EVALUATION Q2b: Distribution

EVALUATION Q2b - HOW WOULD IT BE DISTRIBUTED AS A REAL MEDIA TEXT?
In this post I will be discussing the many types of distribution and the film industry itself. Also, I will be discussing how my media product would be distributed as a real media text. 
I made a fake interview with a Universal distributor to summarise some of this post. My mum is playing the Universal distributor role here:
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What is Distribution?

Distribution is the process of making a movie available for viewing by an audience. For commercial projects, film distribution is usually accompanied by film promotion. When a film is initially produced, a feature film is often shown to audiences in a movie theatre.

- from Wiki

Distributors are the middlemen between the producers and exhibitors. Producers often pre-sell distribution rights to finance the production. Distributors often market their film throughout the production and pre-production process, e.g. deciding release dates (staggering release dates across markets or using seasonal release strategy - e.g. releasing a film at Christmas time).

Top 10 Film Distributors of 2017 January:

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All the big six are in this list:
Universal
20th Century Fox
Warner Bros.
Walt Disney Studios (Buena Vista)
Paramount 
Sony/Columbia

Some people claim that the big six is now the big 7, with the addition of Lionsgate.

THE BIG SIX
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The majority of the big six also own subsidiaries that concentrate on art house pictures (e.g. Fox Searchlight) or genre specific films (e.g. Sony's Screen Gems).
Miramax is an Indie, formely owned by Disney. Dreamworks is an Indie but have a distribution deal with Disney. New Line is a Warner Bros. subsidiary.

Why the big six wouldn't distribute my film:

• I have no A-list stars or well-known actors in my film. 
• It is not a franchise e.g. Friday the 13th, Halloween. 

THE FILM CYCLE

There are 3 stages in the film cycle, these are called:

1. Production
2. Distribution
3. Exhibition

The word for this process/cycle in business scenarios is 'vertical integration'.

In the production stage, this is where the production and creation of idea for a film is. In this process, there needs to be recruitment of actors, editing, filming and screenplay. Before the film is produced the producers have to consider the likely demands of distributors - how will you find investors if your production concept is unlikely to gain distribution. In order to make a success, they need stars. If the film has intellectual property (IP), stars are not always needed (e.g. Harry Potter film series, Spiderman, The Girl On The Train) because the story itself is already very well known to the audience so they will go and see the film anyway. 
My film opening has no stars in it so it won't make a lot of success. The genre for my film is slasher horror therefore the budget for my film will be low. My budget for this film will be a micro budget as I have no stars in my film, I have little cash and I do not have any distributors. My film has similarities to existing franchises and other slasher films such as Scream, Halloween, Friday the 13th Remake and I Spit On Your Grave. My film is similar as it has the same basic content such as the idea of the classic killer and victim. 

In the distribution process, the film that has been produced is now distributed. Each film has it's own distribution plan to be sure it reaches the right audiences. The distributor buys the right to be able to show a movie around the world in different cinemas or shops etc... 

FORMS OF DISTRIBUTION
I decided to make a podcast for describing the different types of distribution:
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Theatrical Release:
This is basically the cinematic release of a film, when it is released in cinemas. e.g. Fifty Shades of Grey was released on the 14th of February in cinemas.

Wide Release:
A wide release means the majority of cinemas in an area will be showing a specific film on at least one screen. From various Working Title films you can see that they often have a wide release in the UK.

IMAX and 3D release:
These drive the four quadrant theory- pushing up the production costs a lot, but are also key to the wider cinema industry's fightback against the rise of high quality home cinema.
- taken from Mr Burrowes' 'British Cinema WORKING TITLE new strategy with top two in UK box office blog post'.

Four Quadrant Theory
A four-quadrant movie is a film that appeals to all four major demographic 'quadrants' of the audience: both male and female and the over and under 25s. A film's budget is often related to the number of quadrants the film is expected to reach. Films are rarely produced which are aimed at less than two of these quadrants. Most tentpole films are targeted at all four quadrants. Although many four quadrant films are generally family-friendly, this is not required because many horror and romantic films can target all four quadrants as well.

