The Big Six

The Big Six

Major Film Studios

A major film studio is a film producer and production company that releases a substantial number of films annually.

The Big Six film studios are:

1. Warner Bros. Pictures. Comprising a whopping 19.7 percent of the US/Canadian market share (2007 figures), Warner Bros. Pictures is the biggest player in the film industry. Securing the rights to major films like Harry Potter, Superman, Batman, The Matrix and Star Wars have made Warner Bros. the No. 1 name in the business.

2. Paramount Pictures. With 15.5 percent of the US/Canadian market share (2007 figures), Paramount Pictures continues to be one of the most successful film production companies in the world. Star Trek, War of the Worlds, the Mission Impossible series, Transformers and Tropic Thunder are just a few of the popular films produced by Paramount Pictures.

3. Walt Disney. One of the most renowned film production companies in the history of the business, Walt Disney now holds 15.3 percent of the US/Canadian market share (2007 figures). With highly successful movies like Pirates of the Caribbean, National Treasure, Meet the Robinsons and Enchanted, there's no doubt that Disney will continue to play a key role in the industry for years to come.

4. Columbia Pictures. Comprising 12.9 percent of the US/Canadian market share (2007 figures), Columbia Pictures remains a big player in the business. Some of this company's recent successes include Casino Royale, The Da Vinci Code, the Spider-Man series and Step Brothers.

5. Universal Studios. 12.2 percent of the US/Canadian market share (2007 figures) belongs to Universal Studios, which continues to make millions for the film industry. With major hits like the Bourne series (Bourne Identity, Bourne Supremacy and Bourne Ultimatum), The American Pie series, Knocked Up, American Gangster and The Incredible Hulk, it's very clear that Universal Studios knows what it takes to make money in this industry.

6. 20th Century Fox. Also known as "Twentieth Century Fox," this highly successful movie production company makes up 11.9 percent of the US/Canadian market share (2007 figures). Some of the biggest and most successful movies from this empire include the X-Men series, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Star Wars Episodes II and III, and the Fantastic Four.

Roughly 9/10 films in the UK are seen as a result of these distributers

Four Quadrant Picture

A Four Quadrant Picture is a marketing term used to describe a film targeted to all audience quadrants: men over 25, men under 25, women over 25, women under 25.

Usage
In the movie business, and it is most definitely a business, everyone is looking to maximize the audience for their picture. A four-quadrant picture is that magical type of film that attracts parents and kids, men and women, and brings in huge amounts of revenue on opening weekend. In the term “four-quadrant,” the quadrants refer to gender (male and female) and age (under 25 and over 25).
For most studios, the goal is to get enough details to line up so that they have broad-based, family-friendly appeal in designing a blockbuster or four-quadrant film. An important aspect of getting that appeal is the ratings system. An 18 Rating can be the kiss of death for a studio trying to market a film featuring pre-teen characters. A lowering from PG-13 to PG can mean millions more in revenue as parents feel more comfortable bringing young children to a given film like Evan Almighty.

Examples
One of the most famous four-quadrant, blockbuster films is Star Wars and all of its sequels. Jaws is another landmark blockbuster film. Other more current examples include Night at the Museum, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Shrek (1-3), Spiderman (1-3), Pirates of the Caribbean (1-3), andWall-E.

Implications
Another interesting by-product of the rise of four-quadrant films in the industry is cross marketing. Those films often are associated with toys and other products that both advertise the film and bring in revenue on their own. In addition, four-quadrant films are powerful vehicles for product placement advertisers looking to show their wares to the largest audience possible.
On the down side, many wonder how much effort is placed on credible, engaging story lines as opposed to marketing opportunities in these behemoth cinematic endeavors

 

Above The Line & Below The Line Advertising

'Above The Line' is a type of advertising through media such as television, cinema, radio, print, web banners and web search engines to promote brands. This type of communication is conventional in nature and is considered impersonal to customers.

'Below The Line' is efficient and cost-effective for targeting a limited and specific group. This can take the form of tie in's with other products and companies.

Attack The Block Review

                                      

Attack The Block is a Sci-Fi action/comedy about a group of South London teenagers that find themselves in the middle of an alien invasion where they must fight and defend their home from evil extraterrestrials.

