The document discusses potential distribution options for an independent British thriller film called "Vani[she]d". It suggests that Altitude, an independent UK film distribution company, would be a good fit given that they distribute similar low-budget, British indie films. Altitude has successfully distributed films like "The Girl With All The Gifts", though "Vani[she]d" has a different target audience and narrative. Other distribution strategies mentioned include generating buzz through social media, indie film festivals, Our Screen screenings, and the Flix Premiere streaming platform.

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

2. What is distribution?
Distribution, by definition, is the act of sharing something out to
multiple recipients. In media terms, distribution is the delivery of
content (ie. media texts).

3. Distribution Companies
Some examples of film distribution companies include 20th
Century Fox, Paramount Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,
which have distributed films such as the Narnia frachise.
Different types of films are distributed by different types of
companies. For example, a Hollywood blockbuster is likely to be
produced a large, well-funded distribution company (like Warner
Bros.) due to its high production values and widespread
audience. However, lower budget, independent, British films are
more likely to be distributed by smaller media institutions. Pathé
is a leader in the distribution of media texts in Europe but often
distributes British films that are slightly different in theme and
budget to the traditional Hollywood blockbusters. Some
examples of independent distribution companies are Can’t Stop
Media and Dogwoof.

4. My Film
“Vani[she]d” is similar to independently produced, low budget, British
films. It appeals to a more specific audience than a typical Hollywood
blockbuster, and has lower production values. For this reason, I think
that it is likely to be distributed by an independent media institution
with similar values and ideologies to what we created in our opening
sequence. An example of the type of distribution company that might
distribute “Vani[she]d” is Altitude, which are a vertically integrated
film company involved in distribution in the UK as well as finance,
production and sales. This experience will be beneficial when
distributing our media product. Also, the company’s values and
ideology align with ours as they believe in creativity, originality and
experience. This relates to our target audience, who fall into the
psychographic of explorers (who seek experience and thrills). Altitude
distribute indie films in a variety of different genres.

5. Altitude
“The Girl With All The Gifts” is a thriller distributed by
Altitude, featuring a teenage girl in a dystopian future. The
representation of teenage girls in this film contrasts the
representation of similar characters in “Vani[she]d”. The
main character in our film, Sarah Rose, a teenage girl, is
represented as weak as she is the victim of a kidnapping,
whereas the main character, Melanie, in “The Girl With All
The Gifts” is portrayed a strong because she has exceptional
traits and goes on a quest to find out more about herself.
However, Melanie does show elements of vulnerability when
she has to get rescued from zombies by the older male
characters. Although the two films are part of the same
genre, the narrative is different, as “The Girl With All The
Gifts” is set and a dystopian location whereas “Vani[she]d” is
rooted in realism. The two films would have a similarly aged
target audience, but appeal to different psychographics due
to the horror elements in “The Girl With All The Gifts” which
may appeal to a more mainstream audience than
“Vani[she]d”.

6. Audience Appeal
The target audience for our film is British males and females aged 16
to 24 (which is a relatively typical age for a thriller’s target audience
because they tend to be most popular amongst young people), who
fall into the psychographic of explorers as they seek thrills that can be
gratified by our film’s thriller genre and the dramatic events that
unfold (eg. the kidnapping). I think “Vani[she]d” would appeal to a UK
audience as they are able to identify with the setting of a suburban,
southern town in England as part of the Uses and Gratifications.
Realistically, as an independent, British film, “Vani[she]d” is unlikely to
be successful internationality or in the USA as the market is too large
for a small film to receive much recognition. This is due the lack of
funding, meaning there is a lack of star names and complex special
effects.

7. Distribution Options
It is important to generate a buzz about the release of “Vani[she]d” to ensure its
success. This can be done through the use of social media: we could distribute the
film’s trailer and details about its release to opinion leaders of our target audience,
such as indie radio hosts, famous thriller directors and more, so they could tweet
about the film, effectively reaching our target audience of thriller fans and indie teens.
Also, it would be effective to get the films release mentioned on Indiewire, an online
publication that covers film news and is popular among our alternative target
audience. We could also try to get posters on buses and in train stations, as these
are locations commonly seen by our young target audience when using public
transport to travel to work or college. QR codes could be put on the film posters to link
back to the film's social media pages. This is a good idea because our target
audience are likely to have smart phones which they use a lot, so we can take
advantage of this with cross platform links.
Self-distribution is a possibility. This is where you advertise the film yourself, without a
distribution company, which would save money. However, you would still have to hire
and pay for a publicist. Plus, self-distribution isn't always a reliable method and may
not work.

8. Release & Exhibition Strategies
Indie film festivals, such as Sundance Film Festival,
Toronto Independent Film Festival and Tribeca Film
Festival, are good options for release and exhibition
because they would enable us to reach our target
audience as well as gain recognition. Another
way of screening independent movies in order
to generate a profit is Our Screen, where you can
set up a screening of your movie at a cinema and
people in the local area have to say they are
interested in coming to see it. If over 25 people are
interested, the screening will proceed, whereas if
less than 25 are interested, the screening is
cancelled. A method of exhibition is Flix Premiere,
which is a platform like Netflix, that showcases
independent movies.