Sony Hacks and the Guardians of Peace

Production Details for "The Interview"

The budget for the film is $44 million. The film was released on the 24th December 2014. The directors for the film were Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg. The main actors were Seth Rogan and James Franco. The film was produced by Seth Rogan, Evan Goldberg and James Weaver. The distribution company for the film is Columbia Pictures who is part of the Sony Pictures Entertainment. 

Timeline of events for "The Interview"

October 2013

Initial casting revealed for "The Interview".

November 2013

First pictures of the film released

11th June 2014

The first trailer for the film was released

20th June 2014

 North Korean officials call The Interview a symbol of the “desperation” of US society, but an unofficial spokesperson for Kim Jong-un says he’ll probably watch it anyway.

25th June 2014

North Korea steps up its reaction, promising a “merciless response” and warning the US government that failure to stop the film being released would be considered an “act of war”.

 Seth Rogen responds irreverently on Twitter

10th July 2014

 North Korea complains to the UN about The Interview. In a letter to Ban Ki-moon, UN ambassador Ja Song Nam writes: 

To allow the production and distribution of such a film on the assassination of an incumbent head of a sovereign state should be regarded as the most undisguised sponsoring of terrorism as well as an act of war. The United States authorities should take immediate and appropriate actions to ban the production and distribution of the aforementioned film; otherwise, it will be fully responsible for encouraging and sponsoring terrorism.

14th August 2014
Sony say that may remove a scene in which Kim Jong-un’s face is shown melting off in the wake of North Korean complaints. They will also digitally alter thousands of military buttons shown in the film that are accurate copies of those worn by real North Korean soldiers. The buttons reportedly honour Kim and his late father Kim Jong-il, and their depiction would be seen as blasphemy by the regime in Pyongyang.

17th October 2014
Seth Rogen claims that Kim Jong Un’s 40-day absence act is a promotional stunt for his new film.

24th November 2014

• Sources within Sony report that they have been hacked and blackmailed by a group leaving the message:

Hacked by #GOP. Warning: We’ve already warned you, and this is just the beginning. We have obtained all your internal data including secrets and top secrets.

27th November 2014
Seth Rogen invites fans to “get baked” with him at a Colorado (where marijuana is legal) screening of The Interview on 8 December

1st December 2014
 Key Sony Christmas and awards titles such as Fury, Mr Turner and Annie released online by hackers.

• Suspicions rise that North Korea may be behind the attack, though some analysts remain sceptical.

2nd December 2014
FBI begins investigations into North Korean involvement in the hack.

3rd December 2014
The Guardians of Peace group appear to have used the infrastructure of Sony’s PlayStation Network to spread a huge amount of stolen Sony Pictures’ data.

4th December 2014
North Korea denies involvement in the hack.
• Seth Rogen and James Franco’s fees for the film revealed in leaked email.

5th December 2014
Journalists begin sifting the leaked emails and documents, finding 47,000 social security numbers, credit card and passport details.

6th December 2014
• Fusion reveals striking pay discrepancies between Sony employees of different genders and ethnicities.

8th December 2014
• North Korea says Sony cyber-attack may be “righteous” work of its supporters but denies any direct responsibility.

9th December 2014
• Guardians of Peace issue message demanding Sony pull The Interview:

Stop immediately showing the movie of terrorism which can break the regional peace and cause the War.

• Ex-employees of Sony begin expressing frustration at apparent lack of communication from the studio.

Angelina Jolie and Amy Pascal at the Women in Entertainment breakfast, 10 December.
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Angelina Jolie and Amy Pascal at the Women in Entertainment breakfast, 10 December. Photograph: Action Press/REX/Action Press/REX
10th December 2014
• Defamer uncovers embarrassing emails between Sony co-chair Amy Pascal and producer Scott Rudin, charting the breakdown of their professional relationship, and discussing Angelina Jolie, David Fincher and Adam Driver. 
• The Wall Street Journal uncovers communications between Sony and Marvel discussing a Spider-Man crossover and speaking disparagingly about Spider-Man star Andrew Garfield.
• FBI expresses scepticism about North Korea link.