After watching Attack the Block for the first time, I didn’t think it was the worst film I’d ever seen but it definitely wasn’t up there in my top 10. But after the research I did on the film prior to viewing it I credit Cornish and all the others involved in the film making for how it was made on such a small budget with little resources. For example the camera shots and angles plus the way it was film was definitely a positive for me, my favourite shot being in the last few scenes where Moses is being chased by the aliens down the stairs in slow motion, I thought it was filmed and edited excellently with brilliant camera shots and angles. This scene was helped with the choice of music by Basement Jaxx (which I really enjoyed throughout) and I think it gave the film more of that suburban edge that it otherwise would have been lacking a great deal in. Another thing I thought was good about the film was the character's individuality. Although they all came from the same background they all had their individual roles and stories. If you take Moses (played by John Boyega) for example, the gang leader who plays a really hard faced character that until the last few scenes you think to be quite an arrogant adolescent with a huge attitude and always in endless amounts of trouble, but in reality he's actually just a 15 year old child living pretty much on his own having to solely support himself. I think the way Cornish and Boyega portrayed Moses character in Attack the Block gave a great understanding to the audience on how some teens in Britain are living and almost helped you as the audience form a connection with the character out of sympathy for his loneliness at such a young age and guilt for your judgements made beforehand. However, in comparison to Moses you have the two young boys 'Mayhem' and 'Probs' who add a touch of light-hearted humour to the film through their innocence and naivety in the suburban war against the aliens going on around them.

In spite of all that, I also think Attack the Block had a lot of downfalls. Firstly I didn't think the plot itself was great, it majorly lacked any suspense or grip throughout which I think was due to its mixed-up genre that was stuck somewhere between a sci-fi horror (however not scary enough) and comedy (not being anywhere near funny enough). All this being a huge let down as Attack The Block being the follow up from the maker's of 'Shaun Of The Dead' who mastered this mixed genre of horror/comedy perfectly and better than anyone else, ever. I also thought Nick Frost's character Ron (the drug dealer) came as a huge disappointment compared to Frost's previous performances in 'Hot Fuzz' and 'Paul' where he usually plays the protagonist in any comedy scene as his trademark, this however was hugely missed throughout Attack The Block. I also thought any humour or jokes made in the film were very fabricated and even in some scenes not funny at all as it was pushed way over the boundaries of being funny and ended up being somewhat 'cringey' and even stereotypical. This lack of humour or 'wit' also comes with an almighty empty space of atmosphere in a scary or comical sense. Which, even when watching the film for the first time lead me to become bored and un-interested in what was going on.

And, last but not least I cant help but mention the poor 'special effects' used to create the aliens, who can I just say aren't in the slightest bit scary for an audience of 15+. Their fluffy jet black fur made them look like large cuddly soft toys for children and with this came their ridiculous glow-in-the-dark teeth.
But, after all with the tiny budget of approximately 13 million dollars (which is a minuscule amount in the film industry!) they had I understand why they didn’t go all out with the alien's appearance, famous cast members and other special effects that are missing and  usually what make the great Hollywood blockbusters. So in all honestly i should probably should give Cornish, the cast and everyone else involved credit for what they did make with the little money they had.

I would rate this film overall on a judgement with background research done about the making of the film itself a 3/5.

Attack the Block Research

How It Was Produced:

Big Talk Productions who are famous for Shaun Of The Dead, produced this film with Film4, The UK Film Council and StudioCanal. The block of flats it was filmed in was a composite of different council estates across London. The film itself was shot across London from March to May 2010, with 6 weeks of purely late night shoots. It was filmed on the Heygate Estate in Elephant and Castle, Myatts Field Brixton Oval tube station in Kennington and the Bemerton Estate in Islington. The interior scenes of the flats were filmed at Three Mills Studios in east London. The film's production budget was approximately £8 million.

What It Was Based On:

Attack The Block is a Sci-Fi action/comedy about a group of South London teenagers that find themselves in the middle of an alien invasion where they must fight and defend their home (block of flats) from evil extraterrestrials. The film starts off where a nurse 'Sam' is being mugged by a gang of Black British teenagers, however something crashes from the sky into a nearby car, the nurse uses this confusion to run whereas the gang decide to investigate the car for any valuable assets to steal, whilst doing this one of the gang members is attacked by an unknown creature, which they all eventually kill. This was influenced by something Joe Cornish himself experienced, this inspired him to create the first scene in the film and inject a sci-fi edge to it. It was also inspired by Cornish's great love for sci-fi films he watched as he grew up such as E.T, Critters, Predator and also the gang movies he loved such as The Warriors, Streets of fire and The Outsiders. But more than anything Cornish wanted to create a new genre of film which mixed Fantasy and South London suburban reality.  The film went on to box office £3,615,712, which indicates a huge loss from the millions it cost to make.

