What kind of media institution might distribute my product and why?

Sam Ellerton

What is an Institution?

• An institution is a company that can release media products out to the public, they can do this through the release of a movie or DVD’s. A film can be released internationally or locally to a specific country, DVD’s can be released out to shops.

• Before a film is released an institution could possibly help with the final product such as with funds, editing or even production.

Stages Of Production.• The usual stages of production begins with a key concept, Someone would

go to the company and present them with a key idea, if the company agrees they will carry on with the film and support it through the process.

• Storyboards would initially be made with casting and script making. Then it would go to filming in specific locations then to editing and possible re-shoots encase any scene went wrong however they are quite expensive. Lastly it would be finalized then released in a premier if it is a cinema blockbuster, in contrast the film could be direct to DVD or direct to TV depending on what the distributors want.

What companies distribute films in the genre?

After looking in depth at the following films I can see which institutions distributed their product and also see which might distribute mine;

• House of Wax• Drag me to Hell• Scream• It Follows• Carrie• My Bloody Valentine• Prom Night

House of Wax• House of Wax used Warner

Bros. Pictures to distribute their film, Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. is an American company that produces film, television and music entertainment and is one of the major film studios. WB has distributed some of the biggest horror films of the 21st century, including most recently, Annabelle, The Conjuring, Texas Chainsaw, A Nightmare on Elm Street and Final Destination 5.

Drag Me to Hell.

• Drag Me to Hell was distributed by Universal Pictures, Universal Studios is an American film studio, owned by Comcast and is one of Hollywood's "Big Six" film studios. Universal has distributed some big horror films including most recently, The Purge and Unfriended.

Scream.• Scream was distributed by

Dimension Films, Dimension Films is a mini-major American film production and distribution studio formerly owned by The Walt Disney Studios and now owned by The Weinstein Company. Dimension have also distributed blockbuster horror movies including most recently, It Follows, Horns, Dark Skies, Piranha 3D and the sequel, Piranha 3DD.

It Follows.• It Follows was distributed by

RADiUS-TWC (Weinstein Company) and Dimension Films. The Weinstein Company (TWC) is an American mini-major film studio founded by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in 2005 after the brothers left the then-Disney-owned Miramax Films. Dimension Films is a mini-major American film production and distribution studio. RADiUS Films have distributed films in the genre including Horns.

Carrie.

• Carrie was distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and Screen Gems. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of feature films and television programs. Screen Gems is an American film production company and division company of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group. MGM and Screen Gems have distributed several big films in the genre including, Deliver Us from Evil, The Roommate and The Stepfather.

My Bloody Valentine.• My Bloody Valentine was

distributed by Lionsgate Pictures. Lionsgate Films is a Canadian-American production and distribution studio and a division of Lions Gate Entertainment. It is the largest and most successful mini-major film studio in North America. It has distributed various commercially successful films in the genre, including Saw and The Cabin in the Woods.

Prom Night.• Prom Night was distributed by

Screen Gems. Screen Gems is an American film production company and division company of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group that has served several different purposes for its parent companies over the decades since its incorporation. Screen Gems have distributed several big films in the genre including, Deliver Us from Evil, The Roommate and The Stepfather.

The Companies.• Overall the companies that produce films that would be similar to

mine are; Paramount Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Universal Pictures, Studio Canal, Warner Brothers and British film council. With then a TV show could be AMC.

• I feel as though the ‘big six’ film companies would be the best to distribute my film.

Advertisement• Films are generally advertised by; trailers, posters, magazines,

interviews etc. however the most common is by trailers. Trailers help show off the film subtlety to give a little bit of the plot to let people get an idea of what the film is about to allow them to decide whether to go see the film or not. If the film is released direct to DVD there would not be many trailer advertisements and only really advertisement for the release date of the DVD.

Paramount Pictures• Paramount Pictures have released many successful films including the

highest grossing being, Titanic, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Forrest Gump and Shrek the Third. A lot of Paramount's highest grossing films are sequels. Paramount have released a lot of popular films in my genre including Friday The 13th, What Lies Beneath and Case 39. As Paramount have worked with a lot of films in my genre I think they would be welcoming to distribute my product.

Columbia Pictures• Columbia is a subsidiary to Sony Pictures, they have released over

100 films from a wide range of genres including the highest grossing being the original Spider-Man trilogy. Columbia have released several blockbuster horror movies but not as many as other distributers (e.g. Paramount Pictures). Columbia released I Know What You Did Last Summer and it’s sequel as well as the original Evil Dead. I think Columbia might distribute my film.

Universal Pictures• Universal pictures have a lot of blockbuster films under their belt and

work with a lot of different genres from Jurassic Park to Bridesmaids. I feel as though they would be good to distribute my product since they can work with what type my film is. Universal also work with horror films, some of their popular films include, Unfriended, Ouija and The Unborn. Seeing as Universal Pictures have a lot of horror films already released and they are adding more to their list I think that they would distribute my film.

Warner Bros.• Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. is an American company that produces

film, television and music entertainment, Warner Bros. may be known by some people a company that distribute films in the children/family genre. Although people may think this, Warner Bros. have had some of the highest grossing horror movies of all time, including, The Exorcist, The Conjuring (and Annabelle) and the Shining.

Conclusion• Overall I think that the company that would work the best would be

Columbia Pictures, as they have released several films in the genre with the same sub-genre. However my product does not have a big budget, although Evil Dead was released by Columbia and at the time was a small budget horror movie using practical effects as oppose to special effects. Also my film would be a direct-to-DVD release as this is what happens with small budget movies, especially horror as there are so many released.