Distribution

Distribution

Licensing

Licensing is granting permission from a regulatory body to use property rights such as trademarks, patents or technology under defined conditions. Most licenses say that distributers must pay royalties to the director every time a film is shown, meaning he gets a cut of the money made when the film is broadcast each time. A fee is charged to get a license which allows you to release the films and exploit it in different countries, and if the Distributer is able to sell the film to a broadcaster such as sky or ITV then they are offered theatrical rights.

Small independent film companies have no contact to get their films out in to the worldwide market, meaning it can only be shown in one territory, e.g England. Major film companies however have lots of contact and money to be able to distribute to the world wide market and companies such as universal can distribute to all 90 territories.

Licenses are also needed to certify the film, giving it a certificate to the age group it is suitable for, e.g. pg, 12, 12a, 15, 18.

Prints and Advertising

The quantity of prints produced for different films varies depending on the type of film, for instance independent films such 'dead mans shoes' will have a smaller budget allowing them to produce about 10 prints which can then circulate around one country. Major films such as '2012
' will have a much larger budget allowing them to have around 1000 prints, meaning they can distribute it worldwide.

To avertise the film distributors use materials such as posters, trailers and clips, they send these to press releases, interviews and cinemas to get the film out there and to attract audiences. Bigger film companies such as dreamworks will have better contacts meaning they can recieve reputable reviews giving the film better press. They also have a bigger budget so a large amount of the budget can go to promoting the film. Artwork is also used to advertise, such as posters but the most effective are packaging and displays such as billboards and on the side of buses.

Campaigns are also a good advertising method as they use editorials, interviews, reviews and are put into popular magazines, which attracts lots of public attention as it is above the line marketing. They then distribute the trailer which they play at the best time of the day usually between 5pm and 7pm. After the trailer is out they can have a press campaign which major films use, they address the release properly with press campaigns and PR's. Smaller independant film would just rely on below the line marketing such as internet advertisements, email and verbal communication. There are then pre-releases of the film, the method creates excitement making the audience want to go and watch it which is good for the viral marketting.

Digital Distribution

This is purely digital, meaning it is when things are downloaded to a computer. Any downloadable content is digital distribution meaning you will not need prints or reels. the advantages of digital distribution are that in the future it will be cheap, it will also cut costs on prints and reels meaning less of the budget has to be spent, making more profit. It will also reach larger audiences as it is done on computers as there are no limitations on sending it out, this will benefit the independent companies. Although it may cause people to lose jobs if the work with the prints and reels e.g cinemas, print companies.

film marketing

films are usually released on a Friday as statistics show that the weekend is the most popular time for people to go to the cinema. Companies try to avoid releasing films with a similar story line or genre at the same time as there will be clashes which may risk their profit, this however is getting more difficult as on average 10 films are released per week! After the release date is agree the theatrical release is worked on meaning more printing and advertising is produced and distributed to draw attention to the films release. The producers of a film have to pay a fee to allow the film to be on the market, which then allows them to get royalties. Although hollywood blockbusters and working title (who's parent company universal own 70% of their company) have verticle integration. This is a technique used by large companies to cut the distribution costs, as they distribute it themselves meaning they do not have to pay other companies.