Friday 11 December 2015

Distribution

What is distribution?

What part of the supply chain is distribution?Distribution is the third part of the supply chain.

What is distribution often referred to as?
'Invisible art'

What does 'vertical integration' mean when discussing distribution?Vertical integration is where three stages are seen as one larger process.

Why isn't 'vertical integration' so common in the independent sector?Producers have no formal connections with exhibitors and producers need exhibitors to promote and show the film it its best possible way.

What three stages are involved in the independent sector?Licensing, marketing and logistics.
Licensing

What is licensing?The process that the distributer of the film would go through to be able to legally show the film to the public. 

What are the two levels of licensing?International, marketing the film across the world and local, releasing the film in just one particular country.

What is the advantage of being a major US studio?They have their own distribution offices in all of the major territories already. 

What three different types of rights can you acquire on a local level? Theatrical rights, video rights, video and TV rights. 

What are royalties?Something that the distributer pays to the producer out of the profits that the film generates.
 
What is the most effective way to increase interest in a film?
A theatrical opening.

How long does it take for a film to reach 'free to air' TV?Two years.


 Marketing

What are the two key questions surrounding the marketing of a film?The two key questions are 'When?' and 'How?'

What day are films typically released on?

Films are typically released on Fridays.

What will a distributor look at before releasing a film on a Friday?

To ensure there are only a few other films which are released on Fridays.

What is a 'light' week in terms of distribution?

It will ensure that there will be both screen space and adequate review column inches in the press allocated to any potential release.

What does it mean to 'position' a film distinctively?

It will be positioned distinctively and a void a release date occupied by other films with similar traits, such as story, subject, country of origin, etc.

Why has this become increasingly difficult in the UK?

It has become increasingly difficult, as the release schedule has regularly featured over 10 new releases in a week.

What are P&A?

Are the nuts and bolts of marketing and distributing films, and its known as Prints and Advertising.

How much can P&A cost?

Its the bulk of the distributor's investment, after paying the initial fee for rights, and can range from less than £1,000 to over £1 million for the release of a film in the UK.


 Marketing - Prints and adverts

Typically how many prints will a 'specialised' film have?Specialised films will often have less than 10 prints, with them 'toured' over a 6 month period to all parts of the UK.

How many will mainstream films have?Commercial mainstream films however, will often open on over 200 prints. These simultaneously screen in all major UK towns and cities.

What is a key factor in developing the profile of a film?For most films, favourable press response is a key factor in developing the profile of a film. 

How else can awareness of a film be raised?Awareness of a film can also be raised by posters, advertising campaigns (e.g. magazines and newspapers), and press campaigns (e.g. interviews.)

Why is distribution in the UK seen as risky?Distribution in the UK is seen as risky compared to other countries because the cost of print advertising is comparatively high.

Why are companies looking towards viral marketing?Companies are looking towards viral marketing in order to extend the reach of advertising and develop more effective communication with audiences at a lower cost. 

What are the benefits of a 'talent visit'?

The benefit of a talent visit is that the director and/or lead actors win significant editorial coverage to support a release. It makes the volume of coverage far outweigh the cost of talent visits.


 Logistics

In the pre digital film age what was a distributor responsible for?
Before film became mostly digital, a distributor would arrange the transportation of the film to cinemas and theatres, the tapes, videos or DVDs to shops and ensure that this whole process is as efficient as possible.


How much does a 35mm print typically cost?
Each 35mm print costs around £1000 so handling it needs to be done safely. If the film has subtitles than it may cost as much as twice this.


How many reals is a typical feature print?
Within the UK specifically, feature prints are shortened so that they can be easily transported. They are usually around 20 minutes long and an entire feature film would require 5-6 of them.

Why do 35mm prints get damaged?
The simple answer to this question is that 35mm prints get damaged from repetitive use as they are moved around lots of cinemas and played through many times.


Where are prints stored?
The UK's central print warehouse which is located in West London. 


How long did a theatrical release used to last?
Originally, the distributor would run two different releases, the first of which would last for around 6 months, trying to reach optimum coverage until the prints are essentially destroyed after this period. Any remaining prints are then used in second-run which lasts for the rest of the film's licensed period.



 Digital Distribution

When did digital distribution begin in the UK?
2005


Name two advantages of digital distribution
Easy to replicate and cost effective.

