Institutions and Audiences: a distribution concept map

Click on the image to enlarge
Part 2 of your case study:
Aim to research each of these areas and post about them in your blogs for your cast study institution and the same, recent film that you researched for production issues.

An essay plan for patterns and issues of an institution's ( film) production

This is a cut down version of a similar essay you will write which will later include the distribution and exhibition issues of your film institution. We will work on how you can discuss technological convergence and synergies across all three areas as you produce your blogs. Notice how I've tried to integrate arguments for them on each of the three parts of the institution case study.

Here is the essay question that you began in class. Remember to use its key words and phrases for your answer as you are not expected to reel off everything you know about the institution and a film it recently produced, distributed and exhibited:

The Essay Question

It is not the film industry; it the film business.
( Eric Fellner of Working Title Films )

Using detailed examples from your case studies discuss the issues and patterns which enables your institution to thrive as a film business.


Click on the image to enlarge. Oops! Missed out on the director. Still, the writer, Richard Curtis, also directed this film.

Key Words and Ideas to Help With Your Posts for Institutions and Audiences (Production Issues)

Use some of these topic-specific words begin posts, or perhaps support points in your posts. I've tried to group them under suitable headings.

Begin your blogs by selecting a British film production company that you then focus on for your research.

Begin by focusing on production issues so you can write some posts on them. You could begin generally by giving a summary of the history or background of a production company and follow up with a post on the backgrounds of its key personnel, such as producers. You could then go on to write posts on a recent film produced by the company; you might also include some film images from stills, a poster, etc. Consider the decisions that the company makes in bringing its films into production.

Once you have posted on a film that institution has recently made go on to research and post on a film currently production. Never forget that these institutions always consider their prospective audiences during the film production process.

Remember also that you can find good links to British film companies (institutions ) in the last post in August from this blog. Here's a link for this page:
http://asanda2mediastudies.blogspot.com/2009/08/links-for-researching-films-produced.html The UK Film Council, Screenonline and IMDB are also great sources for information.

Your main task
What kinds of decisions are made by intitutions while they produce a British film? What were the problems? (issues) Try to find production notes for films that you use as focuses for your posts. You could use a recent film by the institution and another in production.

The institutions (film production company's) decisions/issues
Research and write about the production company– its track record, successful films, its favoured genres, and other companies that its linked with.

Consider and post about the slate of films that the institution has made in the last year - the successess and failures.

Focus your research and posts now on a key producer and a film this producer (who may work with other producers) has brought into production
Who is the Producer - cite other films this producer has helped bring create
Where did the idea for the film originate? - From another film, a book, comic books, a novel, a short story, etc.
Casting - who and why?– What were the issues here? Does the film have A-list stars or unknowns? Why were actors cast in certain roles? Had it to do with the associations that they would bring with them from other films, budget reasons, etc.
Commissioning and Greenlighting films. Producer-wise who greenlighted the film? What were the issues here?
Who was chosen to be the Director? – what other films have they made? Why did the institution/producer pick him or her? What special expertise would they bring? Did the institution take a chance on an unknown or untried director? Why?
Script - who is behind it? What else did they write?
Screenwriter – other films, track record
Composer - what is their track record; what genres are they associated with?

How important is the music choices and tracks chosen for the film?
Funding - how did the institution fund the film? Did they "beg, steal and borrow" by calling in favours, as with the makers of "London To Brighton"?
Budget (What is the production company’s overall budget for making several films and individual films.)
Locations - What were/are the issues?
Special Effects - technology issues, expense, blue-screen, etc. Are they an issue for the film in any respect, say, for genre or audience expectations? Expense?
Audience Considerations (Issues)
Is the focus film a mainstream film?
An independent film?
An art-house film?
What are the considerations for the institution?

Other important Issues and Key Terms
Proliferation – the increase of films in a genre or the use of technology, etc.
Are your focus films in a particular genre? Are they benefitting from new technology, including software in their production, editing and distribution? Are they available for downloading from the Net.
Synergies – the involves the benefits of working within a larger organisation or working in co-operation with other companies. Does, for instance, how does Film4 benefit from being part of being Channel 4?
Cross media convergence – how does the institution and its film(s) benefit from the coming together of other technologies, i.e. the internet, digital downloading, television, cinemas, mobile phone promotions, Youtube, play-station 4, digital games, etc.

