Marketing Films; Movies; Creating and demand
From MediaStudies
Marketing Films: Creating A Demand
“You can fool all of the people all of the time—if the advertising is right and the budget is big enough.”
Joseph E. Levine (quoted in Marketing to Moviegoers ix)
Goal: You hold in your possession the most perfect creation – your film. The question is how do you get your film to the public? What are some techniques to get the public’s interest and to catch the eye of any distributor? Below are some traditional as well as new strategies to market a film. This information gives you some insight about how the major studios and independent studios function, as well as insight into how the rapidly evolving world of media helps the independent filmmaker. Because there is no class presentation, I have added some of the information in text. Below there are books which I have used for information. Most of the information comes from Robert Marich’s book, Marketing to Moviegoers: A Handbook of Strategies Used by Major Studios and Independents. There are helpful web pages listed throughout different sections.
Contents: Opening Statement High Concept Films The MPAA Film Rating System Three Options for Film Distribution and Marketing
Major Studios
Independent Studios
Self Distribution and Self Marketing
Marketing
The Traditional Creative Strategy and Innovations
Market Research
Paid Media Advertising
Merchandising
Promotional Tie-Ins and Product Placement
Marketing Independent Films Self Marketing and Self Distribution (includes film festivals)
Opening Statement
What makes a person see one movie as opposed to another? Why do you and your friends mark the calendar for the movie’s release date? Could it be because your desire to see the movie has been created by outside forces? Probably so. That force is called “marketing.” Marketing, a practice that is applied to every commodity globally has a special place in the world of marketing films, movies, and television shows. There are unique strategies that have been used with success by the marketers of movies for decades. These strategies persuade people to rush to see movies and also persuade distributors to book certain films. These strategies are used because they have been effective over time. Some major movie studios have spent up from $15 to $35 million on preopening ad campaigns. They do this because the main goal of the major studios is to make money. (Marich ix)
What will this examination of the marketing of films include? This look at marketing films will examine several things. First, it will look at and define the “high concept” notion. This is a popular concept used in the marketing of films. Either a film is “high concept” or “non-high concept”/“low concept.” The consensus in the industry is that “high concept” films are easier to market. Then this paper will look at the options for the marketing of films, - by major studios, by independent film distributors, or by filmmakers themselves. It will look at the major studios, independent distribution companies, and the traditional marketing campaign used by the major studios and by large independent distributors. Next, innovations in media and their impact on marketing strategies will be discussed. Finally, marketing strategies for independent films and documentaries as well as strategies for self-marketing and self-distribution are covered.
High Concept
“High concept” is an important idea because it goes to the marketability of a movie and its ultimate success at the box office. When conceiving your movie idea, the filmmaker’s ultimate goal for making the movie may determine what action the filmmaker takes. As stated before, the studios are interested in making money. “High concept” is a term given to a film if it has a unique concept that can be communicated briefly – usually in a sentence. Also the concept must be marketable in two ways: first, in the pitch for the project and second, in the pitch to the public. There is a connection between the film’s concept and its marketability. (Wyatt 8-9). “High concept” films are Jaws 2, Godfather I and II, Titanic, Beverly Hills Cop I & II, and Mission Impossible I & II. Low concept movies include Ace Ventura, The Man in the Moon, Godfather III, and Runaway Bride.
Tips:
-Gives a definition of “high concept” and “non-high concept” movies. There are examples of both in the article.
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_concept" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_concept
-Some experts in the industry say that even before the movie is shot, that you should write your screenplay to make it more marketable and a “high concept” film. There are classes offered in this area.
HYPERLINK "http://www.scriptforsale.com/classes/highconceptclass.htm" http://www.scriptforsale.com/classes/highconceptclass.htm
The MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) Rating System
The movie’s rating will affect its marketability. The filmmaker should pay close attention to the content to get the right rating. The rating can affect things like merchandising, product placement and tie-ins, not to mention ticket sales. The ratings are G (General Audience), PG (Parental Guidance Suggested), PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned), R (Restricted), and NC-17 (No One 17 and Under Admitted).
