Vestron Pictures would be a suitable distributor for the author's thriller film. Vestron previously distributed similar low-budget films like Parents that had comparable themes and genres to the author's thriller. They have experience distributing films with first-time directors. Now owned by Lionsgate, Vestron could utilize Lionsgate's successful marketing techniques, such as incorporating real blood into print advertisements for Saw III, to promote the author's film. Vestron targets teenage to young adult audiences, which matches the target audience for the author's thriller. Their partnership with Lionsgate could help the author's film find wider success.

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

2. In an ideal
world who
would
distribute your
film?
- In an ideal world, with an unlimited budget, Warner Bros. would be the best
company to distribute our film. It has distributed many thrillers/action films in the
past successfully, and so would be ideal for our thriller. It has distributed the films
Fantastic Beasts and where to find them Batman v. Superman, The Dark Knight,
Suicide Squad, Harry Potter and the philosopher’s stone, Inception and Sweeney
Todd, which is very similar in plot to our thriller. Sweeney Todd contains similar
trade references and involves the use of everyday jobs and the potential horror
behind them which is very similar to our thriller.The gore and disturbance behind
the plot of our thriller and Sweeney Todd is the same in style and so this is one of
the reasons Warner Bros. would be a good distributor for our film.
- Another reason Warner Bros. would be an ideal distributor of our thriller, is
because of the budget that could be put into the film.The budget for Sweeney
Todd was $50,000,000. With a similar budget from Warner Bros for our thriller, we
could hire professional actors and film with professional cameras using special
effects, sound, lighting, costume, and other mise-en-scene. This would increase
and attract customers to our film as they will immediately think that the money
spent on the film and its’ effects means that it must be entertaining and of a high
standard.
- Warner Bros. is also a very well known distributor. After viewers watching their
successful films in the past, they will have high expectations for the next film
which they distribute and so viewers are more likely to go and see the film.
- Warner Bros.’ target audience can vary depending on the media product, but it is
mainly ages 18-29, which is the same as the target audience for our thriller,
meaning that if they were to distribute our film, they have the our target audience
already and so our product would gain success quicker as their viewers already
take an interest and are the right age for thrillers.

3. Realistically,
who would
distribute your
thriller?
 Vestron Pictures, which has successfully produced smaller films, is
better suited to our thriller because it is a realistic alternative to a
bigger distribution company.

4. Vestron
Pictures –A
history…
 Vestron Pictures was a film studio and distributor of the late
1980s, and a division ofAustin O. Furst, Jr.'sVestron Inc., best
known for their 1987 release of Dirty Dancing.
 The company was a spin-off of the earlier video distributor,
VestronVideo.VestronVideo was the main subsidiary ofVestron,
Inc., a home video company based in Stamford, Connecticut that
was active from 1981 to 1992. It is considered to have been a
pioneer in the home video market.
 Vestron also had a genre film division, Lightning Pictures, a spin-
off ofVestron's LightningVideo.Today, Lionsgate owns the rights
to theVestron library and was previously owned by LIVE
Entertainment, later Artisan.

5. Vestron
Pictures –A
history…
 Vestron was founded in 1981 byAustinOwen Furst, Jr. (born 1943), an executive at HBO, who
was hired to dismantle the assets ofTime-Life Films. Furst bought the video rights of the film
library for himself and decided to form a home entertainment company with these assets.
 The company held on to itsTime-LifeVideo library, and was also responsible for releases on
VHS videocassette as well as CEDVideodisc of mostly B movies and films from Cannon Films'
library.
 They also distributed films underThe Movie Store banner.
 The most notable titlesVestron released were Dirty Dancing, Monster Squad, andAnAmerican
Werewolf in London.
 In later years, the company began to shift towards mainstream films, including films released
through theirVestron Pictures subsidiary, most notably Dirty Dancing.
 Vestron went public on the NewYork Stock Exchange in 1985 with what was at the time a large
market cap IPO of $440MM, which was oversubscribed.The company enjoyed success for
several years, at one point exceeding 10% of the US video movie market.
 At its high point, the company sold video movies in over 30 countries either directly or through
sub licensing agreements.
 Their international divisions were the second largest just afterWarner Bros. It had many direct
theatrical, video andTV distribution offices all around the world in major markets and owned a
video manufacturing plant in the Netherlands to supply European markets.
 Today, most of the holdings ofVestronVideo are owned by Lions Gate Entertainment.
 Now Lionsgate will release re-mastered Blu-ray editions of films from the deepVestron library
of genre classics, starting with Jackie Kong’s Blood Diner.

