Evaluation - Question 3

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

Distribution is how you make your media product available to your audience for viewing, in my case it would be my short film/opening.

Film can be distributed via many platforms: TV, cinema, DVD, or online via sites like Netflix, who are currently monopolising the online market of film and TV.

You then have the Big Six who are multi national corporations who distribute most box office hits: Disney, Paramount and 21st Centaury Fox to name a few.

Due to my opening/film being British Arthouse film wouldn't distribute my product as it's just not suitable. However, whilst doing my research since my film would clearly be an independent I did research and I think Lionsgate might be the best institution. I say this because during research I stumbled upon a film I had loved and knew others did too and didn't realise it wasn't mainstream. With a budget of only 3.5 million pounds "The Descent" was created and distributed by Lionsgate, this is a British adventure horror. The cast was European but location was in North America. The reason this was distributed in the US was that it had something they could relate to as well exploring caves and being adventurous relates to most peoples childhoods of role playing and wanting to know everything. Arguably, this could be more of a mainstream film as independent films make you more think and are major hybrids of genres that are risqué, this uses safe genres however and in that case may be more relatable. It's profit return at box office was pretty decent gaining 57 million dollars back, which is good considering only 3.5 million pounds went into making it. Similarly to this film however, it relies heavily on those niche audiences, especially since when they marketed the film it was disturbed by bombings, which meant posters ignored and everyone focusing on the media coverage on that.

Hopefully, one would not be in the same situation, however, being a fresh idea and there would not be much funding for marketing, advertising and merchandising - one would also have to rely on the niche audience as well. My product also breaks conventions, and would be shot on location this would bring cost down as opposed to "The Avengers" which would need lots of hardware and green screens to shoot, mine would more than likely have lots of handheld camera work. Due to being similar to "Moonlight" So independent companies like A24 and Lionsgate UK might be the best for an independent risqué film, especially since I'd be unknown. A24 might however, want to revamp it with an American cast in an American looking forest as their deciduous tress are taller so location relates more to what they've seen to appeal to the American audience.
Hollywood tend to go for more reboots of a reboot, Wonder Woman for example is not original, it's already had past marketing and production and was quite popular. But now they want to modernize it to appeal to a larger audience and has a revenue stream rather than drip. Anticipation for this film had already came from her appearance in Batman vs Superman made the film an anticipation for the public and had audience drawn in so marketing, advertising and merchandising might not be a big issue. Superhero films seem to be the new popular genre however all are predictable as they follow the same Toldorov's Equilibrium theory. My film however lacks anticipation by a worldwide audience which makes it more likely to be distributed by an independent company rather than Disney or any of the Big Six.