Tips: Gives a history of the rating system and details about the ratings. HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motion_Picture_Association_of_America_film_rating_system" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motion_Picture_Association_of_America_film_rating_system
Three Options for Film Distribution and Marketing Films: Major Studios, Independent Distributors, or Self-Distribution
It’s difficult for the filmmaker is to find a distributor for her/his film once it is completed. The distributor will not only place the film in venues but also supervise the marketing of the film. Finding a distributor is very hard, especially for the filmmaker who is not working on the huge Hollywood Blockbuster movies, movies the major studios are known for. Also, the major studios will provide financial backing for production costs or even pair with another major studio to finance huge movies with enormous production budgets and marketing budgets. There are independent distributors who will market independent films. In some instances, filmmakers have taken on the job of distributing and marketing their films themselves. This is an all-consuming task. It takes over your life. The good news is that with the innovations in media such as YouTube, My Space, the rise in cable programming, cable television devoted to movies, programming options on Ipod, on-demand television and on-demand movies, etc., the independent filmmaker has some more options for marketing films. Some are expensive, and some are affordable. Some affordable options are online advertising, using street team to put up posters, using local cable stations and local film critics, etc. These changes along with cheaper means of movie production have made the plight of the indies less desperate and more hopeful.
Major Studios versus Independent Distributors
Who are the major participants in marketing films? There are seven major studios in Hollywood, with DreamWorks being added as the eighth and of course the newest one in the group. As of the 2005, the seven major studios were Columbia-TriStar-Sony Pictures, Walt Disney Studios, Paramount Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Twentieth Century Fox, Universal, and Warner Bros, with the new player on the block being DreamWorks. These major studios take in 97% of all movie box office receipts in a normal year. One exception was the year 2004, in which there were two huge independent films with huge box office grosses. This was the year of two blockbuster independent films - Fahrenheit 9/11 and The Passion of the Christ. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) is the trade association for the major studios. In 2003 Nielsen reported a 28% increase in spending for marketing, with the average expenditure being $34.48 million per film. This figure includes independent films that increased their spending per film. It does not include publicity and other expenses, just paid advertising. One of the reasons for the increase was the cost of television advertisements in primetime comedy shows. One thirty second commercial in a top show cost from $325,000 to $600,000. (Marich x)
Revenue for the big seven studios in 2003 was $41 billion. Most of these companies were formed around the l920’s and have dominated film distribution and production. The main goal of these companies is to make movies that are profitable. They have so much money because of their extensive film libraries. The major studios are powerful because they each own 800 to 4,000 studio movies (does not include nonstudio titles) and they rent these to theatres, television, or for video rentals. Each studio can earn $275 million annually from its library. Of course, they have to add to the libraries each year, and this addition may cost each studio $1 to $1.3 billion in production costs. These production costs do not include marketing expenses. With this money available, the major studios can afford to lose some money on some new films. However, the overall goal for the major studios is to make money. Thus, they make the huge blockbusters like “Transformers,” “Titanic,” “Shrek,” and “Spider-Man.” Yet the major studios do want to balance their list of films with those with a socially conscious message film such as “Schindler’s List.” However, balanced their list of movies each year appears, there is an emphasis on having films in genres that generate hits like action/adventure movies. (Marich 213-225) By the year 2010, the major studios are expected to have revenues of $42 billion.
