Monday 12 December 2016

Arthouse film institution research

Production: Independent film studios
1) Look back at the five films you have analysed for your existing product research. Find which studios made them – e.g. Film Four, Studio Canal, BFI, BBC Films etc.

 Girlhood

 Bicycle Thieves

Donnie Darko

Room

The Lobster 

  • 2) What other films do these studios produce? Can you find any any other independent, arthouse or low-budget examples?
Hold up Films -  French production company who produced a film called ''Tomboy'' which was released in 2011. According to IMdb it was rated 7.4/10 making this movie the company's most successful film with a budget of 1 Million euros. 

Produzioni De Sica - An Italian production company that produced a film called ''Miracle in Milan'' which was released in 1951.  

 Pandora Cinema- An American production company that also produced a film called '' Night on Earth'' which was released in 1991, with a budget of $3,500.000.

 Film4 - A British production company that also produced a film called ''45 years''. 

3) Do the studios have any notable successes? What is the most successful low-budget or independent film the studio has released?
Hold up Films -  '' Girlhood'' was the company most successful arthouse film with 11 wins for various film awards. It made $1.7 million.

Produzioni De Sica - ''Bicycle Thieves'' was the company's most successful film with 18 wins and a nomination for an Oscar. It made $371,111 . Also The film ''Indiscretion of an American wife (1953) was also nominated for an Oscar. 

 Pandora Cinema- ''Tango'' (1998) was one of the company's most successful film with 8 wins and 10 nominations. It was also nominated for an Oscar. It made $1,687,311. 

 Film4 - They have produced many successful films such a ''12 years a slave'' and '' Slumdog Millionaire''. Their most successful low budget film would be '' This is England'' (2006) which was nominated for one BAFTA award and won 13 other film awards. It made £5 million 

 Distribution: Independent film distributors
1) Research film distribution using this guide from the UK Film Distributors' Association . It's called Launching Film and takes you through the whole process of distributing a movie.
Read the whole step-by-step guide (warning: this is LONG and will take you around an hour)

2) Summarise the 10 steps of film distribution in a list using your own words.
  1. A film distributor must be available after a film is made.
  2. They have to identify the largest possible audience for each film with the help of research (audience types and the ''cinema experience'') 
  3. The distributors bring films to the market by : asking why an audience would go to see the film, estimating the revenue, and persuading cinema operators to play the film.
  4. The FDA is the trade body that represents film distributors in the UK
  5.  Independent distributors then meet with sales agents in various film festivals to try and sell the films. Distributors have to consider the target audience - who will the film appeal to the most and will the narrative grab the audience's attention. Ancillary sales are also a key source of income for a film. Films get revenue form different media platforms such as DVD, pay-per-view tv , digital downloads etc. 
  6. Distributors make a deal with the producers, sales agents or the studio to specify the rights they hold for the film e.g the right to release it in UK cinemas and promote it before release. 
  7.  A distribution plan is developed if they need to discuss certain issues with the producers or the studio. 
  8. When distributors have estimated a film's revenue they prepare a budget to release it. They have to consider certain aspects such as: the film classification, possible nominations, competitors, and the number of screens it will be shown in across the nation. 
  9. The distributor has to raise awareness and interest in the film to persuade audiences to buy tickets to see the film. One way it does this is by producing film artwork to attract audiences. Trailers are also important as they give the audience a sneek peek into the film to grab their attention. Exit polls are also taken to requires the audience's feedback on the film. Distributors also supply online advertising for websites and games. 
  10. Distributors then license films to exhibitors so that it can be screened in various cinemas. 

3) Now research the distributors for each of the arthouse films you have analysed for your existing product 
research. Who distributed each film in the UK?

Girlhood 
Studio Canal 

 Bicycle Thieves 
Arthouse Productions Ltd,
Park Circus Limited,
General Cinema Theatres Ltd,
Fremantlemedia Enterprise Ltd

 Donnie Darko
Metrodome Distribution Ltd
Arrow Film Distributors Ltd

 Room 
Studio Canal

 The Lobster 
Picturehouse Entertainment
Element Pictures Distribution

4) How many cinemas did each film open in?


Girlhood - Unknown
Bicycle Thieves- 5 screen (USA) 
Donnie Darko- 37 screens (UK) 
Room - 862 screens (USA)
The Lobster - 4 Screens (USA)

5) How much money did each film make? Did it make a profit against the budget?

