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

The 2 major companies are the production company and the distributor. These are mainly chosen based on a film's genre and likely success.

Production company

Cornucopia Films is a London based production company producing mostly action/adventure films for a broad and mainstream audience, e.g 16-24 year olds. It would be known for Blockbuster British films.

A summary mind map of our production company: Cornucopia Films

Distributor:

The distributor had to be appropriate for the films genre, and be a well -known one in order to reach the maximum audience. Screen Gems is is known for distributing action and thriller films. (A few examples below)

Bearing this in mind, 26 fits in with these types of genres and would be distributed most likely to a broad audience, therefore Screen Gems is ideal.

Independent production companies and distributors are the norm for independent British films, which 26 is. Working with smaller budgets, and not being horizontally and vertically integrated (as Hollywood is) Cornucopia Films would not be its own distributor, and instead work with Screen Gems for the distribution and marketing. As mentioned already, Screen Gems is known for this genre of movies and is well- known and trusted by modern audiences.

Release plan:

A staggered release would allow 26 to build momentum via word of mouth as well as perhaps an ongoing viral campaign.

Release platforms

Release strategy for 26

For example The 51st State had its world premiere in London's West End Curzon Cinema, taking in £913, 239 on its opening weekend. Seeing its success here, the film was screened across the US, then shortly elsewhere in the world.

The 51st State

Marketing:

The usual posters and trailers would be put across TV and the internet to reach the maximum audience possible. But as well as this, it would be important to use social networks i.e. Facebook and Twitter to create and internet hub for the film. This woul be useful as most of the target audience are big internet users, therefore it would be suited to their needs, while still reaching as many people as possible.

Viral Campaign:

Audience could perhaps choose a character to follow over an online version of the film, playing as the character, or even create their own character profile - Maximising audience interaction before and during the film's release would create a "buzz" and so increase the audience who actually watched the film at the cinema. This would mean increased revenue as a result.

DVD release:

There could be special/ collector's Editions, where the film had different possible ending, so the audience could tailor it to their desires in the comfort of their own homes - This would encourage audience interaction.

In short, a staggered local release from a well known action genre distributor would be the best approach. This way, the film's success could be tracked and then the decision made to expand or not to wider audiences and more cinemas.On top of this, ongoing marketing via the internet, social networks, and/or games would add the the "buzz" so attracting more audiences as the film was released in more cinemas.