09-0837 Wham Media FDA Guide 2009-2010 COVERS (V9) PAGINATED:09-0837 Wham Media FDA Guide COVER 12/5/09

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| film distributors’ association | 22 golden square | london | w1f 9jw |

| eMail: info@fda.uk.net | tel: +44 (0) 20 7437 4383 | fax: +44 (0) 20 7734 0912 |

www.launchingfilms.com
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© 2009 Film Distributors’ Association Ltd.

Designed and printed in England
No unauthorised copying: No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the express prior permission of FDA.
for Film Distributors’ Association
FDA thanks all contributors to this revised and updated edition of the Guide, which supersedes all previous editions. by Wham Media Ltd
Information correct at time of going to press but subject to change. www.whammedia.co.uk
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ConTENTS
FDA Guide to UK film distribution 2009/2010

Foreword by Lord Puttnam CBE 2

Film distributors deliver the audience 4
Acquisition 6
Planning the release 10
Film marketing and publicity 16
Licensing films to exhibitors 24
The wider picture 28
Working in film distribution 30
About Film Distributors’ Association 34
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FDA/PIC
Audience-focused distribution
is, and will remain, vital to the
prospects of individual films,
and to the industry as a whole.

2
FOREWORD by Lord Puttnam CBE

Lord Puttnam CBE

President, Film Distributors’ Association
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Movies are capable of enriching pretty
well every aspect of our lives. They retain
an extraordinary power to amaze as much
as amuse us. Beyond that, they influence
the games we enjoy and the music we
play, as well as inspiring the fashions and
advertising images that spring up all
around us.
But films can have an impact, both
commercial and social, only to the
extent that they truly connect with their
audience. Like any other product, films
only come to life when they invade the
consciousness of the citizens – consumers
– for whom they were intended.
It is the task of distributors to identify
and deliver the largest possible audience
for every film. 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. But research
confirms that most cinemagoers know in
advance which film they want to see –
and that’s principally a result of
competing distributors’ efforts to promote
interest in the title(s) they are handling.
Tailor-made, audience-focused distribution
is, and will remain, vital to the prospects
of individual films, and to the industry as
a whole, whatever the medium or format
in question. Every aspect of the
communications and entertainment
industry is undergoing rapid change.
Inevitably, as digital technologies open up
new opportunities for audiences, and the
businesses that serve them, traditional
approaches melt away.
But through it all a few fundamentals
remain rock-solid. Sharing great stories
has always been part of human nature,
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and stories told on film look and sound
their very best in modern cinemas. During
this decade of almost continual changes
and challenges UK cinema-going has
been remarkably resilient, in fact when
compared to many other sectors,
positively buoyant, thanks in no small
measure to the inability of any other
medium to match the immersive
experience cinema offers.
With this guide, you can look through the
eyes (or lens!) of a distributor and
consider how you might launch a film.
What sort of business considerations
would you take into account, and what 3
are the key decisions you must weigh up?
It’s my sincerest hope that you enjoy
exploring the essential life of a film
beyond its production phase, and that this
overview will make you want to discover
even more.
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With so much information available in so many different forms, there’s never been a better
time to be a film fan. You may have read or heard a great deal about actors and filmmakers.
You may be familiar with local cinemas, media software stores and movie websites. You
may appreciate that some films influence our culture, shaping the way we see the world.

But did you know that, right at the heart of the
film industry, there is a dynamic sector working to
connect every new film with the largest possible
audience?
This is the distribution sector. Distribution is
the highly competitive business of launching and
sustaining films in the market place. It’s vital to the
health of the film industry as a whole. Films don’t
become well known, or find their place in the
world, by accident. The distributor’s challenge is to
bring each one to market, starting from scratch
(except for a sequel) and realising its potential.
Like other forms of entertainment, the film
business is product-driven: the films
themselves are the main reason why we buy
tickets. There’s an insatiable, deep-rooted desire
for great stories on the screen as well as in
print. But today more than ever, consumers call

4
Film distributors deliver the audience
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the shots, deciding for themselves what
information to receive or reject, access or delete.
So how do people get to know about the range
of films on offer and come to feel they really
want to see some in particular?
As a filmmaker, I know only too
well that films do not exist for their
own sakes… they only exist when they
are experienced by an audience.
Sir Alan Parker CBE
The film value chain
Usually feature films open first theatrically
– in cinemas. A cinema release has long been,
and remains, the most effective way to bestow
stature on a film and create demand to see it.
But the cinema is just one link in the value
chain. After the big screen run, films are
released in flexible timescales on a growing
range of other formats so consumers may
choose how, when and where to watch. These
are the main ‘ancillary markets’:
• Home entertainment – films are packaged
for release on digital media such as DVD
and Blu-Ray, and made available online for
download
• Then, various forms of pay/subscription
television
• Finally, free-to-air television. Films may be
scheduled repeatedly on TV channels year
after year
Team effort
Creative, commercial and professional skills
are needed in all branches of the film industry,
distribution included. The chart (right) broadly
summarises the overall lifecycle of a film.
The cinema is the place where filmmakers
aspire to have their stories showcased. They
come across to their best effect as audiences
enjoy a uniquely immersive, uninterrupted
experience. The profile built up on a theatrical
launch can endure and reap dividends
throughout the release cycle, influencing the
commercial value a film subsequently
commands.
Theatrical distributors share and discuss their
release plans with:
• Filmmakers and producers, who are likely to
have nurtured their projects for years through
the development and production stages
• Exhibitors (cinema operators), who present
the finished films on screen
• A host of external partners and suppliers
such as publicists, advertising agencies
and designers
• Colleagues handling the release in
subsequent formats
In an age when we’re all bombarded with
media choices, the cinema presents films with
a vital shop window. This generic guide to UK
distribution focuses on how films are launched
in cinemas.
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Producer/company acquires
rights to film a story or treatment
Screenplay is developed
by one or more writers
Production finance and cast
and crew are confirmed
Principal photography takes place,
in studios and/or on agreed locations,
followed by some months of post-
production, editing and scoring
Distributor develops release strategy,
considers release date, and takes delivery
of a master print of the finished film
Distributor presents the film to
exhibitors and negotiates bilateral
agreements to have it shown in cinemas
Distributor’s marketing campaign aims
to create a ‘want to see’ buzz among the
target audience and launches the film
5
Film prints/disks including the
British Board of Film Classification
certificate are delivered to cinemas
a few days before opening
Film’s run extends any number of
weeks subject to demand, which may
be augmented by additional marketing
Following its run in cinemas, the film
is released in subsequent windows
(home entertainment, television)
and quickly becomes a catalogue title
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As films are creative works – intellectual property rather than physical goods – their copyright is
owned by the people or organisations that produce or finance them. Copyright systems enable
creators to receive a fair return for their innovation and investment. In bringing films to market,
distributors act under license on their behalf.

6
Acquisition
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Where and how do UK distributors obtain the
films they release? From one or more of
various sources:
• 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
• A single title acquired at any stage before,
during or after production
As in other countries, the UK has half a dozen
major distributors (directly affiliated to the
Hollywood studios) and many
independent (unaffiliated) distributors
who tend to handle films made outside the
major studios. Any local distributor of
whatever ownership may compete to pick up
a film with available rights, so competition to
sign a hot property can be fierce.
When considering acquiring a new film,
distributors will look for something fresh,
original or outstanding. Is there an
imaginative idea or ‘hook’ that could be a
springboard for a marketing and publicity
campaign?
Distributors recognise the importance of
local product. British audiences naturally
warm to good quality British films, Irish
audiences to Irish stories, and so on.
A film’s marketability (how it can be
promoted to its particular audience) and
playability (how it actually performs in the
market place) are not necessarily the same
thing. Who is the audience – who does the
film ‘speak to’? Do the story, characters and
situation grip the intended audience? Does
the film ‘deliver’ and justify the cost and risk
of a theatrical release?
A distributor’s opinion on a film’s
marketability may, and ideally should, be
sought before it goes into production.
Generally it’s preferable for a distribution deal
to be in place before principal photography
begins. This may be viable on the basis of a
hot script and anticipated cast. In practice,
producers tend to seek finance from multiple
sources, including:
• pre-sales to various territories via a
specialist sales agent
• bank loans (subject to prevailing
economic conditions)
• institutional investors
• private individuals
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• beneficial tax schemes
• public subsidies (in the UK, most of the
available grants and funds are co-
ordinated by the UK Film Council, the
government’s strategic agency for film).
The distribution contract
Distributors sign a formal agreement with
the producer, sales agent or studio, specifying
the rights they hold in respect of the title.
These normally include the right to release it
in UK cinemas and promote it in all media
before and during its release. There may also
be provision for the film to be edited locally
(or not) in order to secure a particular
classification. The contract will set out how
the income from the release is to be
apportioned and accounted for, and set a
date on which the distribution license
expires.
7
Importantly, in addition to the theatrical
window, the agreement usually extends to
the ancillary markets including the further
right to license the film to UK broadcasters.
Distributors normally seek to acquire
all available rights in their particular territory,
spreading the risk and opportunity across
multiple platforms. Some theatrical
distributors do not handle distribution in
other formats, but they will have sister
companies or business partners that do so.
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The UK has a thriving home
entertainment sector. Increasing
numbers of homes have large
plasma screens delivering HD-TV
and digital TV switchover continues
around the regions. We buy or
rent 350 million films a year from
high street and online retailers.
Worth close to £3 billion – treble
the value of cinema ticket sales –
the home entertainment market is
extremely important to the film
industry. In addition, the UK
computer games industry clocks
up annual software sales of
around £2 billion.
8 Acquisition continued
weekend, London’s Oxford Street was transformed into a traffic-free kids’ playground,
inhabited by larger-than-life costume characters from Night at the Museum 2 and
12/5/09 11:23 Page 8
No fixed formulae apply to film financing Often a distributor becomes a partner in a
or advances. Each case is affected by project, contributing to its development/
variables such as the film property itself, production costs and later bringing it to
the script, cast and market conditions. market. In some cases, the distributor may
Today, the greater use of digital pay an advance/minimum guarantee
against future earnings to the producer or
technologies is bringing change to
sales agent. The advance commitment is for
traditional models throughout the film
the distribution license rights plus the costs
and cinema industry.
of theatrical prints and advertising (P&A).
The larger the production budget, the
If a broadcaster has contributed to the
more likely a film is to have a distributor financing of a feature film, it is likely to
attached before all its financing is have pre-secured TV rights as part of the
confirmed. No distributor pre-sales may deal. In such a case, the rights available to
make it harder to finance a new an incoming distributor would extend only
production from other sources. to theatrical, DVD/Blu-Ray and downloads.
Twentieth Century Fox
Night life: Three years after his first Night at the Museum, Ben Stiller returned
in the summer sequel for all the family, directed again by Shawn Levy. The strong
cast included Ricky Gervais and Steve Coogan. During this decade Stiller has
become firmly established as one of the world’s most popular comedy stars.
His next movie, a different brand of comedy, is The Marc Pease Experience with
Jason Schwartzman. On 23 May 2009, the Saturday of the spring bank holiday
four giant screens relaying clips from the film to celebrate its half-term release.
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Distributors prepare reports for the producer

E1 Films
or rights owner, detailing the marketing
spend, together with forecast and actual
theatrical revenues. As laid down in the
distribution contract, such reports are
submitted at least quarterly in the first year
following launch and usually twice yearly
thereafter.

Although the entertainment value

a film imparts is not linked to its
production budget, today’s event
movies, often containing many
computer-generated effects, can
cost $150m - $200m to produce. A
further $100m or more is often
Fresh blood: Heavyweight outdoor advertising helped to launch the
spent on releasing and marketing Twilight saga in towns and cities throughout the UK. More than a million
such films worldwide, so the copies of Stephenie Meyer’s young adult vampire romance novels were
sold in the UK in 2008, 60% in December alone, when the first film in the
stakes are extremely high. new franchise was unleashed. It grossed over £11 million in UK cinemas
and $380m worldwide. The second film, New Moon, directed by Chris
Weitz and again starring Londoner, Robert Pattinson as Edward and
Market characteristics Kristen Stewart as Bella, opens in 2009. A third installment, Eclipse, has
been announced for 2010. 9
Individual distributors may release any

E1 Films
number of films, sometimes just one or two,
or as many as 25–30 a year.

A typical week sees around ten new films

opening in UK cinemas. Inevitably, with more
than 500 releases a year all competing for
screen time, media space and audience
interest, the market place is highly
competitive, churning, chopping and
changing all too quickly.
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Every film has its own tailor-made distribution plan, which the distributor develops in
consultation with the producers and/or studio. The most important strategic decisions a
distributor makes are when and how to release a film in order to optimise its chances.

Through a combination of market
knowledge, commercial experience,
statistical research and professional
judgement, distributors gauge the
audience for each film.
Who is the film for? Who can be
convinced to buy a cinema ticket to
see it and why should they do so?
What sort of audiences have
similar films attracted recently?
Only when distributors have considered what
a film may earn (with low/medium/high
estimates) can they prepare a budget to
release it, bearing in mind all the related
costs. As with every business plan, the goal is