Girlhood  made $1.7 million but its budget is unknown

Bicycle Thieves made $371,111 with a budget of $133,000
Profit - $238,111

Donnie Darko made $7.3 million (Box office) with a budget of $3.8 million dollars
Profit- $3.5 million

Room made $36.2 million with a budget of $13 million
Profit- $23.2 million

The Lobster made $15.7 million with a budget of $4.5 million
Profit- $11.2 million

6) Research Curzon Artificial Eye. Who are they and what do they do?

They are a British independent Film Distributor, founded in 1976. They specialize in independent, foreign language and arthouse films. 

6) Look at the Curzon Artificial Eye Youtube channel. Watch three trailers for recent or upcoming 
independent films and identify something you can learn from each film to use in your own film production.


The Unknown Girl 


I would like to explore and use the hybrid thriller/crime genre for my film as it is typical of a arthouse film to have a suspenseful plot , usually with a mysterious character. The use of hand held cameras makes it appear as if it is a documentary which can help the audience identify with the characters and be submerged into the intriguing narrative. Also towards the end we see an action code - the girl driving- but then it appears as if she was about to crash or stop suddenly. For my film I would like to do something similar which keeps the audience guessing. 

Fire at Sea


I like how this film used cinematography and mise en scene to show the importance of the setting in the narrative. In my arthouse film, I would also like to use various shots such as panning, long shots and medium shots to help the audience understand and suture the narrative, which has limited dialogue. This use of diegetic sound in this film is also effective as it creates a suspenseful mood- the audience are not given a soundtrack (non- diegetic sound) to predict what happens next. Therefore it intrigues the audience and creates an enigma. In my film I would also like to use limited dialogue as arthouse films tend to focus on the visual aspects of a narrative. 


Notes on Blindness


I like the use of camera angles and shots in this film as it allows the audience to pick out objects that symbolize certain things. For example the extreme close up of the cassette tape (circular part) spinning could connote the eye and how the mans vision has faded away yet he carries on with his life. I also like the slow movements as it again creates a suspenseful mood. I would like to use this in my production as these camera movements are typical of the crime/thriller genre as they create mystery. 


Exhibition: Arthouse cinemas

Find some London-based arthouse cinemas and research the following:
1) What is the name of the cinema? Where is it?

Regent Street Cinema located in Marylebone in central London.

2) What type of films do they show? What films are on this week? How do their programmes differ from the major cinema chains like Vue? 

The cinema shows a range of documentaries, animation and experimental cinema. They focus on British films, world cinema and classic movies. This week they are showing a range of arthouse films such as: ''The Fencer''. ''Arrival'' and Action Space. The films at Regent st cinema are mainly arthouse whereas films at major cinema chains are more mainstream and popluar. 

3) What type of audience attends this kind of arthouse cinemas? Are there any clues on the website regarding the target audience? How can you tell?

The cinema attends to children under 16 as well as adults (early 20s to late 30s) as they show range of films that would interest this particular demographic. On the website they have a section called the ''Kids' Kino Club'' where they show the upcoming screenings of old fashioned and recent films for kids such as ''Elf'' and ''A Christmas story''. For adults there are a range of classic arthouse films such as '' Holiday Inn'' and ''Blue Velvet''. 

A case study in independent film production: Film London and Microwave Film

1) What is Film London and why does it exist?

A screen industries agency that promote films that are produced in London. They train ''emerging film makers'' and help them improve their film making skills by working with ''production support teams''.

2) What is the purpose of Microwave Film?

Microwave funds films and supports film makers with various projects. They also help with sales and distribution. 

3) What is the London Calling project for Film London and how does it encourage independent filmmaking?

It provides funding and training for independent filmmakers and encourages them to pursue careers in the film industry, since many of their previous applicants have won several awards and have gone on to make better, more ''ambitious works''. 

4) Choose three feature films funded by Microwave Film and embed their trailers in your blog. For each film, explain why it fits the profile for an arthouse or independent film and what target audience the film might attract.

Shifty


The target audience for this particular film would be 15-24 year olds who are mostly male. The film would be considered an arthouse film as it explores themes of urban life and crime. These types of stories are usually typical of the arthouse genre as they help an urban audience connect with the film. 

Freestyle

The target audience would also be young adults (aged 15- 24) as revolves around the lives of teenagers who play basketball.  The film would belong to the arthouse genre as it has an urban theme and is recorded much like a documentary (hand held cameras)

iLL Manors

The target audience for this film would be young adults (aged 15-24) who are mostly male, as the film revolves around a group of young adults who live in estates and are involved in the drug dealing business. It is considered an arthouse film as it focuses on a specific theme- the misrepresentation of youths in the media.







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