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

Distribution plays a major role in demonstrating how successful a media product can be, and delivering it to an easily accessible audience who are interested within the genre of psychological horrors is paramount to the profitability of the product. In regards to choosing the best media institution to distribute the media product, it is crucial that they have a reputable history in distributing media products of the same genre with success.

 In this case, it is unadvisable to consider an independent media institution such as Warp Films. This is because their lower budget and heavy reliance on charitable investment from institutions such as the UK film council and the National Lottery Fund limits Warp Films to a genre which enables productions to be pre-produced, produced, distributed and exhibited relatively cheaply in terms of budget compared to larger conglomerate film institutions which have greater access to their subsidiary or parent companies, who can help distribute the media. Seeing as Warp Films specialise in films based around the genre of realism, it would not be of good business acumen to produce and distribute the product via Warp Films as the as the final media product is of a genre that is not within their forte. Despite this, it is creditable to acknowledge the distributive success of the media product This is England, produced by warp films and distributed by reputable distributor Studio Canal. The product posed to be very successful as ancillary sales and word of mouth about the brilliance of the product, along with numerous below the line marketing strategies such as posters and leaflets helped brandish the film as a success, as it reached a wide audience who could relate to the realism and verisimilitude of the product and its conventions.

It is a good idea to consider working in conjunction of Working Title films. Working title are a currently in a conglomerate with American film enterprise Vivendi Universal, who own 67% of Working Title. This is of great benefit as the companies who are related to Universal can operate in synergy with Working Title to distribute the product in Britain as well as in America and other international countries. As being one of the major players in regards to globalisation within the film industry, Universal have a powerful influence in regards to the distribution of media products and successfully accessing a wide range of audiences, further emphasising the profitability and success of the media product via marketing strategies, of which distribution and marketing consumes around 50% of the products budget, averaging around 20Million per film produced by working title. The success of media products produced by working title films can clearly be seen by their previous works. Most famously, Four weddings and a funeral was commended for its utmost success in the USA in comparison to the UK. This shows that successful marketing and Dyers Star Theory help to emphasise the success of a product, and its distribution. Momentum films are most commonly associated with Working Title Films. It is of great benefit to work with Working title and Momentum Pictures as they are more than likely to successfully deliver the product to a British and international audience. However, Working Titles predominant genre of movie is Romantic Comedy, therefore working with Working Title may pose as a challenge as they have not got a history of delivering and distributing products within the genre of psychological horrors.

 It is of great benefit to consider distributing with one of the leading UK film institutions- Film 4; subsidiaries of the major UK media institution- channel 4 television. It is appropriate to work in partnership with film 4 as the company have great expertise within the production, exhibition and distribution of horror movies- a genre in which they are particularly interested in, illustrated by their annual film festival Film4 Frightfest , which celebrates the successes of smaller scale media products within the genre of horrors. Film4 released their featured Frightfest product I didnt come here to die on the 15th April 2013.The distributor in which they are working in conjunction with is Second Sight Films, who have extensive knowledge in the distribution of horror films and their target audiences. In retrospect, it is most beneficial to work in conjunction with Film4 as they have wide access to their subsidiary and parent companies for funding in order to produce, distribute and exhibit their products. Furthermore, Film4 have access to their conglomerate sister companies such as 4 on demand and even their parent company channel 4 in order to exhibit these products. This is of great benefit as the final media product can be exhibited on a national scale via their film channels, promoting the product successfully.

 In consolidation, it is most beneficial to distribute with a British film institute such as Film4 who have expert knowledge in distributing and exhibiting films within the field of horrors and psychological horrors. This is because the film could potentially be be classed as a British film therefore the product should stay within the cultural practices and legacy of British institutions. Warp films are not large enough a company as they are independent, therefore cannot distribute or produce the film to a greater standard as Film4 could. Furthermore, although Working Title would be a suitable candidate to distribute, produce and exhibit the product, they also do not have expertise within psychological horrors as their forte is within the field of romantic comedies. Despite this, their category D institution would be beneficial for global distribution as the conglomerate status with Universal allows for access to larger budgets and sister companies within the Universal umbrella, therefore they can work in synergy to successfully distribute the product on a global scale, with some expertise within distributing products within the psychological horror field.

 With a world evolving in technological advances, it would be a great idea to consider a wide range of distribution methods. One of these traditional and successful methods is distribution via DVD. This is because DVDs are widely accessible due to the fact most people nowadays will own a DVD player or a device which will read DVDs, for example, media platforms such as computers or Sony Playstations. One distribution method which has grown in popularity over the years is the use of Blu-Ray discs. This is a great distribution method as it is evident that the quality of the product can be viewed much clearer, with crisper and more defined colours (providing the audience members own a Blu-Ray player and HD television sets.