10
Planning a release
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to recoup all the costs and turn a profit. But
launching films is expensive and risky –
audiences have so many other leisure choices in
and out of the home. In reality, most films do not
make a profit from their theatrical runs alone.
When planning a new release, relying solely
on conventional wisdom is never an option.
Early information can be gleaned from
discussions with the filmmakers and by
reading the script, but every project is a one-
off. Each release is individually planned given
current circumstances. Distribution plans are
often confirmed only when the finished
product is available to view.
Focus on the audience
A detailed understanding of the target audience
– age group and gender, of course, but also
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.
Naturally the audience can vary considerably
film by film, for example from families with
young children to teenage males and/or
females to older adults, or sometimes a
combination. Particular films may appeal to
people with particular interests – say in history,
cars, animals, certain countries, whatever.
Generally, UK cinemagoers are upmarket,
especially for more specialised fare, while
cinemagoing is a shared experience with an
average of three people per party.
It’s important never to lose sight of a film’s
core target audience. But the distributor’s
challenge is always to attract as wide a spread
as possible – identifying niche interest groups as
well as the broad mainstream, and ideally
helping a film to ‘break out’ and ‘cross over’.
The most frequent cinemagoers tend to be –
teenagers, students, young adults. They are
the most voracious media consumers of any
age group, and although television remains
popular, the internet plays a central role in
their lives.
More than half of 15–24 year-olds in the UK
visit the cinema at least once a month – it’s a
favourite out-of-home leisure activity for young
people – but overall, just a quarter of the
population goes that often. The cinema
audience is broadening as the population ages
and diversifies, and adults aged 35 and above
account for a growing proportion of ticket sales.
The average number of visits per person works
out at 2.7 a year, up from barely one a year at
the low point of the mid-1980s. Yet this is still a
lower frequency than in other countries such as
Ireland, Australia, the US and Canada, and the
industry is working to encourage more visits.
If you look at how a film performs, the greater
its box-office takings, the more likely it is to be
attracting infrequent cinemagoers and repeat
visits. It’s a function of the market that the more
12/5/09 11:23 Page 11
a film is aimed at an audience beyond 15–24
year-olds or family groups – perhaps an older,
more discerning segment who may not
frequent cinemas as much – the more
outstanding it has to be to sustain a
theatrical life.
Rolling the distribution dice
Audience tastes are notoriously unpredictable
and traditional preferences may not count for
a lot in practice. Nobody can be absolutely
certain what makes a hit, or when and where
it might happen. Notwithstanding the best
made plans, cinemagoers discover particular
films they like or dislike when they open.
It is clear to me that films only
achieve their extraordinary potential
when they are able to reach global
audiences, week in, week out.
11
Lord Richard Attenborough CBE
Market research may be conducted to probe
audience reactions at pre-release test
screenings or to evaluate alternative
marketing campaigns – fundamental
considerations for every release. Test
screenings, after which the viewers complete
questionnaires, can help the distributor to be
more confident of the expected audience or
box-office prospects.
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A few films every year become ‘sleeper’ hits,
playing for longer and generating greater
returns than expected. But just because one
romantic comedy or action adventure plays
successfully to a particular audience is no
guarantee that the next such release will do
likewise: it depends on the individual film and
market conditions. It’s well nigh impossible to
entice people to a film in which they have no
interest.
Inevitably, as it’s such an unpredictable,
product-driven business, each distributor’s
earnings, market share and profitability
fluctuate year by year, reflecting the success
or otherwise of individual titles.
The competitive jungle
As well as the target audience and commercial
risk, what factors do distributors take into
account when developing their release plans?
• Competition is always a primary
consideration. Which films are other
distributors likely to release at the same
time and during the following weeks –
especially those targeted at a similar
audience? Is there space in the market for
something different – some ‘counter-
programming’? Are the most appropriate
screens for this film available and likely to
be offered? Projected release dates often
change as competing distributors jockey
for position week by week.
• Is it an event film, a prospective mass
market blockbuster, or a specialised
film for a more discrete audience?
• Is there any star power among the
cast? What were the lead star’s last
couple of films and how were they
received commercially and critically?
Is the film made by a ‘name’ director
or producer?
• Are any cast members available for
UK/international publicity or to attend
a premiere?
• Is it a film for a holiday period? If so,
which season? School holiday dates may
vary around the UK, and with those in

Entertainment/myspace.com
12 Planning a release continued

You ain’t seen the best of me yet: The

young director of the 2009 version of Fame,
updated almost 30 years after the original
musical film, wrote a blog on myspace during
production and post-production in Los Angeles.
Kevin Tancharoen's cast featured a group of
up-and-coming talents alongside ‘teachers’
including Kelsey Grammer and Debbie Allen.
09-0837 Wham Media FDA Guide 2009-2010 TEXT (V9) A5 PAGES:09-0837 Wham Media FDA Guide TEXT
other countries. What kinds of films have
been released successfully in particular
slots in previous years?
• Is it a film with hopes for award
nominations? The Academy Award®,
Golden Globe and Orange British
Academy Film Award contenders often
open in the UK between December–
February, when the annual awards
publicity reaches its peak, although this
can cause a bottleneck in an already
congested release schedule.
• Will the film lead the media reviews of
that week’s new releases?
• Is there already a buzz about the film,
due to its stars or makers, a book on
which it is based, or perhaps some
controversial subject matter? What is
posted about the film online?
• If it is a sequel or franchise entry, what
elements distinguish it or give
contemporary resonance over and above
its predecessor(s)?
• Has the film already opened in the US or
elsewhere? Substantial success in the
US, reported via websites and other
media, can contribute to positive word of
mouth in the UK – although this can
work both ways, as a disappointing
performance overseas may adversely
affect perceptions here.
• What certificate will the film have? The
certificate awarded by the British Board of
Film Classification (BBFC) is important as it
can affect the potential audience.
Distributors submit a copy of each film to
the BBFC for classification as soon as
possible, paying a fee according to the film’s
length. You’ll find consumer advice about
the content included in a panel on the film’s
advertising.
Satisfying anticipated demand
Different releases are managed in different
ways. For example, a saturation release ‘at
cinemas everywhere’ may open simultaneously
on 1,000 screens UK-wide, playing at two or
more screens per multiplex. This strategy, usually
deployed for ‘tentpole’ titles such as large-scale
sequels or star-led holiday releases, helps to
accommodate mass audiences eager to see a
film at the earliest opportunity. Sometimes, one
print can service more than one screen if it is
‘interlocked’ between adjacent projectors.
By contrast, the specialised release of, say, a
foreign language film or revived classic may
comprise 25 prints or fewer. Initially, the film
12/5/09 11:23 Page 13
may play in selected screens in London and
some university towns, where local audiences
are known to favour such titles, before
touring more widely over the following
weeks. Very occasionally, a film might be
‘platformed’ in just one location before rolling
out. London, with an increasingly diverse
population of 7.5m people, accounts for
about a quarter of UK cinema admissions.
The UK has approximately 650
cinemas with 3,400 screens. A
majority of films released go
out on fewer than 200 prints,
whether 35mm or digital. Every
year, across all films, UK
distributors procure and supply
more than 100,000 new prints.
Digital regeneration
Today, many films are released digitally as
well as on 35mm celluloid prints. A digital
13
release takes the form of specially encoded
media disks which are despatched to
cinemas, where the content is ingested into a
powerful server and played out through a
state-of-the-art digital projector. The disks are
significantly less expensive to duplicate than
35mm copies (around 10% of the cost), while
digital encryption can also render the disks
highly secure.
Digital cinema presents new releasing and
programming opportunities for film distributors
and cinema operators respectively.
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The digital images appear on screen in
pristine quality and do not
deteriorate over time – there is no wear
and tear, as is inevitable with 35mm
projection machinery. Digital
remastering – though time-consuming
and costly – enables classic films to return
to the big screen looking as good as new.
Digital projectors may also be adapted
easily to present films in digital 3D.
As you probably know, more and more
films – live-action and animation (two
examples right) – are being released
in 3D, which enhances certain stories
dramatically while giving audiences
a comfortable, stable, laser-sharp
viewing experience.
14 Planning a release
12/5/09 11:23 Page 14
Budgeting the release
Disney
As early as possible, the distributor views the
finished film and confirms the release plan. In
the UK, where distributors pay all the release
costs including marketing and the duplication of
prints (35mm or digital), the distributor draws
up and works to a comprehensive budget. This
covers both the launch and sustaining of
the film post-release. The investment and
projected returns can be reassessed subject to
commercial performance week by week.
A distribution budget may be itemised as
shown opposite. It details all the print costs
associated with the physical release and all the
advertising/publicity (‘ad pub’) costs associated
with media and marketing activities:
continued
Paramount
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Cost category £ Cost category continued £

35mm prints (for conventional projection) Publicity
No. 35mm prints Press screenings, incl. cinema hires
Cost of 35mm prints Talker screenings, incl. cinema hires
Cost of IMAX® prints (if any) Premiere (if any), incl. invitations/tickets
Trailer print costs Visiting talent hospitality/travel
Print transport to cinemas, including cans/labels Festival screenings/travel
Other print related costs Journalists’ travel/cuttings
PR agency fees & expenses
Digital copies (for digital projection) Press kits (online/electronic/printed matter)
Digital Master cost Other publicity costs
Encoding/encryption applications
No. digital copies Campaign production
Disk duplication cost Film poster designs – teaser/main
Despatch to cinemas Poster printing
Other related costs (e.g. 3D glasses if needed) Print advertising production Total UK distribution
TV spots production expenditure can vary
Film certification charge (BBFC) Radio ad production from some thousands of
Film trailer production pounds up to £4m–£5m
per film.
Media (pre-launch, launch and sustain) Subtitles/audio description tracks
Press/print advertising – national/regional Official UK film website content In co-ordinating all these 15
TV advertising Foyer POS display items origination & print elements, often for several
different releases at a time,
Radio advertising Promotional leaflets/flyers, if any
distributors exercise
Outdoor advertising Other production costs formidable project
Online advertising management skills. It’s
Advertising in exhibitor brochures Other possible for a fine film to
Other media costs Research screening/exit polling, if any get lost in the mêlée
Additional materials (specify) without careful handling
and distinct promotion. But
Promotions Couriers, copying, other incidental expenses
even inspired marketing
On-air media promotion(s) can’t save a film for which
Contribution to any retail partner/other promotion(s) Total (£) the public has no appetite.
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Complementing the distribution plan, every film has a detailed marketing plan.

