Evaluation Question 3

BY LAUREN

The basics

• Film distribution is the process from which a film goes from production to exhibition.

• When choosing the distributor, it is important to consider your audience and the size of your market IE. mass/niche, female/male, young/old etc.

• Context is an important factor when considering what institution would distribute my film.

Contextual Factors• When Noirs were first released, they

were in high demand, dominating box office figures resulting in high gross profits

• Noirs were released post WWII, when there were only five major film companies available to distribute films

• Therefore in this context, I believe Warner Brothers would be best suited to distribute my film, as they have released “The Maltese Falcon” and “The big Sleep” (my inspirations)

Context Pt. II

• However… In the present day, there are hundreds of different film distributors, consumer tastes have changed and classic noirs no longer make the big screens as audiences are always seeking for the new best thing (SFX/3D)

• This means Warner Brothers are not appropriate for the distribution of my film. Furthermore, they budget for big movies aimed at mass audiences (my film is low budget aimed at a niche audience)

• Warner Brothers are popular with mainstream audiences, therefore releasing a film targeting a niche audience may damage their reputation as on a whole, they aim to remain popular and please the majority.

Getting to the point…• I believe that the distribution of my film would

be more successful in the hands of a smaller institution such as the BFI

• This is because my film is not meant to be a blockbuster, it does not require a high budget and does not target a mass audience

• My film targets a particular segment of the market- those who are interested in film.

• Noirs are in low demand within the current film industry meaning my audience would be people who are specifically interested in film/the noir genre

• BFI releases low budget small films, and targets that niche audience that are actually interested in the cinematography/making of the film, not just the A-list celebrity actors and flashy FX in the film

My production logo

The white background represents simplicity. My film is simply a film, devised simply from unknown actors, common locations, and simple props

The picture of the old fashioned camera/tripod represents my film as being arty and creative with regards to shots. It’s old, traditional and keeping vintage/classic film making alive

I called my company “charcoal” because it represents my film as being ambiguous as charcoal is neither black or white. It signifies to the audience that this film is supposed to make them think, it is dramatic, and not light-hearted.

The shape mimics paramount’s shape, suggesting inspirational Paramount films are within my film.

Font is similar to my initial credits, bold, straight to the point and hard-hitting.

Place/Price/Promotion• My film would gain funding from a small scheme - such as the

Microwave Scheme London. • They challenge young film makers with insufficient funds to

plan, film and edit their film within 18 days, providing all the equipment and funding.

• This would be applicable to my situation as I meet the criteria of being a young person and having little spare money

• As for promotion of my film, I would take advantage of web 3.0 and compose a viral advertising campaign across multiple platforms of social media.

• This is because I feel like social media is one of the best way to reach my targeted audience.

• I would also allow BFI to showcase my film at their film festivals

• This again would attract my exact audience as typically the people who go to film festivals are people who are interested in cinematography and ‘true, gritty and stylistic’ films.

Titles – Little is MORE!• Noirs are typically extremely title heavy, making sure to credit (pretty much)

everyone who was ever there at that moment – this includes hairdressers, costume designers and light directors

• However, I did not do this. I decided to only credit my actors and myself in my opening.

• Despite being unconventional in the genre I was trying to recreate, I believe this was appropriate with regards to the contextual factors surrounding my film – (my audience/my distributors/my funding)

• Because my film would use local actors, showcase at a local BFI festival, and be funded by the Microwave Scheme, my overall aim would be to show others how easy it is to shoot a professional looking film, thus encouraging my audience to do the same

• My audience are creative/idealistic people who are interested in films, meaning this would directly impact their thoughts and perhaps influence them to recreate a film similar to mine, themselves.

• This is called the multi-step flow theory, where audiences influence audience.