Q3) WHAT KIND OF MEDIA INSTITUTION MIGHT DISTRIBUTE

YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT AND WHY?

What is an Institution? A film institution is a company that helps you to pursue your vision by funding your film, promoting and simply allowing

it to happen. The industry is dominated by a few very successful institutions (oligopolies) who have a bigger budget at dispense thus

increasing the money intake and grossing. An example would be Warner Brothers who dominate the film industry because of their high concept films, successful productions, experience and reputation within the industry.

Often different institutions are recognised by certain film genres, however they do try to have a variety as it allows a broader audience and larger income. An example would be Dimension Films, who are known for creating thrillers. They created films such as Scream (1996), Halloween (1978) and Sin City (2005). In contrast, Lionsgate creates movies of different genres. They made films such as Hunger Games (2012), Transporter 3 (2008) and What to Expect When You’re Expecting (2012).

Institutions are important because they provide everything that the production needs to become successful. Some of the things they take care of are: funding, advertising, distribution and exhibition.

Additionally, if your film belongs to a reputable and credible institution there is a better chance of gaining a profit as the more people who know the institution, the bigger likelihood of them watching the film.

At the same time a good institution can become an advertisement itself. This is because a successful institution has a reputation within the industry and when a film belongs to one they gain the loyal fan base from the company. Additionally, the history from previous films matters, this is because if the institution was successful in the past more people will want to watch the recent movie.

Famous Institutions UNIVERSAL- Is a well-known American institution with a massive budget

dispense. Universal creates all sorts of films from different genres. It made thrillers such as: Bourne Identity (2002), which is an action thriller, Psycho (1960), which is a mystery thriller and Jaws (1975) which is a horror thriller.

LIONSGATE- A famous Canadian-American institution with a large budget. It specialises in Fantasy, Thriller/Horror and Comedy. Lionsgate made Saw (2004), a horror thriller, Blitz (2011), an action thriller and Jessabelle (2014) which is a mystery thriller. There is also Lionsgate UK which brings both UK and American audience together.

NEW LINE CINEMA- An American film studio that specialises in Fantasy and Thriller genre. It has a good budget at dispense and created films like: Seven (1995) , a crime thriller, Number 23 (2007) which is a mystery thriller and the Butterfly Effect (2004) which is a psychological thriller.

Famous InstitutionsWORKING TITLES- Working Titles is a British film production company,

owned by Universal Studios but based in London. This cooperation allows in larger profit as both UK and USA audience are drawn. Also Universal is a large institution which helps Working Titles to gain audience and money through its fame. They specialise in the rom-com, comedy and action genre. Working Titles made films such as: Contraband (2012), which is an action thriller, Closed Circuit (2013), a crime thriller and Green Zone (2010) which is an action thriller.

BBC FILMS- BBC films is a British company who co-works with BBC. This allows a larger audience because BBC is a famous British company. The company created such films: The Awakening (2011), which is a horror thriller, We Need to Talk about Kevin (2011), a suspense thriller and Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) which is a mystery thriller.

PATHE- This is an independent institution which originates from France. It specialises in various film genres and created thrillers such as: Trance (2013) which is a mystery thriller, The Mark of Angels- Miserere (2013), a crime thriller and Tormented (2009) which is a horror thriller.

Why is it important to identify and choose the correct institution to create and distribute a film?When considering an appropriate institution for your own film it is significant

to choose the right one as it can determine your success and factors such as audience and genre which are the basis of a film.

GENRE: An institution can specialise in a certain genre and be well known for making such films. Therefore when choosing an institution that would create your film you have to consider whether the genre of your film matches the company’s one. This can be checked by analysing their previous films and examining if they have been successful with this genre in the past. Genre is also significant as it can be used to develop your convention knowledge and allow to make the right choice. Otherwise, if you make a wrong decision and the distributor is new to the genre, then you risk your film to bring you loss. A famous institution for creating successful thrillers is New Line Cinema.

Why is it important to identify and choose the correct institution to create and distribute a film?

AUDIENCE: At the same time, an institution can already have an established audience and a loyal fan base who will watch any movie that has been distributed by their favourite institution. This often happens to famous companies who have a reputation within the industry and have a large budget at dispense which allows them to create quality movies that will appeal to mass audience. However when choosing a company with an established audience you have to consider if this audience is appropriate for your film because if they are not then you are at risk of making a loss as the majority of the loyal spectators will be lost. This is because all audience come with own expectations which need to met in order to satisfy the viewer and create a successful product. For example Pixar specialises in animation, therefore they have a young fan base and if they ever decide to create a thriller they would not succeed as the audience expects something else and is too young for the context displayed in thrillers. This would cause Pixar trouble and a massive loss. Hence when choosing an institution one has to consider the audience that the company appeals to.