Other terms and words you think are important for production issues and are topic specific.

Give each post a title and a labels. You can multi-lable some posts.

Working Title Films - brief fact sheet

This should prove useful for comparing production issues of the British Film industry with your case study production company. It was taken from a mini case study by Michael Walford at Kinoeye. Of course, this is just some bare bones. You could extend this by researching "Working Title Films" further by visiting their website and searching for information about this company and comparing its production, distribution and exhibition issues with Hollywood Studios.

Click on the image to enlarge.

Produce your own fact sheet and THINK about the issues that it throws up.

For instance:

• how British is "Working Title Films"?
• why do they make "American" films as well as British ones?
• what, if any, are the dividing lines between the American and British Film industries?
• how important are budgets and how does budgets for British Films differ from US ones?
• what is meant by "talent"?
• how long does it take to "develop" films?
• why is it important to develop "the talent" and "relationships" in the British film industry
• why does WT and Film 4 make films using established and new directors?
• why did "Working Title Films" create a budget film company, "WT2"?
• why are "heritage films" usually made by British production companies?
• what is WT's criteria for putting films into production?

Ask questions as you study WT and apply them also to your own case study producers.

For more information see:

http://www.workingtitlefilms.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Working_Title_Films

A message to Dave, Patty and my classes!

Remember that after creating films of your own that you have formed your own production companies and that you used Web 2.0 ( Blogger and Youtube, etc. ) which is an outcome of technological convergence to share your work! Technology is getting smaller and enabling us to make and distribute our own films. Films that you worked hard to plan, create and share. We are increasingly living in a world in which we can craft and make our own cultural products - and take time to create them as well as we can.

A list of films with links made by Working Title Films
http://www.imdb.com/List?production-companies=Working%20Title%20Films%20%5Bgb%5D&&tv=on&&heading=18;produced+by;Working%20Title%20Films%20%5Bgb%5D

Filmmaking - from original ideas right through to consumption and exhibition

The Business - Understanding Filmmaking
This site offer the perfect revision tool for understanding each stage of the filmmaking process and applying these stages with their key terms to your exam case studies.When you get there click through the images to get to key terms and explanations

Film trailers and their importance for distribution and marketing

Quite simply film trailers ARE the most important part of a marketing campaign undertaken by a film distributor.

The first thing you need to do is establish the type of film trailer you are analysing"

Is it:

a. A teaser?
b. Theatrical trailer?
c. A TV spot advertising the film on release?

You then need to note down answers to the following questions:

What is the film's USP? ( Its unique selling point?) In other words how are the distributors positioning the film in the marketplace?

Which elements in the film's genre is the distributor highlighting which sets the film aside from other films in its genre.

What are the messages in the film's trailer and what do they say about the film?

Remember that the type of release ( wide, limited, universal ) and the date of release will have been carefully planned to maximise potential audiences.

In the exam you need to be able to write a detailed paragraph or two on the posters and trailers of your case study production company's film so you can argue how the distributors tried to market the film to audiences.

Here's a good link to practice with film trailers for films currently on release.
http://uk.filmtrailer.com/cinema/AllCinemaMovies/

How to study film trailers

The link to Frank Baker probably has more information than most students would need for their case studies.
http://www.frankwbaker.com/movie_trailers_as_persuasion.htm

A must-visit website for finding out facts and figures on films

The Numbers is a must-visit website for facts and stats on the films you are researching for production, distribution and exhibition.

http://www.the-numbers.com/charts/today.php

Institutions and Audiences - Institution Case Study Prompt - updated

The Film Production case study films for the exam (audiences and institutions). Consider the issues for the studios and audiences at every stage.