Limited Release:
This is a release in a specific region or city.

Straight-to-DVD:
Straight-to-DVD refers to the release of a film to the public immediately on home video formats instead of a theatrical release or television broadcast. Straight-to-DVD has become a profitable way for indie filmmakers and smaller companies to market their film. 

Some reasons why companies use straight-to-DVD is because:

• The film has a low budget.
• The film may attract a niche audience.
• Lack of general public interest.
• Due to controversial content in the film.
• The film company thinks the film won't make sales or profit in cinemas.

I would perhaps use this kind of distribution for my film because my film has a micro budget. 

Direct-To-Itunes:
Direct-To-Itunes is an online distribution method that avoids all the upfront DVD production, marketing and distribution costs as well as the upfront cinema distribution and marketing costs. 
Some examples of films that directly distributed their film to Itunes are 

 Apple distributes the film for 30% of the revenue, while an additional 10–15% may go to the person who formats the film for iTunes compatibility. The first independently produced feature-length motion picture to pursue the direct-to-iTunes marketing scheme was Ed Burns' Purple Violets, which debuted on iTunes on November 20, 2007. It was the first feature-length film to "premiere exclusively on iTunes". It was distributed exclusively on iTunes at a price of US$14.99 for a month before being made available through other distribution channels. The movie, which was produced at a cost of $4 million, had premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in April, where it was reviewed positively, but only received modest distribution offers. At the time of the Purple Violets release, most studios were not distributing via iTunes early in the process and only Walt Disney Studios, which was the first movie studio to distribute via iTunes, was distributing at iTunes simultaneously with DVD distribution. It was not very common for consumers to make digital movie purchases at the time. The Polish brothers' 2011 For Lovers Only, which had virtually no production costs and was released to iTunes on July 12, is regarded as the first profitable feature length direct-to-iTunes product. 

Direct-To-Stream:
Direct-to-stream is existent through the growth of YouTube and other video-streaming websites (basically an online distribution method that goes to streaming sites such as YouTube). Some releases are not only available from digital services such as Netflix, but are actually produced by them such as the TV series 'Stranger Things'. Some examples of films that were directly distributed to stream (YouTube or other sites) are Home (2009), The Cult of Sincerity (2008) and Life In a Day (2011). I don't think I will be using this method of distribution

DIGITISATION

It is the conversion of analog information in any form (text, photographs, voice, etc.) to digital form with suitable electronic devices so that information can be processed, stored, and transmitted through digital circuits, equipment and networks.

- From businessdictionary.com

It is basically the process of changing content production, storage, distribution and consumption from an analog to a digital base. From physical form to binary electronic form. An example of digitisation is the conversion from VHS to DVD.

My production was a digital production which enables low production and post-production costs. Digitisation makes the production cheaper. For my film, I have a micro budget and even still, it is in full HD (1080p). 

The film Le Donk and Scor-Zay-Zee was shot in just 5 days for £48k, this is an example of digitisation because tentpole films would usually take years to make, with professional filming equipment. Also, for me to make a single film opening it has taken many months. 

CONVERGENCE
This means coming close together, getting rid of barriers in media. 

SELF-DISTRIBUTION
For explaining this, I have decided to make a podcast:
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Another option of distribution would be self-distribution, where I would distribute my film myself. This in the 21st century, is possible due to digitisation, which supports innovative methods of research. 
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Coz Greenop, self-financed and self-produced his directorial horror genre debut, 'Wandering Rose'. It was filmed in Scotland, following an offer of assistance from Scottish agencies and failure to get such co-operation from Yorkshire agencies.  It was shot in just 12 days and produced for £30k. He screened his film at a cinema and this got him a deal with Curzon cinemas primarily in the hope that the screening would attract a newspaper review (four-walling). He decided to take a financial gamble of putting his film in the Cannes Film Festival (highly prestigious). Along with this, he arranged a London screening. From doing this he got distributor deals for DVD and VoD releases. But, the US distributor decided to change the film's name to 'Demon Baby'. 
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Wandering Rose Trailer:

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Advantages of Self-Distribution:

1. I would have full control over the rights of my film and choose where I want it to be exhibited as well. 
2. I wouldn't have to give any of the money I get from the sales of the film to my film distributor. 

