What do film distributors do?

My definition: A film distributor is a company or single person responsible for releasing films to the public either theatrically or for home viewing. A distributor may do this directly (if the distributor owns the theaters or film distribution networks) or through theatrical exhibitors and other sub-distributors.
Internet definition: Film distribution involves launching and sustaining films in the marketplace. Because the film business is product driven, Film Distributors must connect each film they release with the widest possible audience. As every new title is distinctive and different, Distributors must be strategic and knowledgeable about promotion and publicity in order to entice audiences to see their films, utilising successful film release plans, created in collaboration with film production and/or studio company personnel, marketing teams, publicity departments and exhibitors
What film distributors have to do?
Ideally, a film's distribution plan is taken into consideration during the scripting stage. The more Distributors know about a production, the more informed are their choices when deciding how to publicise the film, and about its marketing campaign, release strategy, promotional tie-ins, etc. However, in the independent sector, Distributors often become involved only after films premiere at film markets or festivals such as Sundance, Cannes or the American Film Market. Film Sales Agents represent such films when they are seeking distribution, and broker deals between filmmakers and Distributors.
In general, the more money Film Distributors spend on a release, the more interest is generated, which should also heighten what every Distributor wants from the public - publicity by word of mouth. Distributors position films, making the decisions when and where to release a new film, this is decided through a combination of market knowledge, experience and judgment to gauge the target audience for each film. Roughly 350 feature films are launched each year in the UK, and most don't make any money during their theatrical runs. P&A represent the largest expenditure items for Distributors, often amounting to the equivalent of between a third and half of the film's original production budget. Risks are high. A film's opening weekend revenue often brings in as much as 25-30% of its entire box office earnings, and is vitally important to its long-term fiscal profitability and sustainability.
The Film Distributor's Association is the trade body that represents UK Theatrical Film Distributors. It seeks to promote cinema going in preference to other leisure activities. It is also involved with such important issues as anti-piracy laws, stopping the production and sale of fake DVDs.

Written pitch

The Pitch for the main task - ‘Fugitive’

Title: Fugitive

Genre: Thriller/Drama

Time roughly: Midnight

Audience: Teenagers, Adrenaline seekers.

Main character: Fugitive (Luke Sherlock)

Influence: The beginning of Death Race (2009)

Protagonist: Fugitive (Luke Sherlock)

Plot Outline: The fugitive has escaped prison after being convicted of murdering his wife. He strolls down the streets discreetly at late night. Wanted posters surround lampposts. As he walks he sees two people walking past him, as he turns round he spots that one of them drops their wallet, suspense would build up as the viewer thinks he will steal it being a fugitive but instead he picks it up and approaches the people giving it back. The people thank him but then set sights on the poster with him on the wanted sign and they phone the police. The fugitive walks up to a graveyard and stands next to a gravestone, with tears. He has his last flashback that proves his innocence. Then police sirens engulf the audio and the film ends. Throughout the film he will have flashback that eventually show his innocence

Conflict: The main character is a fugitive of a crime he didn’t commit (but the viewer doesn’t know that) and the Police are hunting him down. Memories haunt him (the flashbacks) and he suffers from paranoia.

What we are actually doing: We would start with complete darkness with eerily music steadily getting louder as the scene fades in. There will be Scene shots of the streets to show the ‘urbaness’. Then a camera slowly moving left capturing a lamp post with a wanted sign of a prisoner who has escaped.The figure walking down the road filmed from behind so the face is hidden and also an alley (Love tunnel). The fugitive has a hazy flashback that makes it seem he has killed a woman holding a knife full of blood. In this scene he walks past two people (Callum Price and Thomas Morgan) as one of them drops there wallet. We will fill this scene with suspense using tense music and get close ups of the wallet as well as the fugitives. Then in a shock he gives the wallet back instead of what the viewer would think of him taking it. The two people show gratitude but then spot the poster and then surprisingly call the police where the camera zooms in on the phone. Then narration of the person thoughts come into the scene and texts also comes up to show how he wants to live a new life, to prove that he is innocent and has been treated unfair he helps someone. He eventually gets to a graveyard where he stands crying with camera circling him making him the centre of attention. He has his last flashback that shows the repeated flashback that shows his innocence as he didn’t kill his wife Then police sirens loudly echo and the film fades out, connoting the fact that he has been caught. With this the final text showed would be “I shall seek my freedom. I’m Innocent”.

Script

1.

Fugitive: (looks at poster) look at what they think I am, Muhahaha. Only if they’d knew what I’ve really done.
2.
Fugitive: You dropped your wallet mate.

Walker 1: What!? (Checks pocket) Oh thanks for that.
Fugitive:  It was the only sensible thing to do. (Hands it over)
Walker 1: Cheers for that! (Checking everything inside it)

(Fugitive walks off)

Walker 2: You’re such an idiot.
Walker 1: Shut up!
Walker 2: What the hell come an’ have a look at this.
Walker1: What is it?
Walker 2: see for yourself (shows him the poster and they look at each other in shock and pull out there phone and ring the police.)


3.

Fugitive: (after 2^nd flashback) I didn’t want any of this. Why God have you made me suffer pain in its purest form. Leave me be.

4.

 Fugitive:  I shall seek the freedom that was ripped from me. After all I am innocent.

Actors:
Fugitive-     Ellis Trutwein

Walker 1 = Callum Price

Walker 2 = Thomas Morgan

Distributors of our influential films

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azakaban:

The distributors of harry potter are Warner Brothers

Death race (2008):

The distributors of death race are Universal Pictures

Van Helsing (2004):

The distributors of Van Helsing are Universal pictures

Death Race Analysis

This film is an influence to us, as in the start of death race their main character gets framed of killing his wife. And in our film the same thing happens our main character gets framed of killing his wife and goes to jail. Also in death race the character escapes from jail and this happens in our film too, as our character escapes from jail but we won’t be filming our character escape we will just film once he has escaped. The bits that influence us are in the 11th minuet up until the 13th minuet
This is where the character has been framed:

Camera work:
The camera work in this film has lots of close ups, so you can see the emotions on the actors faces. also in this film they use lots of different types of camera work, as they film lots of clips from different angles and vary between close ups and long range shots, in our film we would like to have multiple clips with different camera work like they have used in death race. There are different shots used as well which allows you to see more of the scenery, so you can get more of a feel for the surroundings.
This is one of the close ups that we would like to do:

This is another shot that we like, the over shoulder shot:

Sound:
The sound that we like in this film is fast and loud action music, in our film we are hoping to use this type of music too.

This screen shot is where the action music reaches the highest intensity:

Titles:
Some of the titles in this film are small and discreet the colour of them is white so they don’t look to out of place. They have made the titles look very professional by having a normal font and the size of the text is a small and then they have made the title white. But they do have a variety of titles and they also have effects on titles, one of the effects on the titles is that they have made it so it looks like it is being typed across the screen. Then titles also jolt as they move to the next title, they jolt because of the moving of the engine in the background, there is also another effect where the title mirrors itself and this is to do with the movement of the engine as well. They also have added a word that is in red and capital letter amongst the normal text, they have done this top make it stand out and show the seriousness.

This is the plain title:

This is where the title jolts:

This is where they have added a bit of colour and capital letters to show the seriousness: