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What kind of institution might distribute your media product

and why?Emilia Waterhouse

The institutions we chose:

We chose BBC films to produce our media product and Pathé to distribute it.

Was it the right choice?

I believe it was because from researching the companies and their previous projects it is clear that they have worked together successfully.

I think the companies are appropriate for our project because they have produced films which deal with social issues before.

We are using a separate distributor because BBC Films is a branch of the BBC and frequently forms relationships with separate distribution companies. We also created another production company (JeeMedia Productions), which is not a subsidiary of a parent company, or vertically integrated. For this reason we need our separate distributor, which is Pathé.

We also needed to pick an independent and a conglomerate company, which we have done.

Pathé are involved in film production and distribution, cinema chains, and television networks.

They are a French company and a conglomerate, meaning they produce and distribute their own products.

They are also involved in co-production and have previously worked with the BBC on several occasions.

Do they do anything else?

Do they do anything else?

BBC and Pathé have previously worked together on several occasions, an example of a recent release would be Pride, which is also a social Realism film.

BBC films is frequently funded by the BFI (British film Institute) and ‘creative England’.

They are an independent company and work in British film making, co-producing approximately eight films a year.

Our product is a Social Realism film, therefore it is most likely that the film would be independently produced and distributed by a conglomerate. It is most likely because our product is not such a risky production as we have a guaranteed audience of cinemagoers (the younger audience); if this was not the case the production may have been distributed by a smaller, independent distribution company. Our film does however have a wider secondary audience, meaning that it would likely be produced by a successful and well established company, such as BBC films.

Finally, as BBC are commonly funded by the BFI our product would possibly be funded by them.

Why did we choose them though?!

Alternatives

Warp productions

They specialise in the release of Social Realism films and previously released This Is England.

Warp productions owe the majority of their success to low budget productions and being able to film and edit at home. This was the approach used when creating This Is England.

As our production was of the same genre as This Is England and also had narrative similarities we took a similar approach with filming and would do the same with marketing.

This Is England focussed on the social issues amongst youths and racism segregation within society. Warp Productions also has a focus on similar issues such as having a voice and being original. Our production is based on similar issues and aims to highlight things which are

commonly overlooked.

Would an Alternative have been better?

Warp productions may have been the better choice of production company. This is because:

The company’s main focus is the Social Realism genre.

They have released previous successes such as: This Is England and Tyrannosaur.

Our production has several similarities to previous productions the company has release, especially This Is England.

Why did we choose them though?!

We chose BBC films and Pathé to produce and distribute our product… why?

We did this because the two have famously worked together on several occasions with great success. Therefore it would not be incorrect to choose them to work together.

The companies have previously released films involving social issues before, although not necessarily Social Realism films.

A previous film produced by BBC and distributed by Pathé is Pride, which was released in the UK in September 2014. The film is an LGBT related historical drama, which essentially revolves around gays and lesbians who raised money for the mining community as Margaret Thatcher was in power.

The film’s award history:

What about wider marketing?

Adverts on TV or in the cinema

These would appeal to both our Target Audience and our secondary audience. This would appeal to our Target Audience because they are traditional means of marketing they may come across whilst relaxing, additionally as the audience are sophisticated and well established they would be able to afford trips to the cinema.

Our Secondary Audience would be reached by these forms of marketing whilst out with friends or whilst watching TV as they are generation X and therefore familiar with technology.

We could also hand out brochures or focus advertising within inner city locations in order to attract our main audiences. This is a similar strategy to that of This Is England.

What about wider marketing?

As our product would be produced by an independent company the majority of the marketing would be below the line marketing and Web 2.0 marketing.

We would also use advertising methods such as newspapers and radio; this is because our Target Audience are middle-aged and sophisticated and would have well established jobs. Therefore they would be reached by these forms of media because they can listen to the radio on the go and read a newspaper whilst eating. These methods of marketing would all generate awareness and interest amongst audience members because they would acknowledge the existence of the product and perhaps be interested to find out more about it.

What about wider marketing?

The Wikinomics theory indicates that our production needs to adapt to the popularity of social media in order to be successfully marketed, which suggests that online marketing is essential to the success of our product. However the digital distribution of our product, as a method of marketing, is reliant on our audience being a part of, and being active contributors of Gaunlett’s making and doing culture. Therefore this would fit into the Awareness, interest, desire and Action segments of the AIDA scale.

Our Target Audience would have the disposable income to buy converged devices as they have established jobs, our secondary audience are digital natives and therefore would have the latest technology. Therefore both will be reached by online marketing.

What about wider marketing?

Web 2.0

This would be the most used means of marketing for our production because it is a form of below the line marketing.

Online marketing is would be a key element in our marketing campaign because it appeals to both our main and secondary audience . Furthermore, Anderson’s theory of Long Tail, in which digital technology increases the distribution of film content thereby making it as successful as mainstream content, conveys that through the use of web 2.0 our niche production could be as successful as a mainstream production.

We could market our production on social media such as Twitter and Facebook.

Our Target Audience would possibly use social networking sites because they are sophisticated and crave knowledge.

Our Secondary Audience would also use social networking sites because they are members of generation X and would want to use them to communicate with their friends.

What about Synergetic Marketing?

We would use this because our media institutions are horizontally integrated and we could use our rendition of the soundtrack from Fast and Furious 6 as a form of synergetic marketing.

How will we release our product?

This will take place in the four main conventional stages:

Production

Exhibition

Exchange

The release of our film would be limited as it would be critical, however it may be extended, based on how it is received by the audience. This is because it is an independent production and the budget is dependant on its success.

How will we release our product?

Before the films release it would be marketed (which I have already discussed) mainly through the use of below the line marketing and web 2.0, but also through the use of some traditional marketing, through a fund, which BBC films would possibly provide. This would appeal more to our target audience. This would cause people to be aware of, desire and be interested in the product.

The synergetic marketing would gain the awareness of the audience as any music would link back to our product, which would also result in gaining the interest of the audience and perhaps desire as they would be eager to see more of our product.

How will we release our product?

Our film would be released in cinemas and shown in them for a period of time. We would most likely display the film in cinemas in urban areas. This is because our Target Audience are sophisticated, well established and therefore are most likely urbanely situated due to work. Our Secondary Audience are teenagers who would most likely visit established and popular cinemas. This is the exhibition part of the process and fits into the every part of the AIDA scale. This is because the release may cause awareness amongst some people and therefore increase interest and for those already aware and interested the release generates desire and allows them to act to watch the production.

How will we release our product?

Our film would be available in hard copies to maintain the conventional element of marketing and appeal to members of our Target Audience who are less familiar with the internet and technology.

We would also make the film available on sites and apps such as: Blink box, Amazon Prime and Netflix. This would appeal to our digitally native secondary audience and also to members of our audience who are familiar with the internet. Furthermore it would be feasible because the film would be a low-budget production. This is the distributing part of the process and would be categorized as action on the AIDA scale.