There are six majors that operate in Hollywood :

Major film studio is a movie production and distribution company that releases a substantial number of films annually and consistently commands a significant share of box-office revenues in a given market. In the North American, Western, and global markets, the major film studios, subsidiaries command approximately 90 percent of the U.S. and Canadian box office

Hollywood Film Industry

Lesson Aims

To understand the requirements of Section A Producers and Audiences.

20%

Two questions one will be audience based the other will be industry based.

Select one question using the stimulus material as you need to spend 45mins doing the following:

1. Analysing the material and explaining how it highlights some of the issues you have covered.

2. Bringing in your wider knowledge of case studies (in class and your own)

3. Your own experience of film consumption and using all of these points to answer the question set.

Production

• Production refers to the actual process of making a film.

• This covers everything from buying a script to securing funding to overseeing the film’s ‘shoot.’

• This is done by the production company such as Universal, Columbia, Warner Working Title, Warp Films.

Production

THE FILM PROCESS

PRODUCTION

DISTRIBUTION

EXHIBITION

There are three distinct areas of the film industry.Each one of these could be viewed as a type of

media institution.

What happens at each stage?

kidulthood

• Production involves the creation of the media product and is the responsibility of the PRODUCTION COMPANY

• This includes all pre-production, production & post-production processes.

• Before that the writer/director/producer must find finance for a film – which may come from one or many production companies (a co-production)

Kidulthood had a production budget of £600,000. This budget was mostly provided by director Menhaj Huda and producer friend George IssacWhy would this film have found it difficult to get finance from a production company?

Some of this budget was funded by the UK Film CouncilHow much was given to the film for production and distribution? What criteria did the film have to meet to be awarded the funds?

•Film distributors are responsible for prints and marketing:PRINTS – producing physical copies of a film for cinema/home release and finding the exhibitors/retailers to sell the filmMARKETING – raising audience awareness and anticipation of a new release

•A distributor may:-Be a part of the same parent company as the production company-Have a long term arrangement with a production company and provide financial assistance for many of their productions-Provide financial assistance for a single film by a production company-Acquire a film after it has completed production

•A film will likely have different distributors for:-Releases in different countries-Cinema Release-Home-Video Release

Revolver Entertainment distributed Kidulthood

Although heavily promoted there was limited distribution of the film, why?

• Exhibition is divided into two sections:- Cinema – the distributor is paid by the cinema

for a copy of the film- Home – the distributor is paid by the company

who is selling the film for a copy

• A film’s success is often decided on the amount of money it makes during it’s cinema release. This is known as the Box Office Takings

• Home Exhibition is becoming an increasing valuable and varied source for distributors to increase profits.

WHAT METHODS OF HOME EXHIBITION CAN WE THINK OF?

Kidulthood made just £454,000 at the cinema It was far more successful on DVDWhy would this film be more successful on DVD than in the cinema?

SORTING OUT KEY TERMS

Ownership of institutionHow the way the company is owned effects the type of films it produces.

Cross Media Convergence The use of multiple media forms by a media company to increase the awareness of or possible audience for a media product. For example, the BBC show Eastenders on their TV channels, then make them available on the internet through BBC iPlayer for a further seven days. A single company will often own all of the media forms.

SynergyWhen two or more institutions promote their products on one media text. Business deals are created between institutions who stand to benefit from reaching the same audience at the same time. Product placement in films (where for example, James Bond might be denoted wearing an Omega watch) and the promotion of stars and their songs through TV advertisements for other products are good examples. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R22qigXhFjk

New Media TechnologyThe emergence of digital, computerized, or networked information and communication technologies in the later part of the 20th century. Most technologies described as "new media" are digital. This is simply a quicker, smaller, more efficient and compressed form of data-storage when compared with older analogue methods.

Proliferation of contentAn increase in the number of films being made over the last 30 years

Technological convergence The combination of a variety of different digital technologies into one piece of hardware e.g. a PCwhich can show DVDs, digitally edit, using a camera take video footage and using the internet,download films

ProductionHow films are made in terms of appeal to audience, effect of ownership and technologies used

DistributionIn the film business, the term "distribution" refers to the marketing and circulation of movies in theatres,and for home viewing (DVD, Video-On-Demand, Download, Television etc). This will usually bethrough a cinema first and then onto DVD and download, although some films are released straight toDVD.

