Lions Gate Entertainment: Breakdown

Buying DVDs at cheap prices or second hand for the littlest of potential is part of my experience.  I also like searching for new movies using the power of the Internet.  One technique that is commonly used in the library science world is berrypicking.  The concept is to browse.  Browse the stacks for books that did not come up, or browse the reference/notes sections of the source.

What Does the Timeline Mean?

Please, take notice there will not be CEO names, every acquisition,  and there will not be references to movies/TV shows, people, etc… The dates mean nothing to me as well, but how do you have a timeline without the times.  I have a hunch or a hypothesis that like things come in batches, so I go after the lists.  IMDB can help out with the goal in mind, but I also like to check out the direct source when possible.  Brands like “North Shore Studios” and “International Movie Group (IMG) do not even have a link on IMDB let alone a company website.  This method of tracing a movie/TV show origins based on companies are not going after the big name movies that has happened in the last ten years.  This method is an adventure for obscure, or older movies/TV shows that are just distant childhood memories.

I am starting with Lions Gate for a reason.  I  like their brand and their product. Once I started to research the history of Lions Gate I learned the complication of business, which I do not understand, and the different corporations that they have bought out since 1997.  Also, I have already new they bought some of my favorite independent companies such as Artisan and Trimark.

Lions Gate also does not outsource to other companies when distribution is considered, which makes them a great case study.

This introduction also acts as a conclusion.

Lions Gate Entertainment

Image 1. Lions Gate Entertainment Logo

Lions Gate Shop | Lions Gate Television

Timeline

1997-1998

Image 2. In 1997 Cinépix Film Properties and North Shore Studies were purchased along with the creation of Manadaly Pictures to form Lions Gate Entertainment.  Lions Gate has  sold Termite Art Productions (PRNewswire 1998, Jan 12), (PRNewswire 1998, Jun 03), (PRNewswire 1998, Sept 08) (Enchin, H. 1997, Sept 12).

2000

Trimark (Garrett, D. 2000), (Prange, S. 2001).

Image 3. Trimark Pictures Logo from 1985 eventually sold to Lions Gate.

Sterling Home Entertainment LLC (2000-2005).

2003

Image 4. Artisan was sold to Lions Gate.

Artisan Entertainment (Wall Street Journal 2003, Oct 28).

Image 5. A listing of what Lions Gate Purchased when buying Artisan.

2006-2014

Delmar Studios and Mercury Entertainment merge into Delmar-Mercury, 2006 (Andrews, M. 2006, July 13).

Mandate Pictures, 2007, (The Gazette (Montreal) 2007 Sept, 11).

Image 6. Mandate Pictures was sold to Lions Gate.

Roadside Attractions – 43 % Ownership, 2007 (Lions Gate 10-K Annual Report 2010).

Summit Entertainment,2012 (Mergers & Acquisitions Week 2012, Feb 1).

Image 7. Summit was sold to Lions Gate.

Grindstone Entertainment Group, 2014 (Lions Gate 10-K Annual Report 2014).

Overall there are around 299 subsidiaries of Lions Gate Entertainment and not all listings are shown above (Lions Gate 10-K Annual Report 2010) (Lions Gate 10-K Annual Report 2014), (Mergent Online 2014).

References

(1998, Jan 12). Independent film powerhouse cinepix films announces name change to lions gate films inc. PRNewswire Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/448012216?accountid=10559

(1998, Jun 03). Lions gate entertainment announces agreement to acquire international movie group. PRNewswire Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/448065498?accountid=10559

(1998, Sept 08). Lions gate media acquires assets of termite art productions. PR Newswire Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/449935309?accountid=10559

(2002, Feb 15). Lions gate posts 61% quarterly growth in revenue. PR Newswire Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/447719250?accountid=10559

(2003, Oct 28). Lion’s gate to acquire artisan entertainment.  Wall Street Journal Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/398834806?accountid=10559

(2007 Sept, 11). Lionsgate devours Mandate Pictures. The Gazette (Montreal), Retrieved from http://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/lnacademic