Strategies to motivate audiences’ Creative – Media – Publicity –

Who? What? Where? When? How?
awareness/interest film by film Promotions – Online – Partnerships

The marketing objective is to create visibility,
raise awareness and engage interest, cutting
through the blizzard of competing messages.
Distributors must compete for a significant
share of voice not only against other
distributors but also other leisure activities in
and out of the home. They all aim to entice the
same public, who have never had as much
choice as there is today. However large or
small the marketing budget, audiences must
be reached in compelling ways and persuaded
that this is an especially entertaining, must
see film. Their interest should peak as it opens
in cinemas.

16
Film marketing AND PUBLICITY
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Word of mouth
Social recommendation is key – a
personal recommendation from a
friend, colleague or relative can
be the most powerful trigger for a
cinema visit. Pre-requisite for
favourable ‘word of mouth’ are
high levels of awareness and
strong interest. Negative word of
mouth is extremely difficult to
overcome. Post-release, hopefully,
a combination of good word of
mouth and further advertising will
combine to give the film ‘legs’.
Today, theatrical runs seldom exceed six weeks,
even for big hits, and can last much less. But
distributors’ campaigns are generally effective
as most cinemagoers know which film(s) they
want to see before setting off for the cinema.
When constructing a campaign, distributors
aim to reach as much of their target audience
as possible, as frequently but cost-effectively as
possible. They must bear in mind that different
audiences react to advertising, and reach a
decision to see a new film, in different ways.
Older audiences may respond best having seen
a film advertised on television or in the press,
while for younger audiences it is more
appropriate to promote the film online, on radio
stations or bus shelter panels.
In each case, a variety of complementary media
and promotional options is considered:
12/5/09 11:23 Page 17
Sony
Poster
The main image distilling the appeal of the
film – its stars, theme/genre, credits and often
a tagline to whet audiences’ appetites. With
sometimes a dozen or more different posters
on display in a cinema foyer at any one time,
distributors and their designers must work
hard to make each one stand out.
Film posters may be created by the studio
or sales agent (as applicable) and rolled out
internationally or adapted for use locally.
Alternatively, they may be devised in the UK
from scratch, depending on what approved
materials are available and how the film is
best presented to local audiences.
Built-in audience appeal: Seven Pounds, whose poster
focused single-mindedly on its leading man, reunited Will
A poster is produced for every release, in Smith with director Gabriele Muccino following The
quad format (the traditional UK size of Pursuit of Happyness (2006). Smith has found huge
success in TV shows, as a music artist and today as one of
30”x 40”, landscape orientation) or the world’s brightest film stars, whose presence alone can
one-sheet format (the US equivalent with help to open a movie. 2009 also saw a brand new entry in
the Fast & Furious action franchise, reuniting the stars of
similar dimensions, portrait orientation). the original film (2001). It was a smash-hit, attracting its
17
young male audience in mass numbers.
Many months before release, an initial teaser
Universal
poster may be created to announce that a
film is coming and to whet the audience’s
appetite.
Distributors also provide other display
materials for cinema foyers – prime space for
advertising current and future releases – such
as cardboard standees, banners, window
clings and mini-posters.
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Trailers
Distributors usually have a range of audio-
visual ‘content’ to work with as they prepare
campaigns, including short and extended clips,
approved by the producers; making-of
material shot on set during production; and
one or more trailers. Trailers are probably the
single most cost-effective marketing
technique, playing on the big screen to a
captive audience of active cinemagoers.
Full trailers, screened shortly before a film
opens, may be preceded by early teasers
(30–90 seconds). Specialist agencies or
production companies are briefed by local
distributors to create a trailer from the
18 Film marketing continued
Warner Bros. Sony
available material. Naturally, in aiming to sell
the film, they want to include a representative
glimpse of the best bits but, early in the
production, many sequences will not be
finished. Trailer making is a filmmaking art in
its own right.
Exhibitors, who programme their own screens,
select trailers appropriate to the feature film
before which they’re played. Distributors fund
the duplication, and often the production, of
trailers; a wide release will often have 3,000
copies circulated to cinemas. Sometimes
trailers for new theatrical releases are added
to the front of suitably targeted DVDs, and of
course play widely online.
Paramount Disney
12/5/09 11:23 Page 18
Online and mobile
Fizzing with networks of film fans, the
internet plays a pivotal role in shaping many
cinemagoers’ perceptions of new releases.
Most films have an official website (examples
below) or perhaps a UK site hosted by a
partner company, offering trailers, production
information, galleries of stills and behind-the-
scenes footage, and more.
The internet helps distributors to start building
awareness of a new film at a very early stage.
Even before principal photography begins, they
may release news snippets or teaser images
online, seeding interest among fans. During
shooting, they may gradually accelerate the drip-
feed with video diaries and blogs posted from the
set, aiming to engage the core audience more fully.
Paramount
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But of course the internet is a two-way street
– with individuals in control of their own
viewing. There is no hiding place: the moment
a film is screened, reviews and feedback can
be shared instantly and constantly around the
world, as online communities swap opinions in
a galaxy of chat rooms.
Film clips are among the web’s most searched-
for content, available across very many sites,
while ever more user-generated material, often
including film or soundtrack grabs, draws
comments from wider networks. Sometimes
filmmakers and distributors invite ideas and
bloggers’ suggestions have been known to
make it into finished films.
Film distributor websites incorporate links to
exhibitor websites where local tickets may be
bought online.
Media advertising
The cost of advertising placed on broadcast
channels, outdoor sites and in the press is
usually the largest expenditure item in a P&A
budget.
Media costs rise and fall according to market
conditions during the year. Terrestrial television is
traditionally the most effective visual means of
reaching a mass audience. But the cost of TV
advertising, running into many hundreds of
thousands of pounds or more for a package of
spots in all regions, is prohibitive for most film
releases given their potential returns. Event
films/blockbusters with top stars need
12/5/09 11:23 Page 19
heavyweight advertising to support their wide consider inventive ways to reach particular
releases. audiences film by film. They strive to create a
dialogue with the audience, to gain an
Media proliferation and fragmentation have
active not a passive response. People have
given all advertisers a multitude of options. The
grown accustomed to using media how,
UK has approximately 250,000 poster sites at
when and where they wish. Every week, for
the roadside or by railway platforms, thousands
example, more than a billion text messages
of local media outlets and hundreds of digital TV
are sent in the UK alone, not counting
channels where advertising and promotions may
be placed. communication via email and websites. So
audiences can easily opt out of advertising
With limited budgets, distributors always that doesn’t quickly spark their interest.
UK film distributors invest around £170m a year in media advertising alone to
launch and sustain their releases. Television and outdoor, taken together,
typically account for 70% of expenditure. Entertainment companies as a
whole spend more than half a billion pounds on advertising each year.
Universal
Twentieth Century Fox
Folk heroes on both sides of
the law have long been
springboards for stories in
print and on film. Notorious
recounted the astonishing life 19
and death of rap music star,
Notorious BIG, played by
Jamal Woolard. It opened
strongly in UK cinemas,
grossing £1.1m in its first
weekend (February 2009).
Released in July, Michael
Mann’s thriller Public
Enemies starred Christian
Bale as a dashing agent in the
fledgling FBI locking horns
with notorious ‘30s gangsters
including John Dillinger
(Johnny Depp, first left).
Christian Bale starred in two
‘tentpole’ films in summer
2009, the other being
Terminator: Salvation.
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Publicity
Editorial coverage of a film can be highly
persuasive. The public often accepts
independently-written news stories and
features more readily than advertising. The
space itself is not paid for, in the way that
display advertising is paid for, but column
inches and airtime are limited and the subject
of heavy competition in their own right.
A distributor’s publicity team, frequently
supported by specialist agencies, arranges
media interviews with available members of
the film’s cast, and chaperones artists visiting
the UK for junkets or premieres. In today’s
media environment, many channels and
outlets are interested in entertainment news
and features. The more the film’s talent is
willing and able to support the worldwide
publicity effort, the better!
Publicists compile press kits for journalists,
containing cast and crew lists, biographies,
notable facts about the production and a
synopsis. It’s very important to have a
selection of fine images from the film, taken
during production by a specially hired unit
photographer and approved for publicity use.
All these materials are disseminated via
online pressrooms and distributors pro-
actively devise ‘hooks’ or ‘angles’ for feature
articles and media promotions.
Screenings for national critics are
normally held on the Monday and Tuesday
before a film opens to the public; those for
national and regional writers with longer
lead-times are scheduled further in advance.
Although positive reviews are no guarantee
of commercial success, critics’ plaudits can
still be important in helping to distinguish
and champion certain films, and extracts are
often included in advertising.
Set visits: As with any product development,
the film production process is conducted
confidentially behind studio doors or on
guarded locations. Film sets are normally strictly
closed to the public. But distributors may have