Disadvantages of Self-Distribution:

1. It could be very time consuming due to extra work and would take time away from working on other aspects of the film. 
2. I would need to be trained legally so I could be sure that the distribution rights that I am signing would not prevent me from exhibiting my film somewhere else.

Film Examples that used Self-Distribution

Warp, when self distributing their film 'Le Donk and Scor-zay-zee' came up with good marketing ideas, for example creating downloadable Christmas cards and also they collapsed the cinema release window as they promoted a fake cinematic release (trailer) campaign to advertise the DVD release by getting reviews. 

Another good example of self distribution is Hinterland by Harry Macqueen (2015). Harry Macqueen rented a cinema primarily in the hope that the screening would attract a newspaper review (four-walling). All the films that have been mentioned all have VoD releases too. 
For the films Four Lions, Demon Baby and Hinterland, the marketing technique of touring the director alongside the Q and A events was used. This was key in creating the buzz that helped Four Lions receive an extended distribution following their unexpected high box office. 

The films Halloween and Paranormal Activity were also self-distributed.

How I've decided to distribute my film

Overall, I have decided that I want to try and self-distribute my film. After looking at many film examples I decided that I would screen my film in the UK and allow my film to go straight-to-DVD in the US. Also, I would apply my film into a film festival because if my film made it in a film festival, it would get reviews which are very good for promoting my film. If I did get reviews from my film being in a film festival, I would then be able to pull out the good reviews and put them on the DVD cover of my film, the poster for my film and I would be able to mention that my film has reviews in pitches to big distributors such as Universal, this would make these big distributors more likely to distribute my film (giving me more chance of distribution). Also, after looking into the distribution of the film Demon Baby by Coz Greenop, I found out that he screened his film in the UK at Curzon Cinemas leading him to getting a deal with Curzon Cinemas. Another film I was influenced by was Le Donk and Scor-Zay-Zee, the way this film was promoted was through a fake cinematic release (through a trailer even though the producers of the film had no intention to screen this film at the cinema); this fake cinematic release got them newspaper reviews which really promoted and brought attention to their film.

I also think my film also has a potential to become a franchise because there are many similar franchises to my film such as I Spit On Your Grave. Also, I believe that a lot of horror slasher films play on the revenge narrative, so I think that my film has potential to make money and has a chance of distribution from a big distributor such as Universal (one of the big six). Friday the 13th is about revenge in many ways because Jason's mother wants to get revenge on the group of teenagers who hurt her son. Also, in the the remake of this film, Jason comes back to life and gets revenge on a group of teenagers.

Warp v Working Title

They both started making music videos at the start, starting with low budget social realist hybrids.
Warp and Working Title are opposite in budget, cast, setting, genre, representation, distribution, use of IP and awards.

WARP
While Warp work in many different genres, they are best known for the genre of social realism.
They are an independent film company (indie) and therefore don't get much funding.
They usually target specific audiences in the UK (Britain)
They use a lot of urban settings to film in to show the real, serious, hard life of people from a working class background. People can relate with this.
They work with Studiocanal to distribute their films.

WORKING TITLE
Working Title produce mostly Romcoms such as Love Actually, Bridget Jones's Diary and We Are Your Friends.
They are a larger company (not an indie company) and are a subsidiary of Universal Pictures.
They get given a lot higher budget than Warp, from Universal. Therefore they can spend a lot more money on actors (getting stars), mise-en-scene and camerawork (e.g. having crane shots like in Bridget Jones's Diary).
Studiocanal also distributes Working Title films in some cases, or Universal distributes the film. 
The setting of Working Title films, if set in the UK, are set in London. 
Working Title focus more on making money from their films.
They tend to use stereotypes such as the posh, wealthy british. Also, there are stereotypes of settings e.g. in Bridget Jones's Diary, the garden we see at the beginning of the film is very decorated, pretty and posh connoting wealth. 

