The role of the distributor

Distribution plan
The role of the distributor is to make sure a new release reaches the biggest audience possible. To do this there are many factors that they need to consider and understand in order to make the film a success. Competition is important to think about, as if there is a big film being released around the same time, especially as it is due to attract the same target audience then it is likely that your new release won't get the needed audience and will ultimately be a flop. Distributors need to think of the best way to advertise the product to appeal to everyone intended. If the product has a star cast then they can be used for advertisement, and can also be good for trying to figure out the target audience as you can look at the target audience for any of the stars other films and therefore logically the target audience should be similar for the new product. Distributors are mostly interested in big budget films as that means that they will have more money to play with in the advertisement stage and is likely to produce a large profit, as big budget films are popular among all age groups. Linking in with this idea, it is also important for a distributor to think about marketability and playability, meaning how the product can be promoted to a particular audience and how it actually performs in the market place. Test screening can also be useful to see if the film hits the appropiate audience and is therefore going to be a success.
Marketing Plan
The marketing plan is all about creating awareness of the product and getting people interested. The aim is to identify your target audience, and figure out what kind of advertisment would reach them and be effective in increasing their interest. Obviously film making and distribution is a competitive market and therefore the marketing plan needs to be focused and accurate as they compete against other distributors to make their film known. Not only do they need to compete against other distributors, but also the technology in the home. With modern technology, many people don't bothering going to the cinema, but just stay at home and either download the film or wait for the DVD to be released. This is always a constant battle to get people to actually leave the house and go to the cinema, and has lead to a drop in cinema goers over the years.
Advertising
Avertisment is an extremly important part of the distribution process as it is what reaches the audiences and hopefully persuade them that the film being advertised is worth seeing. There are many different ways to attract an audience to a film and can differ between different target audiences. Posters are a popular way of advertising a film as they can reach all target audiences. They are commonly displayed in cinemas and on places such as bus shelters and even on the sides of busses, so will be seen by a great deal of people. Another effective advertisment that reaches a large amount of people is trailers. They are shown at the cinema before a main film, which if you show your trailer before a film thats target audience is the same then it is possible that it will increase the amount of people that go and see you product. They are good at grabbing the audiences interest without giving away spoilers, keeping the audience on the edges of their seats. A massive way of communicating with the public and advertising your film is the internet, although this way of advertising is more commonly linked with the younger audiences. Sites such as youtube are extremly effective in viewing film trailers and gaining feedback as it is a website that everybody knows and uses from time to time so reaches a very large audience and is almost guanteed to be the audience you are searching for. The official film websites are also great for advertising as it is an effective way for the distributors to communicate with the public and keep them updated with all the lastest news and gossip, which keeps them interested in the upcoming film. There is also media advertising such as interviews with the stars on TV and in magazines or newspapers. This alerts the public to upcoming films and whether any stars or directors they follow are involved. All of these advertising methods are effective in their own ways and have to be considered along with target audience. Word of mouth is also effective in its own way as if a friend recomends a film to you, then you are much more likely to go to the cinema and see it then and kind of distributor avertising could influence you to do. A bad word of mouth is extremly hard for the film to overcome.
Publicity
Publicity is commonly classed as cast and crew interviews and professionally taken photographs. The interviews give the audience a first class idea of the in's and out's of the film from a personal perspective of somone actually involved in the creation of the film. The professional photos have to be approved before release, which play a part in the advertising part of distribution.
Promotions
Distributors can try to arrange promotional partnerships to generate advertisment for the film in places which they could not normally advertise, such as shops and restaurants. They can also make it possible for the audience to interact with the characters of the film by the use of several activites, such as competitions. Merchandise is important while promoting, as it can be released in many forms, from ringtones to action figures or clothing. Merchandise can be absolutly anything, which is part of the glory of it. Premieres and preview screenings, although expensive to organise are also effective in letting the public know of the launch of the film.