11th December 2014
• Low-key Los Angeles premiere of The Interview proceeds as planned, but with scaled back media opportunities.
• FBI says that leak would have challenged government data.
• Scott Rudin and Amy Pascal apologise for insensitive emails about Barack Obama.

12th December 2014
• Embargo lifts on reviews of The Interview. Film wins warm if not ecstatic notices, with critics noting that Kim Jong-un is portrayed in a surprisingly positive light.
• Confirmation comes through that Japanese CEO of Sony persuaded Seth Rogen to tone down Kim Jong-un death scene.
• Pay, budget and plot details concerning new James Bond film revealed.
• Guardians of Peace threaten to leak other studios’ data.

13th December 2014
• Leaked email reveals surprising discrepancies in pay packets for male and female stars, including Jennifer Lawrence.

14th December 2014
Daniel Craig at the Spectre launch at Pinewood.
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Daniel Craig at the Spectre launch at Pinewood. Photograph: Ian West/PA
• Draft script for new Bond film, Spectre, leaked.
• Sony orders news outlets to stop reporting using the stolen data.

15th December 2014
• Aaron Sorkin attacks news outlets such as New York Post, the Daily Beast and the Huffington Post for reporting on information stolen in the hack, calling them more “morally treasonous” than hackers themselves.
• Brad Pitt joins backlash, saying that conversations should remain private and news organisations shouldn’t collude with terrorists in disseminating them. 
• Seth Rogen gives an interview to Howard Stern saying that media organisations are directly profiting from stolen information.

16th December 2014
• Guardians of Peace warn audiences cinemas screening The Interview may be subject to 9/11 style attack
• Two former Sony employees launch class-action suit against studio claiming they were negligent in guarding their networks.
• New York premiere of The Interview – scheduled for 18 December – cancelled. 
• James Franco and Seth Rogen cancel planned promotional appearances. 
• Carmike Cinemas first chain to cancel all screenings of the film.
• Department of Homeland Security dismisses “active” threat.

Sony HQ in Tokyo.
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Sony HQ in Tokyo. Photograph: Eugene Hoshiko/AP
17th December 2014
• Rival studios express disquiet over knock-on effect for Christmas box office of threat by Guardians of Peace.
• Stocks fall in major cinema chains, who begin cancelling screenings of The Interview, following Sony’s message that the decision on whether to do so rests with them.
• Sony announces that it is to cancel theatrical release of The Interview but insiders tell Variety is is considering a premium Video on Demand release.
• Reddit bans users for sharing hacked Sony documents.

18th December 2014
• FBI announces that it is set to connect North Korea to the Sony hack after all.
• Sony cancels DVD and VOD release of the film as well as theatrical.
• Obama calls for calm amid fresh threats of terrorism.
• Some cinema chains declare that they will screen Team America: World Police – which baits Kim Jong-il – rather than The Interview.
• George Clooney attacks media and other studios for not supporting Sony.

19th December 2014
• FBI concludes North Korea responsible for hack.
• Obama says Sony made a mistake in pulling movie.
• Sony CEO denies that they made a mistake.
• North Korea proposes joint inquiry into hack with US

20th December 2014
What crisis? PR guru Judy Smith
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What crisis? PR guru Judy Smith Photograph: The Washington Post/The Washington Post/Getty Images
• Sony hires spin doctor Judy Smith to help manage fallout.
• US says may put North Korea back on state terror list after Sony ‘cybervandalism’ by Obama says hack was not an act of war.
• US seeks China’s help in attack

21st December 2014
• North Korea says it has evidence US government deeply involved in making of The Interview and threatens entire country in retaliation for any ‘proportional response’ 
• Cinema chains hit back at Sony, saying they wanted release delayed not cancelled
• Republican National Committee urges cinemas to screen The Interview and party supporters to buy tickets
• Mike Myers’s Dr Evil comments on Saturday Night Live