6. Why would
Vestron
Pictures make
our film?
 One of Vestron’s popular films, Parents (1989), has similar themes and ideas to our product.
Comparison of plot:
 Both films are thrillers.
 Both have a gory, cannibalistic element.
 Both take normality and everyday life and turn them into a way of committing horrific crimes.
 Parents is less to do with trade.
 Both contain psychopathic characters.
Comparison of genre:
 Parents- horror/dark comedy
 Our thriller – horror/thriller/crime fiction
 The genre of both films are very similar, however Parents contains elements of dark comedy which is dissimilar to our
thriller.
Comparison of target audience:
 Parents– teenage to adult audiences
 Our thriller – teenage to adult audiences (most target audiences for thrillers are similar)
Similar budget:
 The budget for Parents was $3 million and was produced by Great American Films, Limited Partnership and Vestron
Pictures, which is far less money and far less well known production companies than the film Sweeney Todd. This makes
this film low budget meaning it is much more affordable if we were to go ahead with our thriller.

7. Why would
Vestron
Pictures make
our film?
Our product could easily renew and refreshVestron Pictures and
what they stand for since they are an out-dated distribution
company.
Our product is up-to-date and will attract younger viewers in today’s
generation.This means thatVestron, an experienced film
distributor, will help distribute our film successfully whilst gaining
popularity and success through our film.
Vestron’s partnership with Lionsgate will also help our film become
successful as the popularity of Lionsgate can be used to increase
Vestron’s popularity.
In the past,Vestron have distributed Parents, a film
highly similar to ours.This means they have
experience of how to distribute a similar film.
Vestron Pictures, with our film, easily has the ability
to break through the market and distribute
successfully, especially with support from the very
successful Lionsgate.

8. Vestron’s
previous films:
 HawaiianTreasure (2004) ... Distributor (2004) (USA)
 Love Hurts (1990) ... Distributor
 Upworld (1990) ... Distributor (1992) (USA) (theatrical)
 Catchfire (1990) ... Distributor (1990) (USA) (theatrical)
 Hider in the House (1989) ... Distributor (1989) (UK) (theatrical)
 Communion (1989) ... Distributor (1989) (non-USA) (theatrical)
 Cat Chaser (1989) ... Distributor
 Far from Home (1989) ... Distributor (1989) (USA) (theatrical)
 C.H.U.D. II: Bud the Chud (1989) ... Distributor (1989) (USA) (theatrical)
 The Rainbow (1989) ... Distributor (1989) (USA) (theatrical)
 Options (1989) ... Distributor
 Twister (1989) ... Distributor (1989) (USA)
 The Hunchback Hairball of L.A. (1989) ... Distributor (1989) (USA) (theatrical)
 Paramedics (1988) ... Distributor (1988) (USA) (theatrical)
 Waxwork (1988) ... Distributor (1988) (USA) (theatrical)
 The Beat (1988) ... Distributor
 Call Me (1988) ... Distributor (1988) (USA) (theatrical)

9.  CuttingClass (1989) ... Distributor (1989) (USA) (theatrical)
 Jacknife (1989) ... Distributor (1989) (UK) (theatrical)
 Dream a Little Dream (1989) ... Distributor (1989) (USA) (theatrical)
 Parents (1989) ... Distributor (1989) (USA) (theatrical)
 HowlingV:The Rebirth (1989) ... Distributor (1989) (Non-USA) (theatrical)
 The Courier (1988) ... Distributor
 Burning Secret (1988) ... Distributor (1988) (USA) (theatrical)
 Buster (1988) ... Distributor (1988) (Non-USA) (theatrical)
 The Lair of theWhiteWorm (1988) ... Distributor (1988) (USA) (theatrical)
 Paperhouse (1988) ... Distributor (1989) (USA) (theatrical)
 Earth GirlsAre Easy (1988) ... Distributor (1989) (USA) (theatrical)
 The Deceivers (1988) ... Distributor (VHS) (non-USA)
 YoungGuns (1988) ... Distributor (1988-1989) (Non-USA) (theatrical)