Problems That Arose In Making the Film:

A main problem that arose whilst filmmaking, was due to the low budget  3D CGI features were not available for use for special effects, so instead Cornish had to tackle the problem by instead of fully showing the aliens themselves to just suggest they were there by using practical and 'old school' effects. Another problem was due to the film being based on an alien invasion at night in the dark all of the filming had to be done throughout the night, which ended up in 6 weeks of continuous late night filming. Also another problem that was outlined mostly in the US was the use of British slang in the film that could be hard for people abroad to understand and connect with, therefore an idea of having to use subtitles was prompted.

The Directors Views On the British Film Industry:

Cornish describes himself to have been 'lucky' to have made the film with Big Talk Productions who are renowned for making the hit film Shaun Of The Dead. He gives them great credit for 'protecting him' and making it easy for him as the director to focus on making the film.

How They Saved Money, the Technology Used:

Cornish helped to save money mostly on the type of effects they used to produce the film. For example 3D CGI wasnt used to create special effects for the alien but instead they used practical and 'old school' effects such as puppeting and giving the aliens glow-in-the-dark teeth. They also only used CG to remove any unwanted details of the puppets rather than the usual of editing in effects. Although the film wasnt produced using top, highly priced technology like Hollywood films, it still contains the usual action film's explosions, chases, stunts etc. Another huge saving Attack The Block made was the actors/actresses used, all apart from Nick Frost were unknown/new actors some without any experience at all, this made a massive saving but could also have made them lose money because having leading, well known actors/actresses helps to sell a film because of their loyal fan bases, whereas Attack The Block probably didnt get this sort of promotion to help.

Issues With Film Rating & Controversy Surrounding the Film:

Attack The Block had no issues whatsoever about the film rating which was a 15. Or in fact any controversy surrounding the film. It was a highly anticipated film from the British public and was recieved pretty well in Britain for its South London suburban reality and humour.

The Film's Promotion:

Attack The Block was promoted in a number of ways; tv adverts, cinema trailers, teaser trailers, UK & US official trailers, posters, magazine adverts, soundtrack available for purchase on Itunes etc, interviews with tv programmes and journalists in the UK and US, interviews with the director Joe Cornish talking about the upcoming film with journalists in the UK and abroad. The film/media magazine Little White Lies dedicated a whole issue to Attack The Block. Attack The Block got its own special trailer for the US which was specially suited for North American audiences, they also released a new clip of one of the movie’s many tension-building sequences. And most importantly Attack The Block had its own premiere in Leicester Square, London.

The Soundtrack:

The soundtrack for Attack The Block was collectively composed by Simon Ratcliffe, Felix Buxton and Steven Price. Both Simon Ratcliffe and Felix Buxton who are both part of the electronic dance music group Basement Jaxx and then Steven Price who is a British composer. This soundtrack was released on 16th May 2011 it is available to buy on Itunes, Amazon, HMV and more. The soundtrack includes 20 tracks.

5X5

Five television programmes:

Styled To Rock- British reality series on Sky Living, new this year is producer by singer Rihanna to find a fresh new fashion talent with the help of designer Henry Holland, singer Nicola Roberts and Rihanna's personal stylist Lysa Cooper.

Revenge- American television drama about a young woman set to take revenge on those who destroyed her family. Shown in the UK on E4.

New Girl- American television sitcom about an off-beat young woman called Jess who moves into an apartment with 3 single men.Shown in the UK on E4.

Celebrity Juice- British television comedy panel game shown on ITV1 and hosted by notoriously vulgar comedian Keith Lemon (Leigh Francis).

Two Broke Girls-American television sitcom, about two women who work and live together in Brooklyn, New York with the hopes of launching a successful business but first they have to raise the cash. Shown in the UK on E4.

Five Films:

500 Days of Summer- 2009 american romantic comedy starring Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt about a young woman who doesnt believe in true love and the young man that falls for her.

The Notebook- 2004 romantic drama based on the novel of the same name, starring Ryan Gosling and Rachael McAdams as a young couple who fall in love in the early 1940s.

P.S I Love You- 2007 American romance/drama about a young widow who goes on a life journey following 10 letters intended to help ease her pain and start a new life which were left by her late husband.

Cool Runnings- 1993 American adventure comedy about the unlikely debut of a Jamaican boblsleigh team. Starring Leon Robinson, Doug E. Doug, Malik Yoba, Rawle D. Lewis and John Candy. 

Step Brothers- 2008 American slapstick comedy about two middle-aged men still living at home who are forced to become roommates when their parents get married. Starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly.

Five Bands/Musicians:

Arctic Monkeys- English indie rock band who formed in 2002 in High Green, Sheffield. the band consists of frontman Alex Turner, Matt Helders, Jamie Cook, Nick O'Malley and former member Andy Nicholson.