22nd December 2014 
• Sony Japan to take greater control of company
• YouGov poll suggests the scandal has damaged the Sony brand
• Sony threatens Twitter with legal action for publishing email leaks
• George RR Martin offers to screen The Interview at his own cinema
• Rumours that US is behind mysterious shutdown of North Korean internet access

23rd December 2014 
• Sony approves limited US release of The Interview on Christmas Day
• North Korean internet resumes

24th December 2014
US president Barack Obama
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US president Barack Obama Photograph: Susan Walsh/AP
• White House approves of the decision to screen both in cinemas and online.
• Cinema owners express anger at Sony U-turn.
• Studios and talent agencies say they never received George Clooney’s petition.
• Sony announces it will stream The Interview online from 10am PST, 1pm ET: $6 to rent, $15 to own through YouTube Movies, Google Play, Xbox Videos, and a dedicated website SeeTheInterview.com.
• The Guardian liveblogs online premiere.

25th December 2014
• Film releases theatrically in the US.

28th December 2014
Interview here ... the iTunes store
Interview here ... the iTunes store Photograph: NetPhotos/Alamy
iTunes store among streaming sites that offers The Interview online.
29th December 2014
Online sales reach $18m.
30th December 2014
Researchers claim former Sony employees could be responsible for the hack.
31st December 2014

South Korean activist vows to float balloons carrying copies of The Interview into North Korea.

Technology
If the film was released a few years ago Sony couldn't have been hacked because film companies have only over the past 10-20 years decided to store their films and data on servers which can be hacked whereas before to steal a film they would have had to physically steal the reel of film.

Technology has also meant that they could distribute the film to the whole world over night because of the internet and media convergence.

Production
Sony created publicity by real easing trailers early, the cast list early and the story line early which allowed the North Koreans to get angry about it. They thought they would use this as publicity to the film but it clearly back fired.

Distribution
The film was distributed by Columbia pictures which is a branch of Sony Entertainment Pictures and as a consequence of this Sony were hacked and films, scripts and other important information and data was stolen from them.

Exhibition
The film was exhibited in a small amount of cinemas in America including Independent cinemas and was instantly put exhibited on the internet where people could buy the film and watch it in the safety of their own home.

Media convergence
The film was put onto the internet where people could download the film onto their devices where they could watch the film and talk about the film all form the one device which would encourage or discourage others to downed the film.

Essay Plans and Practice: Section B

Explain the task
I need to show my understanding and knowledge, through case studies, of production, distribution, exhibition and consumption of audience. use the Avengers and The Woman in Black.

The Set Question

• The characteristics of cross media convergence and synergy
• How successful is the marketing of products and services in the media area studies
• The success and failures of marketing strategies used by media companies
• How key promotional strategies sell a product/service to an audience
• The significance of cross media and marketing in relation to the media area they have studied
• Change in technology
• Media ownership-who owns who?
• -my own experiences

Cross media convergence- everything on one device including mobile phone, pager, handheld game console, camera, e-mail, video camera, music player, dvd player, internet browser, backup storage.

If one company owns everything  this can lead to problems...

They need you to become loyal to one media brand because they don't want you shopping around.

The Avengers has converged many different films into one film.

We could then watch the film on their phone, play the game on the phone, listen to the soundtrack on the phone, browse the web about the film on the phone etc.

Synergy- two or more things working together to make one thing better.

The film, Tv programmes, soundtrack, computer games, toys, promotional merchandise all in the same month. They use synergy to promote their film and products. For example by getting a toy about the Avengers the film is promoted, and by watching the film the toy gets promoted.

Globalisation-making the world one market place.

The internet has no national boundaries and is free. It is almost like telephones and books being free.

Q. How has the media convergence and synergy played a part in the media area that you have studied

Institution

More money- sell a number of products like film, soundtrack, toys and blu ray/dvd

Gives them control. If they control the convergence and synergy they can then control the production, exhibition and distribution because all products can be released at the same time.

Audience

Can get access to the film in a number of ways- focus audience-enjoy it more

Set answer

Always Institution in control, selling more products more effectively. Always Audience more access, more convenience, more involvement with the product.

