What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

1. Evaluation 3- What kind of media
institution might distribute your
media product and why?

2. What does a production company do?
In terms of the film industry, a production company is responsible
for supervising a film from its initial concept to its total
completion. They deal with the overall funding and budgeting
of the process (through fundraising, a parent company,
partner or private investor) and facilitating the making and
distribution of a film as well as other major responsibilities.
Pre-production wise, they handle the business proposal/pitch
given to the studios and hire all of the talent involved, from
the writers of the screenplay to the director, actors and the
rest of crew. Within the production itself, their responsibility is
to oversee the process, ensuring everything stays on budget
and targets are met because they are ultimately accountable if
things go wrong. Following on from this in post-production,
they are the ones who the editor and director report to and
play various cuts. They take full responsibility in presenting
the final cut to the studios and seeing that the final product is
distributed to the audience.
Production companies are usually part of a larger conglomerate to
assist with production costs, however they can also be
independent, consequently meaning they have more control
over how the production process is run and the decisions that
are made . Examples of smaller independent production
companies include BBC Films and Film Four, whilst the major
independent companies and Hollywood studios include the
likings of Universal, Warner Bros and 20th Century Fox.

3. Which film production company would release
our thriller?
Ideally we would have the backing of a film production company like Blumhouse
Productions, an American film and television production company best known for its
production of low-budget horror/thriller films. These range from Insidious and
Paranormal Activity (known as the most profitable film in Hollywood) to very recent
releases Split and Get Out, which has already broken box office records. Hence, we
believe Blumhouse’s great experience in the production of films of the thriller genre
would prove highly beneficial for our own thriller ‘Smoke and Mirrors’ and contribute
to its success. Moreover, Blumhouse Productions is currently apart of a 10 year first-
look deal with Universal Pictures, meaning Blum can ‘green-light’ any film budgeted
at less than $5 million as long as it is a horror, thriller or sci-fi. If Universal then deems
the finished film to be worthy of its large-scale marketing costs, the studio releases it
on 3,000 screens worldwide. For this reason we believe Blumhouse Productions
would be the perfect production company to support our thriller Smoke and Mirrors,
giving us the opportunity to transform our low-budget thriller into a wide-scale,
highly-profitable success. Furthermore, in 2015, Blumhouse had 16 films in different
stages of production at one given time, showing they’re constantly on the look out
for new films to produce and hopefully Smoke and Mirrors is just what they’re
looking for.

4. Our production company name and
logo
Our production company name is WeMadeIt Entertainment.
After much deliberation, we decided this name best fitted what
we strive for as a company -to collectively create an original
thriller, and through hard work, determination and motivation,
be able to stand at the end of the production process and say
“We made it!”. We made it past any obstacles or challenges we
might have faced, we made it through the incredible amount of
work necessary in order to produce a film, we made it as a
team and we still managed to make it an enjoyable process...
we made it entertainment.
Our logo features a hammer and film reel, reinforcing the idea
of making a film and the human element behind- the hard work
that goes on behind the scenes of creating the final film that
the audience views. Additionally, visually, our sleek, black and
white logo gives off a professional impression for our
production company which helps represent our brand name in
a professional manner that other institutions would like to work
with.

5. Distribution
After the production of a film is where a distributor (normally different to the production
company) comes into action, with the responsibility of marketing the final film.
Distributors form deals with production companies and compete for the rights to
release a film. The distribution deals cover the overall rights to a film for a certain
period of time and usually include the release plan, media promotion, and what edits
and changes are allowed (e.g. what’s needed to get a particular classification – 12A, 15,
18 etc). Each film requires a different and unique release plan which plays on a films
USP’s to intrigue new audiences and gain as wide an audience as possible. Popular
distributors associated with films of the thriller genre include Paramount and 20th
Century Fox, however for our thriller, we are particularly interested in the American
independent film distributor A24.
A24’s existence became well known upon distribution of thrillers such as Ex Machina and
Room (used as inspiration for our own thriller) and has continued to grow substantially
since then, entering deals with Amazon Prime and DirecTV Cinema whom release
independent films before they screen in cinemas. A24 also plans to release new thriller
‘It comes at night’ in June 2017, showing of its continued interest and ever-growing
knowledge of the genre. Consequently, we believe A24 would be particularly successful
in the distribution of Smoke and Mirrors, with its growing reputation and success in
distributing films of the thriller genre thus helping our film to reach a mass audience.