Momentum

NatMag
20 Film marketing continued

Regal entertainment: Scripted by Julian Fellowes, The Young Victoria

was a deliciously intriguing romantic drama starring Emily Blunt and Rupert
Friend as Victoria and Albert in the years before she became Queen. The
distributor’s advertising campaign was designed to look suitably sumptuous
and seductive. Blunt’s status as leading lady was reflected in her becoming
the cover star of various glossy magazines as the film was released. She
had a string of films due for release in the following months, including
Sunshine Cleaning, The Wolf Man, Wild Target and Gulliver’s Travels.
09-0837 Wham Media FDA Guide 2009-2010 TEXT (V9) A5 PAGES:09-0837 Wham Media FDA Guide TEXT
valuable opportunities to visit the set, especially
of UK-based productions, along with key
journalists, exhibitors or marketing partners. In
making such visits, arrangements will be made
with the unit publicists and producers.
Awards buzz: The build up to the major
awards (see page 22) is an important time for
publicists promoting the films vying for
consideration. The season of mounting
speculation lasts around five months leading up
to the annual Academy Awards (Oscars®), and
costly trade campaigns unfold to secure voters’
attention to particular titles, performances and
contributions. Shortlists of nominations are
announced 3–4 weeks prior to the presentation
ceremonies, which deliver global profile and
prestige.
Promotional partnerships
Depending on the film’s theme and target
audience, the distributor will endeavour to
arrange promotional partnerships. Such tie-ins
generate displays for the film in places where
conventional advertising cannot reach such as
shops, restaurants or on packs. They also enable
customers to interact with the film characters
by collecting premium items or entering a
competition.
Importantly, too, tie-in advertising under license
by a promotional partner or a third-party
company with product placement in a film can
add substantial weight to the distributor’s own
campaign.
Merchandising
Many releases, particularly family films, have
merchandising programmes co-ordinated by
the film company or an external consultancy.
Manufacturers may be licensed to use
approved logo devices, images or character
likenesses on specific products, normally in
exchange for an advance fee set against
subsequent royalty payments.
Tie-in merchandise can embrace action
figures, ringtones, clothing, screen savers,
calendars, anything. Films regularly have
official soundtracks, games and books, which
can generate significant revenues in their
own right.
Media promotions, placed on an appropriate
channel or publication, can make effective use
of film merchandise or location holidays as
prizes. Such exposure helps to stretch the film
campaign and create additional talking points.
Occasionally, a film becomes a ubiquitous
event, saturating the media as well as
appearing in advertising, partner campaigns
and other outlets. It may develop into a
popular cultural phenomenon and become an
international news item. That audiences
around the world can take a new set of
characters to their hearts, often within a very
short period of time, indicates how powerful
and influential a storytelling medium the
cinema can be.
12/5/09 11:23 Page 21
Premieres
Perceived as glamorous and exclusive, but
painstaking and expensive to organise!
Distributors’ publicists organise premieres as an
official launch for a film, giving or reflecting an
event stature and providing a platform for
photo opportunities and red carpet interviews.
Star-studded premieres and after-show parties
are covered by celebrity publications and news
media, and often transmitted worldwide.
Sometimes a gala screening in aid of charity
raises a substantial sum via ticket sales and
donations, but from the distributor’s
professional perspective the main aim of a
premiere is to give the film a high-profile,
entertaining launch, boosting the all-important
buzz factor. Some TV companies present half-
hour specials devoted to a big premiere. Most
premieres in the UK – around 50 a year – take
place in London’s Leicester Square.
Preview screenings
A useful way to fuel pre-release word of mouth 21
among audience segments that the distributor
wants to persuade to see the film. Preview
screenings are targeted carefully, with tickets
offered to readers of a particular print/online
publication, or listeners of a radio programme,
matching the film’s core audience.
Sometimes a film is previewed widely to the
public a few days before its official release date.
This is a way to satisfy demand to see it as
soon as possible and to boost the opening box-
office receipts.
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Festivals
There are dozens of busy film festivals in
towns and cities worldwide, but the main
annual events attended by thousands of
international film buyers and sellers, and
almost as many journalists, are presently at
Sundance (Utah), Berlin, Cannes, Venice and
Toronto.
• a competition, where new titles may be
screened to juries of filmmakers and
awarded prizes. Such accolades flashed
on a film’s poster can add prestige but
may also characterise it as ‘arty’;
• a high-profile platform where films can be
showcased prior to release.
many premieres and junkets. Trade papers publish
daily editions in print and online for industry
members and journalists. Other important events
in the industry calendar include the Edinburgh
and London film festivals, the American Film
Market and the Mercato International Film
e Documentario (MIFED) in Milan.

These festivals, each with their own
personality, serve various functions:
• a market, where distributors seeking to
acquire product may meet with sellers
(agents, producers, studios);
FDA
Distributors sometimes choose to launch films
at a suitable international festival, where
critics and insiders may discover them and go
on to champion them in early reviews. The
eyes of the film world and the mass media
are focused on the leading festivals, such as
Cannes in May (right), which accommodates

Film marketing

FDA
22 continued

Forthcoming films can become news items just by

virtue of being selected to screen at a major festival.
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Tracking and refining
Research companies working for the
distributors may track levels of awareness
among audiences as a release date
approaches. With 4 or 5 weeks to go there
Inspiring young audiences
The film industry reaches out to the next
generation of filmmakers and audiences in various
ways, for example by supporting in-school
film clubs and filmmaking schemes for young
Film as a powerful educational tool: Engaging,
curriculum-based materials supplied to UK teachers in 2009
included an interactive guide to filmmaking for 14–19 year-
olds based on The Boat That Rocked; and Coming Soon?,
a generic resource exploring how copyright underpins creative
enterprise, designed for key stage 2 literacy, citizenship and
information & communications technology classes.

