In this essay I will be discussing the ways in which films are produced and distributed to targeted British audiences. I will be focusing on my case studies which are Twentieth Century Fox and BBC Films. BBC Films are an independent film company, which are a branch of the BBC and often relies upon funding (such as from the UKFC to produce and distribute films). Twentieth Century Fox in contrast, is a major production conglomerate, which has a great deal more money in order to produce and distribute large budget films.
Twentieth Century Fox produced and distributed Avatar (directed by James Cameron, 2009) which became the highest grossing film of all time ($2.8 billion), beating the previous record of Titanic (also directed by James Cameron and produced by Twentieth Century Fox). Avatar was first conceptualised 15 years ago, but Cameron had to wait for the technology to develop in order to realise his vision. With a budget of $237 million, Avatar would become an epic production feat, unlike any other film prior.
Avatar relied heavily on cross media convergence and synergy in its production. Twentieth Century Fox worked with WETA and numerous other studios to help them with developing 3D technology. For example, they developed the fusion camera which allowed them to motion capture the actors and then view it immediately as CGI. This was a very expensive and time consuming process initially because they needed to learn how to use the camera and develop skills in using it. However, in the long run, it was good for other films as they can now use the same technology. Sigourney Weaver liked the new technology because she could be any species and it gave her freedom to be whatever species she wanted to be. This contrasts with general opinion that CGI eradicates the need for actors. Actually, what it does is enhance actors and in cases eradicate the need for costly extras in epic films like Avatar. Using technology like this means, like within in the invented world of Pandora, Cameron could literally create his own world completely from scratch. Instead of having to spend hours building the set, lighting the set and applying make up to the actors, it could all be achieved through CGI effects, which ultimately is more time and cost effective.
Because Twentieth Century Fox is a mainstream major film company they can afford to let directors experiment with the film making process in the way Cameron did. They can afford to take huge risks because they have a strong success rate in high grossing movies (such as Star Wars and X Men). They are able to accelerate visual effects technology and potentially reinvent the way in which films are made.
Firstly, there are a lot of issues raised in contemporary media practice. One major issue is dominance. Major companies like Twentieth Century Fox which both produced and distributed the film Avatar (2009). As it can do both of these, not only for Avatar, there is a danger of this major company dominating in cinema in the near future which could have a major impact on the audience. As Twentieth Century Fox targets and appeals to a mass audience, they will, in a way, condition their whole audience into having the same ideology as them. Similarly, contemporary issues with people such as Rupert Murdoch highlight another danger of dominating the media world. If this happens, potentially it could be very dangerous to a wide range of audiences as it will change their views. This is called The Hypodermic Needle theory which is a theory that if a company or person has dominance over a mass of people then the public/audience will just take it and ‘follow the crowd’. A major issue with Brighton Rock (2011), BBC films, was money and audience reception. The budget for Brighton Rock was £6million and their gross profit (to date) is £1 million. This is a huge loss for BBC films and Optimum releasing. Audience reception was also an issue raised because not many people actually knew about the film. This is due to their poor marketing campaign. They didn’t market the film successfully, which meant only a small amount of people went to see the film which is why cinemas stopped showing the film as they were not benefiting from it.
Twentieth Century Fox worked with WETA and numerous other studios they needed so many companies to help them with developing technology. For example, the fusion camera which allowed them to motion captures the actors and then views it immediately as a CGI. This was very expensive and time consuming because they needed to learn how to use the camera and develop skills in using it. However, in the long run, it was good for other films as they can now use the same technology. Sigourney Weaver liked the new technology because she could be any species and it gave her freedom to be whatever species she wanted to be. This contrasts with general opinion that CGI eradicates the need for actors. Actually, what it does is enhance actors and in cases eradicate the need for costly extras in epic films like avatar.
Avatar and Twentieth Century Fox help to revolutionalise the way films are distributed. Traditionally films were distributed on 35mm film reels, however, prior to the release of Avatar many mainstream and independent cinemas began the process of installing digital projectors in their cinemas. Although this was short term expenditure, the benefits can be seen for both mainstream and independent institutions. Firstly, because the quality of digital distribution ensures less jittery or flawed film quality and secondly the cost of producing and distributing a film reel is less than that of a disc or download. Despite the obvious pros to this method of distribution, there are negatives, primarily in the ability to create pirate copies of films via illegal downloads and copying discs. The film industry has tried to combat this by using Blu-ray discs which are encoded and not easily pirated. Another method to combat piracy is the actual 3D experience which cannot currently be recreated successfully in the home. Despite this, Avatar was the most illegally downloaded film of 2010. Clearly the film industry will always have to battle piracy and continue to think of strategies to prevent it.