Azealia Banks- An American rapper, singer and lyricist from Harlem, New York.

Crystal Castles- An electronic/experimental band formed in 2004 in Toronto, Ontario. Band consists of producer Ethan Kath and lyricist and singer Alice Glass.

The XX- English indie band formed in London 2008, band consists of Jamie xx, Baria Qureshi, Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim.

Passion Pit- American electropop band from Cambridge, Massachusetts. Formed in 2007, band consists of lead vocals Michael Angelakos, Ian Hultquist, Xander Singh, Jeff Apruzzese and Nate Donmoyer.

Five Magazines:

ELLE Magazine- Worldwide magazine of French origin that focuses on Women's fashion, beauty, health and entertainment. Founded in 1945.

Vogue- American fashion and lifestyle magazine, published monthly in 19 national and one regional edition by Conde Nast, first issue released in 1892.

i-D- British magazine dedicated to fashion, music, art and youth culture. Founded in 1980.

Nylon- American magazine that focuses on pop culture and fashion. Founded in 1999.

Harper's Bazaar- American women's magazine first published in 1867.

Five Female Models:

Kate Moss- Born on 16th January 1974 is an English model managed by Storm Model Management.
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley- Born on 18th April  1987 is an English model/actress.
Cara Delevingne-Born 12th August 1992, is an English model/socialite managed by Storm Model Management.
Poppy Delevingne- Born 15th September 1986 is an english model managed by Storm Model Management.
Alexa Chung- Born 5th November 1983 is an English model/tv presenter/contributing editor at British Vogue.

Understanding Filmmaking

Scene One- The Idea

Source one: Sources Of Inspiration

• Remakes:Charlie and the Chocolate factory was remade in 2005 from the original version produced in 1971 different characters and development in technology all contribute to the success of the new version.
• Real Life Events:Calender Girls was made from a real life story in 2003.
• Original Ideas:The film Ted was made in 2012 from an original idea, these are the most valuable commodity in the film industry.
• Adaptations: The Twilight Saga was adapted first from the author Stephenie Meyer's series of books. The first one being 'Twilight' these books inspired major success and can generate publicity.
• The Producer:Producers are akways looking for great ideas for new films and its them that decides to make this 'great idea' into a reality. E.g Wlt Disney
• The Director:A director can visualise a script and make it into a reality, they know how to take a story and put it onto the screen. E.g Steven Spielberg.
• The Writer:the writer defines and clarifies the whole idea, the plot and the main characters and turns it into something tangible. E.g J K Rowling
• Treatment:The writer will then write a treatment, a one page description of the plot and the main characters. E.g J K Rowling writes a treatment for The Philosophers Stone.
• Pitch:A pitch contains all the information the producer needs in order to sell the idea to financiers to commission a script.

Scene Two- Development Finance

Pitching the Project:

• The producer uses the treatment and pitch, plus their powers of persuasion, to get money to develop a script. 

Production Companies:

• The produces approaches the film production companies and persuades them that the film is going to make profits, they may offer development money, to develop a script

Sales, Distribution and Broadcast:

• The producer can offer the future sales and broadcast rights for the film in return for money to develop the script.

Public Investment:

• The producer can alse apply to a public funding body such as the UK film council for a development grant.

Private Finance:

• The producer can even pitch the film to private investors, in the hope they will support the project.

Tying down the Writer:

• The producer can now use the development money to tie the writer down to develop the project.

Scene Three- Script Development

• Synopsis- The producer and the writer agree/disagree on the key scenes/events in the film
• Step outline-The step outl;ine contains short written descriptions of all the scenes that will eventually make up the script (detailing action and scene breaks).
• Drafts- Film script drafts whether first or final drafts dont contain just diaglogue, but also the action and events on screen and even transitions between scenes.
• Revisions-Once the writer and producer are happy with the draft, it is sent to the financiers who will all have their own ideas
• Final draft-Once everyone is happy with the script (the director, producer and the writer), it is locked off and becomes a final draft. Now the writer gets paid
• Sales treatment- The finak stage is the creation of a sales treatment (a synopsis designed to sell the film to potential financiers, in other words an advert for the script).