Production
Avengers
The film came from other films made by the same company
The characters are played by the same actors
This film came from the Avengers comics
Disney/ Marvel

Woman in Black
Harry Potter effect- using Daniel Radcliff
Only have the book, so there is very little convergence and synergy


Distribution
Avengers
TV, radio, magazines and star profile
Internet pop ups, teaser trailers
Woman in Black
The trailer was originally played at the beginning of the last Harry Potter film
Teaser trailers
Posters minus Daniel Radcliff

Exhibition
Avengers
Cinema- box office
Dvd/ Blu Ray

Audience
Avengers
Young, Old
Play the game, merchandise, website

Woman in Black
Harry Potter Fns
Downtown Crowd- period dramas
Website, no game.

Practice Essay

I will be looking at The Avengers, which was made by Marvel and Disney, and The Woman in Black, which was made by Cross Creek and Hammer Films, to show how the film companies have used convergence and synergy to  play a part in both British and American films. Convergence is where everything is put onto one device and synergy is where two things work together to make one thing better. In my opinion Marvel and Disney used convergence and synergy more effectively that Cross Creek and Hammer films because of the success of the films compared to the other.

Marvel and Disney used a kind of synergy in the production of their film. This is because they have used many Marvel film characters and put them into the one film to make that one film better and appeal to a wider audience as any fans of one of these heroes will go and see The Avengers to see them. They have used synergy in the production of the film as the comics that The Avengers film is based on will promote the film and the film will promote these comics. Also the same actors were used in The Avengers that played the heroes in their individual films, so this convergence of actors will attract a wider audience as fans of these actors will choose to go and see this film because it includes their favourite actors . The production budget for The Avengers was $220 million which allowed them to use this convergence and synergy to great effect.

However the Woman in Black used synergy to promote their film through the choice of their protagonist actor. This is because they chose to use Daniel Radcliff the lead role in the extremely popular Harry Potter series of film, which had just finished before the release of The Woman in Black. This means that any fans of the Harry Potter series or any fans of Daniel Radcliff would go and see The Woman in Black just to see him. There is no convergence with the production of the film as there is only a book previous to The Woman in Black film unlike The Avengers which already had comics and merchandise of it's own.

The Avengers used synergy during their exhibition by using a staggered release of the film across the world. This means that the release of the film in one country will advertise the release of the film in another because people will hear about the film and how well it is doing in other countries and will then choose to go and see the film when it arrives in their country. The way in which they made the film release so well known is by holding a premier which will may be covered on the news or on film websites. This helped the film become so successful.

The Avengers also used convergence during the exhibition of the film because they released the film in 3D, 2D and Imax which allows everyone to see the film as not all cinemas have the capability of showing 3D or Imax films so if there wasn't a 2D version of the film fewer people would have been able to see the film. Also not everyone likes a 3D film so the fact that they showed 3 different versions of the same film, often in the same place, allowed the film to appeal to a wider audience.    

When the Avengers was released in the UK it had to be renamed and altered slightly because there was a previous film in the UK that was named "The Avengers". They used synergy to promote this film in the UK because they could use the American version of the film "The Avengers" to promote the British version "Avengers Assemble".

During the exhibition of The Woman in Black they still used the synergy of Daniel Radcliff to promote their film by using the same actor of the popular Harry Potter series of films fans who had just finished watching the final Harry Potter film had the option to go and see one of their favourite actors in another film which brought in another target audience. This explains why the cut parts of the original film so that they could reduce the age rating to a 12a from a rating of 15 which allowed more Harry Potter fans to go and see the Woman in Black. They deliberately made the film too scary for twelve year olds and released news stories about this too attract many twelve year olds to the film because they would appear "cool" by going to see the film. Then they cut these parts out so that it could be given the 12a certificate so these children could go and see the film. This kind of synergy was used to promote the film to this audience.

The exhibition of the Woman in Black was promoted in other countries by using a sort of synergy similarly to The Avengers they had a large release in the UK with a large premier which advertised the film to the other parts of the world which the film was exhibited which attracted more people to see the film. This is what made the film such a success for a British film.