The Film Cycle

There are 3 stages in the film cycle, these are called:

1. Production
2. Distribution
3. Exhibition

The word for this process/cycle in business scenarios is 'vertical integration'.

In the production stage, this is where the production and creation of idea for a film is. In this process, there needs to be recruitment of actors, editing, filming and screenplay. Before the film is produced the producers have to consider the likely demands of distributors - how will you find investors if your production concept is unlikely to gain distribution. In order to make a success, they need stars. If the film has intellectual property stars are not always needed (e.g. Harry Potter, Spiderman, The Girl On The Train) because the story itself is already very well known to the audience so they will go and see the film anyway. 

In the distribution process, the film that has been produced is now distributed. Each film has it's own distribution plan to be sure it reaches the right audiences. The distributor buys the right to be able to show a movie around the world in different cinemas or shops etc... 

The film 'The Girl On The Train' was distributed by Universal:

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The domestic box office for this film was $75.3m:

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There were no stars in The Girl On the Train:

Actors:

Emily Blunt Rebecca Ferguson Haley Bennett Justin Theroux Luke Evans Allison Janney Edgar Ramirez Lisa Kudrow

Self-Distribution

POSSIBLE INFLUENCE
I may use Self Distribution to distribute my film.

Self distribution is the process of distributing your film by your self.

Wandering Rose/Demon Baby

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Coz Greenop, self-financed and self-produced his directorial horror genre debut, 'Wandering Rose'. It was filmed in Scotland, following an offer of assistance from Scottish agencies and failure to get such co-operation from Yorkshire agencies.  It was shot in just 12 days and produced for £30k. He decided to take a financial gamble of putting his film in the Cannes Film Festival (highly prestigious). Along with this, he arranged a London screening. From doing this he got distributor deals for DVD and VoD releases. But, the US distributor decided to change the film's name to 'Demon Baby'. 


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Wandering Rose/Demon Baby Trailer:

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Advantages of Self-Distribution:

1. I would have full control over the rights of my film and choose where I want it to be exhibited as well. 
2. I wouldn't have to give any of the money I get from the sales of the film to my film distributor. 

Disadvantages of Self-Distribution:

1. It could be very time consuming due to extra work and would take time away from working on other aspects of the film. 
2. I would need to be trained legally so I could be sure that the distribution rights that I am signing would not prevent me from exhibiting my film somewhere else.

Le Donk and Scor-zay-zee

Warp, when self distributing their film 'Le Donk and Scor-zay-zee' came up with good marketing ideas, for example creating downloadable Christmas cards and they collapsed the cinema release window as they promoted a fake cinematic release campaign to advertise the DVD realise by getting interviews. This is proof that even if you are self distributing, unusual ideas can work massively in your favour. But as I have minimal funding (micro budget) there is limited chance that I would get distribution. A good example of self distribution is Hinterland by Harry Macqueen in 2015 and Warp's All Tomorrow's Parties which was funded by the crowd. The before mentioned all have VoD releases. 'Le Donk and Scor-zay-zee' cleverly faked a cinematic release to create buzz. Many use this technique of touring the director along side the Q and A events. This marketing technique was used for the films Four Lions, Demon Baby and Hinterland. This was key in creating the buzz that helped Four Lions receive an extended distribution following their unexpected high box office. 

How to self-distribute your film 

I did some research into self-distribution and I found on the New York Film Academy's website a guide to self distribution: 

1. Get Attention

While streaming and video-on-demand are growing in popularity, booking movie theaters is still vital for most unseen movies to get seen. If you haven’t picked up a distributor after major festival screenings, it’s probably up to you. Your first goal should be to find a talented graphic artist who shares your vision. Make art—posters, flyers, etc.—for your film that catches the eye while also conveying its tone or mood or theme. You’ll also need a skilled editor to craft a movie trailer that will get your movie noticed. Art and trailers aren’t just necessary for social media or buzz, they will also grab attention in theater lobbies and as windows to your film on streaming websites. Most importantly though, they’ll help you raise money.