Film Education/FDA
may be low awareness: each campaign is people. Distributors may also commission a charity
effectively a new product launch, generally named Film Education to create a study resource
running in the media for a few intense weeks. themed by subject and key stage to a new release,
which is then offered to appropriate segments of
Every week, distributors hold marketing team
its database of primary and secondary teachers.
meetings, reflecting on the films they have in
current release and progressing plans for Film Education also promotes educational use of
forthcoming titles. Some aspects of local cinemas by arranging screenings for school
marketing, such as a major promotional parties, special events such as the annual National
partnership, can require a year’s lead-time, Schools Film Week, and teacher training seminars.
while others, such as running extra
advertising to capitalise on good reviews or
awards nominations/wins, may be turned
around at very short notice.
Accessible releasing
Many films are released each year with digital
subtitles and audio description. New titles are

Film Education/Universal
made available to cinemas every week as a 23
service to cinemagoers with less than perfect
sight or hearing. Some film trailers are
presented online in accessible formats too.
Whenever you see these symbols on a film
advertisement, you’ll know that subtitles and
audio description tracks have been produced
for its release:
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A key consideration in any distribution plan is where the film should play.

Which sorts of cinemas and screens are most appropriate? Given the intended audience,
how can the theatrical release achieve its greatest impact? How many screens, and
therefore prints, are likely to be sustainable?

Every theatrical release is effectively a joint-
venture: the distributor supplies the film, the
exhibitors provide the screens, and the
arrangements are reviewed week by week.
Like all retailers, cinema operators must be
persuaded to ‘stock the product’. Distributors
screen their forthcoming titles for cinema
bookers, and present release dates and
advertising plans.
Potential blockbusters may be booked into every
available multiplex simultaneously, while for
smaller releases, particular screens are likely to
be identified and the release nurtured carefully
from week to week. Many cinemas aim to show
a broad spectrum of titles. Others, depending on
their location and catchment area, may
specialise in films for discerning tastes.

24
Licensing films to exhibitors
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The distributor’s sales and marketing
strategies go hand in glove, with the film’s
target audience kept front of mind. For each
film, the sales team negotiates a confidential
license agreement bilaterally with each
exhibitor interested in playing the film. Under
English law, the maximum booking period for
a new release is two weeks, after which, by
mutual agreement, the film may continue to
play if it is drawing a significant audience.
Print management
– digital and 35mm
Distributors’ print managers arrange for a
print(s) to be despatched to each cinema
playing the film. As films are ‘locked’
(completed and signed off) ever closer to
their release dates, so the time available for
print duplication and transportation gets
tighter.
At the laboratories that duplicate the 35mm
film prints, strict quality control procedures
are applied and the colour specifications are
rigorously checked to match the filmmakers’
intentions. On arrival at the cinema, just a
few days before first playdate, the cans
containing the reels that form the 35mm print
are unsealed. The reels are physically joined
together and laced on to the projector.
For digitally equipped screens, as we have
previously noted, the data on the disks are
ingested on to a server or hard drive, which is
connected to a digital projector (completely
different from a 35mm projector). Security
12/5/09 11:23 Page 25
protocols adopted across the industry ensure Distribution plans usually assume that the
that all prints are kept safe throughout the revenues and number of screens on which a
theatrical run. film plays will decline, often rapidly, as
competing titles are launched in successive
After their final playdate, the film prints are
weeks. But such plans are necessarily flexible:
returned or taken securely to another cinema.
better than expected box-office may lead to
Ultimately, most 35mm prints are destroyed
quick investment in some extra prints or
under supervised conditions, with as much
advertising.
material as possible recycled, while digital
disks can be reused. A print is usually
Pathé
archived for future generations.
No second chances
A film can only be launched once. Its first
weekend in cinemas is crucial to further
progress. The distributor’s marketing effort
builds up to the opening weekend, which
normally draws by far the largest audience of
any weekend in the theatrical run. It’s not
unusual for a film to generate 30% or more
of its entire box-office during the first three
days of release!
25
Almost two-thirds of cinema visits
take place over the weekend
(Friday–Sunday), with the other
four weekdays accounting for 8–
10% each. Monday is traditionally Distributors may flash UK’s no.1 hit on the
the least busy day. Courtesy of second week advertising (as with Slumdog
Nielsen EDI, you can keep track of Millionaire, above, early in 2009) or add
the top films at the UK box-office US no.1 smash to capitalise on a top
every week via FDA’s website, opening in America. Although films
www.launchingfilms.com, and conventionally start in UK cinemas on Fridays,
elsewhere.
distributors quite often open on other days or
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run previews the weekend before.
Exceptionally, new releases may face
competition from a major sports event such
as the World Cup or Olympics, as well as
other films. The weather can also be a factor:
for example, unseasonably hot temperatures,
which entice people outdoors, can affect any
title’s commercial destiny from day to day.
Box-office returns
Since every film is its creators’ intellectual
property, the prints or disks are rented to, or
hired under license by, the exhibitors, rather
than being sold outright as with most
packaged or manufactured goods. Exhibitors
complete a weekly return for each title,
indicating to its distributor how many tickets
were sold (on the day or pre-booked) and at
what price. Cinema ticket prices are always
set by the individual exhibitor.
Box-office takings – the gross receipts – are
often reported in the press. But the sums that
distributors earn are substantially less than
these figures. Revenue from ticket sales is
normally shared between the distributor and
exhibitor – after the VAT has been deducted
and paid by the exhibitor. The percentage
each party takes varies film by film and week
by week. Generally, UK distributors receive
25–40% of the gross, a share traditionally
known as the distributor’s ‘rentals’.
Distributors do not participate
in the exhibitor revenue from
advance booking fees or the
drinks, confectionery and
popcorn sold in cinema bars and
foyers, or in any proceeds from
screen advertising.
Out of the net share, the distributor aims to
recoup any minimum guarantee plus the P&A
costs incurred in releasing the film. Any
outstanding balance is shared with the
producers according to a pre-agreed formula set
out in the distribution contract. Alternatively, the
distributor may simply retain a distribution fee,
with all net proceeds remitted to the producers.

26 Licensing films to exhibitors continued

FDA
Streets ahead: Outdoor advertising takes many
forms, including these illuminated bus shelter
panels well used by film distributors (in this case
simultaneously for fantasy/action sequel
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans and family
adventure, The Secret of Moonacre). Campaigns
may be booked nationally or regionally to reach
large audiences in town centres, shopping malls
and by busy roadsides throughout the UK.
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The hold-over challenge
On Monday mornings, after the
weekend box-office takings are
collated, the distributor’s sales team
discusses with each exhibitor the
hold-over of any current release for
a further week from Friday (four
days later).
A vital fixture in the working week,
these flexible, bilateral negotiations
take into account:
• the new releases coming into
the market (typically nine or ten
each week)
• any previews planned for the
coming weekend, intensifying
the competition for the
available screens
• the screen average (the average
box-office gross receipts per
screen) of every film on current
release, with only those ranked
at or near the top likely to
retain screens
Sustaining a release and keeping it
on screens week by week is one of
the key challenges in today’s fast-
churning market. Films can be years
in the planning and production
phases – and then sometimes barely
a few weeks on cinema screens.
12/5/09 11:24 Page 27
We filmmakers rely greatly on our
Optimum
professional distribution colleagues to
navigate the most advantageous path for
our products into and through the brutally
competitive market place. Having worked
with many distribution teams, I’ve long
admired the brilliant designers who can
condense a feature film into a single
poster image, distinguishing it memorably
from the pack. Likewise the skilled media
and publicity planners, who can devise
effective campaigns that inspire people
to see a particular new release.
Tim Bevan CBE
Optimum
Metrodome
27
A trio of British films showcasing the UK as a diverse creative hub:
Eran Creevy’s debut feature Shifty; Armando Iannucci’s satirical comedy
In the Loop; and John Crowley’s drama Is Anybody There? in which Sir
Michael Caine’s leading performance was a tour de force. The star
attended the film’s West End premiere in April 2009 and gave many
interviews to promote the release.
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The global filmed entertainment business has annual revenues of approximately $70
billion, with compound annual growth forecast at up to 6%. Cinemagoing has proven to
be resilient during times of economic downturn. The UK is an important hub for both
production and consumption.

