Q3. WHAT KIND OF MEDIA INSTITUTION MIGHT DISTRIBUTE YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT AND WHY?

Due to the production values of our opening sequence, such as our very low budget, distributing our film independently would be most suitable. The reason for this is simply because of the budget, meaning blanket release on a global scale would not be possible without a considerate effort to raise funds from various film distributors; this consequently would require a huge amount of time and has elements of very high risk if the distributors are not willing to fund the film.

Because of this, our best option would be to distribute the film through a relatively small, more local film institute, operating mainly in England. This option would give us more of a chance to secure a distribution deal with more of a chance of targeting a more niche, loyal audience which often comes with independent film institutes such as Vertigo Films, consequently achieving a overall more successful distribution method and film.

Hollywood conglomerates such as The Big Six may not be willing to distribute our independent production as there may be substantial risk for many reasons. They may believe our production would not reach the mass core target audience for reasons such as the fact there is no A-listers involved within the film and because production values like the budget are low, they would not be a success like other mainstream or tentpole films like The Hobbit franchise. Due to these facts, distributing the film through horizontal integration and synergy- used by most film conglomerates may lose these large companies money.

Although in the attempt of distributing through Vertigo Films there will be a considerate amount of competition, I do believe this is the most suitable method. Vertigo Films has always had a particular interest in solely British film, a category in which our film falls under, this includes various successful and cult films such as Bronson (2008) and Monsters (2010). Furthermore, they are also not as small scale as other independent British film institutes like Verve Pictures for example, giving us the opportunity to branch further than just the England and become known in more territories, again like ‘Monsters’ did.

Who might your film secure a distribution deal with?

Would you consider your work to be in the style of independent film or would it be produced as part of an industrial model?It is quite clear from our film opening that it is in the style of an independent film. The primary reason for this is because of the inexpensive prosumer equipment used such as our camera, a Nikon 600D costing on average £300-£400, which compared to cameras used for industrial film like a Panaflex Millennium, used for example in The Dark Knight (2008) which costs around $1500 per day to rent. This leads on to how our low budget also suits the independent film style, this is because industrial, Hollywood film averages a budget of around $140 million, while independent film will always operate with films of a low budget of on average $750 thousand- showing the budget to be commensurate with target audience, to achieve a return of 3 times of budget in order to make profit in invest in a possible next film.

Moreover, our unusual choice of location and expressive camerawork displays a more indie style of filmmaking, an example of this is through the strange canted angle shots which may not be as commonly occurring in blockbuster horrors. Finally, due to our small group used in the entirety of creating the film opening and the more basic editing software used, this piece has clear connotations of an independent production, compared to industrial film which could have up to hundreds of people involved in the production and editing of a film.

What might be their strategy in connecting your film to a target audience?

From traditional methods of distribution, entering our film into a film festival such as Raindance or simply the BFI film festival would be the first step to secure an audience. This is because it is an effective way of targeting niche audiences and getting our film more widely recognised. From here, as Vertigo Films is already quite widely known, this film can start to integrate, possibly using vertical integration into a larger market territory. However, it is important to keep the costs low as the budget will not be high, this rules out many traditional methods of distribution such as television adverts or cinema trailers as this can be very costly. Instead, Vertigo could more cost effective methods of distribution. (Continued on next slide).

What might be their strategy in connecting your film to an audience? (Continued)

A more effective strategy of distribution could be through Web 2.0 and viral marketing. Due to recent advances in technophiles around the world and the boom of those using social media, the internet could be the ideal way of connecting to an audience for next to no cost. This can include a website, our movie based videos as well as creating a ‘buzz’ on social media. This will work due to evidence from other films that followed this method and lead to huge success, an example of this being Prometheus (Scott, 2012) which globally grossed over $403 million. Prometheus used a website, special featured videos with characters from the film and consequently creating a buzz on social media.

Some examples of the ‘hype’ for Prometheus on Twitter.

From this, Vertigo could adopt the use of platform release for the film, possibly experimenting if the film will be a success, the first step maybe being making the film available in independent cinemas, such as Curzon Cinemas. This may be suitable as Curzon often uses independent films to distribute so the chance of this is more likely. However, symbiotic promotional activity could also be used, this could be made through Vue Cinemas, who have already used this previously for films such as StreetDance 3D which consequently has gone on to start a franchise due to its success.

Where might your distributor choose to try and exhibit your film?

The use of Curzon Cinema could be beneficial and effective in exhibiting the film to audiences. This is because the company also provides a video on demand service, providing this film on both these platforms at the same time is unusual but could target a wider audience as not just those who live near to a Curzon Cinema can access the film, with the addition of this VOD service, it can be reached globally making it more accessible.

Alternatively, a more unusual exhibition strategy may also be effective. This is because independent films often adopt complex, ‘indie’ marketing strategies as audiences are harder to reach than with industrial film. An example of this is A Field in England (2013) which uniquely exhibited the film by simultaneous release, releasing the film on all platforms such as VOD, specialist cinemas, DVD and television. This alternative exhibition strategy which challenges the hegemonic model of distribution of genre films caught the attention of a wider audience than expected, grossing around $33 thousand, considered as an unexpected but substantial success for this independent film. From this, it is evident that a more complex release strategy may be a decision made by the distributor, to create a buzz and make the film more popular.