Thriller Evaluation, Question 3: What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Why it wouldn't be shown to mainstream audiences:

'Delusion' is far too experimental to be considered to be shown to mainstream audiences - instead I suggest it would be more suited to more niche audiences at arthouse and independent venues such as 'Picturehouse' cinemas. To elaborate on this I will discuss the main appeal of mainstream films and why my film wouldn't apply to this:

• High budget, glossy films: Delusion was made with an extremely low budget and doesn't offer much in the way of visual effects
• Simple linear narratives: the narrative begins inside a dream at the start of the sequence and there is no character introduction as such. The outcome of the film also leaves alot to be interpreted.  
• Easy to understand characters: Exactly as the name 'Delusion' implies - the characters in this plot are complicated and it is a very subjective narrative from the dream of the potentially psychopathic character Charlie.

To summarize - mainstream cinemas wouldn't have much interest in this film as the current state of mainstream/hollywood cinema means that a lower budget film probably wouldn't have much of a chance at success without a big enough drawn-in audience from marketing campaigns.

Social Media/Internet distribution

In researching how independent films have been successfully marketed and distributed in the past I found a great interest in The Blair Witch Project which is one of the most successful independent films of all time and was made for a budget of only $22500 but went on to make $2.48m - which proves that it is entirely possible. It was backed by clever marketing and was primarily promoted via the internet. 

It would be of high importance to market the film via social media (facebook, twitter etc.) as it would give the film a chance to reach a wider audience. 

Cinema City/Picturehouse Cinemas:

Darker, more experimental and lower budget films would most likely be considered to be showcased to a more niche audience and given a chance at a venue such as Picturehouse cinemas. Being an independent venue it would be easier to negotiate perhaps a public test screening to see how members of the public would respond.


Furthermore, Cinemacity has a program called Cinemaplus which runs courses particularly for young people in the community - therefore it would likely be willing to offer a chance at screening their films.

Competitions:

"Cinemagic is an award winning festival that embraces the magic of film, television and digital technologies to educate, motivate and inspire young people through film screenings, industry workshops, practical masterclasses, filmmaking projects and outreach activities."

- Quote from Cinemagics website

Upon researching opportunities in film, I discovered a film festival company that offers education for young people and holds competitions for people aged 12-25 years old. It hosts a yearly competition in belfast in which films are submitted and shown at the festival. This would be a great opportunity to get some exposure and perhaps some fans for the film as it is one of the biggest film festivals in the UK.