The Avengers used media convergence to distribute the film because people could watch the film on their phone either through a download or by streaming it through sites and apps such as Netflix, look at the website on their phone, see the adverts for the films DVD and Blu Ray release and play the game. This also uses synergy to promote all of these products and other non-digital products like merchandise. Other devices such a Smart TV's can be used to do the same activities as previously described with the smart phone.

The release of the Avengers products was staggered as the film was displayed in the cinema and then around 3 months later the DVD was released. This will mean that the film company will make more money from the than if they released the film in the cinema at the same time as they released the film on DVD because people would just purchase the DVD so they can see the film numerous times rather than just once. The wait between the cinema release and the DVD will help promote the DVD because people will be eager to buy the DVD so they can see the film or see the film again. Also now more commonly the DVD comes with a free digital copy which will allow people to view these films on their smart phones, tablets and other devices which is a way in which they can do all the activities outlined in the paragraph above all on the same device.

After the DVD release there is a short period of time before the film is put onto streaming sites such as Netflix or Love Film Instant because people who are desperate to see the film will purchase the DVD because they don't want to wait until the film goes onto these sites and then when the film is released on these sites the people who haven't bought the DVD will watch the film on them.

Finally after about a year or two after the original cinema release the film company will let a TV company buy the rights to show their film which is another way of getting money from the exhibition of the film.

The Woman in Black also used a staggered release to make the most money out of the exhibition of the film as possible and they did this in a similar way to the Avengers with the timing of the release. They also used cross-media convergence to distribute their film as they could do activities related to the film all on the same device such as a Smart TV or a smartphone. However it did this on a smaller scale compared to the Avengers. They similarly used synergy to promote their other products such as an online game and a small amount of merchandise as the film promoted these products and these products promoted the film.


There are too many companies to get a fully successful media convergence as all of these companies are owned by different people and they are all competing for the same business and until one company owns it all there will not be a complete media convergence. Companies include Netflix, Apple, Android, Sky, Amazon. These are all working to allow people to see the film on one device but all of these companies use different hardware to distribute a film.

Exhibition

Cinema
The cinema release of the film is the most important to the film company, this is because this can create a further market for the film because people have heard about the film and may want to see the film themselves.
Blu Ray
The next most important would be Blu Ray because they are able to make more money out of the Blu-Ray compared to DVD's. The Blu Ray comes out a while after the end of cinema distribution, this is because it can cause the audience to go and see the film more than once in the cinema because they can't wait for the DVD/Blu Ray and it creates a "buzz" for the the film so more people will buy the Blu-Ray/DVD. Also in order people to watch a Blu Ray disk they must have a Blu Ray player or a games console which plays a Blu Ray disk. The Sony Playstation 3 was the first console to do this.
Downloading
Next in the order of importance to the film company would be downloading using services such as Netflix. This is because a large proportion of people have signed up to services like this so the audience for their film would be much larger. The film company would charge services like these so that they can show their film.
Sky Package
A Sky package would be the next most important because the film would be able to spread to a wider audience as a large amount of people have a Sky package so they will make more money from the film as more people would be watching it via their Sky package. However there will be a short delay from the DVD and Blu Ray so that people will buy them rather than just instantly being able to watch it via their Sky package. Also Sky would be charged a lot of money by the film company for the right to exhibit their film.
TV and Recorded TV
This will be the next in importance. There will be a delay from the Sky Package and downloading so that people are more likely to spend money on the downloading, a Sky package and on Blu Ray and DVD's. They will charge the television company so that they can show their film. They may also eventually give the showing rights to more than one company after a while so that they can make even more money out of the television distribution of the film. The television companies generally make their money from advertising with the exception of the BBC who make their money through people paying for TV licences.
Mobile Phone/Tablet
This is the next most important way of distributing a film. This is because they will be able to distribute there film to a larger variety of people as almost every person owns a mobile phone. Also they have systems such as the UV system which is where you some free copies to the film so that they an put this onto there other devices.
DVD's
This will be the next way of exhibiting a film in order of importance. This is because the don't make as much money from the sales of a DVD compared to the sale of a Blu Ray disk because they charge more for Blu Ray films. However not all people own a Blu Ray player but the majority of people own a DVD player so this can create a new audience for the film.
Illegal Downloading
This is the least important method of exhibiting a film company as they make no money from the download of there film. This will cost the company money as the people who are illegally downloading the film they are not actually paying for the film which they would have done by using any of the other exhibition strategies. To combat this the film companies have used strategies like free UV copies with their film so that the pay for the original film and get copies of the film for their other devices which are good in quality which will encourage them to pay for the DVD in the first place.


