BS: Discuss the ways Horror Films are Produced and Distributed

Introduction

• Since the start of film making in 1888 from the Lumier Brothers technology has evolved vastly, this has allowed new and innovative methods of production and distribution and has changed film globally. 
• Warner Brothers, a large industrial film production house has in its time created some of the most iconic horror films, such as The Exorcist (Freidkin 1973) which Incorporated special effects in its production, and very early but effective advertising campaigns.
• Vertigo Films is a smaller independent production house, who too have produced a number of well known films such as A Night in the Woods (Parry, 2012) which saw great success, a lot like The Exorcist but used very different production and distribution methods.
 

 

• The Exorcist had a cast that consisted of names such as Lee J.Cobb and Linda Blair. Using well known names in the production of this film meant that it could entice a variety of audiences as a result, of previous films they have starred in, and meant that there was already an established fan base before the film was even released. the producers of this film also took their cast into great consideration, for example they originally considered Marlon Brando as the role of Father Lankester Merrin, but did not pursue this decision as it would have become a "Brando movie", which was not what they were trying to achieve.
• The director Friedkin was an established director of horror and was hired on his experience and Warner Bros. wanted to achieve the same energy as one of his previous films, The French Connection
• During the production of this film Fredkin used the 'old Hollywood directing style' which consisted of manipulating the actors to get a genuine reaction which would make the film and events within seem more realistic.
• The music within this film was key to achieving the desired reaction from the audience, although instructed to 'soften' the music Friedkin ignored this. modern classical compositions  and  strings were used to portray scenes of danger and to encourage fear throughout the audience
• Locations were also another key aspect of achieving the desired effect of the film, real historic sites of religious connotation were used as it is based loosely on true events and allowed the film to seem as realistic as possible.
• Throughout this film there are a number of special effects used, which were engineered by makeup artists. CGI effects were also used when creating the well known 'spider walk' scene, to digitally remove the wires that suspended the actress 

 

 

Horror films in general cost far less to produce than other films, this is an extreme advantage for the independent film companies as they usually do not have such a great deal of money available.

• There are many pro-filmic effects throughout this films which is usually different to an industrial production who more often add in effects in post production, this means that it does not cost so much which is key as independent studios don't have such a large budget to make the films
• It is also very important to note that there was no written script, as well as reducing the cost of a professional script writer it also meant that the actors and their reactions were more natural and realistic, this helped to achieve a "found footage style"
• After researching this film i could not find a stated budget for the production and distribution of this film, but can conclude it was low due to expenditure cuts during the production of this film
• The location is a key aspect of this film as well, it is shot as in the title in a woods, they did not need to recreate this on a set nor use technology such as green screening, because the locations were minimal it again meant that it was cheaper to produce this film. 

 

• The Exorcist was a widely distributed film with a dvd feature that was digitally remastered for the new technology, this allows the film to be played and aimed at a wider audience through the ease of DVD
• There was also a TV documentary 'The fear of God: the making of "the exorcist"' two audio comentaries and interviews with the director and writer. this has meant there is a lot of cross media convergence and horizontal promotional activity which has allowed the film to be such a success as it is now, and will continue to be, as it was the first film of its kind.
• The film was then re-released in cinemas in 1998 due to its earlier success and was submitted for home video release for the first time in February 1999 and was shown for the first time on TV in 2001 channel 4

• A Night in the Woods again kept the distribution costs as low as possible, an example of this is distributing the film on free social networking sites such as Facebook 
• For its premier the film was released at the UK film festival in August 2011
• The film has now been released on DVD and VOD
• To target its desired market 16-25 the trailer was released on YouTube which is an easy and accessible was to advertise 
• The trailer again is a key part of the distribution success, it showed scary moments which would appeal to its main audience.
• Distribution costs for this film were very low due to advertising on social networking sites

                                         

 

Conclusion

 

The distribution and production of indie films and industrial films differ vastly, but in some elements in similar ways.

Industrial films have very large budgets, of which they can spend on distribution and advertisement, therefore can reach a wider variety of audiences.

But as these films try to target the same market through the actual appeal of the genre as oppose to the content of the film it means both industrial film companies and independent companies don't have to spend as much on advertising campaigns. This is a particular benefit for the smaller budgeted independent productions.