FILM MARKETING & PUBLICITY

This guide has been written for use of Communication Studies. This guide is written in two parts: Part one, A Case Study Film Marketing and the information and tasks within this section aim to provide an insight into the planning and preparation of a film marketing campaign. Part two, Background to the Film THE FILM Based on the lead characters & synopsis.

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PART ONE: A CASE STUDY FILM MRKETING The first part of this guide will look at the marketing of a film. The marketing of a film starts 6-8 months before the release date. The films distributor is responsible for its marketing for bringing the film to the attention of the public. Marketing is an expensive business buying advertising space, producing publicity materials and running promotions all costs money.

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It has been known for more money to be spent on the marketing of a film than on the production. Many films are released each week and film marketing has become increasingly aggressive as more and more films compete for the same audience.

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What makes us go and see a film? When faced with a choice of up to ten films, on what basis do we make out choice? Do we go and see a film because of the stars, the director or the subject matter? Or has someone recommended that we see it? As an audience, how do we become aware of a new film?

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First of all, we might read an article in a magazine or see the publicity posters on a bus shelter or in a shopping center. Then we might see a trailer at the cinema, hear an advert on the radio or see adverts in magazines and newspapers. And in the weeks before the film opens, the stars appear on various television pro grammes promoting the film, and the trailer might be shown on television.

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This is the marketing campaign from the point of view of the audience. In the weeks before the film opens we are bombarded with hype about the film, the stars, special effects, the soundtrack and genre, all of which influences our decision to buy a ticket.

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All of this is the effect of the carefully planned marketing campaign. It is no coincidence that we see a particular poster, trailer or advert. In the months leading up the the opening of a film, the distributor executes a meticulously planned campaign using all media and research available to promote the film to hit its target audience.

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When a film is being marketed, researchers need to identify who the films target audience is in other words, which people will particularly enjoy the film. The target audience for the majority of films are the heavy cinema goers, i.e. 15-24 year olds and it is they who will be mainly targeted by the marketing campaign.

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Conduct a survery with the members of your class to find out how and why people decide to see one film rather than another. Is it because of the poster? The trailer? The adverts? The star? The genre? The special effects? The director? It may be a combination of reasons. Write up your findings in a report.

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FILM MARKETING THE PROCESS The distributors awareness of the film has two stages. Firstly, they are kept informed about forthcoming films going into production. They are advised about the purchase of a script, the signing of a director and cost, and the start date of production. In some cases, the distributor can have a say in casting decisions and will be consulted on changes to the script.

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As the film goes into post production and editing, the distributors receive publicity material from the studio; production notes, including background information about the making of the film, credits and biographies of the cast, director and crew; black and white stills and color slides taken on set by photographers or lifted from the footage of the film.

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In the case of big budget film, the making of the film had generated a great deal of publicity because it was made with top stars and big technicians. This led to an initial public awareness of the film, which the marketing campaign could build on.

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The second stage happens 6-8 months before the release date and involves the marketing team viewing the film followed by a brainstorming session in which the following points are discussed:

Personal opinions How they think the public will react, based on audience research Which audience might most appreciate the film What the film might take at the box office When to release the film, taking into account competition from other films and holiday times How much money will be spent on advertising

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RAISING AWARENESS OF THE FILM
A marketing campaign for a film is divided into three areas: Publicity Advertising Promotion

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The budget of a film marketing campaign is divided into above-the-line and below the-line costs. The advertising budget is an above-the-line cost, where the distributor pays a certain amount of money to buy advertising space (on television and radio, and in magazines and newspapers). They pay for a slot and know what they are getting for their money.

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They know the size of the advert, when and where it will be placed and roughly how many people are expected to see it. Publicity and promotion are below-the-line costs where money is spent on bringing stars from America, for example. The distributor hopes to get good coverage in the media, but this is not guaranteed. Its all about taking a risk and hoping the gamble pays off.

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PUBLICITY - POSTER AND ARTWORK The poster campaign is the primary medium for selling a film, and will generally start in the early stages of a films production and continue during the weeks building up to the release.

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The poster is the basis of the whole publicity campaign and out of this Key Art or central image come the standees (displayed in cinema foyers), ranges of posters and television adverts. Artwork for a film poster can either be an original painting based on a key idea in the film or it can be produced from the colour transparencies which are taken during the shoot.

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Sometimes an image for a poster can be originated from photographs of the actor taken on set. These are taken during filming and, on approval of the actor concerned, will be released for the poster image and any other publicity.

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As well as a visual image, posters carry a certain amount of copy (writing), depending upon the stage in the campaign at which they appear. Tag lines are used to underline key elements of the film. Awards win or names of the director or cast can also be used. Quotes from critics and tag lines on the poster help reinforce the image and make the poster more effective.

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THE PRESS KIT Press kits are sent to journalists all over the country to give them information about forthcoming films. They are one of the basic tools of any publicity department. Kits include a set of authorized stills, cast and crew credits, production notes, biographies and filmographies of the case, director and producer. In addition to materials sent to print journalists, journalists working in television or radio also receive electronic press kits (EPKs) containing selected video clips and interviews for television, or audio clips for radio.

