PDE Film Industry

Production
The production of a film consists of 10 key stages:
- Create an idea: This can be ideas from stimuli such as books etc. This is the base for the entire film.
- Develop finances: e.g. endorsement. For a film to be made it needs to be funded.
- Development of a script: This is when writers come together in order to create a polished script. From this they can then start to choose actors or formulate ideas on who they want to be in the film

- packaging: with the development finance secured, it is down to the writer to make and deliver t=what the financers want.
- financing
- pre-production
- the shoot
- sales
- marketing
- expedition

Distribution

• Someone has an idea for a movie.

• They create an outline and use it to promote interest in the idea.

• A studio or independent investor decides to purchase rights to the film.

• People are brought together to make the film (screenwriter, producer, director, cast, crew).

• The film is completed and sent to the studio.

• The studio makes a licensing agreement with a distribution company.

• The distribution company determines how many copies (prints) of the film to make.

• The distribution company shows the movie (screening) to prospective buyers representing the theaters.

• The buyers negotiate with the distribution company on which movies they wish to lease and the terms of the lease agreement.

• The prints are sent to the theaters a few days before the opening day.

• The theater shows the movie for a specified number of weeks (engagement).

• You buy a ticket and watch the movie.

• At the end of the engagement, the theater sends the print back to the distribution company and makes payment on the lease agreement.

Marketing

Promotion of a film takes many forms:

- print advertising (posters, adverts in newspapers and magazines etc)

- trailers (screened at cinemas and on the TV/radio)

- internet sites

- viral videos

- merchandising: books, t-shirts, food, food, soundtrack CD's, computer, games, toys, cars, mobile phones, anything that can be associated with the brand of the movie.

Exhibition

Usually feature films open first 'theatrically', however the cinema is just one link in the value chain. After the big screen run, films are released in flexible time scales in a growing range of other formats so consumers may choose how, when and where to watch. These are ancillary markets.