 One crucial distribution method is the release of the product within cinemas. This is because cinema sales can help raise awareness of the product, and promote the success of the product. Depending on how the product is distributed and via what companies, large multiplex cinemas such as the Odeon or Vue may be suitable for targeting a wide range of people from within the audience categories, especially if the film has potential to be released in 3D, a technology widely exploited to boost sales and popularity of products. However, if the product is to be distributed on a smaller scale, independent cinemas such as Reel Cinemas, or the Phoenix may be more appropriate to target a smaller audience who appreciate the product.

 Ancillary sales are also a profitable and key way in helping boost the success of a product. Convergent media platforms are becoming very popular within the 21st century, as more people gain access to devices which can connect to the internet, and share/receive data via web 2.0. One beneficial method of distribution would be via online distribution/rental companies such as Netflix and LoveFilm.com. This is useful as people can gain access to the film from many different media platforms, such as computers, mobile phones, iPods, tablet PCs and even games consoles, such as Xbox and Nintendo Wii. This in turn can also help maximise the audience appeal as many people can view the production on demand from many different devices. Other digital/online distribution methods include the use of programs and apple applications such as iTunes. This is beneficial as consumers have the option to either rent the production for 48 hours, or purchase the download in full to view across all their apple devices and computers.

 It is of great benefit to distribute the product at a time of year such as October. This is because people start to prepare and become excited for the international celebration of Halloween. This can help boost awareness and the success of the product as more people wish to visit cinemas to watch horror movies as they wish to get into the mood for the holiday. As it is autumn, more people also spend recreational or spare time going to cinemas as the weather tends to become more dismal and inappropriate for social activities which take place outside, for example, going to the park. This in turn helps boost the success of the product as people socially gather in order to watch films within a warm, comfortable and dry environment in order to escape the weathers inhibitions in regards to socialising.

 Film festivals are also a beneficial way in celebrating the success and appreciating the content of final media products. One great film festival worth working with is the FrightFest hosted by Film4 and Channel4, especially if there is strong consideration in distributing with them. This is because this can help target a specific audience who enjoy watching horror movies and are likely to appreciate the product and its media values. This is also of great benefit as the release of the product would be around the Halloween season, when this film festival annually runs, therefore raising awareness of the product.

Who would be the audience of your media product?

The target audience of the production would be both males and females from the age of 15 to around 49, or older if they enjoy a good thrill from a psychological horror. The product would appeal to those of a working/middle class the most as they would need to have a means of escaping the stressors of real life. They are likely to be the strugglers in the audience categorisations characters, as they need a means of escapism. However, the production can also appeal to an audience who are content with life and wish to seek entertainment. Under Rubicams Four Consumers theory, the production would appeal to reformers an aspirers. These people would want to look up to the succeeders illustrated within the production and follow the mainstream of people who enjoy security and belonging to a group. Stereotypically, psychological horrors are more likely to appeal to a predominantly male audience. However, the aim is to challenge this stereotype and widely appeal to an audience of equal gender ratio. The people who view the production are likely to be people who enjoy watching series dramas on TV, for example, Broadchurch; a mystery and psychologically challenging drama on ITV which investigates the murder of a boy in a small and tight-knit community. In addition to this, audience members are also more likely to enjoy more graphic dramas such as Casualty or Holby City, as it is unlikely that they are going to be squeamish by the idea of blood or injury. In regards to their taste in films, it is likely that these people would enjoy watching horrors such as Orphan, or classics such as the Exorcist. They are likely to enjoy the work of directors and artists such as Alfred Hitchcock, Wes Craven, Roman Polanski and other mainstream psychological horror directors. The audience members would be captivated by the use of titles within our production, as they engage with the notion that the titles represent Olgas state of mind. The audience would also be drawn in by the music within the opening sequence, as it would cause them to feel entertained, escaping their real life situations as it envelops their senses, making them a part of the production.

The certification of the product would be a 15. This is because the scenes within the final production may pose to be upsetting or inappropriate to an audience of children under 15 years of age. The film holds strong connotations of violence and self-harm, therefore can be seen as too suggestive to those of a younger age. It is a typical classification of the BBFC to rate horrors at a certificate 15, identifying that there can be strong threat and menace (as long as it is not sadistic or sexualised in nature). If scenes were to be of a sexualised nature and extremely gory, then the film would be classified as an 18 as it would be too evocative for younger audiences, therefore would need to be aimed at an audience who are more mature. The ideology of self-harm has not been dwelled upon too much as it is unethical. This is because teenagers may copy some scenes in real life, therefore the risk of potential harm to impressionable teenagers needs to be considered. Olga can be seen as mentally unstable and insecure in herself. This therefore implies that the strong threat she poses must secure the certification at a 15. The lack severe gore and menace (as seen within films such as Saw) means that the certification does not need to be set at an age 18. The film does not contain any sexually explicit behaviour or frequent strong language within the opening sequences. However, if extended beyond an opening sequence, frequent strong language may be considered in order to express the fear of characters. Finally, the film does not endorse a significant amount of discriminatory language or behaviour, therefore is appropriate to be certificated as a 15.

