How a Film Is Made – from the concept to the global marketplace


The story must work
 Scoring a success in two minutes
A good story must be tellable in two minutes to be worthy of being filmed in one of Hollywood's dream factories.
In reality that means: the large number of film concepts are packaged by their creators into what is called a "pitch" lasting no longer than two minutes and presented to a producer. Then the decision is made whether the story can be turned into a promising film.


A film needs backers
 "Where is the money?"
So every film starts with an idea - with an idea which requires financial backing. This is where the question arises which was already impotant in "The Honor of the Prizzies": "Where is the Money?"
If the producer sees a market for the idea, he buys it, has a script written and talks with potential actors and directors. With a package consisting of a scipt, the most important actors and, if possible, a director, the producer sets off on his search for capital.


Selling the film before shooting starts
 Film dealers decide the film's fate
Now the producer has to go to work: he must win the favor of film dealers at film fairs in Los Angeles, Cannes etc.. If the film dealers are convinced by the project or by the commercial potential of the film prior to shooting, they conclude a contract with producer. As soon as pre-sales deliver enough capital from various film markets in the world, the cameras can role and the slate clap – Proceeds from the sale of box-office tickets as well as from exploiting the film along the whole value chain are grossed.


Cinemas get top priority


Exploiting earnings potential to the full
 Commercial Formats
Once the film is finished it is commercially exploited by distributors in the national markets. To get the most out of the earnings potential, the film is generally first shown in cinemas.

About six months later the film is available in video rental shops. After another six months the consumer can buy the film as a DVD/BD and, after another six months, the film is aired on Pay-TV and finally Free-TV. This value chain permits the earnings potential of a film to be completely exploited.


Majors have their own sales channels
 Of Independents and Majors
In Hollywood some 500 feature films are produced annually. The producers are divided between majors and independents. Majors are internationally known studios such as Disney, Warner, Paramount, Sony, Twentieth Century Fox and Universal. These Majors are generally fully integrated media groups and have their own distribution channels in most of the world's countries. On the one hand this has the advantage that they are independent of national distributors, but on the other hand their channels must be continuously supplied with films to assure that they are working to capacity.