Arthouse Film Institution

Production: Independent film studios

1) Look back at the five films you have analysed for your existing product research.

Haywire 2011 ‧ Thriller/Action - Relativity Media
The Killer  1989 ‧ Crime film/Drama film - Film Workshop
The Double Life of Veronique 1991 ‧ Fantasy/Drama film - Canal+
La Haine  1995 ‧ Crime film/Drama film - Canal+
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 2004 Science fiction film/Drama film- Anonymous Content


2) What other films do these studios produce? Can you find any any other independent, arthouse or low-budget examples?

 The first production company on the list is Relativity Media that produced many mainstream films ranging from 'The Amazing Spider-man' to the hilarious '21 Jump Street'. Rather than producing mainstream films only, they produced independent film aswell to promote their brands to niche audiences as a marketing strategy. One film that was successful and rated well by critics and reviewers is 'Beyond the Lights' which was rewarded the rating of 6.9/10 on iMDb which is pretty impressive for an indie film. The overall Box Office gross was $14.6 million which is pretty successful.

The second production company is Film Workshop. This company isn't very established in the film industry overall but it did produce few films in China, as it was co-founded in Hong Kong. However this doesn't mean its not known in China itself, they produced a film called 'A Better Tomorrow' in 1986 which grossed $34.7 million. In addition, they earned a solid 7.6/10 rating from the movie site iMDb. This is film broke the record for Hong Kong's highest grossing production. This film is an Art House genre film due to the fact its foreign and is not screened in multiplex mainstream cinemas.

Canal+ a French found production company, produced many films some of which are mainstream successful films. A great example of this is the 'Terminator 2' blockbuster success film. An independent film they took part in was 2014's underperforming box office production " '71". Their starting budget was £8.1 million however the box office results show they made only $3.2 million. One positive thing came out of this movie that its director won 'Best Independent Film Director' award. That loss of the film didn't stop critics and film rating websites from giving a positive review. The site 'iMDb' rewarded the production a rating of 7.2/10 and the other rating website 'Rotten Tomatoes' gave a incredible rating of 96%. 

The final Business film company is ' Anonymous Content' and they are respectfully established in the film world. They produced the best actor Oscar winning film 'The Revenant' where Leonardo DiCaprio won the prize. One of their independent films, starred Hollywood's prized actress Jennifer Lawrence. The film is called 'Winter Bone' and it grossed over $16.1 million in the box office when their original budget was $2 million.  Its main genre is Thriller as well as Indie representing that its independent. It received a rating of 4/4 on the site 'Roger Ebert' which is amazing for an independent film with a low budget.


3) Do the studios have any notable successes? What is the most successful low-budget or independent film the studio has released?

Relativity Media's most successful independent film was 2012's 'Movie 43'. Its a comedy production that grossed $32.4 million in total with a starting budget of $6 million. As it started it was aimed at a niche audience but gradually it was debated that it could be a mainstream comedy film simply because of its success.

Film Workshop's most successful film grossing as said before was China's well loved Drama, Thriller  'A Better Tomorrow'. It's grossing budget was $34.7 million which shock the wold as it was an independent foreign film targeted for the Chinese population. However, it was released for the outsiders in different language subtitle so all can enjoy it.

Canal+'s most grossing niche film was 'The Pianist', a History genre film which seemed to appeal to many audiences due to the fact it grossed over $120.1 million in the box office in 2002. It was so successful it even won 'Academy Award for Best Actor' , 'Plame d'Or' just to name a few.

Anonymous Content's highest grossing Indie film was the movie mentioned before 'Winter Bone'. It collected $16.1 million from the box office as well as winning the prize of 'Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female' as well as many more awards.

Distribution: Independent film distributors

1) Research film distribution using this guide from the UK Film Distributors' Association. It's called Launching Film and takes you through the whole process of distributing a movie.

Read the whole step-by-step guide (warning: this is LONG and will take you around an hour)

2) Summarise the 10 steps of film distribution in a list using your own words.

1st: Production needs to be completed before choosing a distributor.
2nd: Give the film to an agent who has connections with distributors who are willing to invest in.
3rd: Negotiate the terms with a distributor who can give the right to cinema's.
4th: Set a release date.
5th: Bring groups of people who can promote and to get the people talking as well as generating hype.
6th: Promote the film to reach a winder variety o audiences.
7th: Collaborate with business companies to create tie-in deals.
8th: Market research the audience who are interested in the film and monitor their involvement in the genre.
9th: Claim license to the exhibitors for screening.
10th: Resell the film in other ways, e.g: DVD's.

