The history of film is usually related through the achievements of producers, directors,writers and performers.
Our personal understanding and appreciation of film is shaped by our experiences at the cinema.
The exhibition of the film is a commonplace, shared cultural activity highly visible in every city and town in Britain, constantly feeding the popular memory.
Distribution is the third part of the film supple chain, it is often referred to as the 'invisible art'
Distribution is the most important part of the film industry- where completed film are brought to life and are connected with an audience.
Distribution is about releasing and sustaining films in the market place.
The pig-in-the-middle, distribution is a collaborative process which requires the materials and right of the producer as well as the cooperation of the exhibitor to promote the film in the best way possible.
Distribution can be divided into three stages:
- Licensing
- Marketing
- Logistics
Licensing
It is the process by which a distributor acquires the legal right to exploit a film
It can take place on two levels
International distributions- ensures that films find their way to the 90+ market territories around the world
Independent distributions- have to sell their films to different distributors in each territory
Local distributions-this involves the distributor acquiring the license to release and exploit the film in a particular country. It will conventionally share profits equally with the producer for the theatrical leg, pay back, higher royalties for broadcast rights and lower for the DVD.
A distributor will usually be offered theatrical right, for showing the film in cinemas
Once the license has been agreed it is then the distributors job to launch the film
The trick is to weigh up the two factors, to invest as much as is needed in promoting the film to draw out the maximum returns
Marketing
In the UK films are released theatrically in Fridays
The schedule for the release is coordinated and published by the film distributors association
A distributor will assess the schedule to identify the release date.
They either find a 'light' week to ensure that there is both screen space and adequate review columns inches in the press allocated to any potential release or to consider the seasonality of the film so that the film has the greatest potential to reach audiences in the academic year.
The distributor will try to position the film distinctively and avoid a release date occupied by other films with similar traits.
After this the distributor looks towards the theatrical release- the cost of this are often referred to as P&A(prints and advertising)- Cost can range from less than £1,000 to over £1 million for the release of the film in the UK.
Marketing: Prints and Advertising
The quantity and production pf release prints and trailers
Specialist films: often releases with fewer than 10 prints into key independent cinema, with them subsequently 'toured'over a 6 month period to all parts of the UK
Press materials, clip reels, images, press reviews, screener tapes
Press response is a key factor in developing the profile and desirability of a film.
The design and printing of posters and other promotional artwork
The cinema poster is a specific size-30'' x 4-'' (Quad format)
Recent examples show that the poster design is highly effective in packaging the key attributes of a film for the potential audience.
Distributors also consider poster campaigns, ranging from Underground advertising to billboards
Advertising campaign-location ad size and frequency
Press advertising campaign for specialized films will judiciously select publication and spaces close to relevant editorial.
For mainstream films, scale and high visibility is key
The cost of print advertising in the UK comparatively high and is seen as making distribution in the UK a riskier business than in most other countries.
Press campaign/contracting a PR agency
Many distributors do not have press department therefore they will constantly hire a press agency instead.
Arranging visits by talent from the film
The use of talent
The volume of the editorial coverage can for outweigh the cost of talent vistits
Other preview screening
Press campaign/contracting a PR agency
Many distributors do not have press department therefore they will constantly hire a press agency instead.
Arranging visits by talent from the film
The use of talent
The volume of the editorial coverage can for outweigh the cost of talent vistits
Other preview screening
A distributor will consider the use of advance public screenings to create word-of-mouth and advanced 'buzz' around the film.
The Logistics of Distribution
The distributor will come to an agreement with the cinema to screen the film on certain 'play dates'
Logistics represent the the phrase of distribution at its most basic supplying and circulating copies of the film to theatres, of DVDs to shops and rental stores, and managing the effectiveness of the supple.
The distributor typically handles 35mm film prints which cost around £1,000- or twice as much if it is subtitled. Therefore a degree of care is required when doing the prints.
These prints however suffer cumulative damage as they pass through different projectors, and the hands of different projectionist.
For the first period of prints the distributor will invest in sufficient prints to provide optimum coverage-this usually lasts up to 6 months
From this point many of the new released prints will be destroyed that there is only a small number to be used in the second period.
