Production and Distribution in the Film Industry

There are many arguments involving who has the most power in the film industry in terms of what gets made and what gets seen. You could argue its the audience; they decide what they like and the film companies accommodate to make the most profit. This is also correct in terms of actors; if the audience likes an actor or celebrity, film companies will employ them and then the celebrity becomes extremely powerful. In todays films you can increasingly see more comedians, models, singers, you tubers in films because film companies know that audiences will watch them. But does this mean they have the most power? Hollywood actors are still the most in demand due to their status and legacy of past films. Alternatively, another perspective is that its the promotion and the need and demand for films that make them sell. Do the film companies have the most power because their convincing us these films are what we want to see? Its true that the best films are those with the most hype, but this can also hinder the production company due to the fact that if the film doesn't live up to the audiences expectations the film will flop.


Distribution entails :

• Promoting Films
• Distributing Films to the Cinema
• > Do this by using a system called DCP that gets shipped to other countries inside a case
• Getting them onto DVD/UMD

Promotion

Above the line Promotion - Advertising with mass media to promote the film and target consumers. This includes conventional media; TV, radio, print and the internet. Its targeted towards a wide spread of audience not individually.

Below the line Promotion - More one to one promotion. For example the use of pamphlets, banners and placards.

Analysing multi-screen cinemas
Odeon Cineworld Showcase
How many screenings? 24 47 62
How many films in total? 11 16 16
How many films being screened several times? 7 9 12
More than one cinema at the same time? 16
Number of unique screenings compared to total screenings  25% 14.9% 6.5%
Number of films in terms of number of screenings 45.8% 34% 25.8%
Conclusions? In the UK, the film industry is very much based on big produced films, mainly those from American Hollywood. There are a few individual films but these only have a few screenings and are therefore very limited in their exposure and audience. The big films usually have more than one screening due to very high demand and some even in 3D, as time progresses the show times are usually reduced due to less demand until they stop showing them altogether, this can take weeks or even months.

A small UK based film company might face problems in getting its film shown due to the 5 major film distributors taking up around 9 of every 10 films seen in the UK. Not just this but major distributors usually have more than one screen or multiple showings throughout the day, leaving the smaller film company around one showing a day. This means only so many people can see this film as well as the timing being limited and the promotion for it being less in size due to a smaller budget for the film.

In what format and why are films shown in cinemas?
Nowadays, cinemas use a system called DCP. Its a file that requires a licence to activate, that the cinema has. Films are shown in cinemas because of the experience, better quality sound and a bigger screen all account to the atmosphere of the cinema experience.

Location Shots

We took some recce shots of possible locations where we could film our media project. These include:
Abandoned Stairway:

 Train Station:

 Forest Den:

In the end we decided to film the present scene with Character 1 in the forest den and part of the chasing scene on the abandoned stairway, the rest will be filmed in the woods. We decided not to use the train tracks because it didn't add anything to the scene and we couldn't find anything to fit with that atmosphere.

When editing, I later decided the stairway scene didn't fit with the overall story so I cut it, instead opting to use darker scenes to create an eerie atmosphere filmed in the woods. Also, upon reflection lots of scenes of this genre i've seen have been have been on old, abandoned areas that could've been used previously and we wanted to do something a little more different.

Ratings for Post apocalyptic genre

Post apocalyptic films, if done well, have high ratings for the opening weekend. Here are various examples of this in films I have previously focused on and their opening weekend ratings for the UK:




I am Legend - £11,009,376
Book of Eli - £1,232,001

The Road - £1,502,231
28 Days Later - £1,500,079
Zombieland - £1,240,984
Mad Max: Fury Road - £4,538,933

Foley

What is a Foley artist?
A Foley artist produces sound effects added to a film during post production to enhance the audio quality. This includes sounds such as punching, glass breaking, gun shots, footsteps and doors opening.


Who was Foley?
Jack Foley was the creator of the modern effects still used today in films and television. They were named after him due to the mammoth affect they've had on the media and quality of sound today.


Why are Foley artists needed? Give examples why might be needed
Foley artists are needed to create an aural depth to a production. Without them the film would sound empty and hollow, obscuring the dialogue and preventing the piece from coming alive. films would lack the realism to make them convincing and therefore wouldn't sell to the audience.

 In comedies for example, various sounds are enhanced for comic effect whereas in action movies punching and gunshots are added to give a more satisfying sound as the actors aren't really punching or shooting each other.

Give examples of why Foley artists traditionally achieve their outcomes.

To give the punching sound Foley artists use objects such as meat, cabbages and celery to record unique and more realistic sounds as well as being able to control the sounds and volume of the effects. 

How is Foley work completed nowadays?
Nowadays, a Foley studio is set up to capture the sounds. The artists see a screen on which the film is playing and add the sound effects to correspond with the action taking place.