Evaluation - Question 3

What kind of media institution might describe your media product and why?

What is a Film Distributor?

A film distributor is a company or individual responsible for releasing films to the public either theatrically or for home viewing. Formats that a film distributor may be responsible for could include DVD/Blu-Ray, Downloading (iTunes, Zune), Video-On-Demand (BBC iPlayer, 4oD)

There are 2 different types of Film Distributors: Major Distributors and Independent Distributors.

• Major Distributors - Very big, well know companies (E.g. Universal, 20th Century Fox, Paramount)
• Independent Distributors - Much smaller, less well-known companies (E.g. Pathe, Lionsgate)

I think that our film would benefit more from an Independent Distributor. Major Distributors only really concentrate on big budget films, however Independent Distributors are very good at distributing low budget films and receiving very high profits.  

An example of a low budget film which were distributed by an Independent Distributor (Lionsgate) would be Saw (2003). Budgeted at £1,200,000 and gone onto having gross profits of £103,000,000 and continuing on to produce 6 sequels. 

If Lionsgate were to distribute our film, we would expect it to be available to mass audiences, featuring in multiplex cinemas like Odeon and Parkway, and being made on DVD's and Blu-Rays. 

Marketing

In terms of how we would market our film, I would recommend mainly online, websites like Facebook and YouTube, where masses of people can see it. Also places like Television, newspapers, film magazines and various other forms of media.