Release Of a Film:
Identify the films TA.
Then choose how much money to spend on marketing by deciding how much money the film will make at the box office, and setting a realistic budget.
Decide how to market the film, talk to third parties e.g. Radio & Newspapers, and make sure the cast of the film are willing to promote the film.
Choose what media you’re going to spend money on, internet becoming increasingly important.
Ultimately, you have to decide on the best ways to communicate with the TA in the most effective way.
Target Audience:
With smaller films, you really have to decide exactly who your TA is and have to focus on targeting tem well. Use data from past, similar films to help with finding out about the audience, and how to target them.
You can never be 100% sure about who your TA is, so targeting one audience can be a gamble.
Different audiences need to be targeted differently, their whole approach to deciding what film to see and when is very different e.g. teenagers go to the cinema and choose what to see there and then, whereas adults take up to a week or more to decide to see a film.
P&A Budget:
You need to think about the cost of printing the actual film including technical elements & shipping and, more importantly, advertising costs from posters to trailers.
Decide how best to use the budget.
Think about: Whats the TA? Where are they going to see the ad? Where’s the best place to put the advert?
Some advertising is too expensive, e.g. TV and if you have a low budget you have to do something else, e.g. Radio.
Marketing Plan:
You market films through advertising and through the press.
Advertising is expensive; you have to pay for ads in magazines, newspapers, on TV, on radio, on the internet etc.
You can use the internet by email or viral campaigns – in which you put something to create interest in the film, e.g. a clip of the film.
You can put features on the film in newspapers & magazines.
Advertising outside, including on buses, on bus shelters and on billboards is expensive.
Press ads are ‘free’ – includes interviews with the cast and/or director of the film, which can also be on TV or Radio.
The best form of free advertising is word of mouth; you do this by holding screening programs – free screenings of the film.
Word of mouth advertising is crucial; it can make or break the film.
If your film plays well to an audience word of mouth is the best form of advertising you can have, especially if you have a low budget.
Test Screenings:
Research is very important and comes into play at different times.
You can do research well in advance by testing visuals such as posters, trailers and even sometimes of film concept ideas
You have to make sure they meet people’s expectations and communicate to the audience in the way that they need to.
When the film’s finished you do test screenings, where you get a group of the TA to see the film and fill out questionnaires.
Some of the group stay behind for a focus group where they’re spoken to in more depth about the issues in the film and what they did and didn’t like. Studios will listen to the feedback and change parts of the film, even sometimes the ending.
Opening weekend:
The opening weekend is very important.
Exhibitors work on the three day figure which is from the Friday that the film opened to the Sunday.
Then on Monday morning you have a ‘holdover’, which is make or break for the film.
The film has to of been successful - made the most money out of all the films in that cinema.
If it’s made the least money then the film is taken off, which is why a film will sometimes only show for a week.
Positioning and Audiences:
Define the TA.
Does the film have a specific genre?
Does it speak to a certain age group?
Who’s the director?
Competition:
Film distribution is all about the competition.
You need to stand above other films to be noticed.
Need to think about:
Why would your film poster stand out from the rest in a cinema?
Why do the audience want to see your film?
Why is your poster more exciting than the one next to it?
Around times like October half term it’s very busy for all films that appeal to younger audiences because there’s nothing else to do due to the weather, it’s a good time to go to the cinema.
You have to think about all factors including holidays, weather and audience patterns.
For example, you wouldn’t do as much TV advertising in July and August because everyone’s outside so you do posters etc. because that’s where they’re more likely to see your advertising.
Word Of Mouth:
The word of mouth is critical for a film.
When you want the word of mouth to happen depends on the film.
Sometimes you have a film that you know will work well, and you get it very early.
In this case you work with media partners e.g. magazines to help provide advanced screenings. For example, put a phone number in a magazine that you call to get free tickets to one of twenty or so screenings.
The hope is that the people who watch the movie leave and tell everyone how great the film is and so increasing the interest in the film.
If you get the film late then you have to rely on the advertising money you have to ensure a successful opening weekend, and then the word of mouth happens after the film is in cinemas. In this case, word of mouth decides how long the film is going to play for.
Film Trailers:
The trailer is the most important key to selling the film.
It’s the first and generally only exposure in the cinema of what they’re actually going to be buying into.
The trailer is being watched in the same environment that they’re going to watch the film in and the screen is the same size as the one they’re going to watch the film on.
It’s very important that the trailer has the right impact and right message, right down to the way in which the graphics, sound and overall concept of the film are portrayed.
Digital Marketing:
Viral marketing is very simple.
It’s creating an element, e.g. game, video or quiz, that’s good enough for someone to send on to others.
The most effective way of marketing is still word of mouth.
The best way for communicating that a film is good is for someone, whose opinions you trust and value, to tell you.
Persuading Cinemas:
First major step is to convince cinemas to screen the film.
First you have to sell the film to the cinemas – especially with an independent film.
Theres a big difference with other products in that with films you have to find somewhere to put it.
Piracy:
Piracy in the UK has escalated over the last 5 years.
In 2006 piracy counts for 20% of all DVDs sold in the UK – a shockingly high number that are illegally sold.
It’s a big problem because the consumer thinks they are getting a bargain when in fact they are being ripped off by bad quality DVDs.
The money the consumer pays for the DVDs may be going towards various criminal elements that they may not be aware of.
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