Distribution, box office and the big six

Distribution is the second part of the film cycle, before production succeeding exhibition.

The Media Students Book website on distribution and its link with exhibition.

From the outset knowing where the film will eventually be seen is vital as shooting and production techniques need to be tailored to meet the final exhibition requirements. What may work on a window on a computer screen may not work on a cinema screen and vice versa. Some critics and some audiences are critical of films in cinemas that ‘look like they were made for television’. You can’t tell audiences how to watch your film, but you can try to produce the best film for a given format – or formats. Increasingly, the final edit will be ‘printed’ to different formats for all types of distribution. This may involve compressing video using different codecs – some of which will be available as default settings in the DVD production software.
Increasingly the internet is making possible methods of distribution, that in the past filmmakers could only dream of. Web based communities of filmmakers such as Shooting People and Vimeo have the latest advice on distribution and exhibition for independent producers and film clip websites like You Tube can create the possibility for new filmmakers to reach a huge audience.
If a production has been funded from the outset it’s likely that the distribution and exhibition rights are tied into a contract with the funders. Film backers will be looking to recoup their investment and hopefully make a profit. Funding for small to medium projects may have come from a grant or screen agency fund and depending on the contract the film may be tied into their distribution schemes. Some productions may have no external funding but made on spec with the producer hoping to eventually recoup their personal investment by broadcast or DVD sales. There are many cases of producers being so committed to their project that they use personal savings or even mortgage their house in order to fund their film.
So it’s easy to see why selling or distribution has become a very large part of the film production business. Throughout the year, around the world, ‘content’ markets take place where buyers met sellers, deals are done and new distribution methods discussed all in order to get films to an audience. One of the leading content or film markets is MIPWORLD.
In the current context, student films like Threshold are likely to have three possible means of distribution via online (Video On Demand – VOD), film festivals or DVD. Depending on the originating format it may be possible to print to film for a festival screening, but this is expensive and festivals often now accept films on DigiBeta or other HD video formats or even DVD. Online distribution will require compression but DVDs should be burned at the highest quality settings (i.e. no compression). Television broadcast will also require a master delivered at the best quality.

The Hunger Games is an example how long after production is supposed to have been finished it can still be affected by distribution. The topic of the film seeing teenagers killing each other was controversial for many conservative parties, and many think it should have received a 15 BBFC rating/R MPCC rating for the story just alone. The most violent scene showing the bloodbath massacre of multiple teenagers was shot in shaky camera to be able to keep a 12/PG-13 rating, but still to keep the brutal nature of what they were depicting. In the USA and other countries this was not at all changed, but in the case of the BBFC some parts which showed blood were edited out.

The British Board of Film Classification is said to have asked for blood splashes to be digitally removed from wounds and weapons, as well as changes to four scenes which it deemed too violent for younger viewers.