GBHS AS EXAM TV DRAMA AND FILM INDUSTRY (Thursday May 18th AM ): 2017

Intro what is film distribution?
What is the distributor's role?
What's a distribution plan?
What's a P + A budget?
What is the average distribution cost for a big six film?
What does the distribution budget include?
What is a simultaneous release?
What are some main distribution companies?
What do you think is the link between audiences and distribution?
Define target market audience? What's audience positioning?
Why is the release date crucial?
What is self distribution?
go to www.launchingfilms.com and have a look at the different ways a film can be released (saturated etc) and give a couple of examples to ensure you understand what it means. This links to exhibition.

Task 8 Technology

Looking at your case studies and others' think about each stage of the film chain in terms of technology and discuss pros, cons and the future. Think about the following exam question.

'What significance does the continuing development of digital media technology have for media institutions and audiences?'

Write all technologies you can come up with that are used in the various stages of film production. Print a copy for next week's lesson on the 30th March.

Production
Distribution
Exhibition
Exchange

Task 7 - Audience and cinema going statistics

Task 7 - Summarise your findings in a paragraph and title the post Audience cinema going habits

One area you need to be familiar with for your exam is finding out what audience cinema going habits there are out there (hence the survey) and the documents below. You should now be ready to answer the following questions.

What days to audiences go to the cinema?
What are the most popular genres?
What was the top film in each of these genres?
How do audiences hear about films?
Do audiences prefer US, UK or other nationality films?
Do audiences like 3D films?
What other ways to audiences watch film aside from the cinema?
Who do audiences go to the cinema with?
When and where are most audiences likely to go to the cinema?

http://www.launchingfilms.com/research-databank/uk-cinema-admissions

http://www.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-statistical-yearbook-2016.pdf

Task 6 Independent cinema vs mainstream chains

Task 6
As well as HOME Manchester film listings have a look at this list.

http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/cinemas/32887/51-brilliant-independent-cinemas-in-the-uk

I am really happy with Everyman Chelmsford programmes this week as they are showing Elle and Toni Erdmann - two excellent world cinema films. w/c 13th March 2017
https://www.everymancinema.com/chelmsford

Choose ten cinemas (including five closest to Chelmsford) and have a look the listings.
Consider the following and type it up.

What are the genres of the films?
Who would be the typical audience member?
How do they differ from a multiplex - Vue, Cineworld, Odeon etc how do they look, what do they sell, what makes it attractive? How do the prices differ.

Also have a look at the Cramphorn theatre and the Chelmsford film club. What films, when are they on and how much.

Task 5

As the Fox Searchlight slideshare below, please do some research for the following companies:

Film 4
BBC Films
Imagine Entertainment
Miramax
Village Roadshow Pictures

What films have they made in the last five years? What audiences do they attract? What are the genres? Compare with the big six and find what they do/produce and the budgets if you can find them.
them.

Fox searchlight pictures from Great Baddow High School Media

Task 4

Task 4
Independent film research - follow the Ill Manors marketing presentation and try as find as much as you can on production, marketing, technologies and the industry as well. Make sure you also look at how the film was received and who the audience was and find the reviews in rotten tomatoes and imdb,com as well as UK press articles.

Ill manors production, distribution, exhibition from sandraoddy2

prepare a similar slideshare/emaze for one of the following:

- Selfish Giant

- My Brother the Devil

- Wild Bill

- 71

- The Riot Club
- American Honey

-http://www.indiewire.com/2016/12/2016-british-independent-film-awards-winners-list-1201752373/

Awards season

Oscar nominations

http://oscar.go.com/nominees

Last year's Oscar winners - http://oscar.go.com/news/winners/oscar-winners-2016-see-the-complete-list

Golden Globe winners 2016 http://www.goldenglobes.com/winners-nominees

British Independent Film Awards Indie Awards 2016

Task 3.5

How can your film apply the key statements from the specification?

the issues raised by media ownership in contemporary media practice (qs jan10, jan11, jan13, jun 15) Only a major institution such as Warner Brothers could have made Godzilla. Warner Bros and Legendary financed the production. Unlike smaller studios, big conglomerates like Time Warner do not need the films to be a box office success. Read this: http://www.forbes.com/sites/siliconangle/2014/01/23/hollywood-is-godzilla-the-john-carter-of-2014/ - Warner Bros and Imax corporation agreement for exhibition
the importance of cross media convergence and synergy in production, distribution and marketing (qMay12) See definitions below

Technological convergence refers to the process where new technology is moving towards single platforms delivering multiple media outputs that can be used to reach audiences, for example, a PS3's primary function is video gaming but you can download and watch movies from Amazon Prime on it and also watch catch up TV and music videos. Convergent technology is technology that allows an audience to consume more than one type of media from a single platform.