Why do the major movie studios spend so much money in promoting their films? The answer is that if the movie does well in the first few weeks of release that the studio may be able to earn more money in the future. Many “blockbusters” will open on over 3,000 theaters on 6,000 screens usually in the United States and Canada. Canada and the United States make up what is regarded as the domestic market. This market is important because the domestic market accounts for huge share of the global receipts. Although the United States and Canada account for only 5% of the global population, they can account for sometimes up to 50% of the global box office. Also, the box office take for the first two weeks sometimes can represent 45-50% of a film’s gross. Also, when a film does well in its opening, the movie studio can drive a harder bargain and collect more money out of pay television and the video market. According to Nielsen Media Research, one of the leading companies that rate television shows and movies, some of the top weekend openings in 2004 and 2003 were Spider-Man 2 for $115.8 million, Shrek 2 for $108.0 million, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban for $93.7 million, and The Matrix Reloaded for 91.8 million. (Marich 2). These were all major productions with large production budgets. However, several independent, low budget movies have been successful. (Marich ix-xi, 2)
Why do the major studios dominate distribution of films? As I said before, the extensive film libraries owned by the major studios give them the money to back the blockbuster movies. They have the money to buy talent – directors and actors – and the money to market effectively. The money earned annually from renting these movies to different media gives the major studios the luxury to fail. Sometimes when the budget for a movie is huge, two of the major studios share responsibility for it. One example is Titanic which Twentieth Century Fox originated. Fox entered into a joint venture with Paramount as a financial partner, and Fox allowed Paramount to have distribution rights domestically for the 1997 blockbuster. There are deals between studios in which the deals are packaged in different ways. In general these deals spread the risk of failure. So the major studios can take more risks and maybe reap more profit if the movie turns out to be a blockbuster. Another advantage is that the major studios can make or acquire films without presaling them. The independents have to fund their projects by selling off rights to third-party distributors to fund their projects. Although being profitable is always the goal of a major studio, the majors have a financial cushion - lots of money - and can take more chances and sometimes lose money. Traditionally, the major studios have a real advantage because of the vertical system. In the vertical system, some of the major studios not only distributed films but also owned theatre chains. ( Marich 214-216)
How do independents survive? The situation is not as bad as it may look. The production of independent films is growing and independent distributors are competing and winning. They are even making money. As I said above, there are always independent (indies) that do well. In 2004 there were Fahrenheit 9/11 and The Passion of the Christ. The Passion of the Christ, which Mel Gibson co-wrote, financed, and directed, cost $30 million to make and the domestic market brought in $370 million. The film was distributed by the independent distributor Newmarket Films. The production budget for this film was larger than the budget for most independent films. Another indie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, distributed by IFC Films, cost about $5 million to produce and its domestic box office was $241million. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon collected $128 million in the domestic marketplace and it cost only $15 million to produce. This film was distributed by Sony Pictures Classic The production cost of most indies range from $1 to$20 million, which is far less than the average $63.8 million production cost for films backed by the major studios. However, there are always exceptions like the scuba diving thriller Open Water. Open Water was made for $130,000 using high-definition digital cameras. It made huge profits and was sold to Lions Gate films for only $2 million. Lions Gate films spent $15 million marketing the film. Of course, everyone knows the phenomenal success of Blair Witch Project, which was produced for tens of thousands of dollars and earned $140 million at the box office. It was marketed mostly over the Internet. From the above examples, you can tell that indies come with all kinds of production budgets as well as various marketing strategies. The key for marketing for the independent filmmaker who wants to market her/his film is creativity. As discussed below, the innovations in media have opened up so many possibilities for marketing that it is a game changer for indies in a sense. Just the growth in cable programming, the rise of syndicated radio, and the opportunities presented by the Internet, as well as new markets for film rentals and sales, give the indies some hope. Despite all of this, the reality remains that the major studios still do have the upper hand and it is a battle for indies to be successful. Who are the leading distributors of independent films? Generally, there are two categories of independent distributors. True independents are not backed by major studies. Some are Newmarket Film (The Passion of the Christ), Lions Gate Releasing (Fahrenheit 9/11), IDP Distribution (Super Size Me) and IFC Films (My Big Fat Greek Wedding). Major studies do have indie-film divisions. Some of these are Miramax which is owned by Disney and New Line Cinema which is owned Warner Bros. The top independent distributors in 2003-2004 for the greatest box receipts were New Line Cinema ($870.8 million), Miramax ($638.5 million), Newmarket Films ($422.6 million), Lions Gate Films ($147.9 million), Fox Searchlight ($114.6 million), Focus Features
($107.2 million) and Sony Classics ($37.8 million). (Mirach 228-230)
Tips:
-The major studios are expected to reach revenues of $42 billion by the year 2010. See how factors like blu-ray affect profits.
