The document discusses film distribution and different types of media institutions that could distribute a film product. It provides guidance on choosing an appropriate distributor by considering factors such as whether the distributor specializes in niche/independent films or mass market films, their existing portfolio and genres, and how the film might fit within their current slate. Data on the distributor's audience and marketing of similar films can support the choice. Visuals like logos and posters should also be included.

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

2. What kind of media institution might distribute your
media product and why?
What is a media institution?
Media Institution: any of the organisations responsible for the production,
marketing, distribution or regulation of media texts.
Institutions are business structures that produce media texts and regulate
and structure media activities. They are collectives within which individuals
are encouraged to work towards a common goal and to develop working
practices based on assumptions about their aims and ethos of the
institutions. Institutions assume the shared values of all employees and have
a status and power relationship with other institutions and the wider public.
The type of institution you will focus on is the film distributor. The most well-
known of these are the Hollywood ‘majors’: film studios like Warner Bros. or
20th Century Fox, but also international ‘minimajors’, such as Lionsgate (who
distribute The Hunger Games and the Twilight saga).

3. Film Distribution
• The process of launching a film into the
marketplace and then sustaining the public’s
interest

4. Distribution Involves:
Creating a ‘value chain’:
• Selling the film to cinemas
• Selling DVD copies to stores, online copies to
services like iTunes
• Selling television broadcast rights to the film
Marketing the film through:
• posters, trailers, etc
• film festivals

5. The Distributor
 The distributor’s business is to develop their own
films or acquire films from external sources, in
order to create a value chain and make money
There are three stages that they can do this:
 Invest in a Film’s Production
 Buy the rights to Film after it’s been made by an
independent production company (like yours!)
 If they are already part of the larger
organisation, they will automatically distribute

6. Distribution Companies
• World-wide distribution is dominated by the
US-based companies
• 9 out of 10 films released in the UK will come
from one of these majors
• They will fight for part of the annual $60
billion generated within the global film
entertainment business

7. Examples of Distribution Companies
Hollywood Majors
• Paramount
• Warner
• Disney
• Twentieth Century Fox
• Universal
European ‘minimajors’
• Working Title
• Miramax
• Film 4
• Studio Canal

8. Film Festivals
They have a several functions:
• They are competitions that can gain the film
awards as well as publicity
• They are market places for production
companies to sell pitches/treatments or
complete self-financed films to distributors.
• Likewise, It is also where distributors can
battle over gaining the rights for a film that
has just been produced

9. Film Festivals
• Highest profile festivals:
• Cannes
• Sundance
• Berlin
• Toronto
• Venice

10. • Which film do you choose and why?
Imagine you’re a big distributor

11. • Distributed by Warner
Bros
• Budget not yet published
but the last LOTR film
had one of $94 million
• Grossed $1.1 billion
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

12. • Budget of $20 million
• Took $31 million in the US
The Debt

13. • Distributed by Walt Disney
• Budget of $39 million
• Already taken $22,500,000
in the USA alone, released
on 5th Oct
Frankenweenie

14. • Which film do you choose?
Imagine you’re a big distributor

15. • Vertically integrated companies usually handle
this in all countries
• These are big corporations who own a production
‘arm’, a distributor ‘arm’ and a chain of cinemas.
• They use their power, finance & their role as
international corporations ensure films they
make or buy in are shown in as many cinema
screens as possible.
• Disney recently threatened to not allow certain
cinema chains to screen Star Wars The Force
Awakens if they didn’t do it the way Disney
wanted.
Cinema Distribution

16. • Not so straightforward
• Smaller distributors get on board and often
only operating in one country
• More difficult process getting films distributed
• Independently produced film The Hateful
Eight (distributed by Miramax, who are owned
by Disney) lost cinema screens because Disney
threatened not to let cinemas have Star Wars
if they screened The Hateful Eight in
competition during the Christmas holidays.
For Independent Films

17. Independent Companies
• What are they independent of?
• Essentially, control.
• Independent films are created outside of
Hollywood studios; they are free from the
same restrictions, i.e. big bosses looking for
major profit

18. • Independent films are usually deeper and
more complex than Hollywood films. They
might
– explore various themes e.g. loneliness, innocence
– tell a story about an influential, less-prominent
person (e.g. an artist or writer)
– make a political statement

19. Crowdfunding
A relatively new phenomenon, where would-be
film-makers can ask for members of the public
to ‘invest’ in their films. They then have a
readymade audience to distribute the film to
themselves – via the internet. This cuts the
major distributors and exhibitors out of the
picture.
The most well-known organiser of crowdfunding
is www.kickstarter.com

20. What kind of media institution might distribute your
media product and why?
Which distributor is best for me? Some questions to consider...
• Major, minimajor, independent?
• Niche (independent) or Mass market (Hollywood/major)?
• Traditional pitch and treatment or crowdfund and then the festival route
to find a distributor? What benefit will there be in finishing the film before
the distributor comes on board? What festivals would you use?
• Competition/what do they already distribute? Do you want your thriller
distributed by a company that have expertise with the genre? Why/Why
not?

21. A possible way to structure your
answer...

22. Guidance
In order to give depth to your answer, consider the following:
[1] Provide a brief, relevant overview of what institutions are and
identify some of the key film distributors operating in the UK and/or
worldwide (plus, explore whether your film is suitable for an international or
solely domestic market).
Provide images of their logos and the URL for their web presence
Relate your answer to your existing textual research wherever you can –
quote yourself if necessary or complete some basic general research,
exploring the distribution of some of the thrillers you have analysed.

23. Guidance
[2] Identify an institution to distribute your thriller and explain why. . .
Why have you chosen that institution? To answer this question provide an
overview of the company and its portfolio of films.
Explain: Who they are
Brief overview of their back catalogue
Discuss the range of their current slate
Identify where your film fit into their current slate. You could compare their
slate with another institutions’ – what are the differences? How does contrast
help to consolidate your choice? Provide images – the institutions’ logo,
example posters or trailers that feel similar to yours.

24. Guidance
[3] Think about how your film, as a product, could be extended into
other media areas
You will learn more, as the exam side of the course goes on, about convergent
media – how might your film link with other media to give the same
message? Research the marketing of the recent film The Martian to see this
done well.
What will the value chain be for your film?

25. Guidance
[4] Use data and statistics where possible
Each institution will clearly define not only the target readership of its
products but should also provide statistical data about their audience figures
– search the Internet for this data and use it to support your choice of
institution.
Remember: look back at your research to find parts of your answer or factual
support for your answer…

26. Guidance
[5] Use specialist vocabulary
Ensure that you use the correct terminology throughout your response: use
words such as institution, demographic, consumer, portfolio, media brands.
[6] Use visual examples
Illustrate your response with images, screen captures, logos, graphs, and – if
appropriate – video clips.