AS MEDIA, EVALUATION QUESTION

1. Q3) WHAT KIND OF MEDIA INSTITUTION
MIGHT DISTRIBUTE YOUR MEDIA
PRODUCT AND WHY?

2. What is an Institution?
A film institution is a company that helps you to pursue your vision by funding your film, promoting and
simply allowing it to happen.
The industry is dominated by a few very successful institutions (oligopolies) who have a bigger budget at
dispense thus increasing the money intake and grossing. An example would be Warner Brothers who
dominate the film industry because of their high concept films, successful productions, experience and
reputation within the industry.
Often different institutions are recognised by certain film genres, however they do try to have a variety as it
allows a broader audience and larger income. An example would be Dimension Films, who are known for
creating thrillers. They created films such as Scream (1996), Halloween (1978) and Sin City (2005). In
contrast, Lionsgate creates movies of different genres. They made films such as Hunger Games (2012),
Transporter 3 (2008) and What to Expect When You’re Expecting (2012).
Institutions are important because they provide everything that the production needs to become successful.
Some of the things they take care of are: funding, advertising, distribution and exhibition.
Additionally, if your film belongs to a reputable and credible institution there is a better chance of gaining a
profit as the more people who know the institution, the bigger likelihood of them watching the film.
At the same time a good institution can become an advertisement itself. This is because a successful
institution has a reputation within the industry and when a film belongs to one they gain the loyal fan base
from the company. Additionally, the history from previous films matters, this is because if the institution was
successful in the past more people will want to watch the recent movie.

3. Famous Institutions
UNIVERSAL- Is a well-known American institution with a
massive budget dispense. Universal creates all sorts of films
from different genres. It made thrillers such as: Bourne Identity
(2002), which is an action thriller, Psycho (1960), which is a
mystery thriller and Jaws (1975) which is a horror thriller.
LIONSGATE- A famous Canadian-American institution with a
large budget. It specialises in Fantasy, Thriller/Horror and
Comedy. Lionsgate made Saw (2004), a horror thriller, Blitz
(2011), an action thriller and Jessabelle (2014) which is a
mystery thriller. There is also Lionsgate UK which brings both UK
and American audience together.
NEW LINE CINEMA- An American film studio that specialises in
Fantasy and Thriller genre. It has a good budget at dispense and
created films like: Seven (1995) , a crime thriller, Number 23
(2007) which is a mystery thriller and the Butterfly Effect (2004)
which is a psychological thriller.

4. Famous Institutions
WORKING TITLES- Working Titles is a British film production company,
owned by Universal Studios but based in London. This cooperation
allows in larger profit as both UK and USA audience are drawn. Also
Universal is a large institution which helps Working Titles to gain
audience and money through its fame. They specialise in the rom-
com, comedy and action genre. Working Titles made films such as:
Contraband (2012), which is an action thriller, Closed Circuit (2013), a
crime thriller and Green Zone (2010) which is an action thriller.
BBC FILMS- BBC films is a British company who co-works with BBC.
This allows a larger audience because BBC is a famous British
company. The company created such films: The Awakening (2011),
which is a horror thriller, We Need to Talk about Kevin (2011), a
suspense thriller and Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) which is a
mystery thriller.
PATHE- This is an independent institution which originates from
France. It specialises in various film genres and created thrillers such
as: Trance (2013) which is a mystery thriller, The Mark of Angels-
Miserere (2013), a crime thriller and Tormented (2009) which is a
horror thriller.

5. Why is it important to identify and choose the
correct institution to create and distribute a film?
When considering an appropriate institution for your own film it is
significant to choose the right one as it can determine your success and
factors such as audience and genre which are the basis of a film.
GENRE: An institution can specialise in a certain genre and be well known for
making such films. Therefore when choosing an institution that would create
your film you have to consider whether the genre of your film matches the
company’s one. This can be checked by analysing their previous films and
examining if they have been successful with this genre in the past. Genre is
also significant as it can be used to develop your convention knowledge and
allow to make the right choice. Otherwise, if you make a wrong decision and
the distributor is new to the genre, then you risk your film to bring you loss.
A famous institution for creating successful thrillers is New Line Cinema.

6. Why is it important to identify and choose the
correct institution to create and distribute a film?
AUDIENCE: At the same time, an institution can already have an established
audience and a loyal fan base who will watch any movie that has been distributed by
their favourite institution. This often happens to famous companies who have a
reputation within the industry and have a large budget at dispense which allows
them to create quality movies that will appeal to mass audience. However when
choosing a company with an established audience you have to consider if this
audience is appropriate for your film because if they are not then you are at risk of
making a loss as the majority of the loyal spectators will be lost. This is because all
audience come with own expectations which need to met in order to satisfy the
viewer and create a successful product. For example Pixar specialises in animation,
therefore they have a young fan base and if they ever decide to create a thriller they
would not succeed as the audience expects something else and is too young for the
context displayed in thrillers. This would cause Pixar trouble and a massive loss.
Hence when choosing an institution one has to consider the audience that the
company appeals to.