HYPERLINK "http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS203144+20-May-2008+BW20080520" http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS203144+20-May-2008+BW20080520 HYPERLINK "http://www.contentagenda.com/blog/1680000368/post/550027055.html" http://www.contentagenda.com/blog/1680000368/post/550027055.html
-Shows how much money the independent distributor Lions Gate made in 2007 when compared to the major studios. Also describes some problems that the independent distributor has.
HYPERLINK "http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/Lions_Gate_Entertainment_(LGF)" http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/Lions_Gate_Entertainment_(LGF)
The Traditional Marketing Strategies
Traditional marketing strategies are used by the major studios to promote their new releases. Remember that a movie is a product, and that the major studios are looking for excellent additions to their huge film libraries and also large returns on their investment. The studios spare no expense and use preopening ad campaigns that cost tens of millions of dollars. Some of these strategies and general principles are used also by independent film distributors. Also, independent filmmakers can use some of these strategies and principles and adapt them to new media sites such as YouTube or My Space. Creativity is the key for the independent filmmaker when it comes to marketing without a big budget. The traditional marketing strategies are 1. the creative strategy, 2. market research, 3. paid media advertising, 4. promotional tie-ins and product placement, 5.merchandising, and 6. publicity. (Marich)
1. The Traditional Creative Strategy and Innovations in Marketing
When the film marketing executives get their new assignments, they start creating a concept around the new movie. The studios employ several agencies to help with marketing. The movie is actually a new product that must be launched. This means identifying the target population and developing a concept that will “hook” the audience. Many times just the actors in the movie can be the “hook” that brings in the audience. Key copy lines are developed for the movie. A few notables ones are “Show me the money!” from Jerry Maguire. The copy line from A.I. Artificial Intelligence is, “His love is real. He is not.” “In space, no one can hear you scream,” is the key copy line created for the 1979 outer space thriller, Alien. The whole idea of the key copy line is to present the movie to consumers with a short slogan. The next step is to create the whole campaign. The traditional creative strategy may include teasers, trailers, and print ads – with illustrations and copy, and television commercials. ( Marich).
The teaser campaign and the trailer are very important once the target population has been determined. The teaser trailer is usually 90 to 120 seconds in length. They are based on what the creative team sees in the movie’s dailies since the entire film is usually nowhere close to complete. The objective of the teaser campaign “is to create awareness, convey a sense of genre to position a film in the minds of moviegoers, and pique interest so that audiences will want more information later.” (Marich 16) The teasers are released early and if they are too long, theatre owners don’t want to run them. The movie trailers come closer to the release of the move. The trailer is a free sample of the movie and its purpose is to let the viewer have a sense of the movie’s story. There are usually more than one trailer developed at a time, and the studio may use test audiences to see what trailer they want to use. The trailers use actual footage and make a pitch for audiences to see the movie. (Marich 17-19)
There are so many innovations in media that there is a marketing revolution underway. For example, an innovation in film marketing is the creation of Moviefone, a service that allowed the caller by telephone to hear a brief description of a movie and to find out where the nearest theatre showing the feature is located. The caller dialed 777-Film or visited the web site. There is also Fandango, another site that provides information about movies as well as locations and times of movies. There are now many radio stations – both local and syndicated. These can be used for advertising or on-air interviews with the movie’s actors. There are tie-ins with music production companies, so soundtracks featuring artists may hook some viewers. Also appearances by actors on television talk shows – network and cable and local cable - as well as ads on various sites on the Internet can be used to market a film. (Lieberman) Justin Wyatt also comments on the tie in with music companies as a means of promoting a movie. This may appear as a music video with a narrative to interest the target audience or a soundtrack that might make people interested in seeing the movie. (Wyatt 44-52) These are just a few ways that marketing for films is changing. I think that the Internet also is in the early stage when it comes to ways it can be used cheaply and effectively for marketing movies. For example, another example that shows the use of the Internet is the use of a web site dedicated solely to the movie itself. These can be created when the movie is being shot and get viewers hooked.
