Film Distribution

Film Distributors: §A film distributor is a company/ individual who is accountable for the advertising of a film. The distributor may set the release date of a film and the way in which a film shall be displayed/ made available for viewing. The best examples of this are: video on demand (VoD), DVD/Blu-ray, TV and download. A distributor may well do this independently, but this is only if they own theatres to do so otherwise it will be done through other theatrical exhibitors.

What are the film distributors main objectives?: The main objective of a distributor is to persuade the exhibitor to essentially ‘buy’ a film. With this in mind, a distributor will often organize industry screenings for exhibitors, and will use other marketing techniques that will make the exhibitor a) want to show the film and b) make a profit from the film

What else do film distributors do?: After this, the distributor will:

-Secure a written contract, which specifies the amount of the gross ticket sales to be paid to the distributor

-Collect the money

-Review the exhibitor's ticket sales (this is to ensure the gross informed by the exhibitor is precise)

-Secure the distributor's share, and diffuse the remaining money to the production company/others

-In most cases this is a set amount but may be varied depending on the film.

Distributing for everyone to see: -The Film distributor must therefore create enough advertising for their film. They may do this such as advertising on media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, etc Thet may also put adverts on buses, at bus stops, hand out leaflets, packages, merchandise and more. 

Here are some adverts on the way Harry Potter has distributed their movie: 

Film Premiers are also a great way to promote the movie because it brings together all the fans and if they enjoyed this event then they can pass it on their friends and other people, creating interest in a larger number of people, thus spreading the word of the film.

What must a film distributor think about?:  §A film’s first weekend in cinemas is vital for further success; most films gain 30% or more of its entire box office during the first three days, which is why it is important to get the marketing correct.

§Film distributors must think about:

§Who is the audience?

§Who does the film speak to?

§Do the story, characters and situation attract the audience?

§Does the film make up for the cost (risk) of a theatrical release?

§What sort of audiences have similar films attracted recently?

§These are all very important and explains why many distributors may only release  1-2 a year and others may release 20-30.

The different scenes and settings of distribution:§Different releases are accomplished in diverse ways. A blockbuster release may open simultaneously on 1000 screens UK-wide playing at two or more screens per multiplex: this includes large scale sequels or star led holiday releases  and therefore helps to accommodate mass audiences eager to see a film at the earliest opportunity. Sometimes, a single print can service multiple screens if they are ‘interlocked’.

Pink Panther Opening Film Credits

At the beginning we are introduced immediatly to the main motif/ character of the film which is the Pink Panther, and the dark background with the spotlight diverts our attention directily at it which makes us focused. The pitch blackness is also effective because we are not distracted by any other actions but the panther- which is the important character. We see the opening credits while there is acton of the Pink Panther and they are not separate (i.e. just the credits). I think that this is effective because it is entertaining and so therefore we are motivated to watch it.
Another thing I found interesting was when the character actually interacted with the credit titles and crashed them with his hand. This connects the credits with the animated characters and therefore makes us pay more attention to them. When the actual title of the movie came on, the colours is parralel to the film as it is pink and the letters are also really long and extended so reinforce the character of the panther.
Overall, I thought that this was a successful way to present the opening film credits because some of the other films I watched were quite boring, but because there is an animated action in the background which is more visually entertaining. The music is parralel to the action we see because it is fun and matches the detective character.

Continuity Editing

Continuity editing

Continuity editing is also referred to as invisible editing, is a technique of cutting used to maintain clear and continuous action by following a set of rules. This is all done in the post-production stage.  I think this is very effective because it creates a sense of fluidity when the viewers are watching a film/ programme and so they barely notice the edits.  One reason that this is used is to try and make the film as real as possible and so the audience can be drawn into a world which is realistic and not obvious that they are watching a film.  
What is also effective and unique about this type of editing is that it allows the audience to see a wide shot cut to a close-up shot; something our eyes cannot do in real life. Without continuity editing, the film may not be as fluent to watch but this type of editing allows the viewers to fully immerse and follow the story.  

This is an example of continuity editing from an episode of Eastenders because a lot of the shots can be from a close-up shot to a long-shot etc and change really quieckly without actually noticing the editing techniques. This is used as a way of retaining our concentration and making us merge in with the characters and the way they are feeling/reacting. It allows us to feel like it is reality and not like we are actually watching a programme, making us want to watch more and more.

Match on action 

This is also an editing technique for continuity editing where one shot cuts onto the other portraying the same action as in the first shot.  This creates the impression of a sense of continuity and fluidity which draws the viewer’s attention away from slight cutting or continual issues. All this says to the audience is that when one shot ends another will pick up where the other left off making the reality of the film fluid and continuous.

The clip above from Victor Flemings The Wizard of Oz (1939) shows an example of this match on action. Miss Gulch is seen riding her bicycle, moving to the right, for the majority of the short clip., then at the cut we see her riding her bicycle coming in the direction towards the viewer. The speed at which she is riding does not change, which adds to the continuity and flow of the one shot to the next. These shots may have been recorded at different times but the match on action technique makes them flow and connects them more. We know that while the camera cut to a different angle of view the entirety of the clip shown is meant to be taken as a single action (riding the bicycle) happening at the same point in time.

Establishing Shot

This type of shot may be basic but is actually most commonly used. It is a way of establishing a scene so that the audience are aware of where the action is taking place.

The above clip comes from Shashunk, where is shows an overview of the prison. We as an audience are able to see where this is set and as we focus more into the shot we can see the prison, which the main building where the majority of the film is set so we need to be familiarized with it, demonstrating the importance of this setting.

POV- Point of View Shot

This shot tries to place the camera as a character, making the audience have physical mass inside of the film reality and creating tension because we feel most of the time we are spying on a character.  
For example, at the end of the clip from Halloween we get a POV where we feel that we are entering the house ourselves.  The eerie music and hearing the sound of the footsteps adds to the tension and we except some violence to happen as this is a thriller movie.

Often this effect is employed to help the audience empathize with the main character, or to restrict their view strictly to that of the characters.

Eye-line Match

This is where we see the character looking at something but we as an audience do not know what this is, adding tension because we are eager to find out what it is that we’re missing out. Then the camera shows a shot of what the character was looking at, matching their eye-line.
The clip below shows a good example of an eyeline match where we see the character looking at something which she appears to be extremely shocked but the audience have not seen it yet. 

Shot-reverse shot

Shot reverse shot is a continuity editing technique used mainly in conversations of characters. This shot shows what the character is supposedly looking at (either at a POV or filming from their shoulder) and is followed by a reverse shot of the character themselves looking at the person talking to them. Shot reverse shot often ties in with the 180 degrees rule to retain continuity by not distorting the audience’s sense of location of the character’s in the shots.

An example is the clip below where we see a shot reverse shot of one of the characters talking to another person filmed from the shoulder of each character. 

Parallel Editing

Parallel editing is a technique of alternating two or more scenes that often occur simultaneously but in different locations. This is effective because it creates suspense and is just more visually entertaining and interest to watch than if they were shown in order of what happens. It also gets the sense that it is a high budget film where thought is being put into the editing process and in return has a great effect of being visually interesting.
The following is a popular and famous example of parallel editing from The Silence in the Lambs. Many different scenes are shown one after the other to create the climax and draw the viewers in because they see action from different locations and gain more information about what is happening.