Film Distribution - Ms Wigley

What is film distribution?

1. Someone has a vision/idea for a movie. 
2. The idea or vision of the film is then promoted by creating a outline
3. When the film is promoted it is then sold to either a studio or independent investor
4. After the film has been sold teams are then produced in order to produce the film for example crew, director, screenwriter, producer etc.
5. Once the film has been completed, the shooting of the film is begun 
6. The film is then sold to distribution companies
7. A number of copies of the film are then decided by the distribution company 
8. The film is then pitched to potential theatre buyers 
9. Copies of the films are then sent to the theatres a day or two before the release date of the film
10. The film is then shown for a number of weeks due to how popular the film is 
11. After the film has been shown for a number of weeks, the film copies are then sent back to the distribution companies and payments are then made.   

What was the Hollywood 'studio system' in the 1930's and 40's? In what ways is the process of film production, distribution and exhibition different today?


The Hollywood 'studio system' in the 1930's and 40's was a quite popular time for people due to vast amount of people going to the film theatres in order to watch films but in the 1950's the popularity of the cinemas decreased due to the release of televisions which meant people saved money by not going to the cinemas as regular as before which broke up studio system.  This meant that theatres lost money by less people watching films which meant that when a film was released it was then sold individually instead of a larger company taking control of several number of films.  The distribution companies changed due to studios taking control in order to have the rights to own certain films.  Nowadays there are more ways in which films can be watched such as by DVD, videos, online, TV etc. 


Horizontal Integration 


Horizontal Integration is when two competitors join together which are at the same level as well as the same section of a certain industry. For example a car manufacturer joining with another car manufacturer which can also be known as take over or buy out.


Vertical Integration 


Vertical Integration is when two different companies join together in order to take control over a specific product which is created by two companies merging their ideas together to create and produce a product which will attract the consumers attention.