The Internet is constantly evolving as a site for marketing. YouTube is a valuable tool for marketing. Also, online advertising at popular sites visited by the target audience is worthwhile. Now there is also a television channel that is about movies. It is called Reelz Channel. It says that it is television about movies. On the station, there are shows such as “Dailies,” “The Directors,” and “Secret’s Out.” The last show talks about good movies that haven’t got a lot of publicity. The entire channel is for the promotion of movies. Also, some independent movies are being released to independent movie theaters the same day that they are available on on-demand TV.
Tips:
Gives the history of trailers and teasers. It also shows industry ratings for trailers.
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trailer_(film)" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trailer_(film)
To learn about Reelz, go to below page. HYPERLINK "http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117962231.html?categoryid=2514&cs=1" http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117962231.html?categoryid=2514&cs=1
For a sample site that shows lots of trailers and their effectiveness, see the Reelz page.It also shows box office returns.
HYPERLINK "http://www.reelzchannel.com/index.aspx?gclid=CKzlwMDInpcCFQITswodI1JnGg" http://www.reelzchannel.com/index.aspx?gclid=CKzlwMDInpcCFQITswodI1JnGg
Even Apple makes trailers available on a number of different media.
HYPERLINK "http://www.apple.com/trailers/" http://www.apple.com/trailers/
Shows lots of trailers.
HYPERLINK "http://movies.msn.com/movies/movie-trailers/?vendor=yahoo&pkw=trailer%20film212180211012&OCID=iSEM_Y_Ent&refcd=yh212180211012a_trailer%20film&mtcr=23279907512" http://movies.msn.com/movies/movie-trailers/?vendor=yahoo&pkw=trailer%20film212180211012&OCID=iSEM_Y_Ent&refcd=yh212180211012a_trailer%20film&mtcr=23279907512
Shows an effective but short teaser trailer shown on YouTube.
HYPERLINK "http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2008/nov/25/2012-ronald-emmerich" http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2008/nov/25/2012-ronald-emmerich
Shows you the many ways to assess trailers.
HYPERLINK "http://moviemarketingmadness.blogspot.com/2006/09/invisible-trailer-links.html" http://moviemarketingmadness.blogspot.com/2006/09/invisible-trailer-links.html
These sites provide trailers, movie times and movie locations.
HYPERLINK "http://www.moviefone.com/" http://www.moviefone.com/ HYPERLINK "http://fandango.com/" http://fandango.com/
YouTube is letting people put trailers on YouTube and other sites.
HYPERLINK "http://www.marketingvox.com/youtube_promotes_movie_trailers-021302/" http://www.marketingvox.com/youtube_promotes_movie_trailers-021302/
2. Market Research
Usually only major studios do market research because of the expense. They employ independent agencies to test reactions to a several things including the concept of the movie itself, the proposed name of the movie (usually there are 2-10 working titles), teaser trailers, and trailers, television commercials, print ads, and the movie itself. Two of the problems that the agencies have are the cost of research and getting a balanced, representative sample group. They also have focus groups that meet even before production starts and discuss certain aspects of the characters and the story. The studio may change the storyline or the characters depending on the results of the focus groups. Also, the studios also have agencies to conduct exit polls. The exit poll results show if their advertising campaign was effective and if the movie reached the right target population. Some of the headaches and cost of research are being avoided by using the Internet. People can sit in their homes and view ads, etc on their computer monitors. Also it saves money because their responses are recorded automatically and electronically. Conducting surveys over the Internet also prevents stealing the movie by those people who come to screen movies but tape the movie and pirate it. Also it prevents leaks about the movie. (Marich 25-54)
3. Paid Media Advertising
This takes so many forms. It includes advertising on newspapers, magazines, television, radios, outside ads like on billboards, etc. The major studios spend up to $35 million per film for pre-release advertising. The independent distributors spend from tens of thousands to dollars up to $15 million dollars per film, although mostly that figure is below or to $1 million. The independent distributors who are owned by the major studios average about $12 million per film. The experts design a plan for advertising that is based on the film itself. A plan will differ from movie to movie. Experts are used to reach the desired target audience, with the appropriate kinds of ads, and at the most effective time. (Marich 55-80)
Tips:
Gives a list of newspapers to run movie ads in.
