J Brown Media Studies

The Film Industry (Catch Up Work)

Process of making a film

Coming up with the idea.
Finding a production company who likes the idea to then produce it.
Screen writer writes and edits the script.
Costume designer.
|Finding a director, actors and people who are going to work on the film (camera men, sound, producers, etc.).
Finding locations, hiring crew.
Filming-director oversees everything, production design team create the overall visual, cinematographer oversees the camera and make up artists work with costume.
Editing-sound editors, sound mixers.
Marketing and advertising-websites, trailers, posters.
Release film.

4 Stages of Film

Production-Creation of the Film

Development-the script is written and drafted into a workable blueprint for a film.
Pre-Production-preparations are made, cast and crew are hired, locations selected, sets built, etc.
Production-film footage is shot.
Post Production-film is edited: production sounds are edited, music tracks are composed, performed and recorded, sound effects are designed and recorded and any other computer-graphic 'visual' effects are digitally added. All sound elements are then mixed into 'stems' which can be mixed and married to the picture element to make the film fully complete ('locked').

Distribution

Describes everything between production and how the film gets to an audience.
The film is screened for potential buyers, picked up by a distributor, and has a marketing and release plan developed. The film is duplicated as required for distribution to cinemas.
The business of getting films to their audiences by booking them for runs in cinemas and getting them there e.g.digital screens, reel films.
This includes all of the financial deals that need to be done to get films shown and promoted.

Marketing

The business of creating campaigns to promote films, e.g. posters, apps, television interviews.
Press kits, posters and other advertising materials are published and the film is advertising. Films are usually released with a launch party, press release, interviews with the press, press preview screenings and film festival screenings. Most films also have a website and a trailer.

Exhibition

The way people consume films-e.g. showing films in cinemas, renting/buying DVDs, downloading films or piracy.
It's about how the audience see the film, box office intake, reviews, awards, etc.
The film is released to cinemas for exhibition (or at this point occasionally straight to DVD, Blu-Ray or direct download from the provider), in order to reach its cinemas) in order to reach its cinema and/or home media audience. The film plays at selected cinemas and the DVD is typically released a few months later.

The overall aim of film production is to make a profit.

Ownership

|Dominated by major studios, each of which are subsidiaries of major media conglomerates.
The American film industry makes more money from international revenue ($30 billion) than domestic revenue ($10 billion).

Implications of this ownership:

Biggest Hollywood Studios

What is the studio's parent/main conglomerate?

These major studies are located in:

They were founded in:

Art House/Indie Sub-Strands