Ms Patel: Essay exam question

Discuss the ways in which media products are produced, and distributed to audiences, within a media area, which you have studied. (50marks)

In this essay I will be discussing the ways in which Working Title films are produced and distributed to their targeted audience. I will be focusing primarily on my case study which is the British film production company based in London, Working Title.

A staggering number of films are based on real life events and can capture the imagination of modern audiences, and Producers are always searching for filmable real life events.

Books can often inspire successful films such as the Twilight Saga, Harry Potter and The Hunger Games Trilogy. A successful book such as these few I’ve mentioned and many more can induce publicity and can interest that particular book’s dedicated readers for an adaption into a film that will ensure a return on the investment.

Les Miserables produced by Working Title, is the motion picture adaption of the highly admired global theatre sensation, which is still breaking box-office records globally in its 27^th year. Director by The King’s Speech’s Academy Award winning director, Tom Hooper gives an audience enough of a reason to go and watch it. Viral marketing was used effectively and created an unstoppable buzz throughout the Internet.

Once the Producer has identified if the idea will sell and explode in the box-office, it is their job to make this idea into a reality. In few cases a Director may have an idea for a potential film and will get into contact with a Producer to take the project forward. A Producer oversees the process, which includes coordinating, supervising and taking control in major aspects of the project. The Director will work with the Producer to develop the idea into something that can be filmed. If the Director is well known, this can be a bonus and possibly help them to get a writer who is right for the job. A well known Director can also help the Producer in finding money to develop the script. It is essential the Producer secures a Director with a super reputation. Once a pitch has been written it’ll include all information the producer will read in order to sell the idea to financiers to commission a script.

Before distributing a film it is mandatory that it has been marketed properly so potential audience are more than aware of the film due to come into cinemas. A film could have a spectacular story like no other, but could lose a big deal of money they spent making the film if time, planning, and money hasn’t been invested in the marketing of a film.

A high profile screening at one of the top film festivals can be a great opportunity to generate a buzz around a film. By getting a group of hand picked professionals who know a lot about the film industry talk about the film, the Producer has turned the film and themselves into a hot property. This is essentially a test to measure the audience’s response to the film. If all goes well and positive feedback has manifested virally this will swarm audience once the film has hit the cinemas. Distributors are always searching for what is marketable about a film, and well know stars are the most marketable part of any film. Les Miserables featured a cast that we’re American or in an American Blockbusters, which most defiantly gained the American audience’s attention. Working Title is well known for securing American actors for their films. Hollywood actors are popular and do contribute hugely to the success of a film, which comes with making a large profit. It makes sense to have an all American cast, as it will help re coup all money spent during production when the film launches. Blockbusters all have this in common; it’s what makes them such a success year after year.

There are several established film marketed research companies in the UK an US, who specialize in researching which types of people respond best to a film which relies on the demographics and psychographics of a particular group of people. Film marketing is all about word of mouth. A cinema release of a film is basically a launch event, which the marketing team will make it their job to create heat around a film to ensure it is anticipated before it’s release date and that it will continue to sell after the launch event. Creating positive word of mouth is all about getting the right people talking about a film at the perfect time. Building a campaign is often a race against time to make the audience aware of the film, persuade them to watch it and persuade their friends and family to watch it too. If the marketing team fails to find an appropriate audience to create a buzz about the film before the launch, it will be as though it had never existed, this is a Producer’s nightmare. But if word of mouth is powered long before the launch of the film it can fritter away potential audiences as the heat may of faded. A big percentage of money does need to be put into the marketing side of a production, but this money spent will be recouped as long as the film is a success, which puts tremendous pressure on the marketing team. Marketing includes posters, merchandise, trailers, TV spots and other marketing materials. These can be spotted many times in your usual scheduled day and they are there for one purpose, to sell a film to an audience, this is called above the line marketing. For example, Les Miserables had many posters, which featured the main characters who were all mainly very well known actors in the film industry. This marketing technique increased interest and gained other age groups attention as all these actors have featured in popular Hollywood films.

Cinemas employ specialist staff called Programmers, who watch all films given to them by Distributors. The Programmer selects the right mix of films for the particular venue, based on local audience interests. They choose which films will be on show to watch. They choose which films will be on at that cinema based on what they believe their audience would like to watch. If then the Programmer feels a film is right for their market, the Exhibitor and the Distributor make a deal to determine how many screens the film will be shown in and then decide how much the Distributor will be paid. Once the film has been out in cinemas DVDs, video games and merchandise will be available to buy and watch on Sky Movies and Film 4, which keeps adding to the films profit.

In conclusion, distribution and production of films all change greatly depending on the success of an institution. Mainstream institutions such as Twentieth Century Fox, Warner Bros, Lionsgate and Universal Pictures continue to dominate box office figures ad the future of independent institutions is in potential jeopardy due to funding cuts. Marketing is seen as a complete necessity to create a heat about a film or it will not be a success. Even a big distribution budget can get a film nationwide press and broadcast coverage, which reaches potential audience. The film industry remains to be constantly changing and fluid in its ability to respond to audience’s demands. Working Title has figured out a way, in which to gain them audiences globally, which is to feature American actors just like the successful Blockbusters do.