The Film Chain - Production, Development, Marketing, Exhibition

Production

The beginning stages in producing a film are the ideas of the film. This is where what the film is going to be about is decided. After an idea is devised, a script is written; this can often also be referred to as the screenplay.  Once this is written, crew members and cast members are hired. At this point, scripts may also be slightly altered to fit the cast members better.  Locations and set designs are usually decided around this time too. Moving on, there’s the filming. Scenes are recorded over a period of various takes. Voice-overs and other sound effects that are used can be developed in a recording studio too. The next step is the editing of the film. The editing team - work hard on putting together different takes of different shots in order to create a successful film. What isn’t to be forgotten is that this is also when the sound is all matched up with the scenes. The next step is Distribution….

But before we move on to distribution, let’s look at some famous American producers. Possibly one of the best-known American producers, in my opinion, has to be Steven Spielberg who has produced many, many films. Another is George Lucas, possibly most well known for producing the Star Wars Saga.

While the producers have the main say on what a film is allowed to contain (as they’re providing the money for it), the ownership of the studio also has a huge influence. If an external party other than the film’s producer or Production Company owns a studio, they are able to limit what can be produced within their studios.

Independent Production is where the producers and production team are able to have full control over what is put on screen without it having to be “ok’d” by  all the production companies involved.

Distribution

Distribution in films is whereby the film created in shared or displayed with a number of viewers. Before a film can be distributed in a cinema, a film distributor has to decide how they are going to go out about the different mediums or formats the film is going to be distributed as, which parts of the film is going to be used for the trailer and which cinemas will show it and for how long. The film distributor usually works for the production company or could even be from the studios where the film was made.

While nowadays film distributors can use the internet to ensure that the right film companies see a film, film distributors would have to take films to film festivals (an event where film makers, producers and big film companies gather to watch a presentation of new films to be distributed) where all the powerful people would be looking out for new films to sign and help distribute in cinemas.

Distribution is essential in the film chain as, without it not many people would be able to see it and therefore the people making the film wouldn’t have enough money and probably a very small profit, if not a loss.

Marketing

While marketing, the process of making the film known, can be seen as similar to distribution – it is, in fact, very different. Marketing is more about making sure the public know about the film, who stars in it, what it’s about and appealing them to see the film.

There are many different marketing strategies. For example, the James Bond movie – Skyfall is shown here on a London Bus, to be seen all across the vastly populated City of London for millions to see.

Another example, which tends to be used for children’s movies, is McDonalds use films with their “Happy Meals” which is supposed to be a fun meal for a child. This helps the film’s to be known as it features a toy based on something from the movie as well as interactive games making the children want to see the film. On this Happy Meal, we see Desicable Me featured on the box and on the food packaging.

Exhibition

The exhibition of a film is where and how people see the film. You could say it is the product of the distribution and marketing. Here are a few of the methods used to watch films:

• ·      Cinema
• ·      DVD
• ·      Blu-Ray
• ·      Online Streaming

The box office for a film is the count of how many tickets are sold for a particular film. The box office return for a film determines the success of a film as it allows us to see how many people were interested enough by the marketing and distribution to see the film. The majority of the money for a successful film goes towards the production companies and the cast. Cinemas make a great deal of their money from selling snacks and drinks; this is just one of the appeals for people to visit the cinema rather than stay at home while another would be that Cinema’s have much larger screens with High Definition video and sound.

Ancillary markets “are non-theatrical markets for feature films” meaning that they are markets for films that aren’t released in cinema. For example, many independent films made by the BBC could be shown on television but not in cinema. Another example could be a show specifically for Netflix (an online streaming website) but nowhere else.

BFI

The BFI is the British Film Institute. They are a charity or charitable organization put in place in order to encourage the development of film and television and to promote education and appreciation of film and television too. They help the British Film Industry very much as they have the relevant information about film and television that people may need to make films in Britain as well as helping the promotion of many of these films.