Notes on Distribution

The role of a distributer:

• To Identify the film's target audience.
• Consider why the audience would want to go and see the film.
• Estimate the potential revenue the film could make in both cinematic and home release.
• Persuade exhibitors to show the film.
• Develop plans and partnerships to promote the film.
• Promote the film as much as possible to the target audience.

1. Producers will make a deal to buy the rights to a story, and the distributers will acquire these rights with an acquisition deal put together by lawyers. This will happen through a sales agent acting on behalf of a producer, a studio that is constantly releasing new and great material, a studio whom the distributers have worked with before, or a studio that has signed a deal with the distributer to stay as a partnership for the release of a certain number of titles. If the film is planned to go international, then the distributer will also sell the rights off to other distribution companies in different countries. But this only happens for large blockbusters.
2. Distributers will also come up with a release strategy which involves coming up with release dates and planning to send out the master print of the finished project.
3. They also present the film out to exhibitors, who will then make deals on having it shown in cinema. 
4. Once the film is prepared to go out to cinema, marketers will get together and try to make the film heard of as much as possible amongst the target audience.
5. Film prints are then delivered to cinemas in digital format.
6. The amount of time the film spends in cinemas depends on the demand of the film.
7. Then the film is released into other formats for home entertainment.