Costs to the consumer

• HD TV- £500
• Blu Ray Disk- £15x2
• Internet Access- £10 a month x12
• Blu Ray player- £150
• Games console with Blu Ray- £150
• DVD player- £30
• DVD- £10x2
• Cinema ticket- £6x2
• Sky Package- £30 a month x 12
• Mobile phone- £100
• Tablet- £100
• Mobile phone contract - £10 a month x12
• Downloading services such as Netflix- £7 a month x12
• Tv License- £150
• Digital Tv recorder-£100
• Sky Box- £150

Total-1,926(for a year)

What is Film Distribution?

Its is the job of the distributor to identify and deliver the largest possible audience for every film.

A film distributor brings a film to the cinema by:

identifying its audience

considering why they'd go and see it

estimating the revenue potential across all the formats of its release

persuading exhibitors (cinema operators) to play the film

developing plans and partnerships to build awareness of and interest in the film

aiming to convert as much interest as possible into cinema visit

A distributor acquires a film they will release from one of these 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

Larger studios may often only work with the major producers who will provide all the resources needed and if they are happy with the final film they will distribute it.  However sometimes especially with smaller films sales agents may try and sell distributors there films at all stages of film production. This includes the concept, draft script, filming/post production, or final/ non-final films. This will often coincide with large film festivals. 

When looking for a new film distributors will often look for distinguishing features which will allow them to sell it easily to the audience. This may include outstanding or original features with a new angle or "hook"which could make it easier to market. Distributors also recognise the important of local product as they can see that a British film will appeal to a British audience and a film set in America will appeal to citizens in America.

Distributors will consider the target audience and then possibly secondary target audiences. He will then look at whether or not the characters or stories will appeal to the target audience. This will help him decide whether or not the films is worth the costs of marketing and theatrical release. 

Even before a film starts to be produced a distributor's opinion on marketability should be asked. 

The larger the production budget of a film the more likely it is to have a distributor sign up before all of it's financing is confirmed. Producers tend to seek financing from a variety of sources including :

pre-sales to distributors in various territories via a specialist sales agent

bank loans (subject to prevailing economic conditions)

institutional investors

private individuals

beneficial tax schemes

public subsidies (the available National Lottery funding for film is awarded by the British Film Institute – see www.bfi.org.uk)

Often a distributor becomes a partner in the project by contributing funding for production and development and then bringing the film to market. the distributor may also pay an advance/minimum guarantee against future earnings to the producer or sales agent. The distributor prepares reports for the producer or rights owner, displaying marketing spend and forecast and actual theatrical revenue. 

Film festivals have many functions including:

a market, where distributors seeking to acquire product may meet with sellers (agents, producers, studios);

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 pigeon-hole it as 'arty';

a high-profile platform where films can be showcased prior to release.

Distributors sometimes choose to launch their film at a suitable international festival, where some critics and insiders may discover them and go on and champion them in reviews and columns. People all around the world will be watching these festivals which may encourage them to go and see the film.

Distributors sign a formal contract 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.

Distributors normally seek to acquire all available rights in their particular territory, spreading the risk and opportunity across multiple platforms. So importantly, in addition to the theatrical window, the contract usually includes the further right to license the film for home/mobile entertainment and to UK broadcasters.

