This is a questionnaire which I made for my report. It ended up not being used because I did not get enough responses.

How old are you?

• Under 13
• Between 13 and 18
• Between 18 and 23
• Between 23 and 28
• 28 to 35
• 35 to 40
• 40 to 50
• 50 or older

What is your gender?

• Male
• Female
• Neither
• Prefer not to say

How many films roughly do you buy per month?

• 1 or less
• About 2 or 3
• 3 to 6
• 6 or more

What formats do you use to view films?

• Netflix
• Similar sites to Netflix (please specify)
• Blu Ray
• DVD
• Youtube
• Illegal Online Streaming
• Illegal Downloading
• Cinema Screenings

Do you watch foreign language films?

• Yes
• No
• I don’t know

What would influence your decision whether to watch a foreign language film?

• I don’t like reading subtitles
• I feel culturally alienated from films made in non-english speaking countries and therefore cannot relate to them
• I just don’t like foreign films
• I only watch foreign films if they are dubbed over in english
• I find foreign films more interesting than many western films
• English language and foreign films are the same in my eyes; I do not have a preference for either
• I don’t really know any foreign films
• I don’t know if foreign films appeal to me because I have not seen any
• I am from a non-english speaking country, or have family from a non-english speaking country and enjoy watching films from my own culture
• None of these

You have watched films that were made in which of the following places?

• The United States of America
• Canada
• Latin America/South America
• The United Kingdom
• France
• Germany
• Spain
• Italy
• Scandinavia (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland)
• Russia
• The former Soviet Union
• Eastern European countries since the fall of the Soviet Union
• Other European Countries
• Iran and other middle eastern countries
• Pakistan
• India
• South East Asia
• China
• Hong Kong
• South Korea
• North Korea
• Japan
• The Philippines
• Other Asian countries
• Australia and New Zealand
• Africa
• Other (Please Specify)

You enjoy watching films from which of the following genres?

• Horror
• Thriller
• Gory or extreme
• Anime
• Animated
• Drama
• Art House Films
• Exploitation Films
• Comedies
• Romantic Films
• Romantic Comedies
• Superhero Films
• Martial Arts Films
• B-Movies
• Action Movies
• Low to No Budget Films
• Biopics (Films about the life of a real person)
• Science Fiction films
• Political Thrillers
• Courtroom Dramas
• Kitchen Sink Dramas (Realistic films about families)
• Costume Dramas
• Western Films
• Spaghetti Westerns
• Stream of Consciousness Films (Films with a non-linear story)
• Other

I emailed the BFI with these questions and got no reply

How does the distribution of independent and foreign films affect their budget?

Makers/financiers/etc (When considering initial budget)

• How much do they know about consumers?
• How much do they know about distributors?
• What do they look for when financing a film?
• How much market research is done to find out about consumers of independent and foreign films?
• Do the makers of foreign films take UK sales into consideration when thinking about financing a project?
• Do the financiers of independent or foreign films do research into distributors who may be interested in their films?

Distributors

• How are they found?
• What are they looking for?
• How much do they know about consumers?
• What kind of cinema attendance is considered good/bad/average for an independent or foreign film?
• What kind of DVD/Blu ray sales are considered good/bad/average for an independent or foreign film?
• How much market research is done to find out about consumers of independent and foreign films?

Consumers

• Who are they?
• How are they found?
• How do you generate interest in foreign and independent films?
• How do you make a film available to someone who may be interested in it?
• How much are consumers taken into consideration at the initial stages of making a film?

Plan and research for report

How does the distribution of independent films affect their budget?

Consumers

• Who are they? (Market research for niche markets. How much do they know about the consumers of foreign cinema? Do they know what they are likely to purchase and how?)
• How are they found? (How do you market to niche markets? How do you let them know about films you are selling? How do you make the product available to them?)

Distributors

• How are they found?
• What are they looking for?

Financiers/Investors (Initial Budget)

• How much do they know about consumers?
• How much do they know about distributors?

Who are they? (Market research for niche markets. How much do they know about the consumers of foreign cinema? Do they know what they are likely to purchase and how?)

