An independent company would likely distribute the film "Patient Zero" because it has a limited budget and unknown actors. The film would be filmed in accessible local locations like woods near home to cut costs, rather than extravagant overseas settings. It would start in a few cinemas and increase screens over time as it becomes known, then move to television and online. Distribution would initially be just in Britain to experiment with audiences there, and potentially expand to the US later if successful. Advertising would be on low-cost websites and a short television spot, rather than extensive formats used by big Hollywood films due to the smaller budget. River Road Entertainment would be a suitable production company since they make low-budget films in similar genres.

1. What kind of media institution
might distribute your media
product and why?
By Rob Nicholas

2.  I think an independent company would distribute my media
product ‘Patient Zero’ because the film is more likely to be
watched on a small scale. Also, the film would have a very
limited budget available and therefore unknown actors and
actresses were used. The use of these unknown actors and
actresses provides harder work of attracting audiences
because generally people are more attracted to films with
famous actors or actresses.

3. Locations
 My media product would not be filmed in extravagant
locations overseas but would likely be filmed in easily
accessible places closer to home thus cutting the cost of
services such as travel. The scene in the woods would likely
be as close to home as possible and this would struggle to
attract avid movie fans because it doesn’t have some of the
famous and beautiful places in the world that other films do.

4. Distribution
 This film would not be distributed on such a large scale
because that would cost more and would be likely to lose
money, as it won’t attract a large enough audience to
compensate for the cost of the cinemas. I think that the film
would start in the cinema on a few screens at the beginning
before increasing the number of screens, as the film
becomes better known. After featuring in the cinema the film
would then move onto television and the internet. I think this
film would just be distributed in Britain, at least, to start off
with because it would be a film that experiments with the
audience. In this way, the film would be distributed in Britain,
and, if successful, then it would expand its audience to a
more global scale. It may possibly be distributed in the USA
after Britain due to their large number of people that watch
films.

5. Other Films
 A more mainstream Hollywood film would have many adverts
in various different formats because it would have a larger
budget to work with. They would build up to the main film by
using different teaser trailers and then a main trailer. These
would be shown in common websites that people websites
and popular television shows such as ‘ITV’. However, my film
would be shown in less expensive formats such as in various
adverts on websites whilst also featuring an advert or
possibly short trailer on television, but one that wouldn’t be
as extravagant as a more global film due to the budget
available. An example of a production company that I would
use is River Road Entertainment. This is because they are a
small-scale production company that produce low-budget
films. One of their films ‘Blood Simple’ is an example of a film
in the thriller genre.