Yr 12 OCR Media Studies
Film Industry Case Study:
Film Four Vs. 20th Century Fox
Learning Objectives:
1. To be able to analyse and discuss the
difference between Film Four and 20th Century
Fox film production and film distribution
Quick Recap:
Production and Distribution
1. What is a Gaffer?
2. Who is responsible for raising the finance for a film?
3. What is a ‘Vertically Integrated’ company?
4. What type of distributor is ?
5. There are 3 roles for the distributor, the first is acquiring
the film, what are the other 2?
6. Define ‘playability’?
7. Give an example of a film USP?
8. What is the difference between publicity and promotion?
Web-Quest Activity
TASK: You are going to visit both of these
websites:
– Film4: [Link]
– 20th Century Fox: [Link]
Then you are going to conduct some
research for your case study into the
production and distribution systems of both
film companies.
Presenting Your Findings
• You need to present your findings in a clear and concise
format e.g. PowerPoint or Word document.
• You need to include the title: Film Four Vs. 20th Century Fox
Case Study: Production and Distribution as well as all
website URLs that you use and your name.
• Your research notes must include:
1. A list of Producers, Directors and Actors that have worked with each
company (max of 10)
2. Examples of publicity, advertising and promotions used by each
company for recent releases
3. Examples of 5 films produced by each company
4. Examples of 5 films distributed by each company
5. A film budget example (above and below the line costs) for each
company
Comparing Production
TASK: Your research should answer the
following questions for both companies giving
detailed examples:
1. When and where was the company founded? Who founded it?
2. Who is currently the Chairman or Controller of the film company?
3. Is the company vertically integrated or fragmented? Explain.
4. What was the budget of a recent film produced by the company?
5. Does the company work with other film companies to produce films?
6. What is the latest film to be produced by the company?
7. Name 5 films produced by the company – is there anything they have in
common regarding production?
8. Any other research notes on film production? (e.g. film genres)
Comparing Distribution
• TASK: Your research should answer the
following questions for both companies giving
detailed examples:
1. What are the main ways audiences can watch the films distributed by the
company? (Cinema, TV Channel, Online etc)
2. Is the company a major or independent film distributor?
3. What was the marketing budget of a recent film distributed by the
company? Did it make a profit?
4. Does the company work with other companies to distribute films?
5. What is the latest film to be distributed by the company? How was it
publicised, advertised and promoted?
6. Name 5 films distributed by the company – is there anything they have in
common regarding distribution?
7. How is the distribution process structured in the company?
8. Any other research notes on film distribution? (e.g. USPs)
Summary of
Key Differences
Production Production
and and
Distribution Distribution
Homework
Next Lesson: You will be completing a full
mock exam = 2 hrs.
TASK: You need to revise your class work,
homework, blog work and revision notes to
prepare for the full mock exam. Identify a
revision method that works for you and use it.
Students are more successful when they
revise!
Vertical Vs. Horizontal
Integration
Exhibition
Vertical Integration
Distribution
Production
Horizontal Integration
Distribution
“So what is involved in this invisible process? Distribution is about
releasing and sustaining films in the market place. In the practice of
Hollywood and other forms of industrial cinema, the phases of
production, distribution and exhibition operate most effectively when
'vertically integrated', where the three stages are seen as part of the
same larger process, under the control of one company. In the UK,
distribution is very much focused on marketing and sustaining a
global product in local markets.
In the independent film sector, vertical integration does not operate
so commonly. Producers tend not to have long-term economic links
with distributors, who likewise have no formal connections with
exhibitors. Here, as the pig-in-the-middle, distribution is necessarily a
collaborative process, requiring the materials and rights of the
producer and the cooperation of the exhibitor to promote and show
the film in the best way possible. In this sector, distribution can be
divided into three stages - licensing, marketing and logistics.” – BFI
[Link]
Exhibition
“Exhibition is the retail branch of the film industry. It
involves not the production or the distribution of motion
pictures, but their public screening, usually for paying
customers in a site devoted to such screenings; the movie
theatre. What the exhibitor sells is the experience of a film
(and, frequently, concessions like soft drinks and
popcorn). Because exhibitors to some extent control how
films are programmed, promoted, and presented to the
public, they have considerable influence over the box-
office success and, more importantly, the reception
[playability] of films.” – [Link]
