The Film Industry

Production
The producer comes up with the original idea for the film they make the money to make the film, overseeing everything until the end including protecting the director and making everything possible. Nick Powell talks in the dvd about these four areas: development, making money, distribution and release indicating the areas the producer looks after the most.

A good script must include a story line that the target audience can relate to, having a structured begging, middle and end. During the script there normally will be a big event, then a crisis followed by a resolution if these are included and the director feels inspired by the script the film has a better chance of being successful.

For a film to have the best possible chance of success 'the package' has to be right and the people have to mold well together, it includes a good written screen play, the director, a good crew, a well constructed budget, good cast and financial's. script development is when the script is re-done and reconstructed many times until it is perfect for the film.

UK film producers may go to the regional film fund and the BBC's funds for finance. three to ten partners would be a typical amount for a film a co-production might differ this as it means other investments may be found overseas, the negative side to have one investor would be that they would have full control over the film and may try to be in control of everything as they are paying for it, meaning everyone else involved wouldn't have a final decision. In the end the budget a film has will decide which deal the film goes for.

The producer will decide the schedule for the film depending on the features needed within each scene, for instance a hard scene including visual effects or one shot at night or one including a lot of prep would be prioritized  The cinematographer is the directors right hand man because he makes all the directors visions become visible.

The budget ensures that everything will be paid for its cut down by props and anything else in each scene making sure everything has been accounted for. The budget also means the investors can make an informed decision. Above the line costs are key cast members and writers and the director, below the line costs include pre-production and costume designers.

An executive producer should ask about the target audience of every film so they know where to market the film, the audience is so important because that's what makes or breaks any film and makes the money.

Marketing is considered a hidden cost because people don't think about how much it costs to publicize a film to the right kind of people, the importance of genre in marketing is huge because they know how to market it into a specific brand of people and where those people may see the adverts and posters. The time of year is important to create a sense of 'need to see' for the audience, also including branding of big stars in the cast and will be very important for the marketing team to take into consideration when branding. significant differences between Hollywood and UK film are the release date so they know when the money will be coming back in.

Distribution 1
The distributor brings the film to the market place, they sell films at film festivals if their an independent film and if their studio based they will make and distribute within the company.

A distributor will start with the u.s.p of a film when marketing it, such as the unique qualities for example the u.s.p of jaws is sharks, this will help to target the right kind of audience and specify the type of person who would see the film.

Genre is so important because they can then target the right audience who will be interested in the film.

Family are the most frequent audience between the ages of 15-24.

Its so important so the campaign can target at the right time and to the right people, the school holidays are so popular because more kids and their families can go and see the big blockbusters when there is more time to.

Film research is so important because they have to see if the film works financially and if people will like it, questionnaires are used to find out everything they need.

The budget is decided on guess work and experience, 25-30% will be spent on marketing.

The three sections of advertising include production cost, media advertising and promotions (media coverage).

Distribution 2
Distributors find it difficult to get their message out because there is so much competition.

The trailers  posters and the unique look of a film such as the font of the title is the most important marketing tool for any film.

Synergy is so important because it has the same visual elements that everyone knows and recognizes for a specific film.

A poster is so important because it tells the public when the films coming out, it will sell the genre and what its all about and they become aware of the content of the film a good poster will include all these things.

The trailers so important because its the first glance the audience will have of the content, actors, the quality and what they will be paying for, it will give the right impact and stepping stone for the film.

There are three different types of trailer for a film which are:
Teaser- when its in early production
Main trailer- including dates and everything needed to know to someone wanting to watch it
Half trailer- this will come out after the film to keep people interested

The perfect trailer wouldn't have a voice over because the visuals should have a big enough impact alone, but it is genre dependent for example a comedy would have clips to entice and make an audience laugh where as a drama would be silent for a bigger impact.

A television trailer is different because its only 30 secs long and will only include the date, key cast and genre.

Distributors will use an official website, viral marketing and maybe a quiz to make full use of publicizing a film on the Internet.

Free publicity for a film will come with word of mouth and reviews that are put in the papers.

Tracking figures will come 4 weeks before the film comes out, it tracks the public's awareness of the film.

Word of mouth is so important because it will come from someone that the audience can trust and the business rely's on it.

Distributors create a buzz by preview screenings of the film to get the 'word of mouth' out there.

The opening weekend's 'three day figure' is so important because more money has to have been made than any other film that weekend to ensure the film will make lots of money.

Exhibition
In the summer of 2007 cinema attendances rose to the highest point in 40 years because more blockbusters came out than ever before.

One of the main problems in the 21st century is Piracy for exhibitors but digital projection is a positive thing.

Good films has risen cinema audiences and more screening rooms in cinemas, with more screens creating more times and space.

Older multiplex's were out of town because it wasn't economically viable before because of a lack of space they needed good access and parking but there has been a rise in multiplex's in recent years because it is not possible.

Curzon cinemas compete against the competitors because they can provide the right film for that area such as foreign films and art films.

Older people are part of the increasing change in cinema goers.

Film bookers decide where a film goes depending on what type of audience goes there, films are booked 4 weeks in advance and their decisions are reviewed on the monday after the films been released.

With 'mosaic profiling vue cinema found out who and what type of people came to the cinema meaning they could cater for different people in different areas.

People decide on which cinema to go to by what viewing times are available, the location, the facilities  usually the brand of cinema is around the 7th or 8th priority on their list.

Curzon cinemas differentiate themselves by showing intelligent and foreign films.

75% of people who go to watch a film didn't know the brand or name of the cinema they saw it in.

Digital projection will mean a cinema will be able to show more films at more times and will be able to watch sports and concerts as well as films.

3D will change things because it will mean going to the cinema will still be an event to go out, however it will be more expensive, but it will be an experience for the viewer.

The digital screen network will helper smaller exhibitors reach a wider audience because it will be easier to set up.

Cinemas are attempting to differentiate themselves from home entertainment by making it into a spectacle and keeping it as an event and not something too easy.

Key Features of Dramas

Soap Dramas
The key features of soap dramas are that they are long-running serials that are concerned with everyday life. Unlike a series, where each episode has a different plot, a soap will carry at least one storyline through to the next episode.They will often have a cliffhanger just before a commercial break to lead a viewer on to the next part, where as a series will have a definite answer at the end.

Youth Dramas
A youth drama will be aimed at teenagers, the story line will consist of story lines that relate to the younger generation and similar scenarios that young people might be in, such as relationships, drugs, pregnancy and friendships. They will target their audience with striking, social issues including a wide variety of character backgrounds.

Crime Dramas
There are two main types of crime drams, one off mini-series (consisting of around 3 episodes) and a long running series. A long running series will have a sub-plot throughout, building up characters relationships. Some crime dramas will focus on police inspectors and police units as a whole.

Fantasy Dramas
Fantasy dramas will consist of magic as a main theme or mystical creatures, many will take place in an imaginary world. These worlds will be filmed on a set therefore costing a lot to produce one episode with more imaginary props and backgrounds. The plots are often based on myths and historical dreams.

Medical Dramas
Medical dramas tend to be set in a hospital they run similarly to a soap where the actors who work there are the same and have build up on relationships and friendships. Each episode their will be new patients and clients, but they don't tend to carry into another episode unless it i s a two part episode. They tend to be quite gory and have high action sequences.