Evaluation

 

Question 3: What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

To understand and determine what kind of media institution might distribute our media product I decided to research which distribution companies existed and had already heard of the big six which consist of: Universal Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Walt Disney, Paramount, Warner Brothers and 20th Century Fox. I also thought I would look at Independent distribution companies, Oligopolies, Conglomerates and Subsidiary distribution companies. Researching these enabled me to identify which distribution company would be most suitable for our thriller film.

 

The Big Six

The Big Six are all based in America because America is the place where many large film productions are produced and distributed. Warner Brothers is the first in the big six and has distributed a phenomenal 606 movies and has the largest market share which is 11.10% and Columbia Pictures/Sony is third in the big six and has distributed a staggering 597 movies and has a market share of 9.54% which is very close to Warner Bros. However both Warner Bros and Columbia are unsuitable distributors for our thriller film because it doesn't stereotypically distribute thriller films; Warner Brothers normally distributing films such as P.S I love you and Twilight. Similarly, Columbia/Sony distribute films such as White House Down, The Smurfs and 22 Jump Street which are action or comedies and do not fit the codes and conventions of a typical thriller film. Walt Disney is second in the big six and has a market share of 10.37 and has distributed 505 movies which are mostly aimed at children and a younger target audience. Disney distribute films including Frozen, Toy Story and Monsters University and they are all children films and this is the reputation that Walt Disney has and would therefore be inappropriate for a media institution like them to distribute our thriller film. Disney is also an oligopoly and it has enough money tp branch out and have smaller branches which are known as subsidaries. The media institution in the Big Six with the smallest market share is Universal Pictures with a market share of 7.8% and they have distrbuted 391 movies. Universal Pictures distribute a wide range of films ranging from musicals such as Mamma Mia to thrillers including Jaws. Universal Pictures would be a good media institution to distribute our thriller film because it is so well known and has a good reputation and has distributed thriller films before. However it is based in America and wouldn't be a practical distibution company to distribute our thriller opening. 

 

Paramount and 20th Century Fox were the two remaining media institutions in the Big Six and both have an extremely similar market share; Paramount having a market share of 8.63% and distributing 405 movies and 20th Century Fox having a market share of 8.41% and distributing 429 films. 20th Century Fox distributed films including Taken 3 and Dawn of the Planet of the apes which are both action adventure films but they do have some similar conventions to thrillers; creates tension and involves an antagonist, protagonist and damsel in distress. Therefore 20th Century Fox would be a considerable media institution.

20th Century Fox was originally a subsidiary of News Corporation, but is now a subsidiary of 21st Century Fox. However, Paramount have distributed films which have been extremely successful in the thriller genre and this is a beneficial reputation to have. They have distributed all four of the Paranormal Activity films and they have all been successful and they have also distributed Iron Man.

 

The Big Six are all huge, well known, institutions who take in the most money each year and this allows them to have the best options for their films; the best actors, settings, directors, props and costumes and this is probably what attracts so many customers because it is near enough ensured that they will be worth a watch. Independent Media Institutions including Working Title and Film Independent are distribution companies which are normally outdone by the bigger distribution companies, including the Big Six. This means that they are normally requesting funding from other companies and this isn't an easy task. However independent media institutions, like Working Title, have distributed some really well known films including The Theory of Everything and Les Miserables. On the other hand, the majority of the films which they distribute are only aimed at an English audience and this minimises the potential gross profit they could make. However the costs of distributing a British film in America, which would then be unsuccessful, would be a waste of time and money.

 

Due to the success of the Big Six, I would obviously like one of them to distribute our thriller film. However it would financially impossible for us to do so because we wouldn't have the money to meet the requirements of most of the Big Six. It is also our first film and so we would need to build up a popular reputation before we began to use the most popular Big Six. Our thriller film didn't use expensive camera's or A-List celebrities and this therefore wouldn't meet the stereotypical conventions that most of the Big Six have. However, an Independent Media Institution like Working Title, may consider distributing our thriller film because they have distributed films like 'Contraband' and this looks like an action thriller. Working Title have still distributed films which have been successful, however they may not have been successful as films distributed by Universal Studios or Columbia Pictures. Warner Brothers also distributed the Harry Potter series which was a worldwide phenomenon and our thriller opening is not in the same league as that. The majority of films that reach worldwide viewing, are distributed by one of the Big Six and so if we were financially ready and had an excellent previous reputation, then I think 20th Century Fix would be the best media institution to distribute our film. However, due to the fact that we cannot use a Hollywood company, I believe that Working Title would be a beneficial institution to use because they have distributed successful films in the past and they also have a good reputation and they are not based in Hollywood. Working Title is based in London and are owned by Universal Studios which is also a successful media institution.