Q3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Which film distribution company is most likely to distribute your film?

Which cinemas would be most suited?
     Multiplex cinema chains, such as Vue and Odeon, might not be best suited to exhibiting our film because they mostly show mainstream films (whereas our product is an independent film). They especially show high-budget blockbuster films, contrastingly our film is low-budget. An independent cinema would be more suitable for exhibiting our film because they show more non-mainstream films. For example, Cinema City in Norwich could be very suitable for showing our film, especially because our film was shot in Norwich and the cinema often includes some locally produced films within its programme (it recently exhibited 'The Go-Between', which was made in North Norfolk, as part of the cinema's 'Made in East Anglia' collection). However, Cinema City has a mostly older audience who our dark thriller with a young protagonist might not be as appealing to. On the other hand, the cinema does attract some younger people too - it offers a student membership and even holds free screenings for students as part of the 'E4 Slacker's Club'. Therefore, our film could attract some students who would find it appealing as they could empathise with the teenage protagonist.

How could digital technologies offer new distribution opportunities?

   Increased digitalisation has made it easier for many low-budget independent films to be distributed due to the lower cost of distributing online. Furthermore, video-on-demand services also enable a growing audience to be reached due to its increasing popularity. Online streaming services (like Netflix) have become especially popular with young people - statistics from the British Film Institute suggest that in 2011 20% of people aged 15-24 viewed downloaded/streamed films at least once a week, and this figure is likely to have increased in more recent years - due to their affordable charges and their convenience as they allow a wide range of content to be accessed quickly at home . Therefore, digital technologies could help us to reach a target audience of teenagers and young adults. Another advantage of video-on-demand services is that they often distribute a variety of films in a range of niche genres, including films with the same genre as our film; Netflix has a category for 'independent thrillers' on its website.