Brighton Rock was also digitally distributed, which was a direct benefit of mainstream film profits. Optimum Releasing would not have been able to install digital projectors into cinemas themselves and therefore gained from institutions such as Twentieth Century Fox.
Distribution companies determine when and where films are distributed. Avatar was scheduled for release in cinemas on December 9th 2009. This was a perfect time for families to view it over the Christmas holidays and was also tactical to ensure it would be eligible for Academy awards. When it was released it was exhibited in 502 cinemas in the UK – primarily multiplexes and IMAX cinemas. This enabled the film to reach the widest possible audience. In comparison, Brighton Rock was released in February 2011 – during a quiet cinematic period. This was purposeful to ensure that it did not have to tackle massive competition. It was distributed to 92 cinemas in the UK initially, but this rapidly dropped to less than 20 cinemas, which were mainly Independent cinemas, emphasising its targeting at a niche audience.
I went to see Brighton Rock at the Prince Charles Cinema. My experience of an Independent cinema was very different to visiting larger multiplexes. It was much more intimate and I was surprised to find that no trailers were shown before the film. This indicates to me that the experience of viewing films in Independent cinemas is less of consuming a product and more engaging with high end culture.
Avatar first started marketing and exhibition in August 2009 where a 16 minute clip of the film was shown in 100 IMAX cinemas worldwide. Following this was a release of the video game via Ubisoft which was an innovative marketing strategy because usually the film is released first. This was synergy between Avatar and Ubisoft. They also synergised with Coca Cola and Mattel through interactive digital marketing campaigns where the audience could create 3D Avatars online by scanning barcodes on the products. Following the release of the film in the cinema the distribution of the Avatar DVD/Blu-ray was coincided with ‘Earth Day’ to maximise marketing potential. This emphasises how politically charged the film is in terms of environmental issues and could potentially comply with the ‘Copycat theory’ that audiences wish to copy the characters in the film. Indeed, tragically some audience members committed suicide after becoming disillusioned with the fact that they could not become ‘Avatars’. This exemplifies how dangerous films can be for audiences.
Brighton Rock held their film premiere in London’s Leicester Square. Although they had a reasonably extravagant premiere with extras dressed as Mods and Rockers riding mopeds, their follow up campaign was minimal. This is partly because Brighton Rock is aimed at a niche audience. They did not have the same budget as Avatar to saturate the media with merchandise and interactive promotion. Arguably Brighton Rock had to rely upon the star appeal of Dame Helen Mirren, John Hurt and Andy Serkis to encourage film viewers to watch Brighton Rock. Optimum Releasing also own the rights to the original 1947 Brighton Rock film starring Richard Attenborough, which fits in their convention of producing dramas and thriller genre films. The producers of Brighton Rock were keen to emphasise that it was not a remake, but a reimagining because of the time shift from the 1930s to 1960s. This appealed to audiences because the 1960s were an iconic and fashionable time for Brighton with key elements relatable to contemporary audiences, such as the gang culture and criminal violence which underpin the film. However, you could argue that audience members have become desensitised to violence. Perhaps even the certification of Brighton Rock as a 15 (compared to Avatar 12) meant that it was inaccessible to a broad audience.
Brighton Rock’s website includes elements of technological convergence through the inclusion of links to social networking sites, YouTube and a 1960s vintage clothing website called ‘Merc’. This shows that Brighton Rock is not only distributing itself as a film, but is also encouraging an aspirational lifestyle. You can dress up as ‘Pinkie’. You can become him if you want to. Brighton Rock is also now available to pre-order on websites such Amazon. It is so much easier for films to distribute themselves to the home viewing market these days. Avatar is already available for rental on sites such as LoveFilm and played a major part in the promotion of Sky Movies 3D channel. Indeed, over half of the UK population saw at least 6 films every quarter last year, exemplifying how important the film industry is for media consumers.
In conclusion, distribution and production of films differs hugely depending on the type of institution. Mainstream institutions such as Twentieth Century Fox continue to dominate box office figures and the future of Independent institutions is in potential jeopardy because of funding cuts. The film industry remains ever changing and fluid in its ability to respond to audience demands, embracing technology and showing its capability to synergise effectively.
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