10.  Anna (1987) ... Distributor (1987) (USA) (theatrical)
 Personal Services (1987) ... Distributor (1987) (USA) (theatrical)
 La famiglia (1987) ... Distributor (1988) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
 DeadAim (1987) ... Distributor
 Billy Galvin (1986) ... Distributor
 Gothic (1986) ... Distributor (1987) (USA)
 Slaughter High (1986) ... Distributor (1986) (USA) (theatrical)
 De wisselwachter (1986) ... Distributor (1988) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
 Malcolm (1986) ... Distributor (1986) (USA) (theatrical)
 Space Rage (1985) ... Distributor (1985) (USA) (theatrical)
 Rebel (1985) ... Distributor (1986) (USA)
 Alpine Fire (1985) ... Distributor (1986) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
 The Making of 'TheWoman in Red' (1984) (TV) ... Distributor
 The Making of 'Up the Creek' (1984) (TV) ... Distributor
 The Making of 'LoneWolf McQuade' (1983) (TV) ... Distributor

11.  The Fruit Machine (1988) ... Distributor (1988) (UK) (theatrical), Distributor
(1989) (USA) (theatrical)
 Midnight Crossing (1988) ... Distributor (1988) (USA) (theatrical)
 Salome's Last Dance (1988) ... Distributor (1988) (USA) (theatrical)
 And God CreatedWoman (1988) ... Distributor (1988) (USA) (theatrical)
 Amsterdamned (1988) ... Distributor (1988) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
 The Unholy (1988) ... Distributor (1988) (USA) (theatrical)
 Steel Dawn (1987) ... Distributor (1987) (USA) (theatrical)
 Promised Land (1987) ... Distributor (1988) (USA) (theatrical)
 China Girl (1987) ... Distributor (1987) (USA) (theatrical)
 The Dead (1987) ... Distributor (1987) (USA) (theatrical)
 Nightforce (1987) (V) ... Distributor (1987) (USA) (theatrical)
 Good morning Babilonia (1987) ... Distributor (1987) (USA) (theatrical)
 Dirty Dancing (1987) ... Distributor (1987) (USA) (theatrical)

12. How does your
film fit with the
ethos of the
institution?
 Vestron started off small and then became the second largest
distributor just afterWarner Bros.They are now owned by
Lionsgate. If they had the same vision for our film, alongside their
experience, our film could be very successful.
 Vestron produced low budget films and so could support our film
which can function with low budget support.
 Vestron have supported films with first time directors
e.g. – HawaiianTreasures had directorT. David Franklin.
- Far From Home had director Meiert Avis
-Twister had director MichaelAlmereyda

13. How would
they market
your film?
 Now thatVestron Pictures is owned by Lionsgate, our film would
probably be marketed using similar distribution techniques to
Lionsgate.
 Apart from the general means of marketing:TV adverts,
billboards, posters, radio, social media, magazines etc, Lionsgate
have come up with some innovative, different and exciting ways
to advertise some of their previous films.

14.  Saw III (2004) (http://adage.com/article/print-edition/lionsgate-
spills-blood-marketing-horror-flick/112474/)
Tim Palen, 53, joined Lionsgate in 2001 and quickly established
himself as one of the most creative minds in movie marketing. His
edgy campaign for Saw in 2004 helped launch the then-upstart
Lionsgate's first franchise.
“How great it would be if in a printer, we actually mixed in some of
his blood?" So I pitched it toTobin, who thought it was a really
freaky idea. I sent a medical team to his house.We went to the
printer and had to have hazmat people there because of disease
control.We have footage of them mixing his blood into the red
magenta and then running it through the press.
This caused excitement and disturbance for audiences and
definitely brought more viewers to the film, after the extreme
portrayal of the genre of film.
Using real blood for ink has now been used for other means of
marketing like band posters etc:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWOYXFU5boQ

15. Do they
specialise in a
genre?
 Vestron do not claim to specialise in any one particular genre
however they have distributed mostly thrillers/horrors/action.

16. Do the studio
have a
particular
target
audience?
 Usually teenage to young adult audiences.