Scene Four- Packaging

• What is packaging?- This is where the producer and director must now 'package' the script into a full commerical proposition, which is then ready for financing.
• The cast- Well known stars are commercial assets and are crucial in attracting funding to a film, some stars are known as Green Light Names (people which are well known in the industry or at the box office to secure financing for a film e.g Tom cruise)
• The heads of department- Commerciallu successful heads of department carry considerable power in the industry with knowledgeable financiers. These include: The production designer, the editor, the director of photography and 'the package' (the producer's assistant).
• Detailed budget and production schedule- To turn the film into a proper business propostion, the producer must know how much it will actually cost to make. The producer gets help from a line producer to supervise the budget, hire the crew, approve purchase orders and make sure all departments are doing their jobs properly and within the budget. E.g jane Frazer, Line Producer for Pride and Prejudice.
• Finance plan and recoupment schedule- Potential investors want to know how the producer plans to raise the money, and how she plans to pay them back. this includes The Recoupment Schedule & The Finance Plan.
• The 'complete' package- Now the producer has 'packaged' the film into a viable commercial proposition. Now the producer must present this package to a number of potential funders to get money to go on and make the film.

Scene Five- Financing

• The Market- The producer now has to complete the hardest part of filmmaking, attracting the investment to make the film. The director may also be able to help out at this stage, especially is he is well known in the industry
• Investment- The main potential sources of invesment are: Private Finance (private individuals willing to invest in film projects), Co-productions (production companies across the globe are reluctant to act as sole investors many are too small or dont want the risk. So they will enter into a partnership with the other production company sharing the costs, the risks and the profits).
• Pre-sales-The producer can also raise the money from 'Pre-sales' which is selling the rights to the film before it has even been made.
• Banks and Cap Funding- Some departments of banks specialise in film finance. They invest in commercial projects and also offer loans. E.g HSBC film services.
• Completion Bonds- Most financiers insist that a completion bond is in place before they agree to invest. This is insurance for the production.
• 'Green Light'- Once all the essential finding and insurance is secured, the film gets the 'Green Light' i.e. the go ahead.

Scene Six- Pre-production

• The kick-off meeting-  Once all the heads of department are hired (The casting director, the editor, the head of sound, the director of photography, the production designer, the 1st assisant director and the line producer). The shooting script can then be circulated and pre-production begins in earnest.
• Casting- The casting director, with the director and producer, begins the long process of identifying and casting the actors. An average film will have over 30 cast members.
• Storyboard- Storyboards are like blueprints for a film. where every shot is planned in advance by the director and the director of photography with the help of a storyboard artist.
• Production Design- The production designer plans every aspect of how the film will look, and hires people to design and build each part. this is done with the help of an art director, location manager, construction manager and costume designer. A set model is then made.
• Special effects planning- Effects shots are planned in much more detail than normal shots and can take months to design and build. The person responsible for all of this is the visual effects supervisor who uses computer technology (CGI) and special physical effects.
• The production Unit- The 1st assistant director, the line producer and the production manager make up the key logistic triangle  of the production, all having individuals roles to help make the production happen.

Scene Seven-The shoot

• First day of the principal photography: This is the key moment in the film production, shooting begins, and funding is released.
• Camera: The camera department is responsible for getting all the footage that the director and editor need in order to tell the story.
• Lighting and sound: Once the lighting and sound have set up and hair and makeup have been checked the shot can now begin.
• Acting: The actors as the only members of the film personnel that will be seen by the public, have a lot of responsibility, to make the film a huge success. Actors need to create a plausiable world and pretend that they are not surrounded by the crew of camera men and producers.
• Special physical effect: Every special effect is carefully constructed and must be filmed with a minimum risk of injury to cast and crew.
• Chain of command: Film productions are run with milatary precision.If they fall behind schedule, the financiers and insurers may step in.

Scene Eight-Post production

• Rough Cut: As the processed footage comes in, the editor assembles it into scenes and creates a narrative sequence for the film.
• Post production sound: Once the picture is locked, the sound department works on the audio track laying, creating and editing every sound.
• Digital effects and titles: Digital effects are added by specialist effects compositors and titles and credits are added in a compositing suite.  
• Grade and colour: The final stage of the picture edit is to adjust the colour and establish the fine aesthetic of the film.
• Final mix: After picture lock, the rough sound mix goes to a dubbing theatre where the sound mixer sets the final levels.
• Final cut: After the final cut the film reaches full lock, it is now finished and ready for duplication. 

Scene Nine- Sales

• Selling the product: To help sell the film to distributors the producer secures the services of a sales agent. A specialist in film sales. 
• The trailer: To help sell the film a trailer is made in order to show busy film buyers the most marketable aspects of the film.
• Sales Toolkit: The producer and the sales agent collect everything they will need to sell the film to distributors.
• Taking the film to the market: The market is saturated with films so the producer must go to great lengths to attract attention to the film.
• Screenings: A high profile screening at one of the top film festivals can be great for generating heat around a film. 
• Deals: The producer now has a hot product and can negotiate good deals with the distributors around the world. 

