Process of a Film;
SCENE 1: INTRO;
- Film can come from a range of ideas such as;
- book, a historical figure, inspiration
SCENE 2: ROLE OF DISTRIBUTION;
- Lord Puttnam of Queensgate CBE says - 'movies enrich our lives. They influence the games we play, the music we enjoy, inspire the fashions and advertising images that spring up all around us'.
- Films come to life when they "invade the consciousness of the citizens - consumers - for who they were intended."
- aim of distributors is to deliver largest possible audience which is not easy when there are so many other options available i.e; 500+ titles released in the UK a year.
- research shows most people know what they want to see before arrival - due to competitive efforts to promote interest in films.
- tailor-made/ audience-focused distribution is vital to prospects of independent films.
- the change of digitization via 35mm prensentation has had a transformative impact.
- digital has changed the way films are released, promoted and consumed, and has reshaped what entertainment cinema can be.
SCENE 3: WHAT DO DISTRIBUTORS DO?
- Distributors;
- identify the audience for a film.
- consider why people would go and see a film.
- estimate the revenue potential across all formats of its release.
- persuade the exhibitors to play the film.
- develop plans and partnerships to build awareness and interest of a film.
- aiming to convert as much interest as possible into cinema visits.
- Film is product-driven and is why people by tickets. Today consumers call the shots to decide the content they want to receive/reject/access and deliver.
SCENE 4: WHO ARE DISTRIBUTORS?
- UK has 6 major distributors.
- many independent distributors who handle films outside of the major studios.
SCENE 5: HOW DO DISTRIBUTORS GET FILMS?
- 3rd party sales agent.
- continuous flow of new content from a partner studio.
- studio/production company who distributor has negotiated with.
- single title got at any stage
- larger studios and major producers may get 'first look' - maybe to produce or help with finance
- with big-budget blockbusters, a studio may sell off international rights to other distributors
- independent distributors may get films from independent producers - film festivals are good for discovering new films.
ACQUISITIONS;
- film copyright = owned by people or organisations that may produce/finance them.
- entitles creators to receive a fair return for risks they take in innovation and investment
- bringing films to market, distributors act under license on their behalf.
- when distributing they look for features, i.e;
- originality
- fresh angle or 'hook'
- publicity campaign
- distributor's opinion on a film's marketability should be known before production. Distribution deal needs to be in place - whether due to a hot script/director/anticipated cast.
- distributors often seek financial support in a number of ways inc;
- pre-sale to distributors.
- bank loans.
- institutional investors.
- private individuals.
- beneficial tax schemes.
- public subsidies i.e; National Lottery funding.
- films very rarely make profit from cinema release alone - looking at longer path; 'downward chain' = DVD release, VOD platforms, airline deals, PPV e.g; Sky/Freeview/Non-theatrical sales eg; cruises.
FILM FINANCING;
- distributor becomes a partner in a project and contributes to development/production costs.
- may pay an advance/minimum guarantee against future earnings to producer/sales agent.
FILM FESTIVALS;
- common ones = Sundance/Berlin/Cannes/Venice/Toronto - they provide;
- a market where distributors may meet sellers.
- competition - films win prizes.
- high-profile platform - films shown prior to release.
SCENE 6: MAKING A DEAL;
- distributors sign a contract with producer/sales agent/studio - list rights they hold to film inc. right to release it in the UK and promote in all media before/during release.
- may be provision of film editing to secure a classification.
- contract sets income from releases apportion and how its accounted for and set a date for end of license.
- distributors normally seek all available rights and to spread risk/opportunity across all platforms.
SCENE 7: PLANNING RELEASE;
- sometimes a film is locked so the distributor can see exactly what they're dealing with: they'll know how well the movie has done and how strongly cast performed.
- distributor develops plan in consultation with producers and/or studio as appropriate.
SCENE 8: WHAT, WHEN, WHO, HOW?
- distributor decides how and when to release a film;
- use market knowledge, commercial experience, statistical research and professional judgement - they gauge audiences.
- when distributors have estimated what a film may earn they prepare a budget.
- goal is to make a profit but film release is tricky - audience choice is large and profit can be minimal.
WHAT?
- what kind of film is it?
- star power among the cast? Are they available to attend premieres? Are they/film up for awards?
- Is there already a buzz about the film? Is it based on a book? Did it receive well at a festival? How big was the premiere?
- will there be a sequel? Is it a sequel?
- what certificate will the film have?
- this affects potential audience as a higher certificate = possibly less success due to limited audience.
WHEN?
- what films are out at the same time?
- are the most appropriate 2D/3D screens available and likely to be offered?
- key events surrounding release i.e; football matches, olympics etc.
WHERE?
- distributors soon begin to look at the type of release they need;
- in the UK and Ireland alone there are 550 cinemas with 4000+ screens.
- a saturation release at cinemas everywhere may open simultaneously on 1000 screens in the UK: playing 2+ screens per multiplex
- this is usually deployed for tentpole/star-led movies which helps to accommodate eager audiences.
DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION;
- encoded media files containing films are delivered to cinema i.e; on hard drive or via a satellite link called DCP's (Digital Cinema Prints).
- ingested into a powerful server at the cinema and played through a state-of-the-art digital projector.
- no scratching or deterioration.
- digital remastering means old classics can look as good as new.
- VPF's (Virtual Print Fees) =most widely used method of financing conversion of 35mm to digital.
- savings from this go to the cost of equipment.
- By spring 2013 - nearly all 3750 UK cinemas had installed a digital projection system.
HOW?
- distributors view film and conform release plan: pay all release costs inc. marketing and making prints and draw up detailed plan covering launch and sustaining of the film post-release.
- budgets estimated by total UK distribution expenditure which varies from 1000's to £4-5m per film.
- worldwide film can cost $100-200m to produce and another $100m to release.
SCENE 9: FILM MARKETING;
- a distributor needs to create visibility and raise enough awareness and interest in a film to persuade potential audiences to buy tickets and go and see it at the nearest cinema - ignoring all other entertainment options.
- marketing inc;
- creative/production.
- digital/social media.
- online/offline publicity/PR.
- advertising.
- promotions and events.
- marketing plan = complement overall distribution plan.
- designed to navigate route to market that allows interest to peak - taking into account competititve environment: not lost under other films available. ]
FILM ARTWORK;
- film artwork distills main appeal and positioning of film inc. stars/genre.
- so many posters on offer in a cinema, distributors and designers must ensure all stand out
- they are released online and therefore are important as they spread across media platforms.
- distributors provide display materials for cinema foyers
- freestanding cardboard cutouts, special standees, bunting, banners, window clings, floor stickers and mini posters produced/tailored for each multiplex/independent.
- help consumers make final decision at present and for future visits.
TRAILERS;
- these are strongest and most cost-effective form of marketing
- play on big screen to select group of cinemagoers and online/mobile where usually appear first.
- what to include in a trailer is carefully picked - distributors usually inc. most dramatic moments - but at early stages SFX/VFX isn't added.
- trailers are edited according to classification to secure max play time
- one for a 12A film may be played before a U/PG film as long as trailer isn't higher then that film - important as may not be enough higher-rated fare before your film is released with which you can schedule you trailer.
PUBLICITY;
- assessments of 'PR-ability' of a film starts in earliest days of production.
- the earlier that pre-disposed consumers are aware that for fans to see film-focused magazines is important as it creates an excitement.
- production companies provide film hots for journalists with;
- cast and crew list.
- biographies.
- facts about production.
- synopsis.
- important to have quality photographs for publicity.
- publicity teams arrange interviews with cast and gain entry into press conferences/premieres.
- media stunts.
AWARDS;
- mounting speculation of BAFTA's and Oscars lasts up to 5 months before
- nominations and wins is important for publicity campaigns of film.
- a 'Best Film' accolade can rejuvenate a film's box-office takings and extend its shelf-life.
- if it weren't onscreen at thee time, it may cause re-release to optimise prestige.
THIRD PARTY AND BRAND PROMOTIONS;
- in promotion there may be one-off promotion with a food/drink/confectionery brand/electronics/clothing retailer/mobile phone/coffee shop etc.
- designed to deliver promotion on high streets.
RESEARCH AND TRACKING;
- research = important to discover;
- what elements are most entertaining.
- characters/actors most motivating.
- settings most appealing.
- audience most engaged - can inform everything from production of trailers to apps.
- stage 2 of research is 'tracking' - which comes as a result of a telephone survey conducted among 2000 cinemagoers each week: split into quadrants of under 25's and by gender.
SCENE 10: LICENSING FILMS TO EXHIBITORS;
- key part of any distribution plan is where a film should play;
- what sorts of cinemas are appropriate?
- with intended audience - how can theatrical release achieve greatest impact?
- every release is a joint-venture;
- distributors screen forthcoming titles and discuss release dates and marketing.
- during the agreement stage, sales team negotiate a confidential license agreement with each exhibitor; under UK law, maximum booking period for new releases is 2 weeks, after can continue weekly under agreement as long as its got a significant audience.
- process = a hard drive is dispatched by the technical department to each cinema that has booked the film - data is ingested into a server connected to a digital projector.
- process for IMAX = celluloid prints are delivered broken down into reels contained in sealed cans; security protocols mean hard drives are returned/reused and celluloid prints are destroyed under supervised conditions: recycling as much as possible
- a copy is usually kept for future generations.
BOX-OFFICE RETURNS;
- exhibitors use computerised box-office/ticketing systems and submit a weekly return for each title and indicate to a distributor how many tickets were sold and at what price.
- sum of what distributors earn is actually less then what is shown in box office news.
- generally, UK distributors receive 25-40% gross eg; a film grosses at £5m, so distributors will get around £1.5m.
HOLD-OVER CHALLENGE;
- computerised till systems enable the ticket sales and advance bookings for any film to be tracked every hour.
- negotiations with distributors and each exhibitor concerns;
- all new releases on market.
- any previews planned for the coming week.
- screen average of every film.
No comments:
Post a Comment