The International Film Business

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.

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).