3) Now research the distributors for each of the arthouse films you have analysed for your existing product research. Who distributed each film in the UK?

Haywire: Relativity Media, Lionsgate and Overtrue Films.
The KIller: Film Workshop
The Double Life of Veronique: Miramax in USA
La Haine: Canal+
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Momentum Pictures

4) How many cinemas did each film open in?

Haywire: 50 different countries
The Killer: 11 screenings
The Double Life of Veronique: Unknown
La Haine: Unknown
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: 343 screenings

5) How much money did each film make? Did it make a profit against the budget?

Haywire
Budget: $23 million
Made: $33.4 million

The Killer
Budget: Unknown
Made: $18.3 million

The Double Life of Veronique
Budget: Unknown
Made: $2 million

La Haine
Budget: $2.6 million
Made: $15.3 million

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Budget: $20 million
Made: $72.3 million

6) Research Curzon Artificial Eye. Who are they and what do they do?

They are a British film distributor who are associated with the Curzon industry. They screen foreign film with non-english languages and screen them in arthouse cinemas all scattered around the city of London.

7) Look at the Curzon Artficial Eye YouTube channel. Watch three trailers for recent or upcoming independent films and identify something you can learn from each film to use in your own film production.

The Unknown Girl clip: it could help me learn how to create tension and build suspense without too many cuts in post production. It could help inspire some performances as well as acting techniques.

After Love clip: it could help inspire some hidden meanings in the narrative judging from the acting and the order on the events. It could also inspire camera movements to give a professional movie look and feel.

Almost Holy: it could inspire to have a normal character talking over a series of different clips parallel to the speech, almost giving the effect of being a narrator. In addition of adding non-diegetic dramatic soundtrack to create tension.

Exhibition: Arthouse cinemas

Find some London-based arthouse cinemas and research the following:

1) What is the name of the cinema? Where is it?

The name of the chosen arthouse cinema is called the ArtHouse Crouch End, its a London based cinema on Tottenham Lane.

2) What type of films do they show? What films are on this week? How do their programmes differ from the major cinema chains like Vue? 

They screen many independent film that are not really targeted at mainstream audiences, but that doesn't mean all of them aren't screened in multiplex cinemas such as Vue. One film that is screening this week is 'Moana' which is also screening at Vue all over the country. A vast majority of the films they host are rated 15 and above by the BBFC, this is because arthouse cinemas such as this one are usually appealing to the older generation where they went to similar type of cinemas.

3) What type of audience attends this kind of arthouse cinemas? Are there any clues on the website regarding the target audience? How can you tell?

An older film consumer would attend this cinema due to the fact it hosts many films that are rated 15 and above. In addition people of the middle class and upper class would go to this location rather than a mainstream cinema because it is very luxurious and expensive compared to the conventional everyday cinema.

A case study in independent film production: Film London and Microwave Film

1) What is Film London and why does it exist?

Film London is the capital's screen agency supported but the mayor of London as well as the British Film Institute, to ensure the capital is a thriving centre for creative industries sector that develops the city's business and the people with in.

2) What is the purpose of Microwave Film?

Microwave film funds people's films that the short listed by developing and mentoring the sort listed project to enrich creative ideas and to set it apart.

3) What is the London Calling project for Film London and how does it encourage independent filmmaking?

It motivates people to produce independent films by funding them as well as mentoring to see its full potential. In addition of entering them to arthouse award competitions.

4) Choose three feature films funded by Microwave Film and embed their trailers in your blog. For each film, explain why it fits the profile for an arthouse or independent film and what target audience the film might attract.

The reason that this could be an arthouse film is because of its sense of realism in the urban areas of London, This film reinforces the older generation's idea that young men are reckless and up to no good with their lives. On the other hand this film could appeal to the younger viewers as it gives them a clear portrayal of the gangster life and drug dealing in a real life situation.

This is an arthouse film because its an urban London based film where a young teenager tries and makes something out of his life and it is through winning a freestyle contest. This production will appeal to many youth urban teenagers because it gives them something to relate to and they may have some sense of personal identification with the characters.

This film seems to be well thought out in terms of the narrative and the overall mood of the film. Its an urban production that contains humour and that typically subverts the conventions of urban places as portrayed by the upper classes which is why it is an arthouse film and why it appeals to older generations.

5) Watch these top tips for film production. List three things you've learned from these short videos that you can apply to your MEST2 production work. 

- Pay close attention to cinematography

- Have a consistant character type for each role 
- Have a well thought out narrative plot