have official websites, and distributors can create viral campaigns such as teaser videos and clips from the film. Some distributors offer quizzes and wallpapers for free in order to help people advertise via word of mouth.

PR/Publicity
In order to get cheap advertising, films get reviewed. These are usually free and a good review is great advertising if in a mainstream publication such as The Daily Mail. These can then be put in newspaper adverts for films, in radio adverts and other media in order to convince the audience of the film's worth.

Tracking
Four weeks before the film is released, distributors look at what percentage of people are aware of the film, and how many intend of them intend to actually watch it. Word of mouth is very important to the reputation of a film, because an audience is more likely to listen when their friend tells them to watch it then if an advertisement does. It's a very efficient method of advertising, and is also free.

Opening Weekend
This is the Friday that it opens, the Saturday, and the Sunday. Distributors aim to have made more than any other film in the cinema. If there is not many people attending the screenings on the opening weekend of the film then it is very unlikely that it will be successful and cinemas will often pull it from their listings and stop showing it in favour of a more promising title.

The Film Industry - Exhibition
In the summer of 2007, cinema attendances rose to their highest in 40 years, owed mainly due to the number of popular releases and blockbusters at that time, such as Shrek the Third and Pirates of The Caribbean: At World's End.
Exhibitors have problems with piracy when they choose where to release their films. They need good, interesting movies to sell to an audience, and the newest digital developments for cinema mean that the future of film exhibition is constantly evolving.
In 1984, a new multiplex opened in Milton Keynes and rose attendances hugely. Since then, cinemas have constantly been upgrading the cinematic experience for their guests with features such as raised seating, better sound, cleaner screens and better projection staff.

Cinema Location
Cinemas previously had to be built out of town in retail parks, for example. It was not economically viable to take up large amounts of space in city areas due to the immense cost. Planning permissions have changed which make it easier to built cinemas in towns. Out of town cinemas succeed only when they have good parking and are easier to access.

Audience
The film chain Curzon shows specialised films as well as mainstream films in order to attract an audience to their smaller cinemas.
The main contingent of the cinema audience is the "baby boom" generation, meaning that there tends to be older audiences. More discerning, older audiences tend to view their films  in city centres, whereas younger audiences view films in out of town locations - consequently cinemas need to change the types of films they show depending on where they located.
On Mondays, films and decisions are reviewed to see how successful they have been. Exhibitors have to think commerciallyn when choosing what to show and not let their own opinions become prevalent.

Mosaic Profiling
Mosaic profiling is a method of research carried out by Vue Cinemas, where they profiled all their customers at all their sites, to see where customers are and are not in order to see where to concentrate resources. The chain discovered that there was a large Turkish demographic around one of their sites and hence showed a popular Turkish film in order to draw these people in.
Curzon hold events to differentiate themselves from other cinemas and make them less easily accessible. They offer a more relaxed environment and show specialised movies.

Brand
People tend to choose to watch a film based on who is in it, and choose a cinema based on several factors - shown below.

1. What movies are being shown
2. Access
3. Transport
4. Possibility of queueing
5. Old or new?
6. Obstructive screen
7. Sound quality
8. Brand

Curzon claims that it is more of a "delicatessen" compared to other chains being "supermarkets"; they cater for a specialised taste but there is a market for it.

Digital Cinema
This has transformed the industry relatively overnight, due to the unlimited amount of movies that can be shown on a digital medium. They can screen sporting events, live concerts, and live ballet. Digital 3D is a much more immersive experience, most directors and producers are excited about what this might lead to in the future of cinema.
This can help to distinguish between a home entertainment system and offer a more interesting night out for some guests.
These new developments will help Curzon attract a younger audience to their specialised sites, as they can hold more events.

People want to get away from home, and hence the cinema can offer people that; it is a social experience which is likely to be enjoyed for years to come.