Evaluation of Finished Production - Question 3

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

After some research, I have found several different film companies and institutions that could potentially distribute our film. I have researched into companies that have produced psychological thrillers in the past, and also companies that distribute a wide variety of films.

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation would be an obvious choice. They are probably the most well-known film company in the world, and produce many hit films every year. Their success is mind-blowing, and any film produced by them is at an immediate advantage. Some of the films distributed by the company include: 'Avatar', 'The Simpsons Movie' and the classic 'Sound of Music'. The company's success appears set to continue as films such as 'X-Men: First Class' and 'Titanic 3-D' are scheduled for release in the coming years.
A problem with this company, however, is that few low-budget films are produced by them. Many of the films released by Twentieth Century Fox are high-budgeted, visually spectacular blockbusters. As our film would have a low budget, and no Special FX, it would be extremely difficult for us to sell our film to the company. Therefore, Twentieth Century Fox is not the best option for our film.

Universal Studios is another well-known company that could possibly distribute our film. The company has produced many notable films including: 'Dracula', 'Frankenstein', in 1931, and more recently 'Drag Me To Hell' and 'The Fourth Kind'. Moreover, Universal Studios are set to release other thriller movies, which include the tongue-in-cheek 'The Cabin in the Woods', and -thriller-sci-fi-action-romance film "The Adjustment Bureau. This company would be a great choice, as the films they produce span a wide range of budgets and visual effects. However, there would be stiff competition for funding from the company.

Dimension Films are another company that could distribute our film. After being founded in 1992, the company has set upon distributing a number of movie franchises, which include the latter 'Halloween' films, 'Scream' and the horror spoof 'Scary Movie'. If the movie were to be produced with this company, there is a high possibility of a sequel, and 'Lost Signal' could potentially become a franchise, much like the films stated before. Dimension Films work closely with Miramax Films, which means that our film may be backed by two companies, rather than one.

Miramax Films works a lot with Dimension Films. Working with either company would be a great option. However, prior to 2010, the company had not produced a film for five year. Only four films have been released since December 2005, all of those coming in the latter half of 2010. Moreover, only two films have been scheduled for release in 2011. This means that if our film is released by the company, the institution's full attention will be on our movie. On the contrary, though, the lack of releases could indicate a downwards spiral of the company.

Hammer Film Productions is a company that is known for its collection of horror films that dominated the genre from the mid-1950s through to the 1970s. The company was in hibernation from the 80s onwards, but was recently purchased by John De Mol. The company have since made films such as 'Let Me In' and 'The Resident' which is in post-production stages.

Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation is a possible option. The company boast films such as the 'Saw' series, 'Dogma' and 'Fahrenheit 9/11'. The company seem to produce a lot of movies, which would indicate that there would be a lot of competition to get our film distributed by them.

Another method of distribution would be using the internet. Hammer Film Productions recently released 'Beyond the Rave'. The film was released in twenty sections, with each section lasting four minutes. The videos were released onto the then popular Myspace, and gain a great deal of attention. This is one possible route we could go down if we were going to create and distribute the entire film.

The same idea could be carried out on other websites too, such as: Youtube, Blogger, Wordpress, Facebook and many other regularly visited sites.

Below are two advertisements for television shows aimed at the same audience our thriller is directed towards. The first video is the 'Skins' trailer for the fifth series, and the second video is for the Christmas Edition of 'Misfits'. Both of these are effective means of propaganda.
The first video is an introduction to the newest series of 'Skins'. This means that the video has to be vague, yet interesting. This is something we could potentially place in our advertising. The second video is just for one episode, so it is slightly more detailed, yet it doesn't provide the audience with any major plot twists. The second video could be used as a guide if we decided to release our film in separate sections, like 'Beyond the Rave'. These trailers could appear both on the internet, or on television or even both. e4 is known to show one trailer on their television channel, and several on their website. This gets the audience to almost research the show, and find out as much as possible about it. This hooks the audience, and creates a fan base - something which is fundamental.

Other forms of propaganda include those that appear on public transport. This is an ideal way of sending a message to large numbers of people. When commuting, the public spends a long time waiting for the arrival of their vehicle. When waiting, the people have nothing to do besides reading the advertisements printed over the walls, on the sides of buses and even in airports. Moreover, even when on their particular mode of transport, the passengers cannot help but look at the large amounts of advertisements printed on the inside of their train, or on the numerous billboards they pass. This form of advertising is very effective, but also very costly, as many companies wish to advertise there.

Below is an example of a poster I made for our film.