When writing the exam essay - candidates should look for modern examples in their industry and be able to write a paragraph about:

• the processes of production – how the product is created


• the methods of distribution – how does the product reach its audience
  marketing


• methods, and processes of marketing as they relate to the institutions


• the way audiences consume the product


• the relationships between audiences and institutions


• issues raised by media ownership within your topic


• convergence and new technologies in production, distribution and marketing and its importance for institutions and audiences


• issues raised by global institutions targeting British audiences
  

Advice from the exam board (OCR)
Section B of the exam: Institutions and Audiences
Candidates should be prepared to understand and discuss the processes of production, distribution, marketing and exchange as they relate to contemporary media institutions, as well as the nature of audience consumption and the relationships between audiences and institutions. In addition, candidates should be familiar with:

• the issues raised by media ownership in contemporary media practice;
• the importance of cross media convergence and synergy in production, distribution and marketing;
• the technologies that have been introduced in recent years at the levels of
production, distribution, marketing and exchange;
• the significance of proliferation in hardware and content for institutions and
audiences (i.e. digital technology)
• the importance of technological convergence for institutions and audiences: the
internet, digital downloads, DVDs, High Definition, CGI, etc.
• the issues raised in the targeting of national and local audiences (specifically,
British) by international or global institutions;
• the ways in which the candidates’ own experiences of media consumption illustrate wider patterns and trends of audience behaviour.

This unit should be approached through contemporary examples in the form of case studies based upon one of the specified media areas.

Film
A study of a specific studio or production company within a contemporary film industry that targets a British audience (eg Hollywood, Bollywood, UK film), including its patterns of production, distribution, exhibition and consumption by audiences. This should be accompanied by study of contemporary film distribution practices (digital cinemas, DVD, HD-DVD, downloads, etc) and their impact upon production, marketing and consumption.

CASE STUDY PREPARATION

Choose a British institution that makes films, i.e. BBC Films, Film 4, Working Title Films or Vertigo Films, and research the production cycle of a recent film that they made. This is so you can trace the issues and patterns of how your chosen institution goes about making films and their state as a player in the British marketplace.

For each point consider how and why the film-makers (the institutions) targeted the audience for each film.

Trace how your institution’s film progressed from the initial idea to its box-office success (or failure). Use the internet/film magazines/books to help you with your research. But be practical about the choice of your other film; make sure that relevant information will be available before you make your choice. Choose a film that you have a good DVD with plenty of extras!

The one limitation on your choice is that the film must have been targeted at British audience.

Treat these questions as guidelines. You will not always be able to answer for some of these questions and you might have ideas of your own.

REMEMBER TO TIE ALL THESE POINTS TO THE FILM'S INSTITUTIONS
Research the production and distribution companies that made and distributed your film. Produce a mind-map for each one so you can:

-Understand the film genres associated with each company. What issues do they suggest?
-Consider the budgets and prospects of how companies might distribute and market a film. Again, issues?
-The synergies (benefits, cost savings and implications) of being part of a wider organisation? How does it benefit the production company or distributor by being part of a media organisation?

-How is convergence an issue during production, distribution and with audiences? (Think here about how technology is used in the making and distribution of your film.)
-Has the production company or distribution company been taken over by another company? What issues are created or resolved by this?

How have audiences, the consumers of films, reacted to changes of ownership or films of the media company ?

What are the pre-production issues for the production company when making films?
Whose idea was the film? Did the idea start with the writer, or were writers brought in to develop a preconceived idea?
What are the issues with the genre of the film?
Where did the idea come from? Was it an original idea, or perhaps a book first, or TV series, or comic strip, or from some other source?
Who wrote the original script? Did other people become involved in the writing as the project progressed?
How easy was it to arrange the financial backing to make the film? Who were the financial backers? Why?
Casting – who were cast in the main roles and why? What other films featured the stars? What were the associations they brought with them?
Who was the producer? How did he or she become involved?
Who was the director? How did he or she become involved?
Who composed the film music and why was he or she chosen? Consider the sales of the CDs on Amazon, etc. Seek out reviews.