2. Get Money

Distribution is more expensive than you would probably guess, and depending on your production’s budget, could actually cost more than it did to make the movie. Renting theaters and paying for prints and ad materials rack up big costs. You may also find the need to hire assistance even if you’re distributing on your own. Use platforms like Kickstarter and more traditional grassroots campaigns to raise initial startup cash. Use your sweet trailer and posters to make people want to get involved. Find those interested in what you have to say or patrons of the arts or wealthier citizens who would like to see their name in the credits!

3. Get Ads

You’ve got the art and you’ve got the money to make prints so it’s time to get the word out. Theaters want ad materials well in advance because if people aren’t seeing your movie, it’s costing them money too. Ideally you could keep them in good shape and reuse them if you’re moving from city to city, but it’s hard to keep perishable material safe in the hands of strangers. You’ll probably just have to pay for more copies, so be prepared. And remember to get them early.

4. Get Social

Social media is the best way to gain buzz around your film. Use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram—anything you can get your hands on that will get your story to the masses. Share your trailer and your cool poster. Post photos from the set or from your tour or time at festivals. Post your thoughts, even if unrelated to the film, just to keep your name and the name of your project in the air. Also, use your networks to find your audience. What cities or types of people seem to gravitate towards your project? When you self-distribute your distribution is limited—that makes efficient targeting very important.

5. Set Good Dates

Choosing the right release dates for your theatrical and online releases are key. You want to avoid the Fall and early Winter because the films with awards season buzz are already hogging the spotlight. You’ll also want to avoid sharing dates with major releases that are going to suck up all the audience, or, conversely, release concurrently with a film you think will turn off your potential audience so they’ll see yours instead. Counter-programming is a vital tactic used by distributors—if everyone is seeing the new sci-fi blockbuster, your low key drama would make a great alternative. And don’t forget to think small. If you’re doing one- or two-time screenings, choose Mondays and Tuesdays, days when an audience isn’t likely to be doing something else.

6. Go On Tour

Touring with your film may seem old school—it was originally done to save money on costly film prints, and has fallen out of fashion as digital prints have made distribution cheaper. But it’s a great way to focus resources and meet your audience in person, forging a stronger connection. Use social media and your art to keep locals in the know and go city-by-city, staggering your dates while building word of mouth.

7. Do Q&As

If you’re touring with your film, don’t just make it a series of run-of-the-mill screenings. Organize a Q&A, talking to your audience after the screening. Guest speakers make screenings more exciting and give people more incentive to come out and see it. You can also engage better with your audience and learn from them, increasing your buzz as well as teaching you how to better target a larger crowd

8. Stream

Once you feel your theatrical run has run its course, you should get your film online to stream. You can also make home video releases on DVD and Blu-Ray, though the format is quickly falling out of fashion. Distributing online later in the game is smart because it prevents potential piracy and forces people to come out to the theaters to see your film first. However, once you do go online, you’ll reach a much, much larger audience, especially considering all those who wanted to see your film but weren’t in the cities of your release. You can post on sites like YouTube, which isn’t as discriminating as companies like Netflix or Amazon, though it may give your film a less “professional” demeanor. But it’s a start.

9. Team Up

If you can’t make headway with the big companies like Netflix and Amazon, there are interesting and innovative organizations and companies you might have better luck with. Groups like Indieflix and Createspace back your film with screenings and streaming and help raise awareness of your project. Some, like Indieflix, have models that allow you to get paid for each minute your film is streamed. For self-distributors, organizations like these are becoming a must.

10. Be Prepared to Work

If all this sounds like a lot of work, it’s because it is. You may be physically and emotionally drained after finally getting your project on film or video, but if you’re going to distribute yourself you have to prepare for a great deal more effort. There’s a reason those with cash will pay someone else to do it for them. But if you’re an artist with no other choice, you’ll have to muscle through it. It’s not all bad though—self-distribution allows you to connect with your audience in a way many filmmakers never get to. And what’s making art and movies if not an attempt to connect?