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The International Film Business
A Market Guide Beyond Hollywood
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Book Description
Examining the independent film sector as a business on an international scale, author Angus Finney addresses the specific skills and knowledge required to successfully navigate the international film business.
Finney describes and analyses the present structure of the film industry as a business, with a specific focus on the film (and entertainment) value chain and takes readers through the status of current digital technology, exploring ways in which this is changing the structure and opportunities offered by the industry in the future. The textbook provides information and advice on the different business and management skills and strategies that students and emerging practitioners will need to effectively engage with the industry in an international context. Case studies of films and TV, including Squid Game (2021), Parasite (2019), Game of Thrones (2011-2019) and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011), are supplemented by company case studies on Redbus, Renaissance, Pixar, with additional new chapters focusing on Netflix, TikTok and the Metaverse.
This third edition of The International Film Business includes up-to-date information on the status of the international film industry during and post COVID-19; expanded content looking at the TV industry and streaming services; new case studies and dedicated sections on the Streaming Wars and the Chinese Film Industry and a new chapter looking at the changes in digital production in the context of the global and territorial film and TV industry.
Written for students of Film Business and emerging practitioners, this book will take readers through the successes and failures of a variety of real film companies and projects and features exclusive interviews with leading practitioners in all sectors of the industry, from production to exhibition.
Table of Contents
Contents
List of illustrations Introduction Acknowledgements
PART 1
The film value chain
1 The Winds of Change
2 The Film Value Chain
3 Film Development
4. Development: The Writer and the Agent
5 Green lighting films
6 Sales and markets
7 The Festival Circuit
8 Film Finance
9 Financing: The $20m case
10 Co-production and co-financing
11 Risk Management: the role of the completion guarantor
12 Exhibition and the changing cinema experience
PART 2
Users and the changing digital market
13 Users and behaviour
14 Marketing
15 The Streaming Wars
16 "Catch Me If You Can": The Netflix case study
17 "Fandom land": The Chinese Star System
18 "Winter is Coming": The Game of Thrones case study
19 The "Metaverse": Generation Z and the Ticking Tok
PART 3
Business, leadership and management strategies
20 The Legal Masterclass
21 Production: Challenges and Change
22 Project Management
23 Business strategy
24 Entrepreneurs and investors in the film industry
25 Business Models 2.0
26 The challenge of creative management
27 "To Infinity and Beyond": The Pixar Case Study
28 The Entrepreneur: interview with Simon Franks, Redbus Group
29. Conclusions
Appendices: (1) International Sales and (2) TV Distribution
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
Author(s)
Biography
Angus Finney is Cambridge University’s MBA Coach on the Culture, Arts and Media Management concentration at Judge Business School, where he is a Fellow; and a senior contributor to Variety. In addition to Finney's executive producer responsibilities, including the upcoming Danish-German film based on Janne Teller’s novel Nothing (released 2022), and his non-executive board responsibilities, he currently teaches, trains and mentors at a range of leading institutions. These include the National Film and Television School, the British Film Institute, Creative England, the Danish National Film School, South Africa’s National Film and Video Foundation, the German Film and TV Academy Berlin, the Beijing Film Academy, Screen Ireland and Canada's Motion Producers Association, via the global consultancy Media Xchange. Finney has held four expert witness appointments since 2012, including working with HMRC and the UK’s police force. He was Film London’s Project Manager for the Production Finance Market for a decade (2007-2017); Managing Director of Renaissance Films (1999–2005) and a senior editor at Screen International during the 1990s. His previous books include: Developing Feature Films in Europe: A Practical Guide (1996), The State of European Cinema: A New Dose of Reality (1996) and The Egos Have Landed: The Rise and Fall of Palace Pictures (1996). He has a PhD in Management from Bayes Business School, City University London (2014), an MA in Journalism from New York University (1988) and a BA Hons in International Relations from Sussex University (1985).
Reviews
Praise for the first edition:
'This really is the complete guide to today's film industry. Right up to date, but with a real understanding of the journey that the industry has taken to get here. Comprehensive and well researched; erudite and very readable. Quite simply the book that all practitioners and industry players alike have been waiting for. Many, I suspect, may pretend to themselves that they know it already, but privately will keep the book near at hand for constant reference and self assurance. I know I will.'
Ken Dearsley, Partner, DLA Piper Middle East LLP
'This book successfully accomplishes what many others on the same topic have failed to do. It not only captures the excitement of the international film industry, but it also delves deeply into its structure and practices. The author uses to full advantage his first-hand knowledge of the film business to develop a comprehensive analysis that will have enduring value for both film insiders and readers that are fascinated by this industry.'
Joseph Lampel, Professor of Strategy and Innovation, Cass Business School, City University London
'At last a book for the professional practitioners of filmmaking but accessible to the interested layman. The business of film, past, present and future, are researched in meticulous detail, helpful case studies and valuable personal observations. The book is full of insights into the digital age of distribution and production with a road map for the future development of the film business. If you are going to buy one book on the international business of film, this is it!'
Sandy Lieberson, former President of Production, Twentieth Century Fox