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STAR INTERVIEWS To promote the film in the weeks leading up to its release, the stars are brought into the country at the distributors expense. This means paying for flights, travel (usually a chauffeur driven car), hotels, entourage, meals, a daily spending allowance and entertainment. A busy schedule of press interviews and events are planned by the distributor to fully exploit the value of the stars visit.

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When stars are unable to travel, perhaps because of other filming commitments, a press junket will be arranged. These take place in America or the United Kingdom and involve a number of key journalists taking part in a round-the-table interview with the star(s).

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Design a publicity poster.. Your poster must include: The title of the film The names of the films main stars Information in small print about the films director, writers, producers, distributors and music. The films certification A tag line that tells us something about the film something that makes us want to know more.

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The trailer often plays in the cinema around six weeks before the release of a film and continues to play until the film opens at the cinema. The trailer aims to: raise audience awareness of a film by logging the film title in their minds; give an overall impression of the film to its potential audience; make sure that the audience is aware of the stars, particularly where their names will help to sell the film. It should also create the desire to see the film when it finally opens. Trailers tend to use a combination of footage from the film, graphics and voice-over to generate curiosity.

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Teaser trailers also exist to whet the appetite of the audience and give them a shorter, sharper hint of what is to come. Lasting approximately 60 seconds, they play in a cinema for anything up to 6 months before a film opens. Can you recall any trailers that had an impact on you? What was it that made the film stand out in your mind and did you eventually see the film when it was released?

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ADVERTISING - PRESS ADVERTISING The main medium for press advertising is newspapers. The print media advertising campaign usually starts two weeks prior to the opening of the film and for daily and weekly publications advertisements can be booked just a few days in advance.

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TELEVISION ADVERTISING It is usually only high budget films which can afford a television campaign. The trailer will usually be shown on television 5-1 0 days before the film is due to open and be repeated during the first week of release. The scheduling of the advert will depend on who the films target audience is. Satellite television is also increasingly being used to advertise films.

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Go to a large newsagents to carry out this piece of research. Look at all the papers and magazines which are on display and decide which magazines/newspapers would be the best place to advertise your film and note down which periodicals carry advertisements, reviews or interviews connected with films.

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Are there any periodicals or magazines carrying adverts for films that you didnt expect? Why? Design an advertisement to appear on the outside back cover of a magazine for the film. Sear in mind that these act as mini poster that people carry around with them, and think about what a poster needs to convey.

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Advertising films on television involves commercials of 10 or 20 seconds. A longer (60 second) commercial could be shown, but would obviously be more expensive. In order to make sure that you will hit your target audience, you need to show the advert during a high converting programme. This means that, unlike most TV programmes, it is almost certain to be seen by the target audience. List the programmes/films that you would consider to be the high converting programmes during which you would plan to transmit a 60 second television advertisement .

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ADVERTISING Radio advertising is considerably cheaper than television and is usually used for mainstream films. However, targeted radio stations - a jazz station or a classical station, for example might be appropriate for the advertising of specialist films. Adverts themselves consist of music from the film and narrative voice-over detailing the venue and release date.

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PROMOTION - MERCHANDISING CAMPAIGNS The merchandising deals that can be made from a potential blockbuster are very lucrative and in some cases can even necessitate the setting up of a department which deals solely with merchandising produced for the companys films.

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Merchandising has become a sophisticated business in its own right - toys, clothes and gimmicks such as pencil cases and lunch boxes are now common place. In some ways the wearing of the clothes, using the backpack or playing with the toys from the film is a form of advertising, as you are reminding people of and recommending the product.

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For some children the toys and other merchandise that they buy (or have bought for them) give them a chance to create the pleasure of participating in a film which they are not actually permitted to see due to its 15 certification. The toys also give them the opportunity to invent new adventures for the characters in the films.

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In pairs, script and record a radio commercial advertising .. If you use two tape recorders or a recorder with over-dubbing facilities youll be able to use the soundtrack or sound effects from the film and also record the voice-over, which will sound professional. Practise before your final recording. Experiment with the equipment to make sure the volume level is right and for best results, count to ten (silently) after you have pressed the record button before you start speaking. Make sure that you speak at the right speed and experiment with the expression in your voice.

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Promotions give added awareness to a film and help reinforce its title. They tend to take the form of joint involvement with another party who will gain from their involvement; for example, a tie-in with Pizza Hut or McDonalds. Have a look at the shops in your local high street or shopping centre. How any film linked products can you find? What sort of merchandise is it and what age group is it geared to? Indeed, can you tell the target age of a film by the merchandise on sale?

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MARKET RESEARCH Throughout the marketing campaign, the distributor will be concerned about the effect of the pre release film publicity. At regular intervals leading up to the release of a film and during its weeks of release, a random selection of the public will be interviewed over the phone or on the street by a market research company.

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They are asked whether they have heard of the film, whether they intend to see it, and if they have seen it already, whether they enjoyed it. This type of information can then be used by the distributors to find out if the marketing campaign is reaching the target audience. Design a T-shirt, badge, baseball cap and toy bubble pack or presentation.