The film chain

Hello film fanatics! I am going to tell you a bit about different aspects to do with the film chain.

Production

Firstly, the producer would select an idea for the film. This could be an adaptation of a book, another film, a true story or an original idea. The producer would then begin working with writers to develop the idea into a synopsis. A step outline (one paragraph scenes) is then made to focus on dramatic structure. A treatment is prepared, which usually contains pictures/drawings in order to help visualise the story. A screenwriter is selected and writes a series of drafts of the film's screenplay until the final draft is adequate for the film, often improving key elements such as characters, dialogue, dramatisation and structure. A film distributor would then be contacted to assess the possible financial success, genre, target audience and possible directors and actors.The producer and screenwriter would then pitch the idea to financiers, actors and directors. If the film is given the 'green light' they are able to continue with the process. However, many projects do not manage to achieve this and enter into a 'development hell'. Once the contracts and deal has been set, the project enters the stage of pre production. The initial idea may be heavily altered throughout the course of development, so the final edit could be very different from the early ideas for the movie. However, the screenplay is usually unaltered once the final draft is created.

The six main production companies (the Big Six) in America include:
- Warner Bros. Entertainment, owned by Time Warner.
-The Walt Disney Studios, owned by The Walt Disney Company.
-NBCUniversal, owned by Comcast.
-Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony.
-Fox Filmed Entertainment, owned by 21st Century Fox.
-Paramount Motion Pictures Group, owned by Viacom.

Independent production is a professional film which is produced outside the major film studio system. Independent films are usually made with much lower film budgets than major studio productions. Despite having a lower budget , many independent films can become real successes. A great example of a successful independent film is Kevin Smith's Clerks, with a budget of $230,000, grossing over $3 million at the box office.

Distribution

Film Distribution is the process which makes a movie available to view by an audience, either through theatrical release, DVD release or internet release, through professional film distributors, who are not always the same people who made the film. The traditional way of distributing a film could be either through a cinematic release or on the television. A newer way of distributing a film would be through DVD, Blu Ray or through the internet.

A film festival is a continued presentation of films through one or more cinemas. They have become very popular in recent years and are typically held annually. The most well known film festivals includes the Cannes Film Festival, the Toronto Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival. Film festivals are important in the world of film distribution as they have been making the cinema a more popular way of audiences seeing movies in cinemas versus the easier option of online streaming or DVDs.

A film distributor might want to release a film at a certain time due to surrounding events. For example if a political event was taking place on a certain weekend, the distributor might want to release the film on that same weekend if the film is about politics, which could make the amount of people viewing the movie higher.

Distribution is essential in the film chain as it is how the movie is released. If the movie is not distributed, it will not be viewed by an audience. Also, the way a movie is distributed could have an impact on the amount of people watching the movie, especially if a certain statistic show that one course of action for distribution does not parallel their target audience. For example if a statistic shows that most teenagers visit the cinema often however the distributor -whose film is intended for teenagers- chose not to release it in cinemas, it would be a bad move as their target audience would be less likely to watch their film.

Marketing

Marketing in the film industry is how a movie is advertised and sold to the intended audience. It is different to distribution as marketing informs the audience of the movie (and shows them if they would like it) however distribution delivers the movie to the audience.

The movie Gone Girl has multiple trailers on YouTube and has a facebook page dedicated to the movie. Their is also a website for the movie at www.gonegirlmovie.com as well as multiple posters and stills of the movie. Another example would be The Equalizer, which has multiple YouTube trailers and posters as well as a Facebook page for the film.

Different films are promoted to different audiences in different ways so that their advertisements can reach their target audience in a way that enables the audience to understand and get excited about the movie. For example, an American blockbuster film, such as Avatar, may be promoted to a non-English speaking audience through a dubbed/subtitled trailer as it would be not only exciting  and engaging, but allows the audience to understand it. However, a poster would be an easier method as the text on the poster is easily translated and changed to promote the movie in other non-English speaking countries.

Exhibition

There are many ways audiences get to see films. Some examples include:

-The cinema

-Online streaming

-DVD

-Blu-Ray

-Television

A box office is a term used to refer to the commercial success of a film, used in the context of a film being a "good box office" or a "bad box office". The box office return is useful to identify the success of a film as it shows how many people watched the movie and could indicate how much money it made. If a movie is successful, the people who invested money into the film (e.g. the producer, actors) would get money back proportionate the the amount they invested. Cinemas only receive a small percentage of the amount people pay for a ticket. Most of the money movie theatres make comes from the selling of drinks, popcorn and other drinks and snacks. Cinemas often give perks to people who go to the cinema to see a movie such as discounts, 2 for 1 on tickets etc.Ancillary markets are non theatrical markets for movies such as internet streaming, DVD and Pay Per View. This allows audiences to be able to watch movies in the comfort of their own home, which many people enjoy and is often preferred rather than going to the cinema to see a film.

BFI

The British Film Industry is the film industry in the UK and their official website says they exist "to promote greater understanding and appreciation of, and access to, film and moving image culture in the UK". They are required to produce and distribute films set in Britain or containing British cast, which contrasts the Hollywood blockbusters of America. Good examples of movies in the British Film Industry include The King's Speech and the two highest grossing film franchises James Bond and Harry Potter.