Most films nowadays secure their
production finance from more than one
source. Even the US studios may share the
costs of a big production or split the
distribution rights between say the
US/Canada (domestic) and the rest of the
world (international). Some films are
licensed piecemeal, territory by territory;
other releases are handled by the same
company via its network of offices
worldwide. For local distributors, dubbing or
subtitling may be an additional release cost.
Evolving distribution patterns
Traditionally, films would open first in US
cinemas, then roll out gradually in other
countries. Today, in an effort to combat
intellectual property theft and to capitalise on
global publicity, the gap between the US and

Sony
28
The wider picture

Worldwide web: The story of a

powerful financial institution embroiled in
global arms dealing, The International
was an energetic thriller starring Clive
Owen and Naomi Watts. Shot on locations
including New York, Istanbul, Milan and
Berlin, the film was launched with a
packed press conference at the 2009 Berlin
International Film Festival, attended by a
panel of cast and crew members.
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international releases is shrinking. Indeed, more
and more films open practically ‘day and date’
(simultaneously) in many parts of the world.
With master prints arriving in each country
ever closer to launch date, such releases
represent huge logistical and technical
exercises for the distributors involved.
Intellectual property theft, of
great concern to the entertainment
industry, feeds organised crime
networks to the tune of hundreds
of millions of pounds a year,
cheats consumers of the full
viewing experience, and can reduce
local jobs and future investment.
Distributors take steps to protect
the security and integrity of the
properties they are releasing. But
films are especially vulnerable to
illegal copying during the early
or pre-release stages of their
existence, and pirated copies may
be disseminated very quickly
online and on DVD. FDA has
partnered with Crimestoppers, the
independent charity that helps to
solve crime. You can report local
film piracy activity - anonymously
- either by calling Crimestoppers
on 0800 555 111 or via the website
www.crimestoppers-uk.org. Thank you.
Blockbuster status conventionally applies to
the minority of films that gross more than
$100m in US cinemas, although today’s
biggest openers can pass that figure in their
first week. It’s now common for films to earn
more internationally than domestically, a
trend that will endure as many European,
Asian and African markets continue to
develop.
Economic multiplier effect
With box-office ticket sales currently worth
around £850m a year, the UK is the no.1
cinema market in Europe and the third most
valuable in the world after the US/Canada
and Japan. When you factor in the extra
amounts consumers spend during a cinema
visit on food, drink, travel and other items,
the theatrical market alone pumps around
£2.5 billion a year into the UK economy. FDA
tracks the wider impact of theatrical
distribution year by year.
In addition to the UK, cinemas in
the Republic of Ireland yield
annual box-office takings
equivalent to about £90m.
The performance of British films here in their
local market can have a significant influence
on the attention they receive and their
commercial prospects overseas.
12/5/09 11:54 Page 29
Nevertheless, releases that perform well in
one country’s cinemas will not necessarily do
well in all countries, and may need to be
positioned and marketed differently. One
distributor may succeed with a film that loses
money for another distributor in another
territory. Distributors’ expert knowledge of
local tastes, cultural sensitivities and market
conditions guides a film through its openings
around the world.
Cinema release boosts
subsequent prospects
Although most films do not recover their
production and launch costs from the theatrical
release alone, cinema revenues constitute a
minority of the total a film can earn.
With a title’s profile and stature established,
substantial income may be derived from the
subsequent licenses – DVD/Blu-Ray, download,
video on demand, pay-per-view, terrestrial
television. Indeed, when overall DVD/Blu-Ray 29
revenue is also taken into account, the UK rises
to become the world’s no. 2 market for film.
Some titles, especially in the action or horror
genres, may perform better – relatively – in the
home entertainment sector than in cinemas.
Notwithstanding the haemorrhage from film
theft, cinemagoing has been positively affected
by new media formats coming on stream. Most
films that succeed theatrically go on to do well
throughout their release cycle – the relationship
is symbiotic, the audiences complementary.
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A challenging career releasing films in a fast-moving market place – how does that grab you?

30
Working in film distribution
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The film distribution sector is small,
considering the scale, profile and influence
of its output. Only about 300 people work in
UK theatrical distribution – less than 1% of
the film /cinema industry’s total workforce –
although people working in advertising /
media buying, PR and design agencies often
collaborate on the planning and execution of
film campaigns.
A film distributor’s managing director
normally supervises a small staff with
specialist roles:
• Marketing
• Publicity
• Sales
• Technical
• Acquisitions & legal
• Finance & accounting
• Administration
In some ways, these departments undertake
activities similar to their demand-side
counterparts in any industry. But for film
distributors, the products they handle are
among the most thrillingly creative,
emotionally charged, technologically
advanced and hotly anticipated anywhere!
Eros
Bollywood disarms Hollywood: Kambakkht Ishq
(Incredible Love) tells of an Indian stuntman who makes it
big in the States but still can’t find true love. Sabir Khan’s
film stars Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor, and features
US stars including Sylvester Stallone and Denise Richards.
12/5/09 11:24 Page 31
Diversity – good for business
The UK today is made up of many
communities. Film distributors strive to
recruit from as wide a talent pool as
practical so that their companies remain
competitive in the future. It’s not just
desirable for distributors to stay in tune with
audiences’ tastes and wider culture and
society, and to appreciate people’s
differences as well as their similarities – it’s
essential. This isn’t merely paying lip
service to diversity; it’s fundamentally good
for business. As opportunities arise,
considering suitable candidates with various
perspectives and backgrounds helps
distributors to remain lively hubs of fresh
ideas.
Sharpen your skills
Distributors’ offices often have stacks of film
scripts. Each one is read carefully, either
because the project is being considered for
acquisition or because the film is already in 31
production and a release campaign is being
prepared. Being able to appreciate and
evaluate a script is an important skill –
read widely among different writers and
genres to get into practice.
Good experience for a film industry
marketing position may be gained at an
advertising or media planning agency,
especially by working with a film or
entertainment client, or by project-managing
in another area of intellectual property. As a
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marketing team member, you’d be expected
to be alert to opportunities and to justify your
ideas to colleagues and those involved in the
film’s production. Lots of ideas and sound
judgement are called for when developing
both the creative and media elements of a
film campaign, and decisions are carefully
evaluated.
If you’re into design, why not consider
movie posters, an art form in themselves. But
you’re unlikely ever to have a completely free
hand – depending on the film stars, there
may be tight guidelines as to what can and
can’t be done, and there is sure to be a list of
elements, such as credits, that must be
included in a particular order or style.
For publicity, experience as a journalist or
press officer is useful. No two days are ever
the same, but you should be able to write
succinctly yet imaginatively, and to remain
cool under pressure. Awareness of today’s
evolving media landscape is crucial.
Sometimes distributors need specialist public
relations or event management expertise to
help arrange a premiere or a junket, and
external agencies may be appointed to
handle a particular project.
Sales staff, who deal with the licensing of
films to exhibitors, use various strategies
depending on the film and the agreed scale
of its release. Clear commercial instincts, cool
negotiation skills, absolute discretion and the
ability to get on with a range of customers
are vital attributes.
Key administrative roles include invoicing
exhibitors or paying suppliers; ordering and
checking film prints, trailers and posters; and
arranging for materials to be delivered to the
right place at the right time. You must be well
organised with lots of drive and stamina. If
you’re working on the technical or
operational aspects of a release, you’ll need
current knowledge of digital formats, 3D and
IMAX® presentation, servers and their storage
capacities, and laboratory processes. It’s very
important that films are supplied for public
exhibition in superlative quality.