(2012, Feb 1). Lionsgate acquires summit entertainment for $412.5 million. Mergers & Acquisitions Week Retrieved from https://global-factiva-com.ezproxy2.library.drexel.edu/ha/default.aspx#./!?&_suid=140571806202906285488562090339

(2014).  Mergent Online – Company Detail: Lions Gate Entertainment Corp., Mergent Online. Retrieved from http://www.mergentonline.com.ezproxy2.library.drexel.edu/companydetail.php?compnumber=68938&pagetype=synopsis

Andrews, M. (2006, July 13). Film studio Lionsgate acquires television distributor: Debmar-Mercury deal will enable studio to syndicate its own shows, retrieved from https://global-factiva-com.ezproxy2.library.drexel.edu/ga/default.aspx

Enchin, H. (1997, Sept 12), Former Yorkton head creates entertainment giant Lion’s Gate to be one of country’s biggest TV, film ventures, The Globe and Mail, retrieved from https://global-factiva-com.ezproxy2.library.drexel.edu/ga/default.aspx

Garrett, D. (2000). Trimark, lions gate mull merger. Video Business, 20(21), 5. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/223915426?accountid=10559

Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. (2010). 10-K Annual Report 2010. Retrieved from Mergent Online database http://www.mergentonline.com/

Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. (2014). 10-K Annual Report 2014. Retrieved from Mergent Online database http://www.mergentonline.com/

Prange, S. (2001). Lions gate restructures home entertainment. Video Store Magazine, 23(3), 11-11,20. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/197588801?accountid=10559

Notes

• Image 1, 3, 4, 6, 7 intellectual property is owned by Lions Gate.
• Image 1 was obtained by AxG from Logopedia.
• Image 3 was obtained by Augi2000 from Logopedia.
• Image 4 was obtained by Bigvoice313 from Logopedia.
• Image 6 was obtained by Bigvoice313 from Logopedia.
• Image 7 was obtained by Proliwweled from Logopedia.
• Images 2 and 5 were created by me, and are mine.
• I have 14 sources that I have created in the reference section.
• I have not referenced any movies, people, TV shows, etc…
• I have referenced 29 to 32 (depending on which ones you count) movie/TV (production/distributing) companies.
• Some links are to IMDB, and some are to the corporations official site.
• Maybe, I will start breaking down some individual movies.

Quick Tip for Finding Books

Amazon, Abe Books, Albris are the three main sites that I use.  Amazon is usually the cheaper one, but not always.

 

Roses & Thorns: Beauty and the Beast Retold is a book that my wife wanted for either her birthday or some holiday.  The initial search took me to the first image.  For now, I will not shell out 235.91 or 85.21 (maybe later in life) for one book.

I then decided to try Abe Books, and Albris, but no luck.  Abe Books was the same price, and Albris (they did not have it).

I went back to Amazon, and clicked the Author’s name.  That is where I stumbled upon the second image.  Yes, the images show the same cost, but I did not have an idea for a segment of my blog until after the fact.  There was one copy, used, for 18.00 (3.99 Shipping), so the overall price 21.99.

Remember to click all links such as the author because something that is hidden can be found. (This could be a form of Browsing and Berry-picking (a research method, more on that to come.))

 

 

Do you have the movie Three Lovers the director’s first name is James?

•     Do you have the movie three lovers (I think that might be the title, or is it three loves)? I know the director’s first name, but that is about it.
•     I want to clarify; I am not insulting or making fun of the patron for this question.  I found the process very enjoyable and had great delight in searching for the answer.
•     I would also point out, if I watched the movie that the patron was looking for, or a fan of the director than I might have been able to answer the question right away.
•     Typing in three lovers does not get the results that I want in either the library’s results, but also IMDB.

