ER; Institutional Context

Discuss the ways in which films are produced and distributed

Due to the ever changing technological advancements in film and massive competition, the ways in which they are produced and distributed has evolved over time. Producing and distributing successful films is harder than ever now due to this. With digital technology it’s easier than it used to be to make a film, meaning almost anyone can make one. This is setting the bar higher and changed the definition of a successful film from what it was before. Industrial and independent films both aim to make three times their budget in order for their films to be classed as a success. Advantages of an industrial film is that they have ultra-high budgets ensuring them to get hold of the newest, most expensive technology in order to get the best quality. They also normally get the A-listers, to attract audiences. Independent films rely on acting and narrative to gain popularity. Industrial films have a much bigger crew which can be an advantage and disadvantage because, it means it gets done quicker and more efficiently but it's also more  expensive to transport everyone around to different locations. Times Warner is a conglomerate that owns many subsidiaries, including Warner Bros. and Vertigo Films. Warner Bros. is an industrial film distributor while Vertigo Films is independent.
An example of an industrial film is The Conjuring (2013), which was directed by James Wan. It had a budget of $20 million while it's box office was $318,000,141. It was heavily promoted as "based on a true story" to attract mass audiences. It was filmed mainly at EUE/ Screen Gem Studios as well as locations in Wilmington, North Carolina. Special features such as behind the scenes footage and deleted scenes were included in the DVD and Blu-Ray release to draw in more consumers. The first promotional images for The Conjuring were released in November 2012 and a teaser trailer was premièred at the New York 2012 Comic Con. This demonstrates a typical marketing campaign of an industrial film, and it worked as it received nearly 15 times its budget.
An example of an independent film is A Night In The Woods (2011), directed by Richard Parry. Independent films usually have a low budget and cost less to produce. The film is shot in the style of Blair Witch Project, like found footage so it allows it to be very low budget. The film was premièred at a UK film festival and most of its marketing was through Youtube. The use of social networking sites to promote films is increasing rapidly as it is a fast and easy way to share and  used by most of the target audience (male 15-25 year olds). There is no official website for this film so it relied solely on its trailer going viral on Youtube.
Both industrial and independent films have no choice but to use the internet in some way for their marketing scheme unless they want their film to be a flop. Social networking in particular has become very important in promoting new films. The main difference between the two types of film is the budget and what they can do with it. Industrial films can afford the newest equipment and the biggest A-listers while independent films have to keep everything low budget in order to make a successful movie.