Film distribution and marketing

1. FILM DISTRIBUTION
AND MARKETING

2. FILM DISTRIBUTION
Film distribution is arguably one of the most important aspects of the release
of a film, it is the process of making a film accessible for viewing by an
audience. Distribution is also known as ‘the invisible art’ as only those within
the industry are aware of it, whilst it is almost unnoticeable by others. This
process is the third part of the film supply chain but is often considered the
most important part of the film industry, where the films are connected with
an audience, but ultimately, distribution is about releasing and sustaining a
product in the market place. The distribution process along with the
production and exhibition is thought to be most effective when it is vertically
integrated, with these stages being part of one process, under the control of
the same company. The UK differs in terms of distribution, with companies
primarily focusing on marketing and sustaining a global product in local
markets. However, distribution processes vary across film sectors, with
independent sectors often being unable to vertically integrate, which makes
the process much more difficult. This means that within this part, the
distribution can be split into three stages – licensing, marketing and logistics.

3. A DISTRIBUTORS JOB
When UK distributors consider acquiring a new film, they must consider
whether or not it is worth it, this is determined by looking for distinguishing
features that may help sell the film to audiences. But more often than not,
distributors will be more inclined to take on a local product as they realise the
film’s potential, due to British audiences warming more too British films and
stories. The distribution of the film will then take place and a distributor’s
challenge is to make films a talking point amongst the audience, through a
series of critical processes, which begin by identifying the film’s audience,
followed by considering why they would go and see the film. By recognising
the audience, the distributors are then able to estimate the revenue potential
across all the formats of its release, followed by developing plans and
partnerships to build awareness of and interest in the film. The distributors are
also responsible converting as much interest as possible into cinema visits and
to persuade exhibitors (cinema operators) to play the film. Distribution is
ultimately, the decider of how successful a film is, and with it being a highly
competitive business, the launching and sustaining of a film in the market
place relies heavily on the distributors.

4. THE REACH OF A FILM
The reach of a film refers to who the product is targeting through the use of
advertising. Every film has a target audience, as established by the
distributors, which allows the advertisers to tailor the film’s marketing
campaigns in order to reach the appropriate audience(s). Marketing
techniques and styles are affected by the target audience’s
demographics, such as age and gender as well as lifestyle, social networks
and media consumption patterns, these determining aspects will inform
the subsequent decisions, including how and where the film is promoted.
Although it is important for a film to have a primary target audience,
distributors are also interested in attracting a wider audience to entice
more viewers. Therefore, by adverts and promotions appealing to different
groups of people, the more wide spread the film becomes, reaching more
audiences and making the film more successful in the Box Office.

5. THE DISTRIBUTION PLAN
The distribution plan of a film is the distributor’s responsibility, with each plan
being unique and tailor-made to each and every film, the distributor will
consult with the producers and then develop a plan for their film. The
distributor must consider a wide variety of things when constructing the plan
but the most important decisions they make are when and how to release the
film, which will impact the success of the film. As a result of this, clear targets
are set for the release and the distributors gauge the audience through a
combination of market knowledge, commercial experience, statistical
research and professional judgement. The distributor(s) will answer questions
such as, who will go and see the film and why? Can the film be positioned
within a popular genre? What sort of audiences have similar films attracted?
When were they released? The distributors will then estimate what the film
may earn and prepare a budget to release it. However, launching films is
expensive and risky and although the main goal is to recoup the costs and
turn a profit, many films do not make a profit from their theatrical runs alone.

6. THE MARKETING PLAN
A marketing plan is also in place to compliment the distribution plan, with its
main objective being to raise awareness, create visibility and engage
interest. A competition between distributors happens to access a significant
share of voice, this competition is also against other leisure activities. In order
for a marketing plan to be successful, the appropriate audience(s) must be
reached in compelling ways and environments, where communication is
most effective. Although the size of the budget may affect how wide spread
the marketing is, it should still persuade the audience(s) to go and see the
film, convincing them that it is interesting and a ‘must see’, with this interest
supposedly peaking as the film comes out in cinemas. Word of mouth is a
massive part of a film’s marketing plan, with social recommendation being
key, which is often the most powerful stimulus for a cinema visit. Word of
mouth raises high levels of strong interest, as does negative word of mouth,
which is extremely difficult to overcome. However, most campaigns are
generally effective with most cinemagoers knowing what they want to see
before it is released for the cinema. Although word of mouth is incredibly
effective, a variety of complimentary techniques are also used, such as
posters, trailers and a combination of online and mobile techniques.

7. THE MARKETING PLAN
Posters include the main appeal and positioning of the film – its stars,
genre, credits and often a tag line, with several different variations
being released for every film made. Many months before the release of
the film, a teaser poster may be released to announce that the film is
coming out, including pinnacle details to allow the audience to decide
whether or not it is to their taste. This particular process comes with
different display materials, such as, cardboard standees, banners,
window clings and mini posters, all to raise awareness of the film and to
attract the target audience(s).
POSTERS

8. THE MARKETING PLAN
TRAILERS
Trailers are considered to be one of the most cost-effective marketing
techniques, as they play both to a captive audience of cinemagoers
and also online for anyone to see, generating lots of interest from lots of
different people. For a trailer to be successful, producers aim to include
a representative glimpse of the most dramatic sequences but more
often than not, the editing and special effects will not be completed by
the time the trailer is made, meaning the whole story/film is not given
away. Trailers are an effective way to generate interest in the film, with
various different audiences accessing them and therefore making it
more successful.

9. THE MARKETING PLAN
ONLINE AND MOBILE TECHNIQUES
Online and mobile techniques are also a key sector of the marketing
plan, with the internet playing a pivotal role in shaping individuals’
perceptions of new releases. Most films have an official website which
can be accessed to find trailers, stills galleries, production information
and behind-the-scenes footage. These help distributors to build
awareness of a new film, with film clips being one of the web’s most
searched for content which can be found across many sites.

10. ADVERTISING, PROMOTING
AND PUBLICITY
Advertising involves bringing a product to the attention of the potential
and current consumers, focusing on one particular product or service.
As a result of this, the advertising plan for each and every product is
very different and unique, however, advertising is often achieved
through the same techniques, including specific signs and brochures
etc. Promotion reminds the consumers of the product and helps
stimulate demand for it, involving ongoing activities of advertising, sales
and public relations. Publicity focuses more on the messages within the
media, which are often out of the company’s control, with reporters
and writers deciding what will be said.