This document discusses film distribution strategies, focusing on independent films. It explains that distribution involves releasing films in the marketplace and marketing them locally. For independent films, producers typically do not have long-term ties to distributors. The document recommends Momentum Pictures as a potential UK distributor and discusses simultaneous streaming/cinema releases as an option. It also explores releasing the film on streaming services like Netflix or television channels like Sky Movies.
2. A media institution is an organisation or
company, private or publicly owned that
distributes media products.
3. Distribution is about releasing and sustaining
films in the market place. In the UK, distribution
is very much focused on marketing and
sustaining a global product in local markets.
4. In the independent film sector, vertical
integration does not operate so commonly.
Producers tend not to have long-term economic
links with distributors, who likewise have no
formal connections with exhibitors.
5. Our film is likely to be independently distributed
by a UK company. In research it was learnt that
only 50% of films going to cinemas, and the
other 50% going straight to DVD. The distributor
I would aim to have for the project is
Momentum Pictures (also known as
Momentum).
6. They are one of the leading independent motion
picture distributors in the UK and Ireland and have
released approximately 20 theatrical films a year, with
several dtv releases. Momentum's most successful
theatrical releases include the Oscar, BAFTA and BIFA-
winning The King's Speech, Amélie, Eternal Sunshine of
the Spotless Mind and many more.
7. Simultaneous Release between Streaming and
Cinema would be the best option for our film
because a lot of independent films do this which
works well.
8. It is known that distribution efforts are often
regarded as experimental and thus do not
receive substantial investment or promotion,
this is a risk, but if it works out well it can be
very beneficial for the Distribution company.
9. A simultaneous release takes place when a
movie is made available on many media
(cinema, DVD, internet...) at the same time or
with very little difference in timing.
Simultaneous releases bear great advantages to
both consumers, who can chose the medium
that most suits their needs, and production
studios that only have to run one marketing
campaign for all releases.
10. Simultaneous release approaches have gained
praise, with Mark Cuban claiming movies should
simultaneously be made available on all media
allowing viewers to choose whether to see it at
home or at the cinema.
11. Cinema owners can be affected seriously in case
they have to share their opportunity window,
especially at the beginning of the movie
lifecycle, since, according to Disney, about 95%
of all box office tickets for a film are sold within
the first 6 weeks after initial distribution.
12. Momentum would benefit from both cinema
and streaming as you have to pay for both-
tickets in cinemas and a monthly subscriptions.
The idea that money would be coming in would
be beneficial but it also allows us to find an
audience.
13. Simultaneous release attempts include Bubble
(2006) by Academy Award-winning director
Steven Soderbergh, ‘EMR’ (2005) by James
Erskine & Danny McCullough and ‘The Road to
Guantanamo’ (2006) and a current example of
simultaneous release being ‘In Your Eyes’
14. Streaming services that could be present in the
distribution process could be: Netflix; Amazon
Prime; Love Film Instant and NOW TV.
16. Sky Movies have a thriller channel called “Crime
and Thriller”. If you were to pay an asked for
amount, they would show your film.
17. Due to the low budget our film would not be on
at prime time for example in the evenings.
Instead our films would be shown at unpopular
times, but there would be an option to record
our film on Sky so people would not have to
watch it at that certain time.
18. Another company that is on a way larger scale
than Momentum is 20Th Century Fox.
19. 20th century Fox is one of the six major
American film studios. The studio used to be a
subsidiary of News Corporation, but is now a
subsidiary of 21st Century Fox. This is a
subsidiary of one of the largest Hollywood
Multimedia conglomerates
20. Due to the large scale it’s on it would allow us a
larger advertising budget.
21. It is unlikely that a film that was independently
made in the UK would be picked up initially by
one of Hollywood’s largest companies. They
distribute a wide variety of genres and have a
huge amount of money to be released into a
number of different places.
22. 20th Century Fox invest into smaller budget
films in order to develop/find new talent and to
also find new audiences.
23. In order to increase awareness it is likely that we
would first distribute it independently on a
limited release programme. Depending on
popularity, the film may go to English speaking
countries, then perhaps worldwide.
24. Our product would be limitedly released, which
is where it opens in a limited amount of screens,
mainly in large urban areas and would rely on
word of mouth, being shown at film festivals
and good reviews to develop.
25. Also this type of release would be supported by
‘spot advertising’ which is advertising in a
specific area- probably a large city. Depending
on if this works, we could move to a ‘rolling
release’ and then maybe a ‘general release’. If
our film got to this release it accumulate large
profits enabling us to invest the profits into
more films.
