What kind of media institution might

distribute your media product and why? (Task 3)

Sophie Dixon

What is Distribution?Distribution is the way something is shared among a certain group or area (of people). In regards to film distribution, it the process of marketing and advertising the film. It is the point of contact between the producer and the exhibitor. In order for the film to be successful there needs to be an effective marketing strategy and distribution campaigns. The Distributors are important in making the success of the film possible.

(This image is found from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_distribution)

Examples of Distribution CompaniesDifferent distribution companies are needed for different types of films as they target different audiences.A Distribution company is a business that is in charge of promoting a film and allowing it to reach its audience successfully. Some examples of mass distribution companies are; 20th Century Fox, Lionsgate,Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer(MGM), Momentum Pictures and Paramount pictures.These film distributors have funding and popularity to target the mass market e.g. some films that they have distributed include The Narnia Series. Some more independently owned films are distributed by companies such as Dogwoof (who distribute cinema documentaries)and Altitude (who distribute indie films).

Our Film- Compare my film to the type of films the distribution companies have released before – are any of them likely to be interested in your film?We would class our film of Vani[she]d as a low budget independently produced film, that has a more niche appeal of aged 16-24 year olds and possibly slightly higher. This film is for both male and female audiences as from our primary research we conducted we realized that the common gender that watch the genres of Thriller is more or less 50% each way (Pearl and Dean Website). Our audience is different to the High concept Hollywood Blockbusters as our audience has specific interests and in regards to psychographics, the audience are classed as explorers as they are thrill seekers and have curious natures. We believe we have created a piece that could engage them. We need a distribution company that looks at communication of this through social media and newspaper articles etc. Altitude is a vertically integrated company that focuses more on film distribution. They distribute a mixture of film genres including action, thrillers and horror. This shows that they have experience in all different types of film. An example of a film that they distributed is ‘The Girl with all the Gifts’. The films narrative overall is completely different to that of ‘Vani[she]d’ as it is based around Dystopia. In the film there are different representations of teenage girls. In “The Girl with all the Gifts” the female character is predominantly strong whereas in our film the young girl is represented as vulnerable and weak. When reading the synopsis i can see that during the film the girl shows elements of weakness as well as she has to be rescued from the zoombies by a male character, so our character representations aren’t completely different. However it targets the similar audience and is the genre of a Thriller. Also the film company, of Altitude is independant, similar to our independently produced film so it values and ways of completing tasks are very similar and we think could benefit us. This means it is more likely distribute our film for us, with success.

Is your film going to appeal to UK audiences only? Or does it have a wider appeal? Why? Why not?Our film appeals to the UK market, of male and female. They are aged 16-24 year olds and have inquisitive and curious personalities so are instantly intrigued by our opening sequence. Our film targets a UK market only. The demand internationally is on a smaller scale as there is less recognition based upon the smaller production company of “REVOLVE PRODUCTIONS”. The production of ‘Vani[she]d’ as a independent film means only a smaller proportion of the UK film will know its existence and be able to have an interest. Our film has a lack of star names and intense special effects which is a main factor that is used for promotion so this will detract the mass audience.

Lastly as our film is set in a suburban town in the UK, so culturally only uk citizens can identify with the certain locations and situations in the film, especially the younger generations and in different countries there is different ideologies of e.g. school and police authorities so not everyone will relate and understand the narrative fully. This means that it won’t fit in with the high concept model of a film.

Possible marketing strategies, release strategies and exhibition optionsCreating effective marketing campaigns means the ‘buzz’ of the film is dramatically increased which means it is likely to do better on its opening weekend. Ways to reach the audience are TV, Radio, Social media, Film festivals, etc.

Low budget art house films have to take a different approach to distribution.The characteristics of an art house film is that the narrative is character driven and less dependant on stars and special effects. This is shown in Vani[she]d as Sarah-Rose is the character who is followed around throughout the film and no star vehicles are used. As our film is an art house film, the most important part of the distribution campaign will be based around online promotion that leads to word of mouth. We intend to this using social media. We will use viral marketing, via social media. Social media attracts a lot of attention as young people (our specific audience) use it everyday such as twitter and instagram. Tweets and adverts can give immediate attention to an audience without them intending to view it. There is a higher guarantee of the audience seeing our adverts. In addition another strategy could be via TV channels that screen thrillers and horrors as the audience will be there. This would be more for a blockbuster though as it is quite expensive. Lastly film festivals could be a good way to introduce to film critics and others audience surrounding the existence of your film and depending on its popularity, will mean some independant cinemas might want to showcase it. However this is very difficult to achieve as there is such high competition.

ContinuedSome films use online streaming to gather an audience and are exhibited there. Some websites for independent film streaming is ‘Flix’. On the other hand usually the conglomerates have access to a wider audience as cultural ideas in their films are generalized and narratives suit more people. This means that hollywood blockbusters can be reached on websites such as Netflix, which exhibit mass films.

Having a good distribution campaign can lead to word of mouth which is the biggest, in my opinion way of generating popularity as people are likely to take advice from friends/families rather than a complete stranger. Lastly there is a possibility of distributing a film and winning awards, so at awards ceremonies people will become more aware of the film leading to increased viewing.

Self-distribution– pros and consSelf distribution is is when you create a way of advertising your film yourself, rather than having a film distributor. There are many good and bad things surrounding this including: Pros Cons

Cheaper (in short term) Doesn’t always work

Social Media is free and easy to use (most common platform in modern times)

Harder to get awareness of film (only you)

If you self distribute your film there is a chance to hire helpers which in the long run becomes a lot cheaper than having a film distributor/ company. You need to have a lot of dedication in order to be successful as it takes a longer time to gain awareness. For Vani[she]d i don think this would be suitable.