UK Film Distribution

Chloe Mills AS Level Media Studies

Film Distributing

• In the UK it’s the distributors job to deliver and identify the largest audience

possible for a film – this is a challenge as 500+ film titles are release annually.

• A film can only be released once so its crucial to ensure that there is a ‘buzz’

created around the film to get a large audience asap.

• The first weekend in cinemas is the most important as usually the film will

generate 30% of its box office in this period.

The Process of

Distribution

Producer/Company acquires rights to film a

story or treatment

Screenplay is developed by writers

Principal photography takes place in studios

and/or on agreed locations followed by post

production and editing

Distributor presents film to exhibitors and

negotiates bilateral agreements to be showcased

Film prints including BBFC are delivered to

cinemas before opening day

Other Information

Considerations

• Competition: the distributor must consider what other films are likely to have a similar release date, and what genre these films are. Often release dates are altered to avoid competing distributors, to enhance viewings.

• Event: distributors have to think whether or not the film is a mass market blockbuster film, or a film with a more niche audience.

• Star Power: the distributor has to consider whether the film will attract viewers due to the cast or the director. They have to look at the main cast last role and the success of themselves in that film

Management of Release

• Different releases are managed in different ways

• A saturation release for example could have a “at cinemas everywhere” release, playing simultaneously on 1000 screens across the UK at 2+ screens per multiplex – this kind of release is normally used for blockbuster films or sequels and holiday releases.

• However other niche films such as foreign films or retrieved classics may only have 25 or less prints. So it would be played at a few screens in London before touring more widely across a few weeks.

Cost and expenses

• Total UK distribution expenditure can vary from thousands up to £4-£5

million per film

• Elements of cost are: Prints, Digital Copies, Advertising and Promotion,

Publicity, Campaigning and the cost of cast and crew.

Possible Distributors

• We included the ‘Vertigo Films’ ident at the beginning of our product

alongside our own independent distributor: ‘Roulette Films’. Vertigo films is

a small distributor for small low budget films and is highly successful with

some of its films, including ‘Monsters (2010). Vertigo Films is based in the

UK and specialises in low budget British films like our own.

• We also looked at other small film distributors such as Film 4 and Verve,

who distributed a film called ‘Bullet Boy’.