Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures Corporation is a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, with robust and multi-faceted divisions across all areas including digital, home entertainment, network and cable television distribution, studio operations, and consumer products and recreation.  A unit of the leading global entertainment content company, Viacom, Paramount is part of a family of prominent and respected brands including MTV Networks and BET Networks

History

Paramount pictures started off as Famous Players Film Company in 1912 with Adolph Zukor as there founder, four years later Famous players merged with The Jesse L. Lasky Company to form Famous Players-Lasky Corporation. In 1927/1928 Famous Players-Lasky Corporation win its first Oscar with Wings at the same time they changed there name to Paramount-Famous Lasky Corporation. Three years later, because of the importance of the Publix theater chain, it was later known as Paramount-Publix Corporation. In 1936 they changed there name to paramount pictures, inc. in the 1980’s paramount started making what would be some of the biggest franchise’s ever with Star Trek, Friday the 13^th and Indiana Jones. 14 year later paramount was took over by Viacom then in 1997 paramount pictures made the blockbuster Titanic. Paramount is still currently making amazing films.      

Film Founding

Government grants

A number of governments run programs to subsidise the cost of producing films. UK Film Council provides funding to producers provided certain conditions are met. Governments will provide money to film company’s because they can sometimes benefit from it. E.G. a film set in England will advertise the country to the rest of the world.

The amount of money you get will depend on the potential of a film and who is in it. 

Tax Schemes

Schemes are created which effectively sell the enhanced tax deductions to wealthy individuals with large tax liabilities. The individuals pay the producer a fee in order to obtain the tax deductions. E.G. people that get £100,000 a month will have to pay 50 per cent of it in tax, so what they do is they give money to producers, charities and other companies so the monthly income goes down so they won’t have to pay as much tax. 

Debt finance

Pre-Sales = Pre-sales is, based on the script and cast, selling the right to distribute a film in different territories before the film is produced. This is the primary means of film financing

Television Pre-Sales = When the producer sell the film rights to television company’s and use the money to pay for the production.

Equity Financing

The TV program Dragons den is a good way to show equity finance, someone will pitch an idea and then if the Dragons think it is good enough and they can get money out of it they Will give money for a percentage of the product it also depends on the potential of the film if they don’t think it has that much potential they might not give as much money. 

Product placement financing

Product Placement is where a company will pay a film producer money so they will advertise there product in the producers film. E.G. In a film called Wayne’s world companies like pizza hut, rebook and Pepsi have paid to have there product advertised.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBjK_oavReU  

Other ways of funding are:

        British Tax Shelters

        Negative pick up deal

        Hedge-Fund financing

Television Founding

Advertising (TV): when you show a product on TV in-between shows. Companies will give broadcaster money to advertise their product. The cost will depend on when the advertisement is shown.

Syndication: the selling of a program to another broadcaster.EG BBC sell top gear to other broadcasters so this mean the BBC has more money to make Top Gear even better.

Sponsoring: when a company will give broadcasters money to advertise a product before and after a program.

Merchandising: when a broadcaster makes products to sell outside of TV like:

·         DVD

·         Book

·         Magazines

·         Clothes  

Competitions / Phone in: On some programs like X Factor they will have a public vote where the public vote to keep the people they like in the program. They will charge something like a £1 per vote and then millions of people all over the country will vote which them means The X Factor makes lots of money. They also have competitions where they ask an easy question and make you ring in to give an answer, which also makes them a lot of money.

Product Placement: this is where companies will give broadcasters money to advertise products in programs. EG in all James Bond movies, James Bond is driving an Aston Martin. Aston Martin will give the makers of James Bond money so they show their car in James Bond movies.

Subscriptions: this is where you have to pay to view certain channels. The cost is a monthly amount that depends on what channels you want. E.G. the reason sky is so successful is because they buy the rights for the premier league, and because people want to watch the premier league they will pay stupid prices to do so.     

BBC

The BBC is a British public service cross-media broadcaster; it is the biggest broadcaster in the world with over 23,000 members of staff.  The BBC has to broadcast to the UK mainland, Channel Islands and Isle of Man.  The BBC has a duty to make programs that everyone likes and they also all have to be made in HD, as everyone pays the television license. The BBC also has to broadcast radio and has over 7 radio stations.

The BBC founded of the license fee, the license fee is an annual amount of £145.50 which is given to the BBC so they can make programs. There is strictly no advertising on the BBC as it can be classed as being biased. Also the BBC is allowed to be biased as it is a government run company.

I think that having a license fee is a good thing, because it gives the BBC the money to make top quality British programming. It also makes a lot more jobs available for cameramen, actors and other jobs to do with filming. But also on the other side, TV stations live the ITV make programs that are just as good and they are free so is it really worth paying a license fee for TV that isn’t even as good as one of its free rivals?       

BBC ONE = is for mixed genre television service, they offer high quality programs.

BBC TWO = is for mainly adults offering informative programs. They also so show comedy and modern arts programs.

BBC THREE = is for the younger generation offering mixed-genre schedule of innovative UK content featuring new UK talent.

BBC FOUR = is a mixed-genre television channel for all adults, offering an ambitious range of intellectually and culturally enriching programs

CBBC = offers programs for kids aged 6-12

CBEEBIES = offers programs for kids ages 6 and under.

BBC NEWS = shows all the latest news 24 hours a day

BBC PARLIAMENT = shows parliament debates