HYPERLINK "http://moviedistributionfacts.wordpress.com/2008/05/20/marketing-your-film-in-a-print-ad-in-a-newspaper-andor-magazine/" http://moviedistributionfacts.wordpress.com/2008/05/20/marketing-your-film-in-a-print-ad-in-a-newspaper-andor-magazine/
Tells how to use street teams, print ads such as billboards and ads on other outside spaces.
HYPERLINK "http://www.indiescene.net/archives/movie_marketing/movie_ads_in_the_wild_new_york.htm" http://www.indiescene.net/archives/movie_marketing/movie_ads_in_the_wild_new_york.htm
4. Promotional Tie-Ins and Product Placement
These two strategies can be lucrative. Lately, however, there has been a decline in these kinds of promotion deals, mostly because more money is being put into online promotion. Product placement is a promotion technique in which a product is featured prominently in a film. Tie-in promotions are cross-marketing deals with consumer goods companies. In these deals, the companies get to associate their products with the movies hoping that viewers will buy their products. It is essential that the movie audience matches the consumer base of the partnering business. One mishap occurred with the movie Small Soldiers. Burger King had created a line of toys for children to coordinate with the movie. Unfortunately the movie received a PG-13 rating rather than a PG rating. Burger King changed its program right away so it did not target children. One example of success is the tie-in Samsung did with the second and third movies in the Matrix series. Samsung did also a tie-in deal as well as product placement. One movie which is the ultimate example of product placement is Terminal, a romantic comedy starring Tom Hanks. There are about 40 product placements in the film. Some include Starbucks, Burger King, Borders, the Discovery Store, Verizon, and Godiva Chocolates. Each business built its own storefront set, saving DreamWorks money. Many businesses spend up to hundreds of thousands of dollars in providing either money for promotion of movies or actual merchandise for the movies where they have tie-ins or product placement. Some examples of this are Ford that paid $30 million to promote the James Bond thriller Die Another Day, Mitsubishi that paid $25 million to be linked to 2 Fast 2 Furious, and Jeep that put in $10 million to promote Tomb Raider. (Marich 81-106)
Tips:
For learning about trends in promotional tie-ins, product placement, and online promotion, this article is very helpful.
HYPERLINK "http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117979683.html?categoryid=2520&cs=1" http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117979683.html?categoryid=2520&cs=1
5. Merchandising
This strategy is used very seldom except for the Hollywood blockbusters. Briefly, companies sell consumer goods that will increase revenues from the movies. Also, the sale of the merchandise keeps viewers interested in the movie. Most of the targeted movies are rated G and are family movies such as the Toy Story series. Another series with merchandising is the Star Wars series. Revenue soars in the billions for merchandising, with the revenues for merchandising in 2003 reaching in excess of $70 billion for the United States and Canada. The companies prefer G or PG rated movies or movies that are sequels and the first in the series had a strong box office. The companies also like movies that are based on proven successful books. Music, video games, as well as characters from classic movies are now being used in merchandising efforts. (Marich 107-130) Lately, however, merchandising for toys is on the decline. Many young children (ages 2-12) are not interested in toys.
Tips:
An attorney gives information about merchandising and a sample agreement.
