Art house research

Production: Independent film studios

1) Look back at the five films you have analysed for your existing product research. Find which studios made them – e.g. Film Four, Studio Canal, BFI, BBC Films etc.

• FilmDistrict (presents)
• Bold Films (in association with)
• OddLot Entertainment (in association with)
• Marc Platt Productions (as Marc Platt)
• Motel Movies
• Newbridge Film Capital

2) What other films do these studios produce? Can you find any any other independent, arthouse or low-budget examples?
Film district 
Walk of Shame (2014) ... Production Company
Pompeii (2014/I) ... Production Company (presents)
Wer (2013) ... Production Company
Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013) ... Production Company (presents)
Dead Man Down (2013) ... Production Company (presents)
3) Do the studios have any notable successes? What is the most successful low-budget or independent film the studio has released?
the most successful film that the company has produced is insidious which is a horror movie which is so successful that they made a squeal 

Distribution: Independent film distributors

Read the whole step-by-step guide (warning: this is LONG and will take you around an hour)
1) Summarise the 10 steps of film distribution in a list using your own words.

Introduction

This is where the audience is introduced to the storyline and try to comprehend what will happen throughout the film as it goes along.

1

Lord Puttnam on the role of distribution:

Puttnam's part of dissemination is about attempting to make the biggest measure of individuals to view it. In this manner, they attempt make the trailers a blurbs fascinating.

2

Distributors is very competitive business of dispatching diverse sorts of movies. However its truly hard so the distributes challenge is to:

• identifying its audience
• considering why they'd go and see it
• estimating the revenue potential across all the formats of its release
• persuading exhibitors (cinema operators) to play the film
• developing plans and partnerships to build awareness of and interest in the film
• aiming to convert as much interest as possible into cinema visits

3

The UK has six major distributors and also many independent distributors. And they manage anything that is created outside the major studios. 

4

UK distributors get their films using many different techniques for example;

• a third-party sales agent, acting on behalf of a producer
• a continuous flow of new content from a parent studio
• a studio or production company with whom the distributor has negotiated an output deal covering a slate of titles
• a single title acquired at any stage before, during or after production

5

Make a distribution deal

This is about specifying the rights they hold in respect of the title. These normally include the right to release it in UK cinemas and promote it in all media before and during its release.

6

Planning the release

A plan and an idea has to be created and prepared. 

7

• How is the going to be released?
• When is it coming out?
• Where should it first be released?
• What type of film is it?

8

• Film Marketing 
• There many different ways the film is marketed for example:
•  Websites 
•  Posters
•  trailers
• online advertising
•  Promotions

9

• Licensing films exhibitors 
• This is about trying to see how much the audience enjoyed the film and trying to reach the planned target audience. 
• Through Box office
• Through print or technical manageme

3) Now research the distributors for each of the arthouse films you have analysed for your existing product research. Who distributed each film in the UK?

4) How many cinemas did each film open in?

Donnie Darko
Metrodome Distribution (2002) 
Metrodome Distribution (2004) 

Film Budget

$4,500,000 (estimated)
$728K(US)

Donnie Darko had firstly screened in the Sundance Film Festival

Girl-Hood

• Film1 Spotlight (2015) (Netherlands) (TV) (limited)
• Strand Releasing (2014) (USA) (theatrical)
• Pyramide Distribution (2014) (France) (theatrical)
• $4,500,000 (estimated) 

This Film was first screen played in VUE

drive
Icon Film Distribution (2014) (UK) (theatrical)
around 21 cinemas released in around the world

Film Budget

$2,000,000 (estimated film budget)
$10,100,000 (This was the budget for Worldwide)

It follows was screen in cinemas such as VUE

Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind

Momentum Pictures (2004)
around 20 cinemas released in around the world
Budget

Film Budget

$20,000,000 (estimated film budget)

$49MM(This was the worldwide budget)

External sunshine of the spotless mind was in VUE

5) How much money did each film make? Did it make a profit against the budget?

Donnie Darko - Metrodome Distribution 

Financial plan: $3.8 million 

Film industry: $7.6 million 

Benefit: Yes 

Childhood - Universal Pictures International (UPI) 

Financial plan: $4 million 

Film industry: $46.4 million 

Benefit: Yes 

Unceasing Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Momentum Pictures 

Financial plan: $20 million 

Film industry: $72.3 million 

Benefit: Yes 

Girlhood - StudioCanal 

Financial plan: N/A 

Film industry: $1.7 million 

Benefit: N/A 

drive

Financial plan: $2.2 million 

Film industry: $26.6 million (North America) 

Benefit: Yes

 Ice and the Sky trailer:

This film trailer has allowed me to learn and use different types of sound effects that are non-diegetic, such as whooshes that add suspense and give an epic feeling that sutures the audience, as well as different formats of video such as for e.g. the 4:8 ratio, giving off the old, vintage conventions. The film has also noted to have great cinematography from different angles.

Mia Madre trailer:

  Mia Madre has exceptional cinematography too, especially the panning for a nice, subtle attention. Same as before with Ice and the Sky, non-diegetic sounds such as the muffled song in the background can help suture the audience and ultimately create an intentional emotion that is parallel to the clip.

Kiss of the Spider Woman trailer:

Like all of the previous cinematography shown in Mia Madre and Ice and the Sky, Kiss of the Spider Woman has exceptional use of it too. One thing to take note and definitely use in my film would be the slow panning on a clip of a character's facial expression, just to emphasize and add effect to it. Editing wise, cross fade transitions also allow for a nice effect, a sort of gloomy feeling that would maybe suitable for a memory or flashback.