Which countries adopted digital distribution early and why?
China and Brazil, because efficiently bring together supply and demand.

How many screens were digital in 2005 and how many are now (you'll need to google this)
112 to 192.

Why has digital distribution radically altered the operating model of distributors?
The comparatively low cost of film copies and additional logistical effectiveness of digital distribution provide the distributor with greater flexibility.

What has happened to the typical release period for a film?
Reduced from 3-6 months to 1-3 months.

What is a loss leader (google it) and why are companies using the Cinema as a potential loss leader?
A loss leader is a product sold as a loss which attracts customers, and Cinema's are used as loss leaders so customers will buy DVDs.

Sunday 6 December 2015

June 2010

What significance does the continuing development of digital media technology have for media institutions and audiences?


The continuing development of digital media technology has extreme significance for media institutions and audiences, because without it, several production, marketing and distribution techniques could not possibly be used, consequently lowering the profits of these companies dramatically. The power of current technology in all film institutional practices is a major reason for films being deemed successful both financially and non-financially. 

This is evident in production with the shooting of Mad Max: Fury Road, a film directed by George Miller, a Phantom Camera is used. This camera is able to capture 300 frames per second, allowing the shots to look, cleaner, smoother as well as enabling super slow motion shots to be achieved with high quality results. Originally before digital film cameras, mechanical film cameras were used in movie production. Without the development of digital media technology and specifically camera technology, Mad Max: Fury Road would not have been able to be made for several reasons. These include the mechanics of previous film cameras, which prohibited the camera being tilted, as this would affect the components inside and cause implications with the shots or stop the filming all together. Also the elements of the filming location, the Namibian Desert, would have thrown up problems in production also; with the vast amounts of sand that would breach the cameras exterior and jam the mechanics inside, forcing filming to come to a momentary halt whilst the camera would be being fixed. Also the use of the $500,000 'Edge Arm', a robotic arm which mounts a camera, which enables the camera to be moved with extreme precision and manoeuvrability. This piece of technologies use is highlighted in a particular scene that pans through the window of Nux's car and into another war boys car. This affect of course not available without the development of digital technology. The development of digital media technology in film has had extreme significance in the much smaller British film industry, this is apparent with the double filing of British, independent, cult film; Ex Machina, to achieve an authentic look of robot of ava's exposed mechanical insides, by using the 'rotoscoping' method of CGI. The film directed by Alex Garland in his directorial debut. Without the development of digital technology this method would still be possible, however considerably more expensive with non digital cameras, with a roll of film costing around £1000 per unit and lasting no longer than 1 hour per roll.

With developments in digital technology in the film industry, usually, enhancing the experience and appeal to the consumer, which further results in profit. But how can cinemagoers be expected to experience these products without available places to do so. Box office figures for both Mad Max, being shown on 12,000 screens worldwide, and Ex Machina on 2,000. which is an extraordinarily feat for an independent film with a budget of only 15 million. Mad Max on the other hand with 10,000 more screens was expected to reach figures in that ball park, due to the fact it was the 4th instalment in a successful franchise and trailers promised audiences with large amounts of action and explosions, all of which seem to be tailored perfectly for the big screens of cinemas across the globe. Not only has the development in digital technology aided the production of films and made film making more accessible, for example the first in the Paranormal Activity being made for a small fee of $15,000, but the development has helped cinema viewing, with such features as online booking. However not only has it developed various areas of the film industry but it has played a major role in the development and creation of video streaming apps and websites such as; Netflix and NowTV. Both of which amongst others were encouraged by the problem of illegal downloading and streaming. Both Mad Max and Ex Machina have featured or continue to feature on such websites or apps. With these institutions creating profit for production companies, the money is put into circulation thus increasing the size of the film industry worldwide, of which is of extremely large significance to both media institutions and audiences.

Also with recent digital technological developments, the marketing of films has evolved and been developed. This can be a conscious decision with viral marketing, a method adopted with Ex Machina and the irregular advertising media choice of Tinder, a dating application. Whereas the development can sometimes be done subconsciously via non institutional groups, companies or individuals via social media, or TV institutions. An example of this would be Furious 7 and the unfortunate and surprising death of Paul Walker, was documented worldwide via digital technology, whether it be; television, social media or other technologically involved news platforms. The news was spread and created a demand for the Furious 7 product, as he passed mid filming, which created an air of mystery regarding to how his character (Bryan O'Connor) would feature in the rest of the film. Which coincidently was also achieved with digital media technology, by using cgi, stunt doubles and Pauls Brother as a base for his face to be rendered onto it. 

