Mainstream vs niche distribution Which companies would distribute my movie? Lauryn Cedrola

Mainstream Distribution Hollywood companies tend to be vertically integrated This means that they will own a number of the stages in the production of a movie For example, a large Hollywood company may own the production company, the distributor and sometimes even the cinema. Movies produced in this way tend to be aimed at very broad audiences for example: men, women, children or adults. Due to the fact that mainstream media is always produced by large companies with huge budgets, the advertising and distribution campaigns are featured on many platforms such as TV, social media, billboards and radio. This amount of advertising generally leads to huge numbers of people taking an interest and watching the movie. Examples of mainstream distribution companies would be: 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures. Lauryn Cedrola

Niche distribution Independent companies have to find distribution companies to distribute their movies as they often will not own any distribution services themselves. This typically involves selling the movie to a larger company and only receiving a portion of the profit that the movie makes. Niche products are almost always aimed at a more specific audience, for example: people who like gardening, fishing or pottery. These are smaller audiences and so there is larger risk associated with a niche movie due to the fact that it is going to appeal to less people. Niche products tend to be produced by smaller companies with low budgets and so it is unlikely for them to be able to afford large advertising campaigns, therefore cheaper methods such as social media are used. This ultimately leads to less people being aware of the movie’s release which (as well as the niche subject matter) contributes to fewer people watching. Examples of niche distribution companies would be: Fox Searchlight Pictures, StudioCanal UK and Overture Films. Lauryn Cedrola

Where does my movie fit in? Due to the fact that my movie deals with themes that are not appropriate for mass market audience, it is likely to be distributed via a niche company. My movie features an all female cast which is something very rare of mainstream media productions. Also, the main plot of the movie revolves around cannibalism and contains graphic scenes showing the consumption of human flesh. This is not something that is going to appeal to everyone, even people who regularly watch horror movies may find this disturbing. Therefore, the audience for my movie is going to be a small and select group. Large distribution companies are not going to invest their money into this movie as there is considerable risk involved. Audiences may find the content too disturbing which will affect the box office revenues, so my movie will most likely go straight to DVD or have just a couple of weeks in the cinema. An example of a company that may be willing to distribute my movie would be Fox Searchlight Pictures. This is because it specializes in distribution of independent and British films alongside dramedy and horror films. Lauryn Cedrola