role of the production company

Production Comapny

A production company provides the physical basis for works in the departments of the performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, and video. The production company is responsible for fundraising for the production or may be accomplish this through a parent company, partner, or private investor. It handles budgeting, scheduling, scripting, the supply with talent and resources, the organization of staff, the production itself, post-production, distribution, and marketing. Production companies are often either owned or under contract with a media conglomerate, film studio, entertainment company, or Motion Picture Company, who act as the production company's partner or parent company. This has become known as the "studio system". They can also be mainstream independent or completely independent

Entertainment companies operate as mini conglomerates, operating many divisions or subsidiaries in many different industries. Warner Brothers Entertainment and Lionsgate Entertainment are two companies with this corporate structure. It allows for a single company to maintain control over seemingly unrelated companies that fall within the ranges of entertainment, which increases and centralises the revenue into one company for example a film production company.  A motion picture company, such as Paramount Pictures, specializing only in motion pictures is only connected with its other counterpart industries through its parent company. Instead of performing a corporate reorganization, many motion picture companies often have sister companies they collaborate with in other industries that are subsidiaries owned by their parent company and is often not involved in the making of products that are not motion picture related. A production company can either operate under a contract or as a subsidiary for an entertainment company, motion picture Company, television network, or all, and are generally smaller than the company they are partnered with.

Paramount Pictures Corporation is a film and television production/distribution studio, consistently ranked as one of the largest top-grossing movie studios. It is a unit of American media conglomerate Viacom. Paramount is the fifth oldest existing film studio in the world behind and is still headquartered in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles. this componay is a global conglomerate this means that it is a large company that consists of diverse divisions that produce and sell unrelated goods and services.  Conglomerate companies tend to be large multinational corporations with operations in multiple regions of the world.

The Role of the Distributor

Lord Puttnam CBE, President of the Film Distributors' Association, tells us it is 'the task of the distributors to identify and deliver the largest possible audience for every film.' He follows this up by saying 'This is no small task, particularly when so many other entertainment options are available both inside and outside the home; and that's in addition to the 500 or more titles released in UK cinemas every year'. From this we are able to grasp why there has to be a distribution and marketing plan, films can clearly not just be left to sell themselves.

·         Distribution is launching and sustaining films in the market place. The steps a distributor goes through are these:

·         After principal photography begins on a film the distributor develops a release strategy, considers the release date and takes delivery of a master print of the finished film.

·         The Distributor will then present the film to exhibitors and negotiates bilateral agreement to have it shown in cinemas.

·         They will ensure their marketing campaign will create a 'want to see' buzz among target audiences and will launch the film. The film will then be delivered to cinemas.

UK distributors obtain the films they release in several ways:

·         A third-party sales agent, acting on behalf of a producer.

·         A continuous flow of new content from a parent studio.

·         A studio or production company with whom the distributor has negotiated an output deal covering a slate of titles.

The UK has half a dozen major distributors and many independent distributors. Individual distributors may release any number of films, sometimes just one or two or in some cases as many as 25 - 30 a year. Every film has its own distribution plan, which the distributor develops in consultation with the producers and studio. The most important strategic decisions a distributor makes are when and how to release a film in order to optimise its chances. As with every business plan, the goal is to recoup all the costs and turn a profit. Because of this each release is individually planned, taking into account current circumstances, and plans are often only confirmed when the finished product is available to view.

A detailed understanding of the target audience: age group, gender, lifestyles, social networks, media consumption patterns, always informs the subsequent decisions on how and where a particular film is promoted in order to reach them. It's important never to lose sight of a film's core target audience but the distributors challenge is always to attract as wide a spread as possible.

Distributors have to take into account several facts when developing their release plans:

·         Competition - what other films are being released around the same time?

·         Is it an event film, a mass market blockbuster or a specialised film?

·         Is there any star power in the cast of the film?

·         Will any of the cast members do UK/international publicity or attend the premiere?

·         Is the film for a holiday period?

·         Is it likely to be nominated for any awards?

·         Will the film lead the media reviews of that week's new releases?

·         Is there already any buzz about the film?                                   

·         Is it a sequel or franchise entry?

·         Has the film already opened anywhere else?

·         What certificate will the film have?

Complementing the distribution plan, every film has a detailed marketing plan. The marketing plans job is to create visibility, raise awareness and engage interest. This is done in several ways, one of which is a poster telling the audience a bit about the film: its stars, genre etc. Another way is with a trailer, which is probably the most cost-effective marketing technique. A third way is by using the Internet and mobile phones to entice audiences using things like blog posts and video diaries. A fourth way is media advertising which includes things like billboards and advertising in the press. Another way is with publicity such as independently-written news stories, which are more readily believed than advertising because they're not paid for by the film. Publicity also includes things like screenings for national critics, set visits and awards buzz. A further way to generate awareness is promotional partnerships because they promote the films in ways advertising can't such as in shops and restaurants. Two final ways are preview screenings and festivals.