In conclusion the development of digital technology for use in the film industry has lead to both institutions and audiences benefiting in a variety of different of ways. Institutions, are able to create better quality films, at lower costs. In juxtaposition audiences have benefited as the quality has improved, however financially maybe not so as the improvement in quality does not come for free.

Thursday 3 December 2015


The Big Six

Parent company: Fox television,founded by William Fox Divisions inside the company: Fox TV group, Filmed Entertainment,Fox Networks, Endemol Shine Group, Fox Sports, National Geographic Channels and Fox International
Owns: Blue Sky Studios, Fox Star Studios (India)20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, Fox, 20th Television, 20th Century Fox Television, 20th Century Fox Japan, Fox Studios Australia and TSG Entertainment 
20th Century Fox has 11.2% market share
Known for: X-men, Avatar, Star Wars, Fantastic Four and The Simpsons
Total gross: $956.6 mil





Parent Company- Sony, CEO: Michael Lynton.Owns: Consumer electronics, Semi conductors, Video games, Media/Entertainment, Computer hardware and Telecom equipment
Divisions inside the company: Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, Sony Pictures Animation ,TriStar Pictures and Sony Pictures Image works. 
Total gross: $567.2mil
Columbia pictures has a market share of 6.6%   






Parent Company: Famous Players-Lasky Corporation then Independent then Gulf+Western then Paramount Communications inc and now Viacom.Divisions inside the company: Paramount Home Media Distribution, Insurge Pictures, Paramount Famous Productions, Paramount Vantage and Paramount Animation.
Owns:Madison square gardens properties, 50% steak in USA networks as well as being involved with TV, music publishing and home video.
Known for: Titanic, Shrek (including 2, 3 and 4), Forrest Gump, Iron Man and The Truman Show
Total gross: $563.4mil
Paramount pictures has a market share of 6.6%



Parent Company: NBC Universal, owned by National Broadcasting CompanyOwns:NBC News, NBC sports, NBC Universal TV and Cable.
Divisions inside the company: Universal animation studios, Focus features, Illumination entertainment, Working title films, Universal pictures home entertainment and United International Pictures
Known for:Jurassic Park/ World, Despicable me/2, Pitch Perfect/2, Jaws, Ted, Fifty Shades of Grey and E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial 
Total gross: $2,285.8mil
Universal Studios has a market share of 26.8%



Parent Company: Walt Disney Studios, owned by Walt Disney's companyOwns: Live action TV, film production and theme parks. 
Buena Vista (divisions of the company): Disney Pixar, Publishing (Marvel and Disney Music), Theatre (Aladdin the musical), Radio (Radio Disney and ESPN Radio Network) and websites such as Club Penguin
Known for: The Avengers, Frozen, Toy Story (1,2 and 3), Wreck-it-Ralph, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Finding Nemo
Total Gross: $1,443.4mil
Walt Disney Pictures has a 16.9% market share.



Parent Company:Time Warner IncorporatedOwns: Warner Brothers Television Group, Warner Brother's digital distribution, Warner brothers interactive entertainment, DC entertainment and DC comics.
Divisions inside the company: HBO, Time Warner Corporate, Turner Broadcasting System and Warner Brother's entertainment.
Known for: American Sniper, Mad Max, The Hobbit, Game of Thrones and FRIENDS
Total Gross: $1,416.7mil
Warner Bros has a 16.3% market share.  

Thursday 19 November 2015

The British film industry


British film organisations

BBFC- An independent, non-government body which classifies and censors film, video as well as computer and console-based games released in the UK.


BFI- he official UK agency for international cultural relations. It's Film Department promotes new British films (features and shorts), internationally principally through festivals and showcases.

UK Film Council - Promotes understanding and appreciation of Britain's rich film and television heritage and culture.


British Academy - Aims to support, develop and promote the art forms of the moving image.


British Council - Government backed lead agency for film in the UK ensuring that the economic, cultural and educational aspects of film are effectively represented at home and abroad.


