The Role of the Distributer

The film industry aims to create an enjoyable experience for its audience, but the most vital part of achieving this is to actually distribute the film; the distribution engine which aims to attract an audience and to convince them that their film is one that they must watch. It is the distributors job to find the largest audience possible for every film produced.They are the vital linchpin of the 'value chain' that drives the film industry.

There are around 500 new titles released every year in the UK alone, but research put forward by Lord Puttnam suggests that most cinema goers already know in advance which films they want to see before they are even released, and it is important for distrubutors to create this awareness in order for the audience to develop an interest in seeing the film.

In recent years the methods of advertising, creating films, and even showing them has changed dramatically, advances in technology has allowed different methods to be put into practise and has remodelled the ways that people interpret cinema. This digitalisation has allowed advertising to become much easier and identification of audience to be much more specific, it also allows the audience a much wider range of choice when it comes to films.

Distribution plan

In order for distributors to bring each film to the market they must follow specific steps to effectively create awareness of a film. These are as follows:

• Identify an audience
• Consider why they would watch the film
• Estimate a revenue potential across all formats of the release
• develop plans and partnerships to build awareness and interest
• Aim to gain as much interest as possible into cinema visits
• Persuade exhibitors (cinemas) to play the film

Like most forms of entertainment the film business is product driven; the films are the main reason to buy tickets. Cinemas still remain the best way to create demand to see a film and have the most impact. Film makers desire to get their own films broadcasted in this way and allows audiences to share a uniquely immersive uninterrupted experience.

After the initial release of a film it is important for distributors to continue the audiences interest in a film, usually by releasing it onto different formats that the audience can take full advantage of and use to suit their own needs. Three main ways to do this are as follows:

1. Digital home entertainment; online stores and DVD/Blu-Ray
2. Various pay-per-view methods and subscription television
3. Free to air TV; films that can be repeatedly shown each year

The overall lifecycle of a film is shown below:

• Producer/company acquires the rights to film a narrative
• The Screenplay is developed by writers
• Production finance and cast and crew are chosen
• Principal photography takes place, in studios and chosen locatios followd by post-production work such as editing and scoring
• Distributor develops a release strategy and takes delivery of a master print of a finished film
• Distributor presents the film to the exhibitors and negotiates agreements to have it shown in cinemas
• Distributor's marketing campaign tries to convince the target audience to watch the film
• Film prints including the BBFC certificate are delivered to cinemas before the opening
• Film's run extends any number of weeks subject to demand, which could increase through additional marketing
• The film is released in other formats and becomes a catalogue title

Films that distributors release can be obtained from various sources such as a third party sales agent, a continous flow of new content from a parent studio, a studio with whom the distributor has negotiated a ouput deal covering a slate of titles and a single titled acquired at any stage before during or after production. 

See this link for further details: http://launchingfilms.tv/acquisition.php?video=1&autostart=1