Ill Manors - Institution

Distribution research

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.
2. Read the whole step-by-step guide (warning: this is LONG and will take you around an hour)
3. Summarise the 10 steps of film distribution in a list using your own words.

Summary:

1. identifying its audience
2. considering why they'd go and see it
3. estimating the revenue potential across all the formats of its release
4. persuading exhibitors (cinema operators) to play the film
5. developing plans and partnerships to build awareness of and interest in the film
6. aiming to convert as much interest as possible into cinema visits
7. Distributors sign a formal contract with the producer, sales agent or studio, specifying the rights they hold in respect of the title. These normally include the right to release it in UK cinemas and promote it in all media before and during its release.
8. Digital transformation - The DCP (digital cinema printer) is ingested into a powerful server at the cinema and played out through a state-of-the-art digital projector.
9. The job of a distributor is to create visibility and to raise enough awareness and interest in a film to persuade potential audiences to buy tickets to go and see it
10. 'Quotes posters' are produced and disseminated to cinemas. These highlight a selection of glowing comments by critics or bloggers

Ill Manors: Funding and production budget

1. What was the estimated budget for Ill Manors? £100,000
2. Where did the money come from? List the different organisations and companies that contributed funding to Ill Manors. BBC Films, Revolver Entertainment, Film London Microwave.
3. How did the Ill Manors budget compare to a Hollywood blockbuster such as Skyfall? There is a vast difference between the budget of Skyfall ($200m) and Ill Manors, due to the action packed stunts and equipment needed to produce high-quality videography for a franchise that is globally known. 

Film London and Microwave Film

1. What is Film London and why does it exist? Brand identity: Film London discovers and champions filmmaking talent through short and feature film production — building and growing the city’s imagination and creativity. It is a not-for-profit organisation and is supported by the BFI and Mayor of London. 
2. What is the purpose of Microwave Film? Microwave is Film London's feature filmmaking scheme and it helps produce films. 
3. List three other films funded by Microwave Film and embed their trailers in your blog.

Lilting

Shifty

Mum and dad 

1. Choose one film funded by Microwave film and explain how it compares to Ill Manors (similarities and differences) 

Shifty compares similarly to the narrative of Ill Manors. Both films focus on crime/drama, in addition both films contain actor Riz Ahmed who portrays the protagonist in Shifty as well as in Ill Manors. The difference between the productions however is that Shifty follows only the life of Riz Ahmed and his actions/consequences whereas Ill Manors focuses on a group of people in a society, following the lives of each of the characters and how their actions causes them to cross paths with each other.

Distributor: Revolver Entertainment

1. When was Revolver Entertainment created? It was founded in 1997 in the UK. 
2. Revolver Entertainment enjoyed a lot of success with the UK urban drama genre. Find three Revolver films that fit that genre, embed the trailers from YouTube and write about why they were successful. 

Kidulthood

Kidulthood was one of the first major urban crime dramas that followed the lives of youth in London, because of this the film was extremely successful as it appealed to a wide target audience and in addition the target audience understood the predicaments and situations the characters found themselves in and therefore understood the narrative in great detail. 

Offender 

Offender is one of the more recent films produced by Revolver Entertainment. It followed an unusual yet creative narrative, with many actors from the UK Grime scene the narrative effectively used the lyrical talents of the actors and thus created a large appeal for the production. 

Anuvahood

Another one of the Revolvers' more recent productions, Anuvahood was successful due to its comedic trailer and effective promotional methods which generated much hype amongst the teenage audiences already in contact with previous crime/drama productions.

Choose one film distributed by Revolver Entertainment and explain how it compares to Ill Manors (similarities and differences).

Anuvahood and Ill Manors are similar in the idea that both follow struggling characters living in council estate area's, the difference between the productions is that Anuvahood briefly touches on the seriousness of the issues involved in people growing up in these locations, instead it focuses more heavily on creating a comedic atmosphere for the audience. On the other hand, Ill Manors is evidently more serious in portraying the social issues of modern day Britain

Why did Revolver Entertainment go out of business in 2013? Revolver Entertainment struggled particularly due to the lack of staff as many key members left for other production companies. In addition, the company began to have financial issues which inevitably forced the insolvency of the business. 

How is new technology changing the way films are being distributed? Films are now available on-demand/online by providers such as Netflix and Amazon Prime via paid-for subscriptions, these technological advancements are changing the way films are being distributed. 

Gunslinger

1. Visit the Gunslinger website and list the three films currently in development (click on theSlate tab). The London Syndrome, Electric and Booknecks.  
2. Research the Gunslinger/Revolver film Shank. Embed the trailer in your blog and explain how it compares to Ill Manors (similarities and differences).

Both films are similar in the sense that they portray crime and violence in similar locations. The difference however is that Shank looks more at the entertainment aspect of film-making through glamourising 'gang' lifestyle. On the other hand, Ill Manors seeks more to educate its audience as to why such terrible things are occurring in our society. 

List other Gunslinger films that fit the UK urban drama genre. Why does Gunslinger focus on this genre in particular? Kidulthood, Adulthood and Anuvahood are all Gunslinger films, the fact that Gunslinger focuses on this genre is so that they have a particular brand identity which focuses on what the teenagers want to see today. Also, a distinct contrast is created with the stereotypical London which gives another outlook on life in the UK. 

Why does the UK urban drama genre appeal to an audience? The UK urban genre appeals to an audience simply due to the fact that many people can empathise with the stereotypes depicted by the narratives. This allows them to understand narratives in more detail and therefore makes the story-line more interesting for audiences which is why audiences are so engaged with the urban drama genre. 

Certification

One final aspect of institution is the certificate the film was awarded for exhibition. This is decided by the British Board of Film Classification.

How does the certification process work at the BBFC? The BBFC examine each film in depth, looking at the extent of which nudity, sex, drugs, violence etc are presented in the production. Through this they determine the age certificate of the film.

What are the advantages and disadvantages for a film in being given an 18 certificate? The advantages are that a mature audience would be viewing the film and as younger audiences would not be allowed to watch it , films would avoid negatively influencing them. It also may reach a larger audience as older audience members may be convinced that the film is definitely one that is aimed at adults. However having an 18 certificate will greatly hinder the target audience and may make the film lose out on potential profit.