DistributionBY CHRIS WOTTON

What is distribution?

Distribution is the marketing activities used to make the TA aware that the film is going to be released. Using marketing activities such as teaser trailers and posters, builds up anticipation for the film when it is released. The distribution stage occurs after post production and prior to exhibition.

I will be looking at the various ways films are distributed and the positives and negatives of each method of distribution. Distribution is a very important stage as it involves showing the right audience the film you have produced.

Cinema Distribution

Advantages- Audiences are generally engaged with the film if they are out of the house for instance.- Trusted by audiences to be a good film as its shown in cinemas.- Relationships  are built up with the viewer (uses and gratifications theory)

Disadvantages- Getting your film shown in cinemas, generally requires a film with a fairly big budget as agreements need to be made with distribution companies, there this would severely affect the chance of independent film-makers getting their content shown.

SummaryOverall cinema distribution is a fantastic way of connecting the target audience with the film. However this type of distribution is more suited to larger budget productions that have connections with distribution companies otherwise the film cannot be shown in cinemas very easily.

Online Streaming

Advantages- Easily accessible- No interruptions like you would find in cinemas e.g. ads- Cheaper than other forms of the content e.g. DVDs

Disadvantages- The subscription to stream the content can be significantly expensive- The internet connection used needs to be fast enough- Not all viewers would have access to internet/online streaming sites.

SummaryThis is a fantastic way of reaching the audience you are intending to target as well as a variety of other people interested in something different. However for a production like ours it would be considerably harder to get our content on the website as big production companies work with the distribution firms to make the biggest impact. So therefore this isn't really an option for a film like ours.

Film Festivals

Advantages- You can show of your film to individuals interested in the content you are showing.- Build relationships with other independent film-makers to increase connections.

Disadvantages- Limited members of the public attend the film-festivals.- Reaches a very specific (niche) audience.

SummaryFilm festivals are a fantastic way of showing of your work when you don't have any other form of distributing your film. Film-festivals are generally for applicants that are showing independent films, with the hope of others liking and sharing the work or even offering to purchase and/or distribute the content. However one concern is the audience at film festivals may not be young people, which could severely affect the impact it has on them.

Social Media

Advantages- You can quickly update your TA with new teasers of the film

(building up anticipation)- Targeting a specific audience is a lot easier as you can use

hashtags to make sure they are interested in certain genres for example.

- Social media platforms offer different types of content that can be shown

- Technological convergence can connect all forms of the film together e.g. poster, trailer; they all link.

- Free to upload contentDisadvantages- Advertising is paid for on social media (however it is

considerably cheaper than other forms of advertising)- Audience members need to use social media apps & they also

need an internet connection.

SummarySocial media is a great way of advertising a film, especially if the film is aimed at younger people as they are more likely to see the social media updates and advertisements. This would be a fantastic way of advertising the film we are producing as the film can be shown on multiple platforms such a twitter, Instagram, Facebook & YouTube; and if the content shown engages with the viewer they may share it to friends, family and the rest of world causing our film to be virally advertised at a minimal cost and if the film isn’t successful then nothing is particularly lost.. For bigger budget films they will use social media to complement the advertising in cinemas, buses (transport) and all of these connect together through technological convergence.

DVD

Advantages- Once purchased the customer can consume the film as many times as they

wish.- You can decide when to watch the film, you haven’t got to go to the cinema

at a specific time.Disadvantages- You have got to wait significantly longer for a film to be released in DVD

form over cinema distribution.- More expensive than going to the cinema initiallySummary

DVD’s are a fantastic way of extending the profitability of a film. This form of distribution applies mainly to larger budget productions as the customer can associate the film in shops with previous advertisement they have seen. Therefore if we were to use this method of distribution are sales would be considerably lower than other films as we don’t have the recognition like they do.Our film would not be suitable for DVD distribution as the costs involved are significantly higher than what we are likely to make.

Star Appeal

Advantages- The star attracts customers to purchase the right to watch the film.- Brings in a new audience, “the stars fans”.

Disadvantages- The actors name will produce a visual interpretation of the film for consumers. And it

may be that the film is interpreted differently by the audience members as they associate the actor with a different genre.

- The star may not be well known by the TA, making it pointless to include him/her in the first place. However this may attract some consumers that are fans of that particular actor.

- Famous stars can be very expensive to use in films.

Summary

So star appeal is a great way of attracting new members of the public to your film, and it can make the film look more interesting as it’s based around an actor they can associate with. The film can also be publicly promoted by using that actor in the film, this ties in with social media as the actor is likely to have a large following, which can be exchanged for sales of that particular film. For our production this form of distribution just isn’t an option, the cost of involving a well known actor is way over our budget and even the costs for advertising that the actor is present in our film would be too much. So therefore all our audience appeal needs to be from the fact that our thriller film is very unique and interesting to watch.

Collaborations

Advantages- Profitable for both firms.- Can increase the sales for fast food outlet (example) even after the

collaboration as the customers enjoyed the experience they previously had.Disadvantages- Both firms may not agree on the basis of the collaboration, for instance the

colours used on the packaging.- Very expensive to initially setup.SummaryCollaborations between brands is generally done to merge the customer base. This makes it profitable for the firms in the future as they now have a larger audience to aim there products at. A well known collaboration was between burger king and Jurassic park; this produced a large amount of production for the film and benefited both firms. This form of distribution wouldn’t be an option for our film, as we cannot provide any value in terms of previous audience members that other firms could take advantage of, and aim their own products at.

Trailers

Advantages  Increases audience engagement The advantages of using trailers are that you can give the audience a

clear insight to the film, while something like a poster may be interpreted a lot differently.  

Disadvantages  The disadvantages of using trailers are that you need to spend more

getting them made, and they may not be successful at showing the audience what the film is about.   

Summary Trailers can be an effective way of showing the audience little snippets of the film. This builds up anticipation for the film. Using trailers allows the viewers to see what the film may be about and using small parts of the film that are intriguing leave the audience with enigma on what will happen next. 

Online ads

Advantages   The advantages of using online ads are that you can aim your film to a specific

audience, this makes the money (capital) spent on the advertising more effective as you are targeting a specific audience. 

Another advantage is that when compared to more main stream advertising forms such as mainstream TV it can be significantly cheaper, and you are targeting the specific audience you want the film to be aimed at. 

Disadvantages   The disadvantages of using online ads are that it can be infused with the huge variety of

other ads for other films and content, that makes it less eye-catching for the audience. Summary  Online ads can be another successful way of advertising a film. These are the when advertisements are shown based on the consumers interest.The reason why online ads are so powerful are because they can be targeted to a specific audience; and they can be reminded about the film if they have viewed a trailer or inquired about it elsewhere.

Conclusion

From the research I have undertook I can conclude that distributing a film in the cinema is the best way of targeting a wide audience, as the audience is ready to consume media and they are less likely to get distracted. Star appeal is the second best way of distributing a film in my opinion as it increases engagement and it persuades the audience to watch the film as they can relate to the actors previous work. However due to the nature of our production I would recommend that we use social media and film festivals as our primary distributions sources as they fit well with our limited budget, and nothing is lost if the film isn't successful.Another reason why we want to use social media Is because our target audience is young people, and they are known to be more active on these social networks.