1. AS OCR Media Studies
Audience and Institutions: Film Industry

2. You have to research the production
and distribution companies that made
and distributed your film
Here is a list of statements, questions
and tasks to ensure you have
EVERYTHING covered!

3. 1. ALL the questions are offered as
guidelines.
2. There will be questions that you may
not be able to answer.
3. It is down to you to work on the
development of your own chosen film
from idea to screening: from institution to
audience.
•GOOD LUCK!!!
Take Note

4. • Genre
• Consider your film. Are there any issues
with the genre of it? Is it a hybrid? How
does this effect the distribution and
marketing?

5. • You must be able to understand the film
genres associated with each studio/
production company.
• Why have they chosen these? What
does this suggest about them?
• How profitable are these genres in
today’s market? How do you know this?

6. • What about Synergies?
• What are the advantages and
disadvantages of this?

7. • Convergence
• Relate to...
• Production
• Distribution?
• How did cross-media platforms aid
your film?

8. • What could be pre-production issues for
the production company?
For example, where did the idea come
from?
• Who wrote it? Was it a team brought in,
or was it based on an existing text
(novel, screen play?)

9. • Original Idea
• Where did it come from?
• What happened to the original script/
idea?
• Did this stay the work of one person, or
did others get involved?

10. • Did your company get taken over by
another, or use another for support?
(Look at Warp and Film4 here).
• Detail any institutional issues that were
a result of this?
• Consider the implications to the
audience here.

11. • Finance
• Where there any issues with getting
backing?
• Who financed it? One group or many?
What was in it for them?

12. • Now think about the budgets and
prospects of how companies might
distribute and market a film.
• What issues do you think there are?
• Where can you find this information?

13. • Costs
• What did it cost the studio to make?
• How much did the stars get? Did it differ
much between the main stars? Why?
• Can you identify where the budget
went?
• Was it shot within budget? Did it go
over? How close?

14. •
Name of producer/s?
• Name of the director?
• How did they get involved? Any further
associations with these - what are they
known for?

15. • Casting
• Main stars/ roles/ characters?
• What had they been cast in before?
• What was their ‘star appeal’?

16. • Any issues with getting the cast? Their
timetables and other commitments?
Were they second or first choice?
• How important was this casting in terms
of the audience? Why were they
chosen? Effect?

17. • Production
• Any issues for the production company
whilst shooting?
• See if you can find any ‘on set’ disputes
(think SITC?

18. • Any script changes whilst on set/ in
production?
• Same editor throughout? Was the script
editor changed?
• Do you know of any re-writes/ script
edits?

19. • Who were the main people in the
production team and what did they do?

20. • Sound
• Who composed the film music?
Consider the implications of this person
(just as a star is cast)
• Consider the sales of the CDs. Find
reviews (Empire is good here).

21. • Location
• Was it all shot in a studio?
• Was anything shot on location?
• Think about budgets - did they chose
the cheaper location, would the
audience know this?

22. • Any technical issues when making the
film?
• Consider the use of SFX: practical and
special effects here.

23. • Convergence
• Consider in terms of technology and
production/ distribution/ marketing and
relate to the key concepts here.
• How important was new technology
such as Computer Generated Imagery?
Think about the studios involved here
(Disney for example)
• How important is this for the film and its
audiences?

24. • Importance of digital technology for the
distribution of your film?
• How significant are distribution
mediums like DVDS, the world web and
DTV when distributing a film?
• Advantages and disadvantages?

25. • Detail the advertising strategy for the
film.

26. • What do you know about the
consumption of your film with different
audiences - demographics and different
geographical locations?
• Who were the distributors?
• Is it a major player? What else have
they done? Did they work with other
companies in different locations?
• What do you notice about this?

27. • Target audience for your film...
• You know this because...?

28. • Where and when di they release your
film?
• What do you notice about the dates
(Awards, holidays, was it the same
across the country/ countries)?
• What happened outside of the UK?
• Do you know how these were secured?

29. • Any changes to the release time table?
Why?

30. • Where/ when was the premiere? Which
venue? Any themes? What was the
coverage like?
• Was it distributed to digital cinemas?
Why?
• When did it go to DVD/ blue-ray?
• Any figures for this?

31. • How did they market this online -
Youtube or viral ads? Any downloads
available before?
• Comment on the film’s website. What
do you notice about the marketing?
• Are there any social network forums
linked?

32. • Analyse film posters for the film:
• Consider the UK audience
• Further mediums for advertising?
• TV, radio, magazines...?

33. • Merchandise - detail.
• Who were these marketed at?
• What was the campaign like?

34. • Can you add any further marketing?
• Think about the actors and their
interviews on TV/ Radio and online.
• Where there any ‘leaked’ stories about
the stars and their private lives around
this time?

35. • Exhibition
• Any issues at this point?
• When, where and how was it exhibited?

36. • How did your film fair with the censors?
• Any issues?
• How did they achieve the rating?
• What is the benefit of this audience to
the institution?
• Any restrictions on the film? What and
why? Link to genre, audience...

37. • Reviews
• What were the reviews like of the film?
Favourable or rotten tomatoes?
• Was it considered a critical success?
• Has it been reviewed for DVD too?

38. • Choose a selection of Positive reviews -
do they choose the same features of
the film to focus upon?
• What was public opinion? Remember to
reference social networks or blogs here.
• Did it create any controversy, or water
cooler moments/ talking points?

39. • First year takings?
• Do you think this is a success? Does
the industry? How do we know this?
• Did it have an extended run? Was it cut
short? Was it re-released at the
cinemas?

40. • Primary Research
• Ask your peers what they thought of the
marketing of the film (using Face Book,
a film poster or the trailer for example),
using a survey.
• What conclusions do you reach about
the marketing of the film?
• Then ask if they saw it? What does this
tell you?

41. • Did the audiences’ reaction have an
impact on the studio/ producers in
terms of how they created/
promoted/released other films?
• Have they stuck with the stars or genre
for example? Why?
• Alternatively, have they completely
gone the other way?
• Have audiences’ tastes changed?
Why?

42. Finally
Speak to your peers about this
•Have they found anything of interesting with their
studies you could learn from?
•Could you create your own questions for this unit?
•Have you googled everything about this you can?
•Lastly, make sure you have clear points for your
response and keep up to date with new references
for this.