7. Why is it important to identify and choose the
correct institution to create and distribute a film?
INDUSTRY REPUTATION: At the same time you have to look out for the
reputation within the industry that the institution has and consider whether
it is reputable and respected. If the company is trustworthy and famous then
you have a better chance of making a profit as it has a bigger budget at
dispense, and the distributor itself becomes your advertisement because of
the good reputation it has gained within the industry and audience. Yet
again, people will come with own expectations of the company. This is
because everyone has an idea of what they would like to see from a specific
institution. Although we cannot supply every demand, viewers become
disappointed if their expectation isn’t fulfilled. Additionally, if the company
has good reputation it can come with more benefits such as links within
different platforms, thus allowing synergy and a bigger income with broader
audience.

8. Who would you choose to distribute your
thriller and why?
For my thriller opening I would like New Line Cinema to
distribute my product. This is because they are a reputable
institution within the industry and are well known for making
successful thrillers. New Line Cinema has a considerably good
budget which would help me fund my movie as well as support
in any production stages and cover the expenses. Also they
operate some other media platforms such as video games, home
videos, promotion and production which allows synergy and
advertisement on bigger scale, thus a bigger chance of earning a
profit and having a larger audience. Additionally, New Line
Cinema works very closely with Warner Brothers which is
another big company within the industry with a huge budget,
therefore I can benefit from them too if needed as they
dominate the industry for a long time now and have a lot of
experience and links within the film industry.

9. Famous Thrillers from New Line Cinema.
Seven (1995), which was one of the thrillers that has inspired us
when creating our opening. We used similar cinematography
techniques which helped us to keep the element of suspense/
surprise. Seven is a famous classical thriller with a high gross,
and if my thriller is made by the same company then the
audience can infer that it will be as good because of the
distributor’s previous success .
 The Number 23 (2007), which is a mystery thriller with some
psychological aspects. The genre of the film is the same to my
product. Additionally some themes such as morality, is also
evident in my opening. Number 23 is a successful thriller and
original in its narrative similarly, to my product, therefore
people who enjoyed this film should like my opening, thus
earning me a broader audience.

10. My Opening and Famous Thrillers from New Line Cinema.
• SEVEN:
The frame overlay and a cross dissolve is used in
the opening from Seven. This is utilised in order
to distort the image and create chaos, similarly
in my thriller where many overlays are applied
throughout the opening. This is conventional of
a thriller opening as the viewer should question
what is happening in the frame in order to feel
engaged, wanting to know more than is
revealed.
In Her Scent In Her ScentIn Her Scent
The image from the opening has used a red
coloured filter effectively in order to alert
the viewer of danger and create fear. This is
because red holds connotations of blood
and evil. Similarly in my thriller opening, I
have applied a red filter to reflect the
thriller genre and represent the negative
atmosphere. This is conventional because
thrillers are common to hold violence, blood
and cause fear amongst the viewers.
In this still image the audience is displayed
to a face which has been crossed out with a
thick black line. This shows disrespect and
hate as black connotes dark intentions.
Similarly to my thriller, the magazine models
have crossed out heads with a lipstick which
holds the same connotations. This is
conventional because the audience gains an
insight of the character’s nature and likings.

11. My Opening and Famous Thrillers from New Line Cinema.
• THE NUMBER 23:
This frame from Number 23 opening displays
heavy blood stains. This alerts the viewer of
danger as blood connotes pain and violence,
which are conventional elements of the thriller
genre. In comparison, I have used a red
feather scarf in my opening. This allowed my
viewers to sense violence but because it’s a
feminine scarf it is a subtle connotation that
fits my narrative and theme of fashion. The
use of a scarf is not a common iconography
within thrillers, however it fits my narrative
well and holds convention typical of a thriller.
This image from the Number 23 shows thick blood,
running down. The throbbing red connotes brutality
and violence which is conventional of a thriller as
often during the narrative someone is a victim of
violence. In my thriller, I have used pink lipstick
which looks like blood running down the mirror.
Although the lipstick in not a conventional thriller
iconography it fits my narrative and draws the right
audience response because it represents blood
running down.
This still image from the opening reveals
typography which has been crossed out with a
black line. Black holds connotations of death
and hate which are common themes in
thrillers. Similarly in my thriller, I have used
dark lipstick to cross out female heads in the
magazines. This allowed the audience to infer
hate and feel insecure knowing that this is an
evil act. This is conventional of the thriller
genre as often victims are assaulted by the
antagonists.

12. What benefits will choosing this institution
have on your media product?
First off, New Line Cinema has created many successful thrillers, therefore it can
give me some assurance that the company will try their hardest to make mine as
good as they can and make it a success. At the same time, because they specialise
in thrillers they must have a loyal fan base who will follow their films and watch
mine, thus giving me a larger audience and more profit.
Furthermore, they allow synergy which comes with benefits such as larger profit
and broader audience because the institution can advertise my film across
different media platforms, thus informing more people and fans that could
potentially come and watch my film.
Lastly, they have a good reputation and alliances amongst industry. They are
credible and have been operating in the film productions for a long time
therefore the audience can expect their films to be good because they have
gained experience over the years. At the same time they have formed alliances
with the Warner Brothers who are another reputable institution and can always
support my film production.