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

After some discussion as a group we decided that Film4 might be a possible distribution agent for our finished film trailer product. I had looked at their website to view their work and I was very encouraged to find that they are very supportive of new talented filmmakers and are willing to commission film projects that have the potential to explore the spaces and relationships between traditional media, digital platforms and the real world. I felt that our film trailer would fit into this required bracket for Film4 and would be most likely to be viewed by our target audience in this forum as ours is a narrower, specialised market audience rather than a mainstream one. Film4 is also a distributor based in the UK which would make our film more home-grown with its quirky British humour and take on the dystopian genre. Film4 also take on board lower budget films, which fits our own current approach to film making.

A similar film that Film4 had distributed was a version of the sci fi classic novel War of the Worlds by HG Wells, starring Tom Cruise as the protagonist who has to keep his children alive when aliens invade the planet. The immediate threat is similar to our own film, and looks at the people who are surviving on the planet. This company is well known for producing films that are unique; which try to go about producing a movie in a different way, e.g. Trainspotting which deals with challenging, realistic issues such as heroin abuse in a brutal, tragic and yet often funny way. They have also backed a number of indie films much like ours which are low budget. Every month Film 4 showcases a film 4-backed short film for TV which shows their support for up and coming film makers and young talent. Because of this I think Film 4 is the best option for our Amateur film.

Working Title Films is a British film production company, based in London owned by Universal Studios who produce extensive and diverse productions. The company was founded by Tim Bevan and Sarah Radclyffe in 1983. The company produces feature films and several television productions.

They have supported Simon Pegg and Nick Frost through their dystopian comedy Shaun of the dead much like our hybrid. They have been awarded two of the highest film awards given to British filmmakers; the Michael Balcon Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema, at the Orange British Academy Film [BAFTA] Awards, and the Alexander Walker Film Award at the Evening Standard British Film Awards. They have also both been honoured with CBEs. Working Title enjoys on-going and successful creative collaborations with filmmakers including the Coen Brothers (True Grit and O Brother where art thou?) and Richard Curtis and actors Rowan Atkinson, Cate Blanchett, and Gary Oldman to name a few.