PDE

Media Studies:

Behind the Film Industry

Production:

Film production involves four major stages:

·      Development – when ideas are created for the film, rights to plays or books are bought by the companies involved in the film-making process, and the screenplay is also written.

·      Pre-production – Preparations relevant to the movie are made, like the hiring of the cast and crew, locations where the film will be shot are chosen, and sets are constructed.

·      Production – The raw elements for the film in production are recorded and stored.

·      Post-production – the film is edited using computer software, production sound such as dialogue is also edited, musical tracks are recorded, composed or performed, sound effects are designed and created, and graphic visual effects are also created and added to the film using computer software.

Left: the making of the high budget film Fast and Furious 5. Pictured here is Vin Diesel on the set, while a cameraman captures recording as raw elements for editing.

Distribution:

Films go from edit houses to the viewing of audiences around the world in a variety of different ways. A popular method of film distribution today is through a film distributor. These are usually companies which are made responsible for releasing films to the public either theatrically or for viewing within the household (Through DVD, video on demand services, download etc.) Names such as Sony Pictures and Columbia are among the most prestigious modern day film distributors, both based in the United States.

·      Standard Release – A movie is first released through movie theatres. After approximately 16 to 17 weeks, it is released to DVD. After 2 years of its theatrical release date, it is made available to free-to-air television channels.

·      Simultaneous Release – A movie is made available through many types of media such as cinema internet and DVD, at the same time or with very little differences in timing of releases.

·      Straight-to-video Release – A movie is released directly onto home video formats which popularly include DVD and Blu-ray; thereby not taking into consideration the theatrical window.

·      Internet Release

Marketing: Examples of how film is promoted and marketed in the industry

Exhibition:

There are many ways in which film can be viewed by audiences worldwide. Over time, the viewing methods have evolved. Listed are some of the current day popular choices of methods of viewing film:

·      Cinema

·      DVD and Blu-ray

·      Internet based on demand services such as Netflix

·      Illegal download of movies

·      Movies being aired on TV