Warner Bros.
32 Working in film distribution continued

Making our day: World renowned as an icon of the cinema,

Clint Eastwood has enjoyed a surge of popularity and acclaim
with recent films such as Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby and
Changeling. He starred in, co-produced and directed the
gripping Gran Torino, named after the prized Ford car that his
character, a war veteran, maintained. Its release clocked up
another big hit, grossing around $250m in cinemas worldwide.
Looking forward, his next movie behind the cameras is
The Human Factor starring Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman.
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Getting started
As you would expect, competition to break
into the film industry is fierce. Being
passionate about films is a great start. But it
is only a start and not enough on its own.
The distribution business offers relentless yet
rewarding work and sheer tenacity is an
important quality in itself. If you’re really
determined, keep at it! Note how and
where different genres of films are
advertised, and on which local screens they
Skillset’s aim is to ensure the UK film industry
has the right people with the right skills at the
right time. They make training and development
accessible and affordable for people in the industry by providing
bursaries, subsidies and guidance, and funding the Screen Academy Network
and new entrants’ schemes. Discover more at www.skillset.org/film. You can
access its careers advice service at www.skillset.org/careers.
FDA supports distributors by commissioning short courses in the business
of film and, as the vital blueprint for a movie is its screenplay, training in
script reading/analysis too. Visit www.scriptfactory.co.uk.

Artificial Eye

Momentum
tend to play. Try to keep informed about
media trends and developments as well as
the films themselves.
Some distributors employ runners and
holiday relief to help out, while from time to
time others offer work placements.
Inevitably, vacancies in a small sector like
distribution are relatively few and far
between. A digest of placement
opportunities is posted at FDA’s website,
www.launchingfilms.com. It may also help to 33
keep an eye on publications where media
jobs and placements are advertised. A little
relevant experience can count for a lot.
Once you’re in and have shown your
aptitude, you may find that training courses
are offered to help refine your knowledge
and skills. In due course, opportunities may
arise to work in head offices or overseas
Top form: Two of the many award-winning films that played in UK cinemas in 2009 were Laurent Cantet’s The Class, set in
affiliates. modern-day Paris, and Tomas Alfredson’s dark fantasy Let the Right One In. As the huge success of Slumdog Millionaire
showed, UK cinema audiences are receptive to compelling, well-told stories from anywhere in the world. Both these films
Best of luck. (above) were promoted principally as great drama, their foreign nationality incidental, and both scored rave reviews.
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FDA’s mission
• To provide generic services that enhance
the capacity of our member companies
and other contacts to manage their
individual working lives better
• To be a credit to UK film distributors and
a valuable resource to the media, and to
play a facilitating, energising role in
industry development
What we do
Under FDA’s auspices, senior representatives
of our member companies meet to discuss
matters of generic (non-commercial) interest
to the sector and the industry as a whole.
We maintain frequent contact with our
membership via e-bulletins. On their behalf, we
fulfil a busy work programme including audience
research, sector training and ‘one voice’
representations where appropriate. We produce
a yearbook, some ‘best practice’ guidelines and
compilation trailers promoting the new season’s
line-up in cinemas. We also publish a quarterly
preview magazine called Focus, available
online (www.focusonmovies.co.uk) and in print.
FDA also prepares editorial
planning tools for media, in
the form of central schedules
of preview screenings for
critics and others.
Actively engaged in the fight against film
theft, we are represented on the boards of
the Federation Against Copyright Theft
(FACT), the Alliance Against IP Theft and
the Industry Trust for IP Awareness.
We’re also a member of other bodies such
as AIM (All Industry Marketing for
Cinema), the British Screen Advisory
Council (BSAC), the International
Federation of Film Distributors’
Associations (FIAD) and the European
Digital Cinema Forum (EDCF). We are
proud to be a sponsor of the UK’s National
Film & Television School, whose graduates
join the next generation of filmmakers.

34
About Film Distributors' Association

FDA is the long-standing trade body for UK theatrical distributors. Films released by our
member companies account for 96% of UK cinema admissions. As a trade association not
an operating distributor, FDA itself is a small company in the member service business.
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FDA members

www.adlabsfilms.com www.entertainmentfilms.co.uk www.momentumpictures.co.uk www.pathe.co.uk www.universalpictures.co.uk

www.artificial-eye.com www.erosentertainment.com www.optimumreleasing.com www.revolvergroup.com www.vervepics.com

www.dogwoof.com www.iconmovies.co.uk www.paramountpictures.co.uk www.sodapictures.com www.thefilmfactory.co.uk

www.e1entertainmentuk.com www.metrodomegroup.com www.parkcircus.com www.sonypictures.co.uk www.warnerbros.co.uk

35
www.fox.co.uk www.theworksmediagroup.com

Accessible cinema: www.yourlocalcinema.com FDA Cinema Days: www.cinemadays.com

Here are a few
Alliance Against IP Theft: www.allianceagainstiptheft.co.uk Cinema Exhibitors’ Association: www.cinemauk.org.uk
other UK film
British Board of Film Classification: www.bbfc.co.uk Federation Against Copyright Theft: www.fact-uk.org.uk
industry websites
British Federation of Film Societies: www.bffs.org.uk Film Education www.filmeducation.org
you may like to
British Film Institute: www.bfi.org.uk Industry Trust for IP Awareness: www.copyrightaware.co.uk
explore, depending
British Screen Advisory Council: www.bsac.uk.com Skillset: www.skillset.org
on your particular
British Video Association: www.bva.org.uk UK Film Council: www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk
area of interest:
Many more links are available from FDA’s website, www.launchingfilms.com
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In the course of our work, FDA liaises with many different people and organisations. We
welcome any approach where UK film distributors’ generic interests are concerned. With
general enquiries or comments on this guide, please email info@fda.uk.net or write to us:

Film Distributors’ Association Ltd., 22 Golden Square, London W1F 9JW

We aim to respond appropriately within three working days of receiving your enquiry.

To keep in touch with the fast-evolving world of UK film distribution, visit FDA’s website, www.launchingfilms.com.
You’ll find a weekly film release schedule, a bank of industry data, a gateway of links and much more.

FDA
36
Contact FDA

Get the insiders’ views of the film business

You can explore UK film distribution further, and
watch some people who work in the business
talk about their roles, at our dedicated microsite:
www.launchingfilms.tv
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© 2009 Film Distributors’ Association Ltd.

Designed and printed in England
No unauthorised copying: No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the express prior permission of FDA.
for Film Distributors’ Association
FDA thanks all contributors to this revised and updated edition of the Guide, which supersedes all previous editions. by Wham Media Ltd
Information correct at time of going to press but subject to change. www.whammedia.co.uk
09-0837 Wham Media FDA Guide 2009-2010 COVERS (V9) PAGINATED:09-0837 Wham Media FDA Guide COVER 12/5/09 11:57 Page 1

| film distributors’ association | 22 golden square | london | w1f 9jw |

| eMail: info@fda.uk.net | tel: +44 (0) 20 7437 4383 | fax: +44 (0) 20 7734 0912 |

www.launchingfilms.com