Lots of aspects of the internet e.g. social networking, YouTube, online editions of newspapers and magazines are convergent but candidates cannot quote the internet as the sole aspect of their answer. Their answer needs to be linked into the media area they are talking about (Film, Music, Magazines, Newspapers, Radio, Video Games). E.g if they were talking about newspapers you could link in to their online editions and talk about how this differs from the traditional paper version and the opportunities it presents or if talking about film, candidates could, for example, point to facebook campaigns advertising a film or viral marketing spread via the internet.

Digital projection is convergent technology because films that are produced digitally have moved away from the physical film medium and can be supplied to theatres in digital format (lower costs for distribution versus higher start up costs for theatres switching to digital technology). As the film is in digital format there are also cost savings as potentially less work needs to be done on the film to get it onto Blu-Ray, DVD, internet trailers etc as no physical conversion needs to take place because the film is already in digital format.

Cross Media Convergence is really a Business Studies term and refers to companies coming together vertically or horizontally (or both). The example often cited in exams is of Working Title making use of its parent company(s) to gain access to bigger stars and a better distribution network for their films.

Here are some key words from the exam specification that you will need to apply. Have a read through and see how you can use them in a sentence with your case study.

Synergy basically means working together to achieve an objective that couldn't be achieved independently. Cross-media convergence can help with synergy if companies are wise enough to take advantage of the links they have forged. Disney is an obvious example of a synergistic company from the top down from Film Studio to Kids' TV Channel (where it further plays and promotes its films) to the Disney Store (in the street and online) where your kids can pester you to buy all the merchandise and DVDs/CDs they've seen on the TV/Web or in the cinema. So two or more brands coming together to promote a specific event or product together, thus broadening their audience by reaching the audience of their partner brands as well as their own audience. E.g. Beats by Dr Dre headphones are made by Monster and marketed under the Dr Dre name. Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber have also released under the "Beats" name, therefore people who wouldn't usually buy Monster or Dr Dre products are now attracted to and buy into the brand. Lots of case studies for Grazia e.g. Grazia with Estee Lauder during London Fashion Week.

Tech convergence: Is where a single device enables the user to perform more than one (expected) task or role E.g. the iPhone let's users call, access Twitter, scan 3D barcodes and access augmented reality content, run app's made by Media instiutions, Take photo's, access websites. Thus, technological convergence means accessing and interacting with your chosen media in more than one way and being able to do so on one device rather than many.

Media Convergence: (Not 100% on this) Media institutions delivering their product on more than one media channel. E.g. A magazine firm (say) Grazia or Heat also having a web presence, Twitter, Youtube etc. Same concept but with a focus on media institutions instead of technologies.

For example the use of animation, CGI with real footage - all of Godzilla was mapped out using previsualization (previs) which helped guide the editor in piecing together sequences which often involved merging previs with completed shots.

Task 3 - Blockbuster research and presentations

Task 3 - Presentations begin 23rd February

You need to choose a recent blockbuster film - Spectre, Star Wars the Force Awakens, Mockingjay pt2, Hunger Games, Avengers Age of Ultron, Fast and Furious 7, Jurassic World, Minions

You are going to prepare a presentation - emaze, prezi whatever you fancy. Some information is harder to find than others. Your first stop will be imdb.com, wikipedia and the film's website. Then start doing more in-depth research www.launchingfilms.com (Sight and Sound - guardian/independent reviews etc) and keep collecting everything you find for your film along the way. You need to know your film and the process inside out.

Your research should involve:

Pre-production information (anything that leads up to the filming)
film's press release
Front cover - poster - release date
historical context - any info about the background of the film
General facts - release dates in UK, US - Production Company, Distribution Company, Director, Cast, Production costs, Marketing costs
Institutions -The main institutions involved - production, distributor (what else have they produced, distributed) what is their tv involvement? examples of programmes what is their online involvement? what is their film involvement
Production (stages involved in making the film) Info from director, screenwriter, producer etc look for interviews, locations, sfx, TECHNOLOGY
MARKETING - this is a crucial section as a lot of the questions in the exam will cover this area. If you can find out the marketing budget great if not just focus on how much marketing there was. Any differences between countries?
Upload all the trailers from teasers to final. What were the dates. How many views do they have on youtube? Do you know what films they were attached to?
Posters, billboards, press, radio and tv interviews. Show clips - mention all of them.
MERCHANDISE Any games, clothing, happy meals, cinema prizes, competitions, universal studios or Warner brothers theme parks, board games, arcade games.
Who are they targeting? What do the posters/trailers represent?
ONLINE presence - Facebook sites, twitter feeds - go back through them all and summarise. The website. Any virals? Online games? Mobile games. Unofficial fan sites/games?
Did they win any Golden Trailer Awards? Any cross promotion like Godzilla and the snickers bar / doritos etc https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=godzilla+snickers+commercial
Box Office figures in US and UK/around the world
EXHIBITION AND EXCHANGE- think worldwide here when did it open? opening takings? what else was going on at the time, what time of year and what did that mean? what was its main competition? how many screens? premiere where? reviews popular and high-brow - Any 3D or IMAX or Impact screens? Where was the film most popular? US and UK comparison of takings. When did it become available on 3D, Blu-ray, DVD, Digital downloads. What other formats is it available in? What were the dvd elements? Where is it available for streaming?