Case study: Bullet Boy
Bullet Boy is a low budget, independent feature helmed by first-time feature director Saul Dibb.
The film quickly gathered a reputation as the first film to tackle the difficult subjects of contemporary gang and gun crime in Britians inner cities.
Local people in hackney saw the film contributing to the ongoing debate
By the time the film was released, it has achieved both word-of-mouth and press coverage in the news
Verve Pictures saw the potential of the film in a wider market beyond the arthouse, especially with a young black audience which was drawn by the presents of Ashley Walters to seek out the film in key urban multiplex sites.
The film was released on 8th April 2005,opening on 75 prints UK wide
The poster was designed to convey the look, subject and tone of the film, supported by the key press quotes, whilst also foregrounding the presents of Ashley Walters
The as campaign aimed to diverse audiences interest in film and music, urban black and white.-Ads were included in all of the national daily newspapers to show the significant space to film reviews, plus two tabloids, newspapers with a black perspective, a selective London Underground campaign and extensive use of radio stations with a concentration on R 'n' B and Garage, the musical forms in which Ashley Walters is associated with
The film had grossed £450,000 at the UK box office.
Digital Distribution
In 2005 this was when the distributors started to move towards digital distribution.
Digital technology is seen is offer a most cost effective and logistics-light alternative to the tried and trusted 35mm print distribution.
It has stared to appear on a large scale in certain parts of the world, such as China and Brazil.
In the UK, digital technology has been embraced by the non-theatrical sector,in film societies and schools, where the use of DVD and mid-range digital projection has been replaced with 16mm
The force of this change coupled with the new capacity of technology to replicate 35mm imaging,has led to the UK Film Council to establish distribution and exhibition programme for the theatrical sector at the end of 2005.
The Logistics of Distribution
The distributor will come to an agreement with the cinema to screen the film on certain 'play dates'
Logistics represent the the phrase of distribution at its most basic supplying and circulating copies of the film to theatres, of DVDs to shops and rental stores, and managing the effectiveness of the supple.
The distributor typically handles 35mm film prints which cost around £1,000- or twice as much if it is subtitled. Therefore a degree of care is required when doing the prints.
These prints however suffer cumulative damage as they pass through different projectors, and the hands of different projectionist.
For the first period of prints the distributor will invest in sufficient prints to provide optimum coverage-this usually lasts up to 6 months
From this point many of the new released prints will be destroyed that there is only a small number to be used in the second period.
Case study: Bullet Boy
Bullet Boy is a low budget, independent feature helmed by first-time feature director Saul Dibb.
The film quickly gathered a reputation as the first film to tackle the difficult subjects of contemporary gang and gun crime in Britians inner cities.
Local people in hackney saw the film contributing to the ongoing debate
By the time the film was released, it has achieved both word-of-mouth and press coverage in the news
Verve Pictures saw the potential of the film in a wider market beyond the arthouse, especially with a young black audience which was drawn by the presents of Ashley Walters to seek out the film in key urban multiplex sites.
The film was released on 8th April 2005,opening on 75 prints UK wide
The poster was designed to convey the look, subject and tone of the film, supported by the key press quotes, whilst also foregrounding the presents of Ashley Walters
The as campaign aimed to diverse audiences interest in film and music, urban black and white.-Ads were included in all of the national daily newspapers to show the significant space to film reviews, plus two tabloids, newspapers with a black perspective, a selective London Underground campaign and extensive use of radio stations with a concentration on R 'n' B and Garage, the musical forms in which Ashley Walters is associated with
The film had grossed £450,000 at the UK box office.
Digital Distribution
In 2005 this was when the distributors started to move towards digital distribution.
Digital technology is seen is offer a most cost effective and logistics-light alternative to the tried and trusted 35mm print distribution.
It has stared to appear on a large scale in certain parts of the world, such as China and Brazil.
In the UK, digital technology has been embraced by the non-theatrical sector,in film societies and schools, where the use of DVD and mid-range digital projection has been replaced with 16mm
The force of this change coupled with the new capacity of technology to replicate 35mm imaging,has led to the UK Film Council to establish distribution and exhibition programme for the theatrical sector at the end of 2005.
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