Distribution Companies
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Distribution companies are responsible for marketing the film. They also set a release date for the film, decide how the film will be released (theatrically, straight to DVD, download etc.). Of the amount of money the film makes at the box office, a distribution company collects a certain amount for distributing and marketing. Creation of posters, adverts in magazines, television advertisements etc. are put out via the company. Subtitles, dubbing and censorship are watched over by distribution companies.
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Non- theatrical distribution is different to typical theatrical distribution as mentioned above. This term, used mainly in the British film industry, describes the distribution of feature films for screening to a gathered audience, but not in theatres at which individual tickets are sold to members of the public. The defining distinctions between a theatrical and a non-theatrical screening are that the latter has to be to a closed audience in some way, e.g. pupils of a school, members of a social club or passengers on an airliner, and that there can be no individual admission charge. Most non-theatrical screening contracts also specify that the screening must not be advertised, except within the group that is eligible to attend (e.g. in a membership organisation's newsletter or an in-flight magazine).
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The first horror film, "Le Manoir Du Diable" (1896) was distributed by Georges Méliès (who also produced, directed, wrote and starred in the film) independently, however George Albert Smith, director of "The Haunted Castle" and "Photographing a Ghost" (1897 and 1898 respectively) created GAS Films, the first horror distribution company. Along the years there have been a huge number of now major distribution companies that have been behind the most influential and well known horrors. For example, Warner Bros. have been responsible for "The Exorcist" (1973), the international release of "Friday the 13th" and "The Shining" (both 1980), and 2013's "The Conjuring".
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Examples of Distribution Companies
Lionsgate is a very famous distributor that has marketed hundreds of films from every genre, be it romance, comedy and of course horror. It has been responsible for distributing some well known horror films, such as:
American Psycho (2000)
Cabin Fever (2003)
Saw (2004)
Hostel (2006)
The Last Exorcism (2010)
The Cabin In The Woods (2012)
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American Psycho (2000)
Cabin Fever (2003)
Saw (2004)
Hostel (2006)
The Last Exorcism (2010)
The Cabin In The Woods (2012)
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Firstly we see close up images of clogs turning, which usually connotes something is working. This connotes that Lionsgate is constantly working to think up new ideas for films. We then see a zoom out from a key hole as two large gates open in the clouds. As well as linking to the name of the distributor this image has connotations of the gates of heaven, showing that lionsgate is a very holy, important distributor that distributes important movies. All distributors seem to follow the idea of using spiritual or worldly names or iconic images, such as Universal Studios, to include the entire span of films.
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