Distribution

Distribution 

Distribution is the third part in the supply chain. Distribution is often referred to as "the invisible art". When discussing distribution vertical integration means Distribution is about releasing and sustaining films in the market place. In the practice of Hollywood and other forms of industrial cinema, the phases of production, distribution and exhibition operate most effectively when 'vertically integrated', where the three stages are seen as part of the same larger process, under the control of one company. Vertical intergeration isn't so common in the independent sector.. Producers tend not to have long-term economic links with distributors, who likewise have no formal connections with exhibitors. There are three stages involved with distribution- licensing, marketing and logistics.

Licensing 

Licensing is the process by which a distributor acquires the legal right to exploit a film. There are two levels of distribution. The major US studios generally have their own distribution offices in all the major territories. By contrast, independent producers have to sell their films to different distributors in each territory. Independent production companies are usually small concerns, sometimes set up for one film and often lacking the necessary knowledge or contacts of each of the territories around the world. The three different types of rights that can be aquired A distributor will usually be offered theatrical rights, for showing the film in cinemas; video rights, for video and DVD exploitation; and TV rights, if the distributor is able to sell the film to a broadcaster.In addition to paying a fee to secure the film, the licence will stipulate that the distributor will also pay royalties to the producer, taken from the profits that the film generates. A local distributor will conventionally share profits equally with the producer for the theatrical leg, pay back higher royalties for broadcast rights, and lower for video/DVD.In the UK, feature films are released initially theatrically (in cinemas). A theatrical opening is seen as the most effective way to create interest in a new film. The big screen is still the optimum setting for a film for both audiences and the filmmakers.Some months following the theatrical release, a film will be packaged and released on DVD and VHS video, then on various forms of pay television and eventually, two years after opening in cinemas, on free-to-air television. 

Marketing
The marketing of a film release revolves around two key questions: 'When?' and 'How? In the UK, new films are released theatrically on Fridays. A distributor will assess this schedule to identify a Friday release date where there are only a few films scheduled for release. Finding a 'light' week will ensure that there will be both screen space and adequate review column inches in the press allocated to any potential release.Finally, the distributor will try to position the film distinctively and avoid a release date occupied by other films with similar traits (story, subject, country of origin).  In recent years in the UK, these two aspects of release planning have become increasingly difficult, as the release schedule has regularly featured over 10 new releases in a week.

The costs of theatrical distribution, met by local distributors, are often referred to as 'P&A', or Prints and Advertising. P&A are the nuts and bolts of marketing and distributing films into cinemas, the tools used by the distributor to create a public for its film. P&A also represent 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 

Specialised films will often be released with fewer than 10 prints into key independent cinemas, with these prints subsequently 'toured' over a 6-month period to all parts of the UK.  Mainstream films will often open on over 200 prints, simultaneously screening in all major UK towns and cities.or the majority of releases, favourable press response is a key factor in developing the profile and desirability of a film. Distributors consider both the quality and breadth of coverage, and this is often inscribed into the nature and scale of a press campaign.The cinema poster - in the UK this means the standard 30" x 40" 'quad' format - is still the cornerstone of theatrical release campaigns. Numerous recent examples indicate that the poster design is highly effective in 'packaging' the key attributes of a film for potential audiences. Distributors will also consider other poster campaigns, ranging from Underground advertising to billboards.The cost of print advertising in the UK is comparatively high, and is seen as making distribution in the UK a riskier business than in most other countries. In order to extend the reach of advertising and develop more effective communication with audiences at low cost, distributors are looking increasingly to 'viral marketing' - different forms of electronic word-of-mouth via the internet, email and mobile phones.he use of talent - usually the director and/or lead actors - wins significant editorial coverage to support a release. The volume of coverage can far outweigh the cost of talent visits.

Logistics 

 It is the responsibility of the distributor to arrange the transportation of the film to the cinema, as part of its wider coordination of print use across the UK. 35mm theatrical prints invariably suffer cumulative damage as they pass through different projectors, and the hands of various projectionists. There are also overheads incurred by the distributor for the storage of prints at the UK's central print warehouse in West London.Distributor will invest in sufficient prints to provide optimum coverage through the first period of theatrical release, usually lasting up to 6 months. 

Digital Distribution

Towards the end of 2005, the UK distribution and exhibition sectors were starting to move towards digital distribution and exhibition. Digital technology is seen to offer a more cost effective and logistics-light alternative to the tried and trusted, but unwieldy model of 35mm print distribution described above. It will, eventually, be cheaper and much less stressful to send films as computer files to cinemas across the UK, than to transport 20-25kg tins of film in the back of a van.Digital distribution and exhibition on a large scale has started to appear in certain parts of the world, notably China and Brazil, where conventional logistics cannot, for one reason or another, efficiently bring together supply and demand.The force of this change, coupled with the new capacity of technology to replicate 35mm imaging, has led the UK Film Council to establish a digital distribution and exhibition programme for the theatrical sector at the end of 2005. Entitled the Digital Screen Network (DSN), it will eventually support new facilities in 211 screens across the country (out of a total of just over 3,300 screens in the UK), and is seen as a small but important step change towards full digital cinema.There is little doubt that the advent of digital distribution has the potential radically to alter the modus operandi of distributors around the world. The comparatively low cost of film copies and additional logistical effectiveness of digital distribution provide the distributor with greater flexibility. It will be less expensive in the coming years to offer a wide theatrical opening with many copies, and also conversely, to screen a film for just one performance at any cinema. In theory at least, it will be possible for both distributors and exhibitors to respond more precisely to audience demand.All this suggests that in the future, more titles, both mainstream and specialised, will receive wide theatrical openings, and that this broadening of access at the point of release will dramatically reduce the overall theatrical period from 3-6 months to perhaps 1-3 months. Thereafter, films will enter into a second-run and repertory programming market aided by lower costs.