A distributor might only be aware of a title (possibly a 'working' title), have read the script, be aware of the confirmed (or potential) cast, and met the director/producers to understand their vision. They would know if the director is a seasoned film-maker or a first-timer, and if the story is original or adapted from a popular book or a TV series.

Either way, a distribution plan needs to be prepared.
The distributor will develop this in consultation with the producers and/or studio as appropriate.

The digital transformation

For many years, films were released in cinemas on 35mm celluloid prints – which whirred through projectors on reels. Today's industry standard is digital with no celluloid involved.

For a digital release, specially encoded media files containing the film are delivered to cinemas either on a hard drive or via a satellite link. These are called DCPs (Digital Cinema Prints). The DCP is ingested into a powerful server at the cinema and played out through a state-of-the-art digital projector.

Once the DCP is received at the cinema, the projectionist normally needs to ask the film's distributor for a Key Delivery Message (KDM), a security key encryption system. This will generally be formatted to reflect the agreement affecting that film, i.e. the screen/s it may play on, what time of day it may play (particularly important for preview screenings), and within which dates.

Digital images appear on screen in pristine quality and do not deteriorate over time – there is no wear and tear or scratches, as was 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 equipment enables cinemas to redefine themselves as modern entertainment centres, able to present sports, operas, live concerts, shows and other events to local communities. This means films must be scheduled in smarter, more flexible ways to reach their maximum potential audience

Digital projectors may be adapted easily to show content in 3D. 3D can enhance some films dramatically with a spectacular, laser-sharp viewing experience, and more and more films – live-action and animation – are released in 3D as well as 2D. As 3D films can command a ticket price premium, there is a potential for enhanced box-office returns. In 2012, 3D accounted for 18% of the total UK box-office.

Digital prints are significantly less expensive to duplicate than the old 35mm copies, and the hard drives can be reused. So wider releases, and the logistics of hard drives moving from cinema to cinema, become easier to manage.

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? Can the film be positioned within a popular, recognisable genre? What sort of audiences have similar films attracted recently? When were they released? How strong is the cast?

When distributors have estimated what a film may earn, they prepare a budget to release it. As with every business plan, the goal is to recoup the costs and turn a profit. But launching films is expensive and risky – audiences have so many other choices – and in reality, most films do not make a profit from their theatrical runs alone (see Acquisitions).

The job of a distributor is to create visibility and to raise enough awareness and interest in a film to persuade potential audiences to buy tickets to go and see it at the nearest cinema at the earliest opportunity, eschewing all other entertainment options at the time. Ideally marketing needs to lead a horse to water and also persuade it to drink!

The marketing plan – produced to complement the overall distribution plan – is designed to navigate a route to market that allows interest to peak as the film opens in cinemas. This will take into account the competitive environment, to ensure that the opportunities to raise interest and awareness are not lost under the weight of other films or entertainment on release.

Marketing is done in a series of ways, these include:

• Film artwork
• Trailers
• Digital marketing 
• By releasing cast and  crew lists, and facts about the film etc.
• By winning awards
• By attending film festivals
• Having premiers
• Licensing and merchandise
• Third-party and brand promotions
• Media Promotions
• Exhibitor promotions
• Preview screenings
• Educational resources
• Media and Advertising
• Research and tracking

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 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 discuss release dates and marketing campaigns.

Films should possibly avoid being released around the times of key other events such as the Olympics. This had an impact on both The Woman in Black and the Avengers because in 2012 there was both the Olympics and The Euros which impacted on cinema participation. 25% of all cinema release happens in London so companies should focus their advertising and marketing around that area.

The distributor's sales and marketing strategies go hand in glove, with the film's target audience kept front of mind. For each release, 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 for a week at a time if it is drawing a significant audience.

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 quite common for a film to generate 30% or more of its entire box-office during the first three days of release. Although films conventionally start in UK cinemas on Fridays, distributors quite often open on other days or run previews the weekend before.

Distribution plans usually assume that the revenues and number of screens on which a film plays will decline, often rapidly, as competing titles are launched in successive weeks. But such plans are necessarily flexible: better than expected grosses may lead to a quick investment in some extra advertising and the film may be scheduled into more screens than on its opening weekend. A highly impressive opening frame can become a news story in its own right.