• People with non-english cultural ancestry.: In the US the market for the films of some countries are mainly marketed to people who have a cultural background linked to the country of the film. For example Indian films may be marketed to Indian migrants or the children or grandchildren of Indian migrants. “India’s signature song-and-dance Bollywood films are also a force outside their home country, though so far mostly playing to expatriate Indian/Southeast Asian communities in the domestic market.”(marketing to Moviegoers, p.275-276. “People from minority ethnic groups were twice as likely to prefer non-English language films as white people, which is perhaps due to the popularity of Hindi-language Bollywood films amongst Britain’s South Asian community. Moreover, white people of ‘other white backgrounds’ are also two-times more likely to prefer foreign-language films than white British and Irish people. I suspect that this is because some of the audience for non-English language films are European migrants from, say, France or Spain, who are watching films in their own language.” “The relationship between language ability and foreign-language film consumption is not so clear-cut. According to the latest census, over half a million people speak Polish in England and Wales.15 Yet Polish-language films rank twelfth in terms of film-language popularity. Similarly, Panjabi, Urdu, Bengali and Gujarati are spoken by almost 1 million people in the UK, but admissions for films in these languages are negligible. Meanwhile, Swedish-language films are amongst the most popular foreign-language films in the UK, even though very few people in Britain can speak that language.” http://mecetes.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Jones-Market-for-Foreign-Language-Films-in-UK.pdf p.7
• British public overall: “Despite the problems of distribution, many do get the chance to watch foreign-language films. According to recent BFI survey, almost half of British people have seen at least one foreign-language film in the last 12 months on any platform – cinema, TV, DVD or VOD.25 However, only 14% said they liked foreign-language films, while just 2% said they watched this genre more than any other. This suggests that while many people do encounter foreign-language films, they don’t always like them, and only a very small minority prefer them to other types of film.” http://mecetes.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Jones-Market-for-Foreign-Language-Films-in-UK.pdf p.8
• “Foreign-language films tend to appeal to a particular audience. Of the 2% of survey respondents who said they watched foreign-language films ‘most-often’ across all platforms, a higher proportion than average were aged 25 to 44. Full-time students, people with an income below £30,000 and those who lived in urban areas were also over-represented, as were people with a degree or above. London had the highest proportion of foreign-language film fans; Northern Ireland had the lowest.” http://mecetes.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Jones-Market-for-Foreign-Language-Films-in-UK.pdf p.8
• Film fans are more likely to watch foreign language films: “The survey found that foreign-language film fans are generally more interested in film than most – they were more likely to watch films online at least once a week and visit the cinema at least once a month. They also have a greater knowledge of film – 38% could name 20 or more recent film titles (compared with 32% for the sample as a whole), while 51% had seen 10 or more films in the last 12 months (compared with 36% on average).” http://mecetes.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Jones-Market-for-Foreign-Language-Films-in-UK.pdf p.8 “The highbrow art-house audience has one important characteristic in common with the youth audience, whose taste is markedly different. Both audiences consist of heavy moviegoers, and the frequency of their cinema attendance varies depending on whether films in theatres are compelling.” (p.277 Marketing to Moviegoers)
• People who visit art galleries and attend live music events: “In terms of lifestyle, foreign-language film fans are most likely to visit museums, art galleries or live music concerts at least every six months” http://mecetes.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Jones-Market-for-Foreign-Language-Films-in-UK.pdf p.8 - 9
• More interested in global affairs world history and the arts. (As above, p.8 - 9)
• “a picture begins to emerge of the typical foreign-language film fan as someone who is young-to-middle-aged, well-educated but not necessarily well-off, highly knowledgeable about film, as well as other cultural activities, and usually living in an urban environment.” http://mecetes.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Jones-Market-for-Foreign-Language-Films-in-UK.pdf p.9
• College educated: “The art-house crowd tends to be college educated (or in college) and oriented to high culture. This group gravitates toward esoteric and personal films that are popular on the festival front but which mainstream audiences find too talky and hard to penetrate.” (p.277 Marketing to Moviegoers.) “Full-time students, people with an income below £30,000 and those who lived in urban areas were also over-represented, as were people with a degree or above.”  http://mecetes.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Jones-Market-for-Foreign-Language-Films-in-UK.pdf p.8

Thrid Window films

I have began to email distribution companies in an attempt to get them to send me information about their companies. I am unsure whether or not I will receive replies, but I am hopeful.

Here is a copy of my email to Third Window Films, along with some information about the company:

Third Window Films

Companies house info:

Name & Registered Office:
THIRD WINDOW FILMS LIMITED
18B THE VALE 
LONDON 
NW11 8SG 
Company No. 05460488

Status: Active 
Date of Incorporation: 23/05/2005

Country of Origin: United Kingdom 

Accounting Reference Date: 31/05
Last Accounts Made Up To: 31/05/2014  (TOTAL EXEMPTION SMALL)
Next Accounts Due: 29/02/2016
Last Return Made Up To: 23/05/2014
Next Return Due: 20/06/2015 

Mortgage: Number of charges: ( 0 outstanding / 0 satisfied / 0 part satisfied ) 
Last Members List: 23/05/2014

Previous Names:

No previous name information has been recorded over the last 20 years. UK Establishment Details There are no UK Establishments associated with this company. Oversea Company Info There are no Oversea Details associated with this company. Information can be found at: http://wck2.companieshouse.gov.uk//compdetails My speculation about the company partly based on research: Third Window films seem to have nailed down a very specific target market in the UK. There is a small, but very definite group of people in the UK who are fascinated by East Asian culture and films. This seems to be the target market for Third Window Films. Third Window Films are an LTD company, which could imply that there operations are fairly minor compared with the bigger PLC's.  How Third Window Films describes itself: The Third Window Films brand was born in 2005 when its film-loving founders grew bored of the stream of worn-out shock horror vehicles from the Far East. Third Window Films works hard to bring you the wonderful world beyond long-haired ghost films and mindless Hollywood action copies, sourcing the finest works in new Far Eastern cinema. We strive to represent a rich variety of film genres, be they dramas, comedies, political satires, action or anything else in between. Expect everything from the unknown and cult to the off-beat and even the occasional mainstream masterpiece... or expect nothing but quality Asian cinema! Let Third Window Films be your window to the East! Information can be found at: http://thirdwindowfilms.com/about  My email to Third Window Films: Hi, I’m writing from the Creative Film and Moving Image Production degree at Cleveland College of art and design. I am doing research about the role that niche distributors such as Third Window Films have on the film industry as a whole, specifically I’m curious as to the effect companies like yours have on the overall international gross revenue of the films which you distribute and whether this has an impact on the investment which production companies are willing to make in the films. I was wondering if you could help me out by sending me some information about Third Window Films. Thank you very much for your time and help. Best, Glenn Wilkinson Third Window Films works hard to bring you the wonderful world beyond long-haired ghost films and mindless Hollywood action copies, sourcing the finest works in new Far Eastern cinema. We strive to represent a rich variety of film genres, be they dramas, comedies, political satires, action or anything else in between. Expect everything from the unknown and cult to the off-beat and even the occasional mainstream masterpiece... or expect nothing but quality Asian cinema! Let Third Window Films be your window to the East!