 Scene 10- Marketing

• The marketing team- To help sell the film to distibutors, the producer secures the services of a sales agent, a specialist in film sales. They then process through different marketing methods which is divided into two types ('above-the-line' and 'below-the-line'). 'Above-the-line' includes trailers, TV spots and poster campaigns and 'Below-the-line' marketing is more subtle, involving indirect forms of publicity such as press coverage, product tie-ins and merchandising.
• The audience- Knowing your audience is essential, and the marketing team runs test screenings to see how the film is recieved.
• Advertising- The potential audience for the film is targeted with posters, cinema trailers, TV spots and other marketing materials. E.g. The Batman Returns poster campaign on the side of a public bus.
• Press and media coverage- Television, radio, newspapers and magazines can all help create positive word-of-mouth about a film. Film journalists can help sell a film with good criticism and reviews.
• The intranet and new marketing models- The birth of digital media and the internet has flooded the world with information, but also made niche marketing possible by being able to aim their project at relevant audiences who are most likely to be interesting in what they are trying to sell rather than wasting money on nationwide advertising for people to just ignore it. E.g. Sci-fi fantasy films being advertised on gaming websites aimed at people who are interested in that genre.
• Selling the film to exhibitors-  In order to get the film to audiences, the distributors must negotiate a deal with the cinemas to screen it, a cinema programmer will watch all the films available and plan their exhibition schedule, they are the key decision makers in the exhibition world.

Scene 11- Marketing

• The premier- A high-profile, star-studded premiere is used to launch the film to the public with an explosion of media coverage. This is how fame really helps to sell films, stars have loyal fan bases following their careers already, this is why casting the right actors/actresses is so important. An example of a recent high-profile premiere is 'The Perks Of Being A Wallflower' starring Emma Watson.
• UK cinemas- The UK has over 3,500 cinema screens, although not all are British-owned, or show British films. Cinemas are the most important market for any film, as success at the box office can guarantee increased revenues in subsequent 'windows' (DVD sales and rentals, hospitality, broadcast, product licensing).
• Prints and logistics- Distributors supply the exhibitors with prints of the film, the more screens the film is shown on, the more prints are needed.
• Box office performance- Data about film attendance is collected continuously, and used by the cinemas to decide which films to cancel and which to prolong. if a film is underperformin, cinemas simply cannot afford to risk losing valuable income waiting for a film to become more popular.
• Revenues- The exhibitors take their share of the box office receipts, after which the distributors recoup their marketing costs. The box office gross is just the starting measure for what everyone involved will make from the film.
• Recoupment- Once the distributors have been paid, the financiers can recover their investments, as laid out in the recoupment schedule. Even if the film is a hit in the box office , the costs of marketing and exhibiting means that the producer is unlikely to see large profits once the exhibitor and distributor have been paid. So, the profits are most likely to come from DVD sales and broadcast.

Scene 12- Other windows

• Hospitality- Hospitality sales for hotel channels and in-flight entertainment can bring in millions in additional revenue.
• DVD and video- UK audiences spend more on DVDs than on cinema tickets, so success on DVD can compensate for box office failure.
• Broadcast- Television is the final source of revenue. Rights are sold separately for pay-tv showings and terrestrial broadcast.
• The game of the film- Rights for computer games and other product licenses can be extremely lucrative sources of additional revenue. The is a huge growing popularity in video games and is even seen as a threat to the future of film industry.
• Profit?- Once the film has made a profit, the producer and key creative people can reap their rewards. But sometimes even if the film has been a big hit, if the deals at the financing stage were not favourable they might not get much back at all.
• The end?- The final income from a film is never know, distribution continues for years and years and it may even be re-released in the future as an anniversary special  for example.

Selected Key Terms for Institutions and Audiences - The Film Industry

Selected Key Terms for Institutions and Audiences - The Film Industry

Selected Key Terms for Institutions and Audience

An institution (in the film industry)

Definition: any company or organisation that produces, distributes or exhibits films. The BBC makes films with their BBC Films arm; Channel4's Film Four produces films, Working Title also produce films, as does Vertigo Films, etc. Some institutions need to join with other institutions which distribute films. Vertigo Films is able to distribute its own films, Channel Four distributed Slumdog Millionaire through Pathe. Working Title's distribution partner is Universal, a huge US company which can make, distribute and show films. The type of owner ship within an institution matters as, for instance, Channel 4 and the BBC are able to show their own films at an earlier stage than other films made by other institutions. They are also better placed to cross-promote their in-house films within their media organisations. Use you work on Film Four as the basis for most of what you write, Moon is a good cross comparison as Duncan Jones had to create his own institution just to get the film made.


