Homework sheet 1

Production

It starts with an idea. A story is then made through the expansion of ideas. A storyboard of the film is then made to plan the timeline of events. Storyboarding also helps you to think about what shot types may be the most effective for the section of the story you are showing.You then have to get a feel for the tone of the movie you are producing. Play around with animation. Think about the tones and colours that might be prominant. For example, a sci-fi film such as Lord of the Rings may focus on tones such a green and blue lights. Once you have assembled a crew for all the various jobs, cast the characters of your film. When pitching the idea, you will already have an image of what you want each character to look like in your head, try to get as close to that as possible to make your image a reality. After that, you need to find a location that is suitable for shooting various scenes in. You also may need to set up your backdrop or setting if it is an inside setting. You then need to film your movie and edit it, keeping in mind the 180 degree rule and match cuts! Once edited, you can then add suitable music and sound effects to create some extra oomph! You must add your credit sequence at the end, too. After all this, you can can make a teaser trailer. This is highly reccomended and is usually a good way of getting your movie out there.




Distrbution
Firstly, the studio makes a licensing contract with the distributing company. They then screen the film to potential buyers who represent the various theatres. The theatre representatives then decide if they are interested in screening the film at their cinema. They then make a lease agreement with eachother. A couple of days before the days of genereal release, they send the prints of the film to the theatres. The theatre then screens this show depending on the public reaction and their lease agreement. People then buy tickets and watch the movie! After this, the theater sends the print back to the distribution company and makes payment on the lease agreement.

 
Marketing

There are endless ways a movie can get itself out there to the general public. However, before they begin marketing, they should think about their target audience. For example, billboards may be best for an older target audience, as they will be most likely to drive on the moterway daily. A film for teens may be advertsied on buses and the tube, as many young people are students and travel to their place of education. Other ways of advertising are things such as playing the trailer on tv, advertising in magazines (which will have to be chosen carefully to reach the intended audience, for example, a chick flick advertising in 'Now' or 'Reveal' would be most beneficial to the sales/promotion), creating a website, advertising on Youtube videos etc. Marketing is very expensive, and over 12 million pounds was spent on this sector in 2012. So alternative ways of marketing may be done by producers with smaller budgets or independent films.

Convergence is a very powerful way of marketing today. The internet reaches such a mass audience, and some aspects of marketing on the internet can be free or very cheap, for example making a page of Facebook or Twitter and promoting your movie from there.

 
Exhibition
The Film Value Chain
- Theatrical Launch: The film is released in the agreed theatres. An opening weekend is said to be crucial for the success of the film.
- Non-theatrical lisence: This refers to the public screenings of the films which take place outside of the normal cinema. This can be done in hotels, aeroplanes and coaches.
- Home entertainment: Films are released on DVD/ Blue Ray or legally made available for download.
- Free air to TV: After some time, the film will be released and scheduled on TV year after year.
- Licensed Merchandising: A brand sold to manufacturers of merchandise to use their brand on their products.