During our viewing of the
Film Industry DVD I was able to make notes on the production and distribution roles within the film industry.
The role of the producer is to find the idea, script writer, director, cast and see the film all the way through. The person in this role is described as being 'in the middle' of the production because they are looking at the bigger picture. Additionally, the producer oversees other aspects of the production such as finance. Two elements that this role entails is to protect the director and make everything possible.
Nick Powell talked about the 4 'blocks' in producing:
- developing
- raising money
- making it
- taking it to the screen (distribution)
THE IDEA:
It is imperative that to make a worthy script the narrative must be good and well told for the screen. All scripts start with a big idea that poses the question: what is the writer trying to make reference to? Moreover, the script is described as a blue print that inspires the director - so a beginning, middle and end must be established and each of the characters thought about carefully. One importance that is discussed later in the DVD is matching the narrative to a current 'fashionable' topic to increase the popularity of the film.
THE PACKAGE:
The package is where the director and producer plan who is going to be involved, how they are going to produce the film and how much it will cost; crew, cast and cost. They must find a production team and get the key film makers on board, as well as work out the cost. What's more, the casting of the actors is crucial and often the casting process runs alongside the scheduling process. Finally, 'script development' is the drafting and redrafting of the script about 12-15 times until the director is happy. Elements such as speech, setting and characters are developed and re-developed.
ATTRACTING INVESTMENT:
UK film producers can go to various places for finance: TV companies (BBC film, Channel 4 etc), regional development funds and a group of 3-10 financiers (people who have invested stocks and shares which then invest into other projects). Typically, multiple partners will be used for a film because they don't 'own enough of the pie' to make crucial changes and control the project - which is what would happen if the film was independently financed. Essentially, they can opt for a co-production deal which is where the producers look abroad for investment - this can be found by searching for companies with previous experience in a particular genre or topic.
PLANNING:
The producer's role when planning the shooting schedule of the film is to break it down and find what will be the hardest scene to film. For example, this might be a scene with an inhospitable location like on a moving train at night etc. These are usually the scenes that are planned out first because they will take the longest to film and therefore time needs to be allowed for them. They then find people that are on the 'same page' as them and have similar ideas.
The director's 'right hand' is the cinematographer because they have to convey what the producer is thinking whilst still including their own creativity.
BUDGET:
The budget is significant because the film is based on the finance plan; it affects what the producer can actually do with the film and could restrict them from doing some more expensive things. The budget is broken down into a finance plan table with the cast, location, extras and props which is then filled after the script analysis. This allows everything to be budgeted for accurately and correctly to ensure no money is wasted.
The 'above-the-line' cost is the creative talent package which pays for things like novel rights, producer, writer, director and the major actors. The 'below-the-line' cost isn't the people driving the sales, it's the people that put together the shoot; setting it up, designing it and photographing it.
AUDIENCE:
Some questions that the executive producer should ask of every film are:
- Will this be played in a multi-plex or art house?
- Will this be a local film or played in every cinema in the country?
- Who are we making this for?
- Will they pay money to see it?
- Will the audience cover the cost that it took to make the film?
- Have we produced something the market place will understand?
The audience is so important because if the film isn't what they want to see or if it doesn't meet their expectations then they will not pay to go and see the film. Ultimately, the profit made from the film will decrease drastically as word will spread that the film isn't worth going to see.
MARKETING:
Marketing is considered a hidden cost because it's not often thought about, despite the large sum of money that goes into marketing. The genre has importance when considering the marketing of the film because particular genres are suited to particular events in the year - for example, Halloween films like
Saw and Christmas films like
Elf. The 'need to see' is their way of enticing the audience based on the genre, concept and director - these make the audience feel as though they are missing out if they don't see the film. The most significant difference between the USA film industry and the British film industry is the fact that the US producers begin to think about marketing and selling their film from the outset of making their film, however UK producers think about it after the film has been produced.
The role of the distributor is to bring the film to the market place through the use of a release plan. There are a couple of different ways that distributors can acquire films:
- Seek the films out and acquire the rights to them.
- Visit film festivals and get the film to be seen by as many people as possible.
MARKETING:
The distributor finds the film's USP - unique selling point - or hook. For example this would be the shark that attacks people in Jaws. Genre is important because the audience need to be able to identify the genre.