Distribution and Marketing

Definition: the business of getting films to their audiences by booking them for runs into cinemas and taking them there in vans or through digital downloads; distributors also create the marketing campaign for films producing posters, trailers, websites, organise free previews, press packs, television interviews with the "talent", sign contracts for promotions, competitions, etc. Distributors use their know-how and size to ensure that DVDs of the film end up in stores and on supermarket shelves. Distributors also obtain the BBFC certificate, and try to get films released as the most favourable times of the year for their genre, etc.


Examples:
Universal distributed Working Title's The Boat That Rocked; Pathe distributedFilm4 and Celadors' Slumdog Millionaire after the original US distributor, Warner Independent went out of business. TRON was heavily marketed across a variety of mediums, Moon struggled to get press attention and Duncan Jones had to really push the film  in obscure places like Popular Mechanics etc. The Kings Speech was distributed by Momentum (a susiduary of Aliance films) who are a major independent film distributor.


Exhibition
Definition: showing films in cinemas or on DVD. Media attention through opening nights and premieres How the audience can see the film: in cinemas, at home, on DVD, through downloads, through television, including premieres, the box office take in the opening weeks; audience reviews which includes those of the film critics, ordinary people, cinemas runs; awards in festivals, The Oscars, BAFTAS, etc.


Examples:
Slumdog Millionaire almost never got distribution. Its early US distributor, Warner Independent was a victim of the economic downturn and went out of business. The film's makers then struggled to find a distributor! Then Fox Searchlight stepped up and "the rest is history". The 8 out of 10 Oscar nomination wins ensured that the film has been the greatest British success in awards and in box office for nearly 60years.
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/boyle-reveals-slumdog-millionaire-was-nearly-never-made-1331821.html

Motherhood took just £86!
Moon. Initially Sony Pictures Worldwide were due to distribute the film but they specialise in straight to DVD features. Following positive reaction following its Sundance film festival the rights were acquired by Sony Classic Pictures who gave the film a limited release in the US in Cities like New York and LA.

Exchange

Definition: The unintended use of an institution’s media text (i.e. a film) by OTHER PEOPLE who use the film or parts of it to form new texts. What happens to a film, etc. after the public get their hands on it using digital technology. 

Examples:
People unconnected to the institution/ film using WEB 2.0 applications such as YOUTUBE, Blogger, Amazon film message boards, TWITTER, Face-Book, discuss the film or edit parts of together to form a new text which the may then put a new soundtrack to and publish on YOUTUBE, etc. When you add a trailer from a site like YouTube on your blog you have been engaging with exchange. Look back to MArk Kermodes video regarding piracy and the new release strategies for films like Ken Loach's "Route Irish" (Loach has reportedly steeled himself for a frosty response from critics and anticipates an underwhelming box office, noting the difficulty he faced securing a distribution deal. Though pragmatic in his view that “people don’t make films to communicate; they make it as a commodity”,an unorthodox release strategy utilising Sky Movies Premier - which will place the film (and by extension, its subject matter) in a wider public sphere than it might otherwise have reached – suggests he hasn’t given up on pedagogy entirely.) or the Jack Ass 3 release on DVD and Sky Box Office.


Vertical and Horizontal Integration

Definition: Absorption into a single firm of several firms involved in all aspects of a product's manufacture from raw materials to distribution.


Example:
Vivendi Universal have integrated film, music, web and distribution technology into the company, including owning big stakes in cables and wires that deliver these services. Therefore they are vertically integrated because they own all the different companies involved in film, from production to distribution to exhibition. They are also horizontally integrated because they have all the expertise for producing media content under one roof – films, TV, magazines, books, music, games thus being able to produce all the related media content for one film under the same roof (see synergy). This is important for the control the institution has over their product/film.


Synergy/Synergies 

Definition: The interaction of two or more agents (institutions/companies) to ensure a larger effect than if they acted independently. This is beneficial for each company through efficiencies in expertise and costs.

 

Examples:
Working Title know how to make films and they have formed a business partnership with Universal, a massive US company, who have the experience and size in the marketplace (cinemas, stores, online, etc.) to distribute them. (They create the marketing campaign to target audiences through posters, trailers, create the film’s website, free previews, television and press interviews featuring “the talent”, drum up press reviews, word of mouth, and determine when a film is released for the best possible audience and the type of release: limited, wide, etc.) Channel Four’s Film 4 and Celador Films(Celador also produce Who Wants to Be A Millionaire and films, too) benefited by pooling their know-how, experience and expertise to jointly produce Slumdog Millionaire. These companies formed a business relationship with France’s Pathe to distribute this film. In the UK Pathe helped create the poster, trailer, website, etc. In the USA the film found another distributor after being nominated for the Oscars.


