The Film Industry

Production
A small production company will form and have an idea for a new film. They will then have to get funding for this film. Films often cost many millions of pounds/dollars to make. the production company will go to the distributor for this money.
If the distributor likes the idea; in other words that the film has a winning formula (similar films have been been successful before) of that it is so brilliantly original that it amazes them (this most unlikely to be the case). Also the idea must meet the conventions of the genre to which it belongs. Then the distributor may well lend the money for the production company to make their film.
The distributor can force changes to the idea and demand that certain stars appear in the film.

The production phase itself is split up into three sections:
1. Pre-production: planning, design, storyboarding, casting...
2. Production: the actual shooting of the movie.
3. Post-production: editing the movie together, adding sound and special effects.

Distributor/Distribution
These people have the money. They are often the large studios: Universal, Twentieth Century Fox and Warner Brothers. They are often part of a huge media conglomerates: Vivendi Universal, News Corporation and Time Warner. They are wealthy and own much of the worlds media.
Once the film has been produced (made) then the distributors start marketing the film: posters, interviews with stars, merchandise, soundtrack, trailers...
Seeing as the distributor lent most of the money for the film then they scoop up the majority of the films profit.
The distributors are often American, hence this is why the American Film Industry dominates our screens.

Exhibition
The showing of the film. The can be either:
- Cinema
- DVD (rental and sales)
- Video (rental and sales)
- Satellite/Digital TV and Box Office
- Terrestrial TV
- Internet