FrThe
distribution & broadcasting
questionnaire
As a broadcaster or distributor, you want the stories you bring to the screen to reach the widest audience. You choose content that can entertain, fascinate, or challenge viewers, and you have the power to include new references that are more in line with the concerns of today.
This guide provides questioning themes based on the cornerstones of the stories you bring to the screen (the characters’ profiles and mission as well as the societal model that serves as a backdrop for the film) and the sustainability of your distribution and communication methods.
The full guide includes approximately twenty questions and is available for download. Its quick and easy-to-use format allows you to better understand the impact of the content you broadcast and to initiate conversations with the production and communications teams. You will find a summary of the guide on this page. This questionnaire is not an exhaustive list. Feel free to make it your own and use it to guide you in your goals and needs.
How do you include the issues in your fictions?
This first chapter aims to identify if and how environmental and social issues are addressed in the script, treatment, or bible you receive, or in the brief you write.
This quick analysis will allow you to direct production teams toward possible changes to the story line and verify that you want to support the same issues. It also provides an opportunity to initiate conversations about sustainable film production and communications so the approach will be supported by all trades involved.
A few key figures:
38.9%
of lead actors in theatrical and streaming Hollywood films produced in 2021 are people of color. (UCLA, 2022)
95%
of characters with disabilities in the top 10 TV shows in the US are played by able-bodied actors. (The Ruderman White Paper, 2016)
20.8%
of films released in 2021 met the challenge set by GLAAD of reaching 20% LGBTQ inclusion, down from 23% the previous year. (GLAAD, 2022)
12,715
The number of times “climate change” was mentioned in UK TV shows in 2020, which is 9,590 more times than in 2018. (WE ARE ALBERT, 2021)
How to implement a sustainable communication strategy?
Sustainability efforts implemented by the production team (which can be spearheaded and supported by you) during the filmmaking process should extend to the communications campaign and tools used to enhance the film’s distribution. By paying special attention to these elements prior to broadcasting/distribution, you contribute to the establishment of a collaborative and coherent approach to sustainability.
This chapter allows you to ensure that your campaign’s communications elements (displays, events, digital elements, etc.) have been designed with sustainability in mind in order to limit their carbon footprint.
A few key figures:
24%
The percentage contribution of air travel to the overall carbon footprint of big-budget films, across all productions studied between 2016 and 2019. (Sustainable Production Alliance, 2021)
125%
The percentage increase in sales of chess sets following the release of The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix. The number of players increased by 500%. (The Good Goods article, 2022)
How to settle an impact campaign?
An impact campaign is a set of actions carried out in connection to a film with the goal of creating bridges between the topics seen on the screen and real life. It aims to challenge the viewer, lead them to take action, and provoke debate. It can also contribute to the work’s visibility. It is created in collaboration with relevant civil society stakeholders and decision-makers and extends the film experience by giving viewers tools to take action. It is complementary to a traditional marketing campaign that accompanies the film’s release in theatres or on TV.
This section aims to help you identify, understand, and optimise your impact strategy by accentuating the issues addressed in your film and their communication, while identifying the networks and partners to include.
A few key figures:
46%
of the French population had heard of marital rape after the broadcast of an episode of Plus belle la vie devoted to this subject versus 35% before the broadcast (Observatoire des images)
$400 k
raised in the US as a result of Marvel Studios’ 2018 “Black Panther Challenge” impact campaign, allowing thousands of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to see the film for free (CBR.com, 2018)
The testimony of Coline Aymard, Impact Producer at Echo Studio:
For more than 6 months, we worked alongside 6 associations with expertise in human rights and migration issues to create the impact campaign for the film “Les Engagés”, based on a common conviction that this film could help bring about concrete changes in how unaccompanied foreign minors are received in France. We organised around twenty debates throughout the country with activists from partner associations, collected nearly 13,000 signatures on our petition for the presumption of minority status, and reached more than 300,000 people with our message for dignified care, thanks to a video, a forum, and targeted communications. We also showed the film to decision-makers in the European Parliament and the National Assembly to ask them to change the laws. Viewers and citizens can get involved on the impact campaign website by signing the petition, organising debates or school sessions, or raising awareness in their communities.