Key assignment

The Film Chain

Development

There are numerous stages involved in the production of a film.

The first stage is development. This is where all the ideas for the film are produced and they may begin to think about where they will source their budget for their film. The outlines of the film are produced for example characters and scenes and the screenplay (written instructions about what happens in a movie) is produced. Also if the ideas are based on a true story, book or play then they need permission and to buy rights to these.

Pre-production

This is where the script is finalized and all actors and film crew are hired. Venue and equipment are prepared and all props are planned and organised. A production budget is also drawn up to plan expenditure 

Production

This is where the actual film footage is recorded.

Post Production

This is when all the footage is put in order and sound is added, footage is also overdubbed at this stage and special effects etc is added. Once this is all done the film is complete and ready to be distributed.

Producers

In america the most popular producers are Dreamworks animations, Twentieth century fox, Universal studios, Paramount pictures, Warner bros and Walt Disney.

Ownership of the film studios means the studio will be more likely to make films of the owners orference or what makes the owner the most money, e,g, big blockbuster films rather than independent films.

An independent production is a film which is often made on a considerably lower budget and has a limited budget with not much marketing or publicity.

Distribution

Distribution is when a film is made public so it is available for public viewing. This can be done through cinema, whereby the film is bought by cinemas and available for viewing from the release date until roughly 4 months after the release date. A professional distributor s hired in order to make deals with cinema companies and finalize release dates etc. The traditional way of releasing a film in first in cinema and then after sixteen and a half weeks in cinema it will be released on DVD. Now films may be distributed straight through the internet and DVD, rather than going through the cinema.

Films may also go to film festivals, these are events where the latest films are evaluated, this can be used to market and publicize films, one of the most famous one being the film festival in Cannes. A distributor has to carefully choose the release date of their film, the need to release their movie at times best for their audience in order to make the most revenue. For example a horror will be best released on Halloween in order to attract the biggest audience and hence sales.Distribution is essential because if the film is not distributed no one will watch it and therefore no revenue will be made!

Marketing

Marketing is selling the product to the audience, not literally but theoretically. Distribution is the literal selling of the film to the audience.

For example:

Hollywood movies also appeal to foreign audiences, this is why alterative trailers are produced where either subtitles are used or words in the original trailer is substituted with music. e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zrBlaw8KM4 

Exhibition

Audiences can see films through,

cinema

internet

dvd

blue ray

tv

netflix etc

The box office is  concerned withall the cinema views for a film. Box office can represent how successful as film was as you can tell how many people watched it etc. As a film gets older the more the cinema makes however the revenue from the success in the first few weeks is mostly eaten up by producers rather than cinema. Cinemas make money through snacks etc.

Ancillary markets are ways of viewing a film other than cinema.
BFI is the british film industry, they support the making of uk films and encourage more uk film  releases.