HYPERLINK "http://www.marklitwak.com/articles/general/movie_merchandising.html" http://www.marklitwak.com/articles/general/movie_merchandising.html
6. Publicity
Getting publicity is a strategy that can be effective and also very inexpensive. Each movie has a publicist who coordinates publicity for the show as well as a photographer who takes pictures. The publicist supervises the creation of press kits that are handed out to appropriate organizations like newspapers, magazines, television shows, etc. Many actors go on talk shows and entertainment show tours, appearing on every talk show and promoting the movie. They also attend press junkets where members of the press attend and get to interview the actors. Also, the Internet is a place to get cheap publicity. However, it can be negative or positive, and it is hard to control comments that appear on the web. If you want a web page for the movie, the cost might be between $20,000 and $100,000. Some major studios might spend up to $500,000 for a blockbuster’s web page. Finally, if you have a small budget you might want to have a street team to support the movie’s release. Street team members pass out flyers and put up posters. A certain geographic area can be targeted by the street team. Also, local cable stations and radio stations may be happy to have you appear on air to talk about the movie. Local movie critics can review the movie and place the critique in the local paper. There are many effective, low-cost ways of creating a buzz about a movie, including having free screenings at non-theater venues like colleges or town halls or churches. There are ways to spread news about the movie through people informally or on the Internet through blogging. (Marich 131-158) Another new development is giving away free DVDs to promote the movie. Some studios are producing promotional DVDS and having major vendors pass them out free to customers before the release of the film.
Marketing Independent Films (including Documentaries)
There have been very successful independent films lately. However, there are a lot of indies that do not survive. Indies have a very hard time finding distributors for the most part. One problem is that there are more independent films being made. A good place to start to find a distributor is at a film festival. There are many in both the United States and Canada. The most prestigious two are the Sundance Film Festival which is held in January in Park City, Utah and the Toronto International Film Festival which is held in September. There are many festivals scattered around the country, and it is a good place to build up some talk about your film.
There are a few things to consider if you are an independent filmmaker. The name and MPAA rating of your movie are very important. It can attract viewers. The name helps to place the movie in the viewer’s mind. Also, having your film tied into some social question or controversy can help attract a distributor or viewers. If your distributor is truly independent, then the pre-release budget will be small. The distributor can rely on use of the web and create a web page for the movie before and while production is going on. A web page can cost between $8,000 to $20,000 dollars and may take three months to complete. Usually, there is a splash sheet put up at first. This is just one page that introduces the movie and does not cost much. The web page allows the movie to get viewers who are in their target group and who may live in different geographic regions. with little cost. Also, the viewers blogging and emailing help to market the film. The use of street teams to put up posters and hand out flyers and buttons is another low cost way to market the indie. The distributor will plan the advertising campaign, the trailer, and the location of where the ads should be placed and the trailer should be run. The budget will be limited for the ad campaign so it will be used to reach a specific group, not broad groups like the major studios do. The distributor will also plan the press kit, set up interviews on television and radio, and set up interviews with the press, and arrange for critics to review the movies. Good reviews mean free publicity. Just like the ad campaign is limited, the number of theatres that the movie is shown in will be limited unlike the blockbuster. Another factor to consider is the timing of the release of the movie. Try to release your film when similar movies are not being released or in the periods that are not that competitive. (Marich 227-231, 234-244)
Self-Marketing and Self-Distribution
Sometimes a filmmaker can’t find a distributor. Filmmakers have tried to self-distribute and self-market their films. Also, there are services or agencies such as stirmovies.com that will help the independent filmmaker put together a whole marketing campaign. Independent filmmaker Jay Craven, a film studies teacher who makes films with an appeal to the New England region, has had success in marketing a number of his films regionally. He shows them in nontheatre venues such as churches and town halls. He also solicits and gets the mailing lists of local organizations and uses the mailing lists to create interest in his film. He uses the lists to email people as well as to circulate mailings. After a regional theatrical run of one of his movies, he sold 92,000 copies of the video.