Main British Production Companies

Film4 -
The Inbetweeners

Working Title -
 About Time

Momentum Pictures -
Chalet girl

BBC film network -
Street Dance 2

Pathe -
Enemy At The Gates


British vs American

British films can claim 25% tax relief off of the government, meaning that the first 25% of profit made is not tied, this helps the British film industry as more people want films to include British actors, have British directors and be made in english, amongst other reasons.

Ex Machina- 32

The Avengers: Age of Ultron- 22

Star Wars: The Force Awakens- 23


The British appeal

British films tend to cater and appeal to only British audiences. This could be down to a number of reasons including story lines that are generally contextually British, this means that the story line or theme of the film is to an interest of British citizens as well as a point of knowledge they may have, which those from other countries may not have. However this can also be a reason for audiences of non British nationality to watch these films, as some people, stereotypically Americans, enjoy learning and watching media products set in, on or about Britain. Also due to British people being known for their unique, often than not dry and harsh, sense of humour British comedies do not generally appeal to a wide range of people that are from and live outside of the UK. British films do not appeal to an audience as wide as Hollywood blockbusters, as these types of films are normally 4 quadrant films, with high budgets, global stars and are normally based on subjects of which appeals to a large variety of people. Whereas British films usually accomodate the binary opposites of the features of Hollywood blockbusters (listed previously). Moreover the distribution techniques of British films do not follow the institutional practices of most if not all Hollywood blockbusters.


Audience types in British Films


Ex Machina- Aficionados, due to uncommon story line.

Suffragette- Aficionados, due to the subject it will not attract those who watch larger hollywood films.

Attack The Block- Mainstream plus, vaguely follows large hollywood movie types.

Macbeth- Aficionados, due to the subject it will not attract those who watch larger hollywood films.

Inbetweeners 2- Mainstream, the prequel was successful and appealed to a large audience.

Far From The Madding Crowd- Film Buffs1, not historically significant so it will only attract a small number of audieneces.


Why have a British film industry?

I believe that the British film industry has two main purposes. One of which is to develop the skills of Britain's in the film industry (for example: directors, actors and others), this then can lead to films that are not strictly British to be deemed British which will appeal to British people and therefore boost the UK economy via purchasing these films, regardless of the media they purchase and watch the film on. The second is to generate income from the actually film companies, this is done by excluding tax on 25% of profits that the film makes, which encourages film companies to produce and make their films in the UK. In juxtaposition this will lead to the services of other British companies being used, for example; caterers and carpenters (for sets), which creates a larger demand for these companies and reduces unemployment in the UK.

Ethnic representation in TV Dramas

Black characters

Luther- Luther

The Wire- Omar Little

24- David Palmer


White characters

Strike Back Vengeance- Sgt. Damien Scott

Thew Walking Dead- Daryl Dixon

Breaking Bad- Walter White


Chinese characters

The Walking Dead- Glenn Rhee

Agents of Shield- Melinda May

Lost- Sun-Hwa Kwon

Asian characters

Lost- Sayid Jarrah

Waterloo Road- Tariq Siddiqui

Homeland- Fara Sherazi

Wednesday 18 November 2015

TV Drama generic conventions


You will find that TV dramas all have the following ingredients:



  • Characters – even particular kinds of characters: eg, at its most simple, ‘good’ and ‘bad’ characters.
  • Stories – they all tell stories, whether those stories involve adventure, crime or romance and they often, but not always, end happily.
  • The stories are told against familiar backdrops: – eg, homes, police stations and offices (for crime dramas), hospitals (for medical dramas) – most of which are created in studios. However, most dramas also use outside locations to create particular effects.
  • Camerawork – particular kinds of shots are used: eg, sequences involving establishing shots followed by mid-shots of characters, shot/reverse shots to show character interaction and, in particular,close-ups to show the characters’ emotions.
  • Stories use dialogue to tell the stories. Occasionally, monologues are built in (as voiceovers, a character telling a story).
  • Music is used to punctuate the action, create effects (suspense, tension) and underline emotional moments.
  • Particular subgenres tend to have items which make them immediately identifiable – police cars, blue lights, operating theatres and scalpels, triage/reception areas in hospitals. Icons of the genre, they symbolise the (sub)genre.

