Role of the Distributor

The information in this post is taken from the Film Distributors Association education website.  A fuller account can be downloaded here.

The job of the distributor is to deliever every film to the biggest possible audience. Competing distributors promote interest in titles that they are handling, resulting in the majoirty of cinema-goers know what film they want to see in advance. They launch and sustain films in the market place, starting from scratch each time (apart from sequals) by looking at their potential. Distributors work a long side filmmakers and producers, exhibitors, publicists, advertising, designers and colleagues handling in the release of the film.

Similarly to other countries, the UK has a few major (directly conected to the Hollywood studios) distibutors and many independent (not conected) distributors, who handle films made out of major studios. Distributors look for something that is original or fresh, that has an imaginative idea or 'hook'. Distributors recongise the 'want' for local products, so British audiences prefer British films etc. Distributors get the funding for promotion from multiple sources: pre-sales, bank loans, institutional investors, private individuals, beneficial tax schemes and public subsidies such as the UK Film Council.

A distributor will take into consideration what the film will earn, so it can estimate on how much money they have to release the film, because like all businesses they want to make a profit.  They will make it appeal to a certian audience, due to their audience research, for example, families, teenagers, older adults, couples etc.   The distributor will never lose sight of their core audience.  More then half the 15-24 year olds in the UK visit the cinema at least once a month, however, just a quarter of the population goes that regularly.

Market research is conducted to test audience reactions to the film at pre-release test screenings, afterwards viewers will fill out questionnaires which help the distributor know what to expect at the box-office and release of the film.  Distributors also have to take into consideration what other films are being released at the same time and if it is targeted at the same audience - competition.  There are other factors that distributors have to look:

• Whether it is a blockbuster or specialised film.
• If it features any stars in the cast, or a 'name' director.
• If it can be released in a holiday period, for example, Christmas, Easter, Halloween etc.
• Could the film win any awards, for example, The Academy Award, Golden Globe etc.
• Lead the media reviews of that weeks' releases.
• Is it based on a book, controversial matter or a general buzz about the film on the internet etc.
• Whether it is a franchise or sequal.
• If the film has been released elsewhere, for example US.
• What certificate will the film have, the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) can have an effect on the audience.

Distributors use marketing to raise awareness of the product using visibility, no matter how big or small the budget the distributors have to persuade the audience that it is an entertaining film - a must see film.  When contrsucting a campaign for a film, they want to reach their target audience as much as possible, however, it does have to be cost-effective.  A variety of media is used to promote the film is considered, here are some examples:

Posters:

Posters tell the audience the main themes or genre of the film, its stars, name of the film and normally a tag line for the film.   However, nearly all distributors use posters to promote their films, so each posters needs to stand out and get the attention of the audience.  A poster is made for each release (traditional size 30" x 40") and a teaser poster made before the release to give the audience an insight to the film soon to be released.

Trailers:
Distributors use a large range of audio-visual content to help them prepare for campaigns, which include clips that have been approved by the producers.  Trailers are the most cost-effective and generally effective methods to capture cinema-goers attention, as they are played in the cinema, usually before a film of the same genre as they will have a similar target audience.  Full trailers will be released shortly before the film is released, however, before the full trailer is shown to the audience a teaser trailer will be released, these last between 30-90 seconds.  As the teaser trailers are released in the pre-production stage of film making, making a teaser trailer of the 'best bits' is film-making in its own right.

Online and Mobile:
Most films have their own websites that offer trailers, production information and galleries of pictures during the production of the film.  The internet help distributors create awareness of films at very early stages, it can gradually release images or clips of filming throughout the production stage creating more and more interest in the film.  Sometimes they even use blogs from the set of the film, updating people on the production of the film.  Reviews and screenings can be shared on the internet and feedback can be spread quickly.

Here is a link to the website for Law Abiding Citizen.

Media Advertising:

Using television is the most effective way of advertising in the media because it can reach a mass audience, however it is expensive, costing thousands of pounds or more for a package.  The UK alone has around 250,000 poster sites at road sides or railway platforms etc. 

Publicity:
Publicity in the media, about a film can be the most persuasive form for the distributors.  The distributor's publicity team will arrange interviews with the cast for the media, because many channels are interested in entertainment news.  They will use photographs from when the film was being shot, as well as giving journalists lists of the cast and crew, biographies, facts about production and a synopsis.  Screenings will be held for critics at the beginning of the week so the reviews can be out before the film release, however, not all reviews are positive.

Promotional Partnerships:
Distributors will partner up with other companies so that they can advertise films in places they normally wouldn't be ablt to reach, for example, shop windows, restaurants or packets.  They will also use
promotional ideas for customers to win tickets or entering competitions to win merchandise. 

Merchandising:
Merchandise is used to promote a film, from, action figures, clothing, calendars, ring-tones to screen-savers.  Films often have their own soundtrack, games and books which usually create their own revenue.  Due to promotional partnerships, on some channels audiences can win merchandise in competitons, which reaches out to a wider audience.

Premieres and Preview Screenings:
Premieres are shown world-wide and have large number of film stars on the 'red carpet'.  They are expensive and take a lot to organise from the distributors point of view, however, is one of the most effective way of promoting a film to the biggest possible audience.  From the distrubutors perspective the aim is to make it as high-profile as possible, so no wonder some of the bigger premieres are broadcasted on television.  Preview screenings are showings of the film before its release date.  However, the people that are selected are a sample of the core target audience, chosen from television programmes and radio stations whose listeners/watchers fit the target audience.  These selected people will then tell others about the film, word of mouth is one of the most effective ways of getting news of a new film around.

The distributors also have to think about where to play the films.  They should take into consideration what cinemas are/aren't appropriate, how it can achieve the greatest imapact on the intended audience and how many screens to show it in.  For this they have to work in partnership with the exhibitors who provide the screens, the arrangements between the distributors and exhibitors are evaluated weekly and changed accordingly.  For example, blockbusters will be booked into all multiplexes, on the other hand smaller releases will be put in particular screens and looked at from week to week.  The launch date is also important, as a film can only be released once and it usually makes 30% or more of its bonx-office in the first three days.

Around 300 people work in the UK distribution, which is less than 1% of film/cinema's workforce!  The managing director will supervise staff with specialist roles such as: marketing, publicity, sales, technical, aquisitons and legal, finance and accounting and administration.  Workers in the distribution team have to take into consideration essential information audiences' tastes, wider culture in society and their similarities.  Having people with different perspectives and backgrounds can bring forward fresh ideas.