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Many technologies, software and editing software was used during production in order to complete the final product. The camera used to film the production was the Canon 600D. The cameras functions were successfully manipulated in order to create interesting scenes and professional quality shots. One main function of the camera that was exploited was the use of the focus on the optical lens. As seen within the final production, the focus has been experimented with in order to change the mood and appearance of characters. In order to film, one skill used was installing the camera onto the tracking dolly to move around. This enabled interesting shots to be captured whilst constructing the product. A camera rig and crane were also used in order to capture interesting shots. One key thing also learnt was about the health and safety of using such equipment correctly to avoid injury. In order to successfully record audio whilst filming, a boom and microphone was also used in order to pick up the sounds. This task was successfully carried out in order to pick up clear audio for the footage. Lighting was also successfully exploited using the lighting board and spotlights in order to create interesting shadows and contrasting of light. Once filming was completed, footage and audio was uploaded to the apple computers via an SD card and reader. The footage was then uploaded into iPhoto and exported into an m4v (quicktime) file in order to be edited within finalcut. Once uploaded to finalcut the final product was edited by cutting scenes up and adding effects. A soundtrack was created using a MIDI keyboard in garageband, by recording and layering melodies to create an interesting and relevant soundtrack.

One of the main production skills learned was the skill of directing. This involved instructing the actors in how to behave in regards to the scene and controlling how sense were shot. Personal confidence within this skill has developed and can be illustrated through the success of the final product produced with group members. Another skill developed was the cinematographic skills in regards to lighting, spacing and set design. This was a beneficial skill learned whilst constructing the product as the use of technology in regards to lighting has been carefully exploited in order to successfully create the final product.

 One of the technological skills used within editing was the method of using the blade tool in order to cut up scenes and delete unwanted parts or outtakes. Another skill learned was on how to drag scenes and piece them together in order to create the narrative. One great skill incorporated within to the final product when creating the title sequence was altering the opacity of the stop-motion narrative in order to overlay them on top of jump-cuts of Olga. This created the illusion of looking through an observation window into Olga within the isolated cell. Livetype was not exploited within the final product as stop-motion animation as used by taking still images on the canon 600d camera and piecing them together in Finalcut. The speed was increased in order to speed up the titles as they would have been too slow if the 1,000 pictures were left at the normal speed, therefore the illusion of writing would not have occurred and the clip would have been 17 minutes long, as a pose to the 30 seconds it was sped up to (around a 3000% speed increase). One of the tools exploited within the final sequence was the use of the audio clipper. The pen tool was used in order to drag sound levels up and down and control the balance of sounds. Another skill developed when editing the product was learning how to render scenes in order to implement the effects or visual media.

 In order to record the voice over, the use of the equipment within the broadcasting studio was used. One piece of software in which skills were developed was in Cuebase. Cuebase allows audio files to be recorded (just like Apple software, such as Logic or Garageband). In order to record, skills were developed in learning how to use the soundboard/mixing desk and microphone, picking up high quality sound. In order to record the soundtrack, Garageband was used in conjunction with a midi keyboard. Using pre-established knowledge in the software, software instrument sounds were successfully used in order to create an interesting soundtrack. The benefits in using this software is that the musical score can be brought up in order to ensure that musical elements are correctly recorded and that the score makes sense. Once done, the score can be quantised and altered as necessary. Pitch bend was used on the MIDI keyboard in order to create interesting sound effects.

During editing, filters and effects were used in order to add drama to the product. One specific editing technique used was a non-additive fade in, to link two scenes of Olga together as she looks up at the camera. Another specific editing technique used was the controlling of the opacity for the stop-motion animation titles overlaid on the jumpcuts. A fade-out was also used in order to heighten the drama and add enigma to the end of the opening sequence. Another specific editing technique applied to the product was the use of Chroma-key, to control the brightness of the scene. This involved making the scenes lighter in certain tones such as whites, to make them stand out. Finally, another technology exploited and used was the use of the green screen in after effects to create grey wall using a picture taken of the wall with the canon 600D camera. This was specifically applied to the product in order to add a sense of verisimilitude and voyeurism, by controlling the tones and contrast of the backdrop.