Friday 6 November 2015

100 Mad Max: Fury Road facts

The war between Iran and Saudi Arabia delayed filming
It was intended to be an animated 3D film but ended up being a 3D live action film.
There was an original idea for a new film in 1987 and then in 1996, there were many delays and the film idea and concept took 19 years to generate.
Filming first concluded in 2001 (November)
They had to go back and film additional scenes in November 2013.
Warner Bros panic and insist someone write a script in 2003.
The stars and cast for the movie were signed up in 2010.
The film was going to be shot in Australia's blue mountains but due to rain, greenery began to grow making it inappropriate for filming, as it did not fit into the films mise en scene.
$43.7 million was spent on TV advertising.
Some of the crew spent up to 10 months in Nambia.
Fury Road was based on a simple camera philosophy.
It took 16 years to develop from story board to draft.
An edge arm was used to film 95% of the film.
An edge arm costs $500,000.
They used freestylers and stunt riders as the motorcyclists.
The film editor, Margaret Sixel, had 480 hours of footage to create.
Cameras had to be dust and water proof.
A special 3D camera had to be designed to fit through the rig window.
The cameras used also had to have active cooling systems to ensure they did not overheat.
Brandon McCarthy worked with George Miller to produce the story board.
Charlize Theron shaved her head for the role in Fury Road, which then resulted in a wig having to be worn for her role in A million ways to die in the west.
140 vehicles were used in the film.
The phantom camera was used to film the last crash sequence.
The phantom camera takes 300 frames per second, for an incredibly smooth image.
The final edit of the film lasted 120 minutes and contained approximately 2,700 individual shots.
Constant weather delays and various location issues, caused filming to be delayed a large number of times.
CGI was used in 20% of the film, and was generally only used to enhance the landscape and weather, removing study rigging and the removal of Furiosa's (Charlize Theron's) left arm which appeared prosthetic in the film.
During filming Charlize Theron wore a green screen glove which allowed her characters prosthetic forearm to be edited in at a later date.
The film had good editing style, by using "Eye Trace" and "Cross-hair Framing" techniques during shooting, they could keep the important visual information vital in one spot, which i the Centre of the Frame.
The film was shot in sequence, which is rare, and the storyboards were completed before the script.
As they prepared to shoot the film, George Miller had no script. He had over 3,500 storyboards that had taken him more than 10 years to get the story mapped out with his precision.
Mad Max: Fury Road was to be released thirty years after the last film, Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome.
Tom Hardy would act as his character of set to keep in character. this caused him and Charlize Theron to not get along.
An in-house positives and VFX crew set up at production company Kennedy Miller Mitchell, dubbed Fury FX, was also crucial in planning and realising hundreds of effects shots.
Mel Gibson was going to have a role as a drifter in the film, but this never came to fruition.
The use of photographer techniques for the Citadel location, and for others in the film, was actually inspired by Jackson's initial use of an on-set aerial photography drone from Sensefly that he had intended to employ just for ground reference photos.
They used Photoscan to build terrain models, and then, experimenting with the software.
The budget for this film is estimated to be between US$100 million and $150 million.
They followed real dynamics and physics, since a great deal of crash reference footage the director had sourced tended to show that movement. This was based on Miller's initial ideas.
They used a robotic foot to flip the car in the opening chase of the movie.
This robotic foot was installed in Max's (Tom Hardy's) vehicle and was remotely controlled.
The foot once activated tipped the car (whilst moving), creating the rolling affect seen in the film.
Duplicated of actors where added in post production to make the crowd seem larger.
Jackson incorporated a dust element shoot for swirling action close to camera and streams of sand blowing off the vehicles, this was to ensure the toxic storm looked somewhat grounded.
Fury Road repeated its No. 1 position on the strength of a slightly lower estimated $7.5 million spent on 957 national airings across 42 networks.
The final car chase consists of a lot of characters and a lot of switching vehicles and concurrent action.
The previs had to carefully track where everyone was at a particular beat and help work out the transitions so the characters would be at the right place at the right time.
The rig which crashes in this scene was not done by using cgi.
The rig with the speakers and guturaist was fully functional.