6. Funding
One way in which we can help fund the creation of our thriller is through the global crowd-funding platform
Kickstarter. The corporation was launched in 2009 with the aim to "help bring creative projects to life“
and since then, over 122, 827 projects from filmmakers and artists to bands and designers have been
successfully funded. In terms of funding our thriller Smoke and Mirrors, all we have to do is carry out a
simple application process and upon approval, create our Kickstarter page- pitching to the online
community as to why they should help fund our thriller. From then on we only have 60 days to meet our
funding goal and if the goal is not reached, we receive none of the final total raised. An advantage of
this method therefore, is that online contributors who support the film can feel more apart of the
process and in turn, get more involved with the film and the ‘buzz’ surrounding its release. As of this
moment, there is currently 653 thriller film projects seeking funding through Kickstarter, one thriller
‘Axis’, directed by famous actress Aisha Tyler, already successfully reaching its $200,000 goal with the
support of 2,009 backers. Backers can pledge as little as $5 and project creators are encouraged to
provide incentives (the more you donate, the more you receive in return) to motivate people to donate.
For example the Axis page promised that for $5 or more, you will receive personal email updates from
Aisha on the entire production process and for $10 or more you will receive these as well as special
production video diaries from Aisha plus the cast and crew . Additionally, page owners must provide a
video for viewers to watch, in which WeMadeIt Entertainment would pitch our plot idea and explain why
funding our thriller would be a worthwhile cause. Overall, Kickstarter would consequently be a great
way to fundraise for our film, already proving a very successful method for past feature films and
thrillers like ours, whilst also beginning to promote Smoke and Mirrors at the same time.

7. Titles
The first title that appears on our thriller states that it is a
‘WeMadeIt Entertainment Production’, starting the film
off by informing the audience of the team behind the
creation they are about to watch. This is then followed by
the names of those who acquired the various roles
involved within the production: Starring George Brignull,
Produced by Ella Gardner, Make Up by Robyn Smith,
Props and Costumes by George Brignull, Filmed by Tom
Ballington, Screenplay by Ella Gardner, Editing by Tom
Ballington and Directed by Robyn Smith. These titles
appear over the opening scene in quite a small but bold
font, remaining quite minimal to prevent diverting a lot of
attention away from the main focus of what’s going on in
the scene. The opening then cuts to black as the titles
‘WeMadeIt Entertainment Presents – Smoke and Mirrors’
appear, putting an end to the on-screen action and
leaving the audience tense to see how the rest of the film
will pan out.

8. Similar Institutional Films
One film which carries similarities to our own thriller Smoke and Mirrors, is the
2013 thriller ‘The Call’. The film is about an emergency call centre and
follows the urgent call of a kidnapped teen and the operators frantic bid to
rescue her from a serial killer. The film is therefore similar to ours in the
aspect that it follows the kidnapping of a teenager (the same age as our
own teenage boy protagonist), building tension and suspense as we
anticipate their escape and the fight to bring justice upon their abductor.
Additionally, 2015 thriller ‘Room’ also carries many similarities in
regards to its plot- Held captive for years in an enclosed space, a
woman and her young son finally gain their freedom, allowing the
boy to experience the outside world for the first time. This thriller
is similar in the way it continues to show what the two
protagonists life is like after their escape and how they have been
effected. It is this side of the story that Smoke and Mirrors
explores much more into rather than the actual capturing itself,
looking into how the main teen protagonist has been effected and
the action that takes place after the escape.

9. Unique Selling Point
The unique selling point (USP) for our thriller Smoke and Mirrors is that the
main victim character is actually male (played by George Brignull).
Typically within thrillers, females are stereotypically portrayed as the
weaker, vulnerable characters, hence usually playing the victim role,
seeking a strong, brave male to rescue them. However, the use of a
teenage male lead who is placed in danger subverts these stereotypes
and the typical codes and conventions of a thriller movie, providing a USP
for the film and intriguing the target audience with a more modern
approach to a classic hostage thriller. Also, the idea that Smoke and
Mirrors follows the life of the victim after his escape and his seeking of
justice more so than the actual kidnapping experience itself is also a USP.
This will subsequently draw in an audience as viewers are always seeking
an original thriller that provides an alternative storyline that they haven’t
considered or seen before.

10. Netflix and Amazon Prime
Increased cinema prices and the proliferation of hardware and online streaming has meant
more and more people are now turning to the internet to watch films soon after their
release. Two ways in which consumers can do this legally is through the popular online film
distributing sites Netflix and Amazon Prime. For a monthly cost of £5.99, Netflix members
have a whole host of TV shows/films/documentaries at their fingertips in the comfort of
their own home. Having nearly reached 100 million subscribers from over 40 different
countries and supplying around upwards of 6,500 films, Netflix would be the perfect
online platform to distribute Smoke and Mirrors. Among these films include thrillers like
Panic Room and Boy Missing, hopefully demonstrating that our unique spin on abduction-
based thriller will appeal to Netflix and their worldwide customers and in turn, create
worldwide publicity and acknowledgement of Smoke and Mirrors.
On the other hand, at a monthly cost of £7.99, Amazon Prime doesn’t have as vast a collection
of movies however does have an estimated 80 million subscribers signing up to watch a
wide variety of films and receive perks such as free next day delivery on millions of items.
Thrillers Room and The Call are both available to Amazon Prime members (films not yet
available on Netflix), proving Amazon and consumers alike are also very interested in the
thriller genre and therefore hopefully the likings of our very own thriller Smoke and
Mirrors too.