Why is it important to identify and choose the correct institution to create and distribute a film?INDUSTRY REPUTATION: At the same time you have to look out for the reputation within the industry that the institution has and consider whether it is reputable and respected. If the company is trustworthy and famous then you have a better chance of making a profit as it has a bigger budget at dispense, and the distributor itself becomes your advertisement because of the good reputation it has gained within the industry and audience. Yet again, people will come with own expectations of the company. This is because everyone has an idea of what they would like to see from a specific institution. Although we cannot supply every demand, viewers become disappointed if their expectation isn’t fulfilled. Additionally, if the company has good reputation it can come with more benefits such as links within different platforms, thus allowing synergy and a bigger income with broader audience.

Who would you choose to distribute your thriller and why?

For my thriller opening I would like New Line Cinema to distribute my product. This is because they are a reputable institution within the industry and are well known for making successful thrillers. New Line Cinema has a considerably good budget which would help me fund my movie as well as support in any production stages and cover the expenses. Also they operate some other media platforms such as video games, home videos, promotion and production which allows synergy and advertisement on bigger scale, thus a bigger chance of earning a profit and having a larger audience. Additionally, New Line Cinema works very closely with Warner Brothers which is another big company within the industry with a huge budget, therefore I can benefit from them too if needed as they dominate the industry for a long time now and have a lot of experience and links within the film industry.

Famous Thrillers from New Line Cinema.Seven (1995), which was one of the thrillers that has inspired us

when creating our opening. We used similar cinematography techniques which helped us to keep the element of suspense/ surprise. Seven is a famous classical thriller with a high gross, and if my thriller is made by the same company then the audience can infer that it will be as good because of the distributor’s previous success .

The Number 23 (2007), which is a mystery thriller with some psychological aspects. The genre of the film is the same to my product. Additionally some themes such as morality, is also evident in my opening. Number 23 is a successful thriller and original in its narrative similarly, to my product, therefore people who enjoyed this film should like my opening, thus earning me a broader audience.

My Opening and Famous Thrillers from New Line Cinema.

• SEVEN:

The frame overlay and a cross dissolve is used in the opening from Seven. This is utilised in order to distort the image and create chaos, similarly in my thriller where many overlays are applied throughout the opening. This is conventional of a thriller opening as the viewer should question what is happening in the frame in order to feel engaged, wanting to know more than is revealed.

In Her Scent In Her ScentIn Her Scent

The image from the opening has used a red coloured filter effectively in order to alert the viewer of danger and create fear. This is because red holds connotations of blood and evil. Similarly in my thriller opening, I have applied a red filter to reflect the thriller genre and represent the negative atmosphere. This is conventional because thrillers are common to hold violence, blood and cause fear amongst the viewers.

In this still image the audience is displayed to a face which has been crossed out with a thick black line. This shows disrespect and hate as black connotes dark intentions. Similarly to my thriller, the magazine models have crossed out heads with a lipstick which holds the same connotations. This is conventional because the audience gains an insight of the character’s nature and likings.

My Opening and Famous Thrillers from New Line Cinema.

• THE NUMBER 23:

This frame from Number 23 opening displays heavy blood stains. This alerts the viewer of danger as blood connotes pain and violence, which are conventional elements of the thriller genre. In comparison, I have used a red feather scarf in my opening. This allowed my viewers to sense violence but because it’s a feminine scarf it is a subtle connotation that fits my narrative and theme of fashion. The use of a scarf is not a common iconography within thrillers, however it fits my narrative well and holds convention typical of a thriller.

This image from the Number 23 shows thick blood, running down. The throbbing red connotes brutality and violence which is conventional of a thriller as often during the narrative someone is a victim of violence. In my thriller, I have used pink lipstick which looks like blood running down the mirror. Although the lipstick in not a conventional thriller iconography it fits my narrative and draws the right audience response because it represents blood running down.

This still image from the opening reveals typography which has been crossed out with a black line. Black holds connotations of death and hate which are common themes in thrillers. Similarly in my thriller, I have used dark lipstick to cross out female heads in the magazines. This allowed the audience to infer hate and feel insecure knowing that this is an evil act. This is conventional of the thriller genre as often victims are assaulted by the antagonists.

What benefits will choosing this institution have on your media product?First off, New Line Cinema has created many successful thrillers, therefore it can give me

some assurance that the company will try their hardest to make mine as good as they can and make it a success. At the same time, because they specialise in thrillers they must have a loyal fan base who will follow their films and watch mine, thus giving me a larger audience and more profit.

Furthermore, they allow synergy which comes with benefits such as larger profit and broader audience because the institution can advertise my film across different media platforms, thus informing more people and fans that could potentially come and watch my film.

Lastly, they have a good reputation and alliances amongst industry. They are credible and have been operating in the film productions for a long time therefore the audience can expect their films to be good because they have gained experience over the years. At the same time they have formed alliances with the Warner Brothers who are another reputable institution and can always support my film production.