Then I asked if he knew and actress or actor that stared in the movie.  The patron said he could not remember a name, but could visualize an actress with blonde hair.  The patron then said she recently or at one, point stared with Michael Douglas.  I typed Michael Douglas into IMDBs searching mechanism, and that was an easy set of information to find.  While browsing the list of movies Michael Douglas appeared, I read the patron the titles, until he heard the title,  A Perfect Murder, and that was staring Gwyenth Paltrow, which led to Two Lovers.

Our copy was missing, but we could just request the DVD from another library within the branch system.

(A younger) Lt. Commander Michael Eddington + Star Wars + Conan the Barbarian =

There are times where I ask my friends on Facebook questions pertaining to entertainment.

In this case, I asked (A younger) Lt. Commander Michael Eddington + Star Wars + Conan the Barbarian =?

How does one answer this question?  I will say that if you were a science fiction/fantasy geek whom you might have an easier time and even answer the question right away.

First, if I was the user, I would ask myself  what is this geek trying to get at.  There is a TV character (that might not be known at the time) and two movies with an equal sign.   My intention is that the user will think this would equal  to another movie or TV Show in the fantasy/science fiction genre.  So, now we know what we are looking for.

Second, if I was the user, I would break down the formula into three concepts.

1. (A younger) Lt. Commander Michael Eddington
2. Star Wars
3. Conan the Barbarian

I would start searching.

The user might search for the concept of “Star Wars,” then they will find information on “Star Wars” and the same goes with “Conan the Barbarian.”

Let us experiment with the key concepts here.  We will need to use the Boolean Method of search.

The Basics

1. Three Operators: And, Or, Not
2. ” ” = Exact P

There is more to the Boolean, but these are the basics.  Users mainly search by using Boolean without knowing.

AND  says a user wants to search for all the words.  The AND is not required if the user writes Star Wars that would be equivalent to writing Stars AND Wars.

OR says that a user wants to search for either or of the words, but not something that has both items.  If the user is just searching the two words Star Wars, and places a OR in the middle making the phrase Star OR Wars.

What section of the Venn diagram do you get when searching Star OR Wars?

The user should obtain all the information in the Blue and Badge color area, but not the shadowed area during the middle.

NOT says that a user wants everything with concept X but not the concept Y.  In this case the user would write Star but not Wars, so the user would only get information in the Blue area of the Venn diagram.

By placing quotations over words the user is asking to search that concept as exactly written.  For example, “Star Wars.”  Every source should have those exact words  together and in that order.

What will be the results if the user does a search result such as “Star Wars” and “Conan the Barbarian?”

The results…

The user does not get too much as seen on the first five results of Google, nor the other results.

Maybe, we walked through the wrong door when searching.  The third concept,  (A younger) Lt. Commander Michael Eddington.  I would also break this apart too.

1. (A Younger)
2. Lt. Commander
3. Michael Eddington

If I were the user, I would drop A younger and Lt. Commander, and do not search for them.  I would add Lt. Commander later if I need to, and also I would use LT Commander to indicate that I am right in my searching results.  When I wrote Younger, I was trying to convey to the user to the past.

Notice the Google’s advice from other people searching Michael Eddington.  Deep Space 9 and Star Trek appears.  I would guess as a user that I am not looking for him on LinkedIn or as an illustration, and design person.  The safe bet is picking one of the links pertaining to him as a Star Trek character.  Notice the link that I have already looked at that has Lt. Commander.  I would go to The Internet Movie Database.

The next question the user would ask.  Is the person asking the question alluding for the character Michael Eddington or the actor who plays Michael Eddington?

The Internet Movie Database has that information about the actor, Ken Marshal, who played Michael Eddington on Star Trek.

IMDB lists around twenty-four different acting appearances.  There are a few ways to limit the choices.  I would subtract any TV Show or movie cameo performances.  Hopefully, the user picks up on the fact that the movie or TV Show needs him to be the lead.  Second, one can subtract anything that is not in the genres of Science Fiction and Fantasy.  Third, the movie or TV show would have to be older than Star Trek: Deep Space 9, because of the key word “younger.”

At this point, one should figure out the answer.

Krull