Unit 26 Assignment 3 (Distribution and Exhibition) notes

Distribution 

Distributors provide press kits for journalists. They are in charge of publicity, marketing and merchandise. They copy prints and handle delivery, linking between the audience and finished text. Basically distributing is researching the audience, this includes Test Screening. This is where an audience view a film, after viewing they are asked to answer 3 questions: Did they get it? Did they like the star? Would they recommend it? A good thing about test screening is that it gives the audience power, this could possibly make them smarter and more sensitive than the filmmaker.

Marketing is a massive part of distribution, it includes publicity, merchandising and on festivals and/or premieres. The publicity features "press junkets" as in the interviews stars go through everyday as listed in their contracts. Quite often the merchandise makes more money than ticket sales do. Festivals for marketing could include: London, Berlin or Edinburgh.

Marketing

A marketing technique used a lot is called Front Loading. Getting a good opening weekend (by buying it), saturating the market/tv- e.g. in the last 10 days before it opens.  

• STARS sell
• Cross-media production e.g. interviews, premieres
• "No such thing as bad press"

Strategies for marketing include: 

1. Trailers
2. Posters
3. Press Junkets
4. Websites

Merchandising is a big part of marketing so it has some different strategies and techniques used. 

• Ford Mondeo
• Heineken 

Classification

Distributors pay and arranges for films to go to the MPAA/BBFC. Certificate levels are crucial to the target audience. Distributors could seek advice in order to get low age range and a wider audience.

EXHIBITION

This is when it is released into cinemas, art houses or multiplex. The audience seeing and consuming text. Cinemas, DVD and television. Movie studios/film distributors (in the U.S.) traditionally drive hard bargains entitling them to as much as 70% of the gross ticket revenue during the first week. 

Film Finance

• Those who invest may have say over what happens in the film in the three stages of production. 
• Starting with the producer- they raise finance and confidence in an idea.
• Funding comes from the studio producing it.

Production companies:

1. Dreamworks
2. 20th century fox
3. Columbia Films
4. New Line Cinema
5. Marvel Studios
6. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Independent Film Finance

This is production outside of a major studio. They have banks, investment companies, private investors, government and credit cards. Producers may try to pre-sell the film to distributors for specific national markets or worldwide rights or sell the tv rights. Getting them involved early may mean that they want locations or actors to change -this could cause problems!

Hollywood Today

• Making deals 
• People like a producer/sales agent put packs together presenting it to investors
• The package= a treatment (like a synopsis but more detailed), details of actors attatched to the product, details of proposed Directors and locations.
• Film studios may be investors to whomever the package is presented, studio likes it-produce and finance it.
• Some studios have certain attachments with directors, first option agreements (like first refusal)

The Blockbuster and High Concept Film

1. High concept films-star power, basic scenarios and genre appeal you can sell it to an investor in one line. 
2. The safe approach-remaking past hits or sequel
3. Blockbuster: simplicity-simple characters, simple storyline. Looks good -special effects etc.
4. Both Blockbuster and HCF need huge investments, but sale of satellite/television rights and making merchandising make the profit for the producers.

Debate

• American Cinema-most predictable, conformist and derivative.
• Hollywood doesn't 'make' movies, they remake movies!
• American films are brightly packaged unsubtle entertainments mass-produced for intellectually undemanding under-25s. 

Hints for Assignment 

1. Fan Following Film
2. More information the better!- fan-made videos, merchandise, official websites, fan-clubs, interviews with the stars, reviews-fan and critic, fan-made websites, sales figures for how the film did, posters/billboards, trailers, competitions, tie-ins with other products-Soundtracks with bands/advertising products in the film
3. Films- Harry Potter, Hunger games, Twilight, Star Wars, Star Trek, Batman, Superman, Iron Man, Spiderman, Avengers Assemble, Pirates of the Caribbean, Toy Story and Lord Of The Rings.
4. Psychographics: labels we give to members of an audience. A target audience for a film can have more than one of the psychographics' headings. MY JOB IS TO PROVE HOW THE MARKETING ATTRACTS THESE HEADINGS. 

Psychographics

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzjVcOxZw3pITkt3SGJKSW5ka2s/edit?usp=sharing

MUST USE THE TERMINOLOGY (words) OF PSYCHOGRAPHICS TO GET A PASS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Things to look at:

• Target Market- Rating/Certificate
• Genre-type of film it is
• Gender- common opinions of a specific gender stereotypes- "types of people" -stereotypes: nerds, masculine etc.
• Giving them a Psychographic label- mainstreamers, aspirers, succeeders, explorers, reformers. 

"Labels"

Mainstreamers: Like structure, generic- recognisable labels/stars.  NO change. 

Aspirers: Materialistic. All about status- targeted through merchandising. Link to things.

Succeeders: Opinionated, like stability. 

Explorers: Like to explore, discovery- things that are a bit different. Bit of a twist. Targeted for quizzes or competitions.

Reformers: Like to be challenged, can think about issues. Very aware of social issues.

I am a mixture between a mainstreamer, an explorer and a reformer. I am a reformed exploring mainstreamer.