MFJF map · UK
Sales, distribution, marketing and exhibition: how a film reaches an audience
A finished film is sold twice: by a sales agent to a distributor in each country, then by that distributor to the public. Marketing sits at both points; exhibition is where the audience meets the film. Four businesses, mostly employed jobs in London offices, each with a real entry-level door.
The sales agentCountry by country, often before the film exists
The bridge between the people who make a film and the people who release it. It represents the film, the way a literary agent represents a novelist, for a commission.
The marketsThe sales agent's diary
Deals are made at film markets: a trade fair with screening rooms, stands, badges and buyers from a hundred countries. A festival is the public event with red carpets; the two often share a town, which is why people mix them up.
The distributorBuys the UK rights, then everything after
Acquires the film, dates it, markets it, publicises it, sells it to cinemas, delivers it, then releases it at home for years. Close to 900 films a year reach UK and Irish cinemas; most lose money there, a handful pay for the rest.
Marketing and publicityAbout three months to release
Nobody sees a film by accident. Underneath a campaign sit two decisions: who is the audience, and what is the one idea that will make them go.
ExhibitionWhere the audience meets the film
Cinemas, and the festivals that are a temporary cinema with a deadline: a small office most of the year, then six venues running screenings back to back for ten days.
The calendar and the numbersHow the business keeps score
Films open on Fridays, and the choice of Friday is a marketing decision. The industry measures itself brutally.