Viral Marketing

Definition: A marketing technique aiming at reproducing "word of mouth" usually on the internet and through existing social networks. YouTube Video pastiches, trailers, interviews with cast members, the director, writer, etc. You can find interviews of “the talent” trying to gain publicity for your case study films on YouTube. Find some clips from the films we have studied to help you in the exam.
Guerilla MarketingDefinition: The use of unconventional and low cost marketing strategies to raise awareness of a product. The aim is usually to create “buzz” and “word of mouth” around a film. Unusual stunts to gain publicity (P.R.) on the film’s opening weekend, etc.

Examples:
Sasha Baron Cohen created “buzz” before the release of his film “Borat” by holding fake press conferences. The studio also accessed the popularity of YouTube by releasing the first 4 minutes of the movie on YouTube, a week before it’s release, which can then be sent virally across the nation. At a special viewing of “Bruno” Cohen landed on Eminem “butt first” from the roof MTV Awards venue, dressed in as an angel outfit with rents in the rear end.


Media Convergence
Definition 1: Convergence of media occurs when multiple products come together to form one product with the advantages of all of them.

 

Examples:
More and more films are being marketed on the Internet and on mobile phones. You no longer need even to buy the DVDs or CDs as you can download films and music directly to your laptop, Mac or PC. Blue Ray DVDs can carry more features than ordinary DVDs and can be played on HD televisions and in home cinemas for enhanced/cinematic picture quality. You can save films on SKY digital, Free-box digital players, etc. You mobile phone has multiple features and applications. With media and technological convergence this is growing year on year. Play-Stations, X-Boxes and the Wii can can connect with the Internet and you can play video games with multiple players.


Technological ConvergenceDefinition 2: The growing interractive use of digital technology in the film industry and media which enables people to share, consume and produce media that was difficult or impossible just a few years earlier.

Examples:
For instance, the use of new software to add special effects in editing; the use of blue-screen; using new types of digital cameras like the one Danny Boyle used in “Slumdog Millionaire” (The Silicon Imaging Camera to shoot high quality film in tight spaces); you can use the Internet to download a film rather than go see it in the cinema; you can watch it on YouTube; you can use special editing programs like Final Cut Pro to edit bits of a film, give it new soundtrack and upload it on YouTube; you can produce illegal, pirate copies on DVDs from downloads and by converting the film’s format; you can buy Blue Ray DVDs with greater compression which allows superior viewing and more features on the DVD; distributors can use digital software to create high concept posters; cinemas can download films to their projection screens and do not have to depend on a van dropping off the film! The is also the Digital Screen Network. There are tons of ways in which technological convergence affects the production, distribution, exhibition and exchange by prosumers. ( A prosumer is someone who not only consumes (watches films) but also writes about them the Net, blogs and make films out of them, often uploading them on sites like YouTube, etc.

A Mainstream Film

Definition: A high budget film that would appeal to most segments of an audience: the young, boys, girls, teenagers, young people, the middle aged, older people, the various classes in society. Distributors often spend as much or more than the film cost to make when distributing mainstream films that are given wide or universal releases.


Example:The Boat That Rocked was a mainstream idea and was given the mainstream treatment on wide release. The film flopped at the UK box office on release ( and has not done too well since mid November 2009 on release in the USA. This was mostly because of its poor reviews, particularly from “Time-Out”. However, when young and older audiences see the DVD they generally like the film because of its uplifting storyline and the well-chosen soundtrack.


Art House Films

Definition: A low budget independent film that would mostly appeal to an educated, higher class audience who follow unusual genres or like cult directors that few people have heard of. Therefore it is usually aimed at a niche market. Foreign films often come under this category.


Examples:
The low budget film, Once (2007) which found a specialised, boutique distributor in Fox Searchlight fits this label. (FOX the mainstream company usually distributes big budget film and blockbusters); So does “Juno” from 2008 which began as a low budget film about teenage pregnancy that the big studios thought too risky to touch – but it found popularity through its touching storyline, engaging music and its Oscar nomination for best script. Like “Slumdog Millionaire” the film crossed over between art-house cinemas and audiences to mainstream ones because of the recognition it received from Canadian film festivals and award ceremonies like Britain’s BAFTAS and the Hollywood’s Oscars.


Ratings bodies BBFC - The British Board of Film ClassificationHow your institutions films are rated will affect audiences in so far as WHO can see them. Remember that sex scenes, offensive language, excessive violence, the use of profanity, etc. can affect the rating and certificate the film receives and therefore affect who is able to see the film.