MarketingThe process of creating and raising audience awareness of a new film. It is part of the responsibility ofthe distributor, along with circulation, after they have acquired a film. The objective of film marketing isto stand out in an environment that is competing very fiercely for the audience’s money. This does notsimply mean against other film campaigns, but the marketing of any other product too. Split into threesections – advertising, publicity and promotion.

ExhibitionExhibition is the retail branch of the film industry. It could relate to public cinema exhibition or privatehome exhibition through DVD or downloads.

SORTING OUT KEY TERMS

Lesson Aims

To understand the requirements of Section A Producers and Audiences.

20%

Two questions one will be audience based the other will be industry based.

Select one question using the stimulus material as you need to spend 45mins doing the following:

1. Analysing the material and explaining how it highlights some of the issues you have covered.

2. Bringing in your wider knowledge of case studies (in class and your own)

3. Your own experience of film consumption and using all of these points to answer the question set.

20%

Key information I must know about to answer this question.

Industry Audience

How the US Film Industry operates in particular Hollywood and the impact of this on UK Audiences

How UK and US Films finance, distribute, market and exhibit films using specific case studies

How the British Film Industry operates and maintains independence, and profitability

Film demand and supply in the UK today

Film consumption by audiences, cinema going, home cinema and the internet, digital technology

The importance of genre and stars for audiences

INSTITUTION

Film

AUDIENCE

How do audiences ‘read’ films? Attraction of stars

and genres?

How does the industry perceive audiences? How do they reach their target audiences

Key information I must know about to answer this question.

Industry Audience

The relationship between the two and who is more powerful in driving the industry.

The impact of new technologies in the industry

The effect of other industries and the availability of Bollywood, Independent and Low Budget films

Re-Cap…......... How much do you remember????????

Who are the six major film companies in Hollywood?

What is a tent-pole film and give an example?

What is a mainstream film?

What is an independent film?

What is a niche audience?

How are independent and specialised films releases different to tent-pole or mainstream?

The Hollywood Film Industry

Are all conglomerates

Produce the most films very year

Make the most money every year

Use synergy/cross promotion/ horizontal and vertical integration

Spend more money making films than promoting them

True or False?

True

True

True

False

False

There are six majors that operate in Hollywood :

Major film studio is a movie production and distribution company that releases a substantial number of films annually and consistently commands a significant share of box-office revenues in a given market. In the North American, Western, and global markets, the major film studios, subsidiaries command approximately 90 percent of the U.S. and Canadian box office

Hollywood Film Industry

The UK box office top ten in full:

1. (-) Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows - £3,827,6972. (-) Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chip-Wrecked - £2,361,8673. (2) Arthur Christmas - £1,345,2384. (1) Puss in Boots - £1,297,9985. (3) New Year's Eve - £846,7616. (4) Hugo - £387,2087. (5) Happy Feet Two - £343,5638. (6) The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 - £327,2539. (8) A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas - £109,06310. (7) My Week with Marilyn - £89,207

Task- 25minsTask: Look at your two Items of stimulus material and answer the following questions:

What do the two items suggest about Hollywood's dominance over UK audiences?

Consider the following in your response:

Group these together in terms of genre are their similar genres?Who are the audiences for these films?Select three of these and explain why they may be sold on the back of stars alone?How many of these have you seen and in what format?How many of these are you aware of even if you have not seen them?Select three films and explain why you think they have been so successful.

Why is Hollywood Film so dominant?

Genre models

Stars

Power and Heavy marketing and cross promotion strategies

Targeting audiences

Case Study Materials

Next Monday we will look at specific case studies of how Hollywood and Independent Films have been:

Produced

Distributed

Marketed

ExhibitedHOMEWORK- Ready to present next Monday-Choose a

Hollywood Film to investigate the following

1) Genre/Target Audience/Stars

2) Company - financed and distributed

3) Box Office takings

4) Outline the marketing Campaign – (release strategy, trailers, cross promotion, synergy, horizontal integration, merchandise, viral campiagn)

• Wall E• Cloverfield