What were the issues for the production company during the production phase?
Was it an easy ‘shoot’? If there were difficulties what were they? Were there tensions between any of the creative personnel, often known as ‘the talent’?
Was any part of the film shot on location? If so, where? Why were some locations chosen over others? Were costs a factor?
Where there any difficulties with casting or with acquiring the stars/actors the producer wanted?
How significant was casting to reach specific audiences?
What did the studio film cost to make? How much did the stars get? Where did the budget go? Was the film shot within budget? Was it ever in any danger of going over budget?
Were there any changes to the script during production? How many changes or re-writes? Did the same scriptwriter(s) stay ‘on board’ all the time, or were some replaced?
List some of the key people who made contributions to the production and highlight some of their individual contributions.

What were the technological issues for the studio for producing and distributing the film?

Convergence and new technologies in production, distribution and marketing & its importance for institutions and audiences
how important was new technology such as CGI, blue or green-screen, etc. important for the film and its audiences?
how important is digital technology for the distribution of the film? (in cinemas,
how significant is internet, digital downloads, DVDs, high definition, CGI, digital television, etc for distributing the institution’s film? Again, what are the issues?
What was the impact for production, marketing and consumption from the following aspects of distribution for your film?

What was the impact for marketing and consumption from the following aspects of distribution for your film?
Who were the distributors? How well known is/was the company? What is their track record as distributors? (other films they have distributed)
Who was the target audience for your film? How do you know?
How did the film-makers decide where to release the film and when? What was the eventual release pattern nationally and locally?
What deals were made for distribution abroad? How easily were these deals secured?
Why did they at any stage change their plans for the release pattern, and if so, why?
What was the marketing and advertising strategy for the film?

Was there a premiere, and if so, where?
Was your film distributed to digital cinemas?
When did it go to DVD, HD-DVD and what are the sales figures?
How important are internet downloads and YOUTUBE
How does the official film website market the film? Are there any official and blogs, etc.?
Find film posters and analyse them for how they reach their audience(s) targeted British audiences to see the film.
What outlets were used for advertising? Were TV spots used?
Were there any merchandising tie-ins? (products/toys, posters, photos, etc. Who were the consumers/audiences for those?) How were they introduced (as a marketing campaign in the weeks leading up to the release of the film?)
Was any additional publicity gained, and if so, how?
How did the distributors market the film by utilizing “the talent” to appear on TV and radio shows? What kinds of press stories were released as and before the film came out?

What were the issues during the exhibition and consumption /audience phase of your film?
When was the film released; also where and on how many screens?
Was there a particular strategy attached to increasing the number of prints available?
Were there any difficulties with the censors? How did the censors classify the film?
Were there any other special restrictions placed on the exhibition of the film?
What were the reactions of the critics to the film? Was it considered a critical success? Has it been re-assessed since then?
Find several good film reviews and make notes on common features
Consider the public’s response to the film; read and make notes on features from reviews on AMAZON, etc.
Did the film create a particular media debate, or create news headlines?
How much money did the film take in its first year? Was it considered a commercial/financial success?
Did it have ‘legs’, that is did it continue to run in the cinema for some time?
Carry out some primary research of your own (a survey) to establish who in your age group has seen the film and the reasons why. Form a few questions on this. One might consider the effectiveness of the marketing campaign and which aspect of it encouraged or discouraged your age group to see or not see the film.
How did the audiences’ reactions affect the institutions (producing studios/distributors) and the decisions that they might make to “green-light” future films? For instance, is the production company making more films in the same genre with similar stars, etc. Or, has the studio decided to target audiences through a different genre, actors, use of technology, etc. Have audiences’ tastes changed? Why?

All the questions are offered as guidelines; there will be questions that you may not be able to answer; it is down to you to work on the development of your own chosen film from concept to screen: form the institution to audience.

The Variety Chart For Films In Production

Mostly US films
http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=chart_film_prod&FF=none&dept=Film

British Films In Production

Gladiator's director, Ridley Scott talking to Russell Crowe during production.

This is a good site to find a film that you can track for its production, distribution, marketing and exhibition. Very useful for case studies.
http://www.britfilms.com/britishfilms/inprogress/