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The film distribution sector is small, considering the scale, profile and influence of its output. Only about 300 people work in UK theatrical distribution - less than 1% of the film /cinema industry's total workforce - although people working in advertising / media buying, PR and design agencies often collaborate on the planning and execution of
film campaigns.
A film distributor's managing director normally supervises a small staff with specialist roles:
- Marketing
- Publicity
- Sales
- Technical
- Acquisitions & legal
- Finance & accounting
- Administration
In some ways, these departments undertake activities similar to their demand-side counterparts in any industry. But for film distributors, the products they handle are among the most thrillingly creative, emotionally charged, technologically advanced and hotly anticipated anywhere!
Bollywood disarms Hollywood: Kambakkht Ishq (Incredible Love) tells of an Indian stuntman who makes it big in the States but still can't find true love. Sabir Khan's film stars Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor, and features US stars including Sylvester Stallone and Denise Richards. |
The UK today is made up of many communities. Film distributors strive to recruit from as wide a talent pool as
practical so that their companies remain competitive in the future. It's not just desirable for distributors to stay in tune with audiences' tastes and wider culture and society, and to appreciate people's differences as well as their similarities - it's essential. This isn't merely paying lip service to diversity; it's fundamentally good for business. As opportunities arise, considering suitable candidates with various perspectives and backgrounds helps distributors to remain lively hubs of fresh ideas.
Distributors' offices often have stacks of film scripts. Each one is read carefully, either because the project is being considered for acquisition or because the film is already in production and a release campaign is being prepared. Being able to appreciate and evaluate a script is an important skill - read widely among different writers and genres to get into practice.
Good experience for a film industry marketing position may be gained at an advertising or media planning agency,
especially by working with a film or entertainment client, or by project-managing in another area of intellectual property. As a marketing team member, you'd be expected to be alert to opportunities and to justify your ideas to colleagues and those involved in the film's production. Lots of ideas and sound judgement are called for when developing both the creative and media elements of a film campaign, and decisions are carefully evaluated.
If you're into design, why not consider movie posters, an art form in themselves. But you're unlikely ever to have a completely free hand - depending on the film stars, there may be tight guidelines as to what can and can't be done, and there is sure to be a list of elements, such as credits, that must be included in a particular order or style.
For publicity, experience as a journalist or press officer is useful. No two days are ever
the same, but you should be able to write succinctly yet imaginatively, and to remain cool under pressure. Awareness of today's
evolving media landscape is crucial. Sometimes distributors need specialist public relations or event management expertise to
help arrange a premiere or a junket, and external agencies may be appointed to handle a particular project.
Sales staff, who deal with the licensing of films to exhibitors, use various strategies depending on the film and the agreed scale of its release. Clear commercial instincts, cool negotiation skills, absolute discretion and the ability to get on with a range of customers are vital attributes.
Key administrative roles include invoicing exhibitors or paying suppliers; ordering and checking film prints, trailers and posters; and arranging for materials to be delivered to the right place at the right time. You must be well organised with lots of drive and stamina. If you're working on the technical or operational aspects of a release, you'll need current knowledge of digital formats, 3D and IMAX® presentation, servers and their storage capacities, and laboratory processes. It's very important that films are supplied for public exhibition in superlative quality.
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Making our day: World renowned as an icon of the cinema,
Clint Eastwood has enjoyed a surge of popularity and acclaim
with recent films such as Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby and
Changeling. He starred in, co-produced and directed the
gripping Gran Torino, named after the prized Ford car that his
character, a war veteran, maintained. Its release clocked up
another big hit, grossing around $250m in cinemas worldwide.
Looking forward, his next movie behind the cameras is
The Human Factor starring Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman. |
As you would expect, competition to break
into the film industry is fierce. Being passionate about films is a great start. But it is only a start and not enough on its own.
The distribution business offers relentless yet rewarding work and sheer tenacity is an important quality in itself. If you're really determined, keep at it! Note how and where different genres of films are advertised, and on which local screens they tend to play. Try to keep informed about media trends and developments as well as the films themselves.
Some distributors employ runners and holiday relief to help out, while from time to
time others offer work placements. Inevitably, vacancies in a small sector like distribution are relatively few and far
between. A digest of placement opportunities is posted at FDA's website, www.launchingfilms.com. It may also help to keep an eye on publications where media jobs and placements are advertised. A little relevant experience can count for a lot.
Once you're in and have shown your aptitude, you may find that training courses are offered to help refine your knowledge and skills. In due course, opportunities may arise to work in head offices or overseas affiliates.
Best of luck.
Top form: Two of the many award-winning films that played in UK cinemas in 2009 were Laurent Cantet's The Class, set in
modern-day Paris, and Tomas Alfredson's dark fantasy Let the Right One In. As the huge success of Slumdog Millionaire
showed, UK cinema audiences are receptive to compelling, well-told stories from anywhere in the world. Both these films
(above) were promoted principally as great drama, their foreign nationality incidental, and both scored rave reviews. |
FDA is the long-standing trade body for UK theatrical distributors. Films released by our
member companies account for 96% of UK cinema admissions. As a trade association not
an operating distributor, FDA itself is a small company in the member service business.
- To provide generic services that enhance the capacity of our member companies and other contacts to manage their
individual working lives better
- To be a credit to UK film distributors and a valuable resource to the media, and to play a facilitating, energising role in industry development
Under FDA's auspices, senior representatives of our member companies meet to discuss matters of generic (non-commercial) interest to the sector and the industry as a whole.
We maintain frequent contact with our membership via e-bulletins. On their behalf, we fulfil a busy work programme including audience research, sector training and 'one voice' representations where appropriate. We produce a yearbook, some 'best practice' guidelines and compilation trailers promoting the new season's line-up in cinemas. We also publish a quarterly
preview magazine called Focus, available online www.focusonmovies.co.uk and in print.
FDA also prepares editorial planning tools for media, in the form of central schedules of preview screenings for
critics and others. |
Actively engaged in the fight against film theft, we are represented on the boards of the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT), the Alliance Against IP Theft and the Industry Trust for IP Awareness.
We're also a member of other bodies such as AIM (All Industry Marketing for Cinema), the British Screen Advisory
Council (BSAC), the International Federation of Film Distributors' Associations (FIAD) and the European Digital Cinema Forum (EDCF). We are proud to be a sponsor of the UK's National Film & Television School, whose graduates join the next generation of filmmakers.
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