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

Our production company is Darkhouse Production, and we specialise in thriller films. Captive is a teen thriller – we have incorporated our knowledge of thrillers and teen media consumption to create this niche British film. A similar British production company is Coffee Films. They produce feature and short films, many of which are thrillers of horrors. There most recent films include Lucid and Into The Shadow. Coffee Films shoot on film, with a low budget. Like Coffee Films, we are aiming to reach fans of the thriller genre, however rather than targeting adults, we specifically aim at teenagers.

Our film focuses on the lives of British teenagers - their lives have not been glossed over, and the action is gritty and dark. Therefore I do not believe that our film would attract a Hollywood company used to distributing rom-coms or chick-flicks, because their target audiences, or audiences that recognise their brand name, are not the same as ours (for rom-coms, a typical audience would be young women, looking for a relaxing, funny film). Our film is aimed at teenagers and young adults, so an institution which has distributed similar films would be ideal. 

MGM distributed Legally Blonde, The Ex, Material Girls, amongst many other rom-coms. Their target audience is mostly adult women. MGM is experienced in distributing to this audience group, rather than teenagers and thriller fans.

On the other hand, Contender Films (distributing both films in cinemas and on DVD)  is a British distribution company which has released similar films to ours (A Very British Gangster, Shutter). This means that they have experience targeting our audience. Also, as they have recently been acquired by Entertainment One, they have funding available and are linked to other companies which would help them to distribute to a larger audience – possibly world-wide. 


Shutter is a thriller/horror with mystery elements, which are similar themes to the ones in Captive. Crime is also a part fo our film, like A Very British Gangster.



EXHIBITION

Our film could be premiered at film festivals to attract attention; however I think that to appeal to our primary audience of teenagers, it would have to be available for exhibition at multiplexes. Typical teenagers do not often have knowledge of small independent cinemas such as ‘The Screen on the Green’, as they show films that would attract an older audience into more serious films. These are also often in areas that are more upmarket (Hampstead, Belsize Park) and teenagers typically look for the cheapest alternatives.

 I do not think that a blanket release or saturation would be necessary. The people we portray in our film are from powerful, modern and live in London, so I feel that it would do best if shown in cities, where there is a high population of teenagers who are looking for things to do with friends.

In our audience feedback, the majority of our audience categorised our film as an independent film. However many also classed it as a mainstream film. There was also an equal split between people who said it would be shown in an independant cinema or a multiplex.

As the majority of teenagers are very tech-savvy and lead modern lifestyles, online exhibition could be a viable alternative platform for exhibition. Content for iPhones would also help with creating hype around a film, as would viral campaigns which would easily target the millions of teenagers who use social networking every day. According to cnet.com, 20% of teenagers own a smartphone (converged technology) and 55% of 12-17 year olds use social networkign sites.





Examples of converged technology and new exhibition platforms