HOW THE FILM INDUSTRY WORKS

HOW THE FILM INDUSTRY OPERATES

WHAT DOES A PRODUCER DO?  They are always looking for great ideas for films that will attract audiences. Once they have seen an idea that will sell, they then make this idea a reality by first developing the project further and getting it released. They don’t just only handle the financial side of filmmaking but they are often the creative and commercial driving force through out the whole project.

WHAT DOES A DIRECTOR DO? They are involved in the creative development of a film and they pitch an idea of a film to the producer and the producer takes the project further. The director then works with the producer to develop this idea into a film.

WHY IS IT IMPROTANT TO HAVE A ‘NAME’DIRECTOR? Because they hold a great esteem in the film industry.

HOW DO AGENTS MAKE THEIR LIVING? They make their living my representing people i.e. directors; they act on behalf of them and get the best deal in return in return for their time and skills and they get a 10% cut.

WHAT ROLE DOES ‘PRODUCTION COMPANY’ PLAY IN GETTING A FILM MADE?  They invest their money into the film and they then ask for right to take the outcome of the development process and involvement in making the film. Their level of involvement could be the full funding of the movie and because of their early involvement they receive a large percentage.

WHAT IS A DISTRIBUTOR?  This helps the film to reach its audience. They ask for the right to distribute the film to exhibitors, retailers, Rental Company and broadcasters. They take a percentage of resulting venues.

WHY IS THE FILM TRAILER SO IMPORTANT?  It sells the key elements of the film to the right audience without giving too much away. It shows the uniqueness of the film and leaves the viewer in doubt about what the film will be like.

WHAT IS A ‘SALES PACKAGING’? WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

WHAT IS’ BUZZ’ AND WHY IS IT IMPROTANT FOR ‘BUZZ’ TO BE CREATED?

CAN YOU GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF A RECENT FILM THAT HAS RECEIVED A GOOD ‘BUZZ’ HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THIS FILM? A resent film that has had a good buzz is sinister. I heard about the film from my mates and I then went to watch the trailer and liked it. The reason I liked the film after I watched it was because the film had a twist at the end. When the family left the house I thought they were safe because they have left the scene of torment but didn’t know that they were still going to die. The jumps were good and the monster (the sinister) was good and it didn’t follow the traditional ‘horror movie’ narrative.

WHAT IS ‘ABOVE THE LINE’ MARKETING?  It is used to get attention from the audience but the message given should effective because if it’s ineffective it could be damaging and it could confuse the audiences which will lead to bad marketing.

WHY ARE ‘NEW MRKETING MODELS’ SO IMPORTANT? It is important because the organisation can make the film easily reach the précised audience. There are so many media distractions nowadays so the film industries use this new marketing model to single out their audiences and make sure the film has the right kind of publicity. An example is advertisement through media texts like television programs presumably watched by the target audience.

WHAT IS ‘PACKAGE SELLING’? HOW MIGHT IT HINDER THE PROGRESS OF INDIE FILM? HOW MIGHT IT HELP INDIE FILMS?

WHY IS FILM OPENING WEEKEND BOX SO IMPORTANT?  It gives an indication to the amount of money it will make. If it’s a good film but won’t make as much money as the cost, not many people will watch it, words of the mouth will not go far and as quickly will flop.

WHY ARE DVD SALES STILL VERY IMPORTANT TO THE FILM INDUSTRY?   This helps increase the audience of a particular film. If a film flops in the cinema it may find a brand new audience with DVD. This increases the audience and publicity of the film.