Task 2

You need to memorise the names of the Big Six and also update this chart by creating a new one with all the films they released in 2016. They are also known as the majors by the film industry as they have their own team from pre-production to post and their own studios.

It's not just the majors you need to know about you must also research Lionsgate, MGM, Dreamworks and Fox Searchlight. Create a similar chart with those headings.
Choose an independent film company and write what films they produced last year

Task 1 - Top films of 2016

Summarise your findings in a couple of paragraphs on your blog.

1. Look up top grossing films of 2016 - Write down top five and their producers/exhibitors and when they came out.

What are the big six film companies?
Think of the dates and school holidays
Which films are on general release?
What genre of films are there? blockbuster, indie, foreign?
How many are sequels?
How many are blockbusters aimed at a younger audience?
How many were produced by the Big Six?
How many different formats are there? Name them.
What kinds of films seem to be missing?
How many of the film distributors seem to be producers as well?
Who do you think are the target audiences for these?

2. Have a look at release schedule in the UK for December 2016, January 2017 and Feb as we approach awards season and have a big blockbuster lead up in the fall. What are your findings?

www.launchingfilms.com/releaseschedule

Rings prank (to go with fun viral marketing such as Devil Baby, Carrie etc)

BIG SIX MEMORISE THESE

Take this chart and update with all the main successes.

Big Six

When you watch a movie, whether it be at the cinema or in the comfort of your own home, it's seldom you actually think about where the movie was produced and how each film company secured the rights to the movie you're watching on the screen. The movie business is extremely competitive. The six major film companies discussed below comprise 90 percent of the US and Canadian box office revenue. If you're pondering a career in film, you may want to pay very close attention to the statistics below.
And while there are a few "mini-majors" still turning a profit in the industry (Lions Gate Entertainment and MGM for example), it's fairly difficult for film companies to stay afloat while competing with these highly successful empires.

Below you will find the six major film companies (also known as "The Big Six") and a brief description of each:

1. Warner Bros. Pictures. Comprising a whopping 19.7 percent of the US/Canadian market share (2007 figures), Warner Bros. Pictures is the biggest player in the film industry. Securing the rights to major films like Harry Potter, Superman, Batman, The Matrix and Star Wars have made Warner Bros. the No. 1 name in the business.

2. Paramount Pictures. With 15.5 percent of the US/Canadian market share (2007 figures), Paramount Pictures continues to be one of the most successful film production companies in the world. Star Trek, War of the Worlds, the Mission Impossible series, Transformers and Tropic Thunder are just a few of the popular films produced by Paramount Pictures.

3. Walt Disney. One of the most renowned film production companies in the history of the business, Walt Disney now holds 15.3 percent of the US/Canadian market share (2007 figures). With highly successful movies like Pirates of the Caribbean, National Treasure, Meet the Robinsons and Enchanted, there's no doubt that Disney will continue to play a key role in the industry for years to come.

4. Columbia Pictures. Comprising 12.9 percent of the US/Canadian market share (2007 figures), Columbia Pictures remains a big player in the business. Some of this company's recent successes include Casino Royale, The Da Vinci Code, the Spider-Man series and Step Brothers.

5. Universal Studios. 12.2 percent of the US/Canadian market share (2007 figures) belongs to Universal Studios, which continues to make millions for the film industry. With major hits like the Bourne series (Bourne Identity, Bourne Supremacy and Bourne Ultimatum), The American Pie series, Knocked Up, American Gangster and The Incredible Hulk, it's very clear that Universal Studios knows what it takes to make money in this industry.

6. 20th Century Fox. Also known as "Twentieth Century Fox," this highly successful movie production company makes up 11.9 percent of the US/Canadian market share (2007 figures). Some of the biggest and most successful movies from this empire include the X-Men series, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Star Wars Episodes II and III, and the Fantastic Four.

GBHS AS EXAM TV DRAMA AND FILM INDUSTRY (Thursday May 18th AM )

Editing

Camera shots and movement

Film sound techniques

Say well done to this half term's mediameisters...

Students become the Masters

Past exam papers

Task 10 Distribution

Task 9 Film Terminology Quiz