For the final scene the speakers were loosened to allow them to fall when the rig jerked.
The first teaser debuted on December 10th of last year.
Miller wanted to use real dust for the end, so they went one floor up on a balcony and put a whole bunch of dry wall rocks and dust and crashed them down and filmed it at 240 fps for the slow-mo bit at the end, because they did not want to use CG.
There were four television spots that each offered a token glimpse.
The frenetic pace and complexity of the shoot in Namibia meant that backgrounds and skies were not always consistent from shot to shot.
3D shooting rigs developed for the film were scrapped.
Whenever they changed the sky, they tried to make it as graphic as they could.
Warner Bros. demanded a script during the pre-production stage.
The problem they had with Namibia was that there was a strange fog which rolled in most mornings.
Peter Jackson’s WETA handled visual f/x, makeup and costume designs for Fury Road.
Whipp believes that trickiest part was the day to night section.
Whipp was able to use a 'mishmash' of tools to make the sky replacements work.
Hardy and Miller, have been working on a way to establish a human story within the action-filled movie.
A positive of postvis process was when shots are half a second to a second long the postvis was virtually good enough.
Hardy’s focus and determination to create a character is what will elevate Mad Max.
Mad Max: Fury Road got entered as development hell, and people believed it would never escape.
Hardy and Miller worked on a way to establish a human story within the action-filled movie
There was a $100 million to $125 million budget at his disposal.
The cast were chosen in 2009, including Tom Hardy.
George Miller also made Happy Feet 2.
Warner Bros. and Miller agreed to a full 12-month delay so he could continue work on Happy Feet 2.
There is assumed to be another Mad Max, after filming Fury Road called, Mad Max: Furiosa.
Tom Hardy apologised to Miller for being frustrated with what Miller wanted during shooting, he apologised at a venue.
Tom Hardy took over the iconic role from Mel Gibson.
The woman Furiosa (Charlize Theron), was the hero of the story which is normally the male.
This made it popular with female film critics.
Mad Max was one of the most pirated films.
In the U.S., box office revenue was the second-best on record, after 2014 hit a seven-year low.
Mad Max: Fury Road outruns Hot Pursuit for the title of top-spending movie of the week.
The top five movies pirated globally piracy also performed well in theaters.
Seale shot most of the film on Arri Alexa cameras, supplemented by far less costly Canons for the crash shots.
Mad Max generated $374 million at the box office worldwide.
Concerns diminished when the complicated 3D shooting rigs developed for the film were scrapped.
Mad Max had 22.90 million shares on torrent networks.
Apparently, Miller also used post techniques to degrade the footage, increasing it's grain and contrast, and crunched the focus digitally. He did not want clean shots, he wanted the audience to feel as if they had sand in their eyes.
Mad Max remained on top of both national home video sales charts for two consecutive weeks.
Period of time between June 21-September 9 2015, the five most pirated films - led by Warner Bros. was Mad Max: Fury Road, were downloaded on torrent networks worldwide 85.34 million times.
Fury Road generated 48% of its second-week sale from Blu-ray Disc.
The jacket Max (Tom Hardy) wore, was a replica of Gibson's jacket in the Mad Max's he had the role in.
In Variety Movie Commercial Tracker Mad Max beat out “Hot Pursuit” for the title of top-spending movie of the week.
Miller was looking for someone with 'an animal charisma'. Miller says about Tom Hardy, 'he felt so much like the character.'
Tom Hardy heard about the film on the casting circuit, but 'didn't think I'd be in the running'. He assumed it would got to an Australian actor.
Former Skins star Nicholas Hoult, 25, hadn't watched the original films before he was asked to audition, but when he did, he 'was blown away by the fact that so many things I'd seen in pop culture were basically based upon this world that George created.'
Max Max had 1.75 million pirated downloads over summer.
One reason for the piracy uptick may simply be that Hollywood released more popular movies this summer. In the U.S., box office revenue was the second-best on record.
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley admits that it was a tougher shoot than 2011 Transformers: Dark of the Moon.
The three original Mel Gibson films are cult properties without a lot of pull with general audiences.
Its foundations are laid on a past franchise, but Miller hopes the movie marks a new direction, and has already penned two more films, should this one be a success.
"Oh what a lovely day" is the films famous quote
Tom Hardy, during the scene when is attached to the vehicle, it would of been difficult for him due to the dust, sand, etc.
The Alexa plus 2D camera was used.