Box-office takings – i.e. the gross receipts including VAT – are often reported in the press. But the sums that distributors actually earn are substantially less than these figures. Revenue from ticket sales is normallyshared between the distributor and exhibitor. The percentage each party takes varies film by film and week by week. Generally, UK distributors receive 25–40% of the gross. So, if a film grosses £5m in cinemas, its distributor may eventually collect around £1.5m, allowing for the deduction of VAT which exhibitors must pay for each ticket sold. This net share was traditionally known as the distributor's 'rentals'.

Distributors' businesses depend on the income they receive from licensing content. Distributors do not participate in exhibitors' revenues from advance booking fees or the drinks, confectionery and popcorn sold in cinema bars and foyers, or in any proceeds from screen advertising.

BritUS Film Essay

Media production is dominated by global institutions, which promote their products and services to national audiences." To what extent do you agree with this statement?

I have studied two films, which were both successful, but one is a British film and one is an American film. The British film, which I have studied, is The Woman in Black, which is a British made film released in 2012. My second film was also released in 2012 but is an American film, which is called The Avengers. Both these film were made by two different production companies, one of which is British and one of which is American. I am going to try and relate this to how media production is dominated by global institutions, which promote their products and services to national audiences.

 Cross Creek Pictures and The Exclusive Media Group own The Woman in Black film. The film had an overall budget of $15 million to make. The Woman in Black was made in Britain and was mainly filmed on Osea Island in Essex. The film was filmed using Arricam LT camera, Zeiss Master Prime Lenses and Arricam ST cameras. The main actor in The Woman in Black was Daniel Radcliff.  The director of the film was James Watkins who also directed Eden Lake. Jane Goldman wrote the Woman in Black film, as she is an extremely talented and famous screenplay writer. The production designer was Kave Quinn. There were 9 trailers for the Woman in Black. The distributors of the film include Momentum Pictures, Alliance Films, Ascot Elite Entertainment Group, Audio Visual Enterprises and Diamond Films. The film made around $130 million in cinemas and made around $10.5 millon from DVD sales. The Woman in Black film was rated at a 12A.

The package of this film set the film out to be successful as they had a major actor in Daniel Radcliff the lead actor in one of the most famous film series, Harry Potter. They also had a very famous writer who has had many successes in childrens films such as Kickass and Stardust. Also they had a successful director in the field of low budget horror films, James Watkins who directed the film Eden Lake.

The Avengers was arguably the best film of 2012 and did very well in the box office charts. It is a film where a lot of superheroes are bought together in one film which may be a reason why it was so successful.

The Avengers comics were created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee and their publishers were Marvel Comics. Marvel studios bought the idea of the Avengers from Marvel Comics and Kevin Feige was put in charge of spending the money on the film.

The Avengers cost $220 million to make and was made using Arri Alexa, Panavision Primo, PCZ and Frazier lenses, Arriflex Panavision Primo lenses, Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon lenses, and Canon EOS 7D. The Avengers was mainly filmed in America in places such as Ohio, New Mexico, California and New York.

The main actors in The Avengers are Robert Downey JR, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansen and Samuel L Jackson. Joss Whedon directed The Avengers and he also directed films such as Buffy the vampire Slayer and The Cabin in the woods. The Avengers story was written by Zak Penn and Joss Whedon and the screenplay was written by Joss Whedon which may also suggest why the film was such a success as the director had a clear image of what he wanted the film to look like. The production designer for The Avengers was James Chinlund.

Both films were promoted and marketed very heavily through the traditional media methods. There were 34 trailers for The Avengers and was marketed by using billboards, having TV interviews, radio interviews, TV adverts, a website, a premier and by getting critics to review their films. The Woman in Black was marketed by using a website, producing merchandise, having TV interviews with the lead actors, radio interviews, having a premier and by getting critics to review their film. Both films were marketed in a very sensible way.  Both films also used celebrities to promote their films.