Digital film distribution in the UK

The physical distribution and exhibition of movies in UK cinemas has changed hugely in the last five years.  The 125-year-old era of 35mm celluloid film is over, giving way to a digital future. Here are some of the key facts to stay up to speed with the recent changes in UK cinema exhibition…

1. 35mm distribution may end this year
2. Fortunately 92% of UK cinema screens are digital
3. And 41% are equipped with 3D
4. You only need 2k resolution for nearly all screens
5. 4k resolution is not always better than 2k
6. But screening at 4k can lead to better reviews
7. Vue have the most 4k screens in Europe
8. 4k storage is 11 times more expensive than 35mm film
9. Bonus fact: The best cinema seats are 1.5 times the height of the screen away from the screen with a viewing angle of 37 degrees

Mad Max:Fury Road and Ex Machina production and distribution companies

Representations of class and status

Definition of class- 
A set or category of things having some attribute or property in common and differentiated from others by kind, type, or quality. 

Definition of status-
relative social or professional positional; standing 

Different classes-
Upper Class (wealthiest members of society that have the most political power)
Middle Class (includes professionals and business people who make there own money)
Lower Class (working class, labouring, employed in lower tier subordinate jobs)

Typical upper class stereotypes-
rich, well dressed, superior, intellectual, snobby, well spoken, land owners and high end properties. 

Downton Abbey- These people are obviously upper class as there wealth is clearly shows from there posture and manner, the cloths they wear and thbig house in the background. 

Silk- These people are upper class due to there profusion and there intellectual capacity, they are also well dress. 

Typical middle class stereotypes- 

White collar, manager, own there own property, plays golf, wear suits, owns a car and educated.

Capital- These people are presented as middle class through conforming to the stereotypes of wearing a suit, looking professionals and own there own property. 

Doctor Who- Rose is presented as middle class by coming from a middle class family, owning property and still having to work for money. 

Typical lower class stereotypes- blue collar, factory workers, little savings, inner city, rented properties, work for people, state school and Manuel work. 

The mill- By the way the people are presented and the clothing they wear they can seen to be of working class, they are also factory workers.

The Village- these people work on a farm and do manual  low skilled and low paid work. They dress informally and can be seen to be poor and to have a lack of savings. 

Kill list production and distributer companies

Social class quiz

Result: the class group you most closely match is:

Established middle class

This is the most gregarious and the second wealthiest of all the class groups. According to the Great British Class Survey results, lots of people in this group:

• Enjoy a diverse range of cultural activities
• Went to university
• Are comfortably off, secure and established

Established middle class

Percentage of population 25%

Average age46

This is the most gregarious and the second wealthiest of all the class groups:

• People in this group enjoy a diverse range of cultural activities
• They socialise with a broad range of people
• Many work in management or the traditional professions
• Most come from middle class backgrounds
• They often live outside urban areas

Sound- Ethnicity

Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs the representation of ethnicity using the following:

• Camera shots, angles, movement and composition
• Editing
• Sound
• Mise en scene

Sound

Through out the clip there is a wide use of different sound and different sound techniques which are used to emphasise characters ethnicity stereotypes. At the start non diegetic sound is playing. The music is being used to create atmosphere and curiosity and then peaks towards the point of which the man and women engage in conversation. When the man and women engage in conversation we can clearly see this to be diegetic sound. The white women speaks, the black man reply and the white women continues to talk which the black man ignores. In this scene in the office the white women is meeting the ethnicity stereotype of being pitied and the black man can be seen as dangerous as he ignores the women and quickly storms out of the room. This is also used to rerpresnent The black mans power over the white women due to his position in his profession. When the scene is cut to the house and the man is getting out of his car on the drive non geigetic sound of music starts to build up. This helps to build tension and forces the audience to speculate about what the build up is going to lead to.By the music building up to the black mans arrival and entrance is conforms to the ethnic stereotype of being dangerous.The door bell then rings which is expected which is synchronous sound. diegetic sound is seen between the black man and a new white women which is introduce which shows there participation in conversation. The diegetic sound continues to grow and tension builds in the mans voice. To support the growth of tension in the back mans voice non diegetic music starts to play which slowly deepens. With both the voice and music playing it again helps to meet the ethnic stereotype of the black man being dangerous. As the aggressive non diegetic sound music build up this makes the audience feel sympathy and conforms to the white female steroytpe of being pitied. When the scene turns to the car diegetic sound of conversation, the cars running engine and motion and also the outside. Non- diegetic sound begins to play when the white women says 'your wife will know about us'. This non diegetic music is purposely used to punctuate emotion and show the black mans love for his family. In this scene the stereotypical roles and binary opposites are reversed and it is the white women that has all the power as she is manipulating the black man and being presented as emotionally and psychologically dangerous. With the use of both diegetic and non-deigetic sound the man conforms to the ethic stereotype of being pitied. 

The British Film Industry

The British Film Industry