TARGET AUDIENCE:
The most frequent cinema goers are 15-24 year olds and families. However, the distributor needs to attract as many people as possible.
RELEASE DATE:
The release date is very important because the film must be released when people have the chance to go to the cinema - like the summer holidays etc. The school holidays are popular because films for a younger audience can be released as they will have more opportunities to visit the cinema during this time. Big franchise films like the
Da Vinchi Code and
Spiderman are usually made with a release date in mind.
FILM RESEARCH:
Film research happens because a lot of money is spent making the film and they can't risk loosing money that they have spent on it. Essentially, it involves questionnaires being taken by their chosen demographic which aids them in knowing that the film meets the audience's expectations. Test screenings are also used for the distributors to be able to interpret if the film has met the audience's expectations. This then allows the distributors the chance to let the producers, directors and the studios what they need to do to improve the film.
MARKETING BUDGET:
The budget is decided on using a mixture of guess work and experience. However, once the budget is estimated the actual percentage spent on marketing is 25-30%. The marketing budget is stretched as far as it can go.
ADVERTISING/PUBLICITY:
The advertising/publicity side of things involves three main sections:
- Advertising (media - TV newspaper etc)
- Promotions (media/radio promotions etc)
- Production cost
On the other hand, another way to publicise the film is through the premier; if a big name actor appears then they will cause interest.
THE MARKETING CAMPAIGN:
Distributors often find it hard to get their message to stand out because there are so many marketing campaigns that people will see solely on their way to work - let alone during the day! Some different marketing campaigns can be done through the use of: public relations, the internet, mobile phones, posters etc. But, posters are still the most important marketing tool for a film. Synergy is important because the distributors must create something that the audience can relate to - like bold fonts that are clearly recognisable. It is the public that has to make the connection between the various marketing campaigns.
THE POSTER:
The poster art is vital because it must sell the film topic and genre. The best posters tease the audience by making them aware of the film. A good poster should reveal images that can be known nationally in order for the film to be instantly recognisable.
THE TRAILER:
The trailer is important because it's the public's only exposure to what they'll buy in to when they do to see the film. When they see it before another film in the cinema they are experiencing it in the same format (size, sound and technologies like £D etc) as they will be when they actually see the film - so it could act as a form of persuation.
The three different types of trailer are:
- The Teaser (before the production)
- The Main one
- The Shorter version
The perfect trailer has no dialogue because the visuals should do all the work as the action tells the story. However, it comes down to the mood and tone that should be set; comedies often use voice overs but thrillers/horrora use captions because the voice plays with the mood. Something that's silent has more impact. If the film is in a foreign language no dialogue is used to cover up the fact that it's foreign. This is essentially because they still want people to go and see the film for what it is - instead of miss it because of the hastle to read the captions.
A TV trailer is different - they use the finished film so that a lot more scenes can be used. The TV spot is always short so they only have 15-30 seconds to get their message across. The information that needs to be included is the film's title, who's in it and when it opens.
DIGITAL/MULTIMEDIA:
There are two basic uses of the internet; the first is the websites that are made for the film. These can generate interest in it. Secondly, the viral campaigns that are made (like games, quizes and videos) can be sent from person to person and thus further increase the film's interest.
PR/PUBLICITY:
You can get free publicity for a film through the written reviews of it in newspapers and magazines; if the review is good the likelihood that people will come and see it is increased. It is important how the film is reviewed generally however - not just by one person.
TRACKING:
They are tracking the public's awareness of the film - the percentage of people aware and if they're interested in seeing it. Advertising Campaigns are usually started 6 weeks before the film is due to come out, two weeks after this the tracking figures come out.
Word of mouth is king because the most powerful persuasion for someone to see a film is for a friend to say 'come and see this film'. The distributors can push all their money into a film but the word of mouth takes over - if people haven't had a good time then they'll spread the word that people shouldn't go and see it. Distributors create a 'buzz' by doing advanced screening programmes - where they show a premier to target audience members - so that they can go and tell their friends about it and spread the word.
The opening weekend's three day figure is very important; Friday is the opening day, Saturday and Sunday follow. If the film hasn't made most of their money back by Monday then the film won't be financially successful. This is why Monday is known as 'make or break' day.
