group 5: Film Chain - The Production, Distribution, Marketing and Exhibition of Film

The stages of film production

The Idea
Develoment Finance
Script Development
Packaging
Finance
Pre- production
The shoot
Post Production
Sales
Marketing
Expedition
Other Windows

The Idea

An idea for a film comes from inspiration. this inspiration can come from magazines, books, other films and everything around us.

Development & Finance

The idea now has to be turned into a script so the producer needs to pitch and persuade the idea in order to get the money to start production.

Script Development

With the development finance secured it is down to the writer to create a synopsis of the script that the financiers and producers approve of.

Packaging

Now that the script is complete the director and producer decide how they want to film the movie and who they will take on to help them them do this. To make the movie appeal more to audiences many producers and directors employ well - known stars such as Sandra Bullock.

Finance

As Financiers can be anywhere around the world, the producer has to travel around to secure the investment they need to make the film.

Pre Production

With the financing secured, the full cast and crew are hired and the detailed preperation for the shoot begins. Once all the heads of department are hired, the shooting script is circulated and pre - production begins.

The Shoot

Shooting begins and funding is released. This is the key stage in film making.

Post Production

As the processed footage comes in, the editor turns it into scenes and assembles it together.

Sales

The producer is still trying to sell the movie/film whilst it's still in the post production stage. In order to sell the product to the public they need a distributor. The producer employs a sales agent to help sell the product to the public.

Marketing

The marketing team run test screenings to see how the film is received by the public.

Expedition

A high profile premier is used to launch the film to the public with a lot of media coverage.

Other Windows

A successful run in the cinemas can lead to DVD releases, videos and games etc.

PRE-PRODUCTION

During this production stage all the planning for the film is being created. This stage includes the the organisation of individual scenes, props, cast members, locations, costumes, special effects and visual effects. The script is either written at this stage or before hand. A schedule is also made during pre-production.

PRODUCTION

During this stage in production all the scenes that were created during pre-production are now filmed as many times as possible in order to get the best take. These scenes are filmed at the planned locations. The filming must be correct and complete at this stage otherwise it is difficult to repeat events when it comes to the post production stage.

POST-PRODUCTION

This where the editing of footage, music, graphics, sound, special FX and menus etc are added onto the production of the film. The editor produces a rough cut. The purpose of the rough cut is to pick and order the best shots from all the rest. The second step is the process of the fine cut whereby the editor edits the shots to transition and flow smoothly into a story. Thirdly the editor then trims the scenes by either a few minutes, seconds, or frames. The picture is then locked (no further changes are made) once the final edit has been played to and approved by the director and producer.

The main producers of film in America (Top 5 according to net worth)

Silvio Santos - $1.3 Billion
Andrew Lloyd Webber - 1.2 Billion
Jeffrey Lurie -1.2 Billion
Steve Tisch -1.2 Billion
Cameronn Mackintosh - 1.1 Billion

Companies

1.) Sony - independent producers

2.) A Time warner company - conglomerate,

3.) Walt Disney -

4.) Comcast/ General Electric -

5.) News corporation -

6.) Viacom - conglomerate behind the paramount motion pictures group

7.) Lions gate entertainment - EST. 1997 by frank giustra

8.) The Weinstein company - Harvey and Bob Weinstein, 2005

9.) MGM-

10.) Dreamworks- Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey katzenberg and David geffen, 1994

How might the ownership of the studio have an impact on what films the studio makes?

If the studio only specializes in films with a target audience of children and young teens then they will only make films that will be appropriate for that particular age group. For example, the Nickelodeon studios produced films that do not include adult scenes and have no curse words because their films need to appeal to a younger audience.

Independent Production - A feature film that is made mainly or completely outside of the film studio system.

DISTRIBUTION

Distribution - Film Distribution is the process of making movies available for audiences to watch.

Who distributes a film? Is it always the same people who produce the film.

Film distributors, producers and sales agents distribute films.

What is the traditional way of distributing a film?

Once the film has been made, distributors start planning on how they are going to release the film.
Screenings of the film in cinemas are secured.
The distributors create a buzz about the film and create a lot of media coverage based around the film.
A few days before the film release the cinema receives the film and classification of the film on a disk.
The film is then played in the cinemas for the specific amount of time that has been agreed upon. If the movie is in high demand,the time may be extended.

What might be a newer way of distributing a film?

A more modern way of distributing films would be through E-media. For example, e-mails and shared files. This would be effective when the distributors send the hard copy of the film days before the release. Instead they'd be able to send the film electronically which is faster and costs less.

Film Festivals

Film Festivals are events where films are presented in one or more cinemas or screening venues ( such as somerset house outdoor cinema). Film festivals are usually concentrated in a single city or region.

Film festivals roles in film distribution is to create a buzz about the film and exhibit the film to a wider audience. This in turn also creates a buzz as more people have seen the film and will converse about it to others.

A film distributor may decide to release a film on the same day as another film that they may consider as competition in order to outshine the opposing film and gain more viewers.

Distribution is essential to the film industry because it is where completed films are brought to life and connected with an audience. If a film cannot secure a distribution deal it would end up losing a lot of money as there won't be much of a buzz about the film which is needed in order for the film to gain an audience.

MARKETING

What is marketing?

Marketing is the advertisement and promotion of a product that is being sold or is in the process of being sold to the public. Film marketing works in coordination with film distribution.

The difference between Marketing and Distribution

Marketing is the process of selling the product whereas distribution is exhibiting the product to different audiences on different media platforms.

some of the cast from Hunger Games Mocking Jay with a fan at a press junket.
A press Junket is a place where the cast of a film is asked questions by the press about the film and their experiences whilst filming the movie.
The advertisement of the movie is broadcast upon several different media platforms.
Billboard advertising the release of Hunger Games
A game of the Hunger Games. Synergy and opens film up to a wider audience.

Miss Congeniality

Miss Congeniality Japanese Movie Poster

Miss Congeniality Spanish movie Poster

As Sandra Bullock is the biggest and most prominent image on both movie posters, this will encourage people to watch the movie as she is a famous actress that has been in many other movies with other famous actors and actresses (such as Wesley Snipes and Sylvester Stallone in Demolition Man). Therefore, she will appeal to many audiences that have heard of her. As these posters are slightly similar they are also very different because they are in two different languages. This shows that the producers and distributors had an aim of the movie being available for those to view internationally.