This document discusses film distribution and different types of distributors. It provides definitions of film distribution, a distributor's role, and compares indie films to working title films. The document analyzes the budgets and box office returns of films like "Donnie Darko" and "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" to show that indie films with unknown actors can still find success. It also discusses typical distribution methods like posters, trailers, and social media marketing. The document proposes that Pandora Cinema would be a suitable distributor since it successfully distributed the similar film "Donnie Darko". Alternately, the creator suggests using social media and local advertising if a distributor cannot be found.

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

2. Definitions
Film distribution is the process of making a movie available for viewing by an
audience. (google)
A film distributor is responsible for the marketing of a film. The distribution company
is usually different from the production company. Distribution deals are an important
part of financing a film. (wiki)
In terms of shorts, a distributor is an individual or organization who will represent your
film at festivals and markets around the world and who will attempt to sell it to
television (including terrestrial, cable and satellite), airlines and other companies that
show short films. In terms of features, a distributor is generally an organization who
handles the theatrical release of a film in a particular country as well as the marketing
and circulation of films for home viewing (DVD, Video-On-Demand, Download,
Television etc.). Often feature films have different distributors representing them in
different territories and different distributors handling the home-viewing circulation.
(BBC)

3. The top 10 distributors of 2016
The top 6 distributors are Warner bros. Pictures , 20th century fox , Paramount
Pictures , Universal pictures , Sony Pictures Entertainment and Walk Disney studios.
The majority of the big six also own their own subsidiaries that concentrate on art
house pictures which are typically smaller independently- produced film. An example
of an art house distributor is Compton Films who distributed the top art house film
The Gospel According to Matthew in the UK.

4. Comparing Indie and Working title
films.
Comparing two films , one an Indie and one a Working title helps us to
see how different two variations on films do in the film industry.
“Donnie Darko” had 31 distributors Pandora Cinema being the biggest
that distributed it worldwide. For an indie film that had a budget of
$4.5million it grossed just under $7.7million worldwide. It also
received positive reviews and developed a cult following resulting in
the release of a directors cut. The film was seen negatively before it
was release but then went on to have 159 screenings in France alone.
We as a micro-budget film understand the differences between
working title and warp films. And understand that not all working title
films do well In cinemas , for example “The boat that rocked” due to its
distributors advertising the film poorly.

5. Budget
“Neighbors” is a micro-budget indie film with no establishing actors.
This means that our film would typically struggle when distributed by
any big distribution companies , our film also is also not directed by
any well know or popular directors that may draw people to watch the
film. This means that we are lacking these to engage and draw in our
audience , however on a smaller scale we believe that many friends
and family of both the actors and the directors would want to watch
the film. Films like “ What's eating gilbert grape” released in 1993
included both Jonny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio at ages when they
were not established actors in the film industry the budget of the film
was $11million and then went on to make a gross of over $9million in
the USA and over SEK21 million in Sweden. This film had shown us that
not all indie films with actors that aren't big at the film fail but farther
gain success as the actors become well known which we hope is what
will happen with our own film.

6. Typical ways of distribution.
Submarine is a WARP film that had a
budget of £1.2 million and gained a box
office of £3.2million as It was distributed
by 33 different companies and in over 15
countries.
The main ways it was distributed were
posters , trailers/advertisments and
adevrtising through social media and blogs
and well as a few newspaper and magazine
reviews.
The UK distributor for submarine was
Optimum Releasing.

7. Pandora cinema
Today Pandora Film presents itself as an Independent
Production-, Marketing- and Distribution Company with
the ambition of continuing to grow by means of quality
rather than mass production. In the interest of all cinema
enthusiasts, they constantly strive to work against the
general media conformity, in order to secure the
existence of film also as an art form. I choose Pandora
cinema to distribute my film as Donnie darko become
very popular and well know due to the distribution and as
Donnie Darko is a similar film to my own “neighbors” I
feel that it would benefit my film greatly.

8. If we couldn’t find a distributor
Failure In finding a distributor for micro-budget
films is very rare however failing this I have several
ways I would do this myself. Social media would be
used to get the name “neighbors” out to the public.
I would be targeting my primary and secondary
audiences by doing this , I would also put is posters
in my local area and in stations and bus stations
across leeds and Ilkley , this gives me a chance to
get the narrative and name of my film out to the
public and give “neighbors” hope.