Another way to self-market is to find a partner whose appeal is big and use that partner to find an audience. For example, if the filmmaker is lucky enough to have a musical artist perform a song in the move, that artist can give a short concert in conjunction with screening some scenes of the movie. Songwriter and performer Neil Young did this himself. He wrote and produced a social drama set to his music. He used his concert tour to promote the movie. He booked appearances for both his concert and the showing of his movie. Also when he was interviewed by radio stations, etc., the stations gave away free CDs, tickets to the concert, and tickets to the movie. (Marich 233-234)
Another success story of self-marketing and self-distribution is the story of filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky. They made the documentary, Brother’s Keeper, which was about four illiterate bachelor brothers who lived together in a quiet life until one brother was accused of killing his brother with whom he shared a bed. They were shocked to find that they did not have a distributor because they had received good reviews at the Sundance Film Festival. They even won the Audience Award. They had received money from the prestigious American Playhouse. One strategy they used was not to identify the movie as a documentary. Another strategy they used was to go city to city and show the movie and not to release it in a number of cities at once. Their budget was so small that they were living on the revenues from city to city. Also merchandising – selling t-shirts, etc, - gave them money to keep going. They had a very small budget for ads. They did produce a trailer, which was helpful for marketing. They showed the movie in a variety of venues, from traditional theaters to nontheatre venues. Mostly, they used a grassroots approach to reach out to viewers. They used any lists they could get their hands on to send out mailings. They played in small towns and opened in New York City. They said that they treated each town the same. In the end, they received numerous awards for the film. (Lukk 188-215)
The main thing to remember when you are self-distributing and self-marketing is that you have to be creative and patient. You probably will not be able to work on another project while you are doing this. All of the strategies used by the major studios and the independent distributors can be altered for your use. Try to enter a film festival or any contest. Don’t forget that the Internet- YouTube, My Space, Facebook, and other sites, some you might create. Take advantage of local nontheater venues to show your movie. Talk to different groups, get lists of people, and ask people to tell others about your film. Have screenings. Use a street team to put up posters and pass out printed material about the film. Also selling merchandise to satisfied viewers gives you money and is advertising for your movie. Also be prepared to travel to different cities and show your films in places likely to have your target population. Take advantage of local critics, local cable stations, and local radio stations to talk about your show. Remember to be creative, to study the strategies of the major studios and to modify them. However, always look for a new strategy that will make your film stand out and get noticed. Find a way to describe your movie to hook the viewer. Think about new ideas like producing videos - music or film - on the Internet or videos about the making of your movie. Build a site just for your movie. If possible, create a trailer and give out free merchandise to promote the movie. Remember the name of your movie and the MPAA rating are very important. Is your film a High Concept Film, if that is your goal? Know your target audience.
Tips: There are sites like the “stirmovies” site that will help the independent filmmaker put together a whole program for marketing or some parts.
HYPERLINK "http://www.stirmovies.com/" http://www.stirmovies.com/
YouTube is promoting people putting trailers on YouTube and on other sites like Face Book and personal blogs. This is good publicity for movies.
HYPERLINK "http://www.marketingvox.com/youtube_promotes_movie_trailers-021302/" http://www.marketingvox.com/youtube_promotes_movie_trailers-021302/
FILM FESTIVALS
The lists of film festivals is long. Wikipedia lists some of them.
Tips: Go to link to see complete list of festivals by continent. Continue to search the Internet for smaller festivals or new festivals not on list.
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_festival" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_festival
References
Lieberman, Al (with Patricia Esgate). The Entertainment Marketing Revolution: Bringing the Moguls, the Media, and the Magic to the World. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Financial Times Prentice Hall. 2002.
Lukk, Tiiu. Movie Marketing: Opening the Picture and Giving It Legs. Beverly Hills, California: Silman-James Press. 1997.
Marich, Robert. Marketing to Moviegoers: A Handbook of Strategies Used by Major Studios and Independents. Oxford, England: Elsevier, Inc. 2005.
Wyatt, Justin. High Concept: Movies and Marketing in Hollywood. Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press. 2006
