Marketing Your Movie for Film and Video Makers – Effective Campaigns Start Early

by Robert Marich

If all goes as planned, at the end of production a film or video maker will have a finished movie. But will that movie have an audience?

Effective positioning of a film to connect with audiences needs start at the earliest stages because being an after-thought often means that a good film gets overlooked in the marketplace.

Effective marketing delivers benefits beyond simply attracting an audience. Filmmakers will pitch to festivals and financiers, who won’t be impressed with an unfocused, ineffective presentation. This happens in the professional world more than student filmmakers may realize. Each year, at least 500 U.S. films that cost $500,000 or more never reach the consumer market – not to cinema, direct to video or direct to TV.

A fundamental starting point for a student filmmaker is to determine, what is the primary audience segment for his/her film? What audience segment is most likely to support the film initially— children, politically activists, outdoors enthusiasts, young males, middle-age females, families, etc.

Marketing resources will undoubtedly be limited so the film needs to concentrate on a core audience to buy cinema tickets the first weekend of release. Other audience segments – the “cross over audience” – may “find” the film in later weeks. But the film won’t get traction in the consumer marketplace without a first wave of enthusiasm.

Once a target audience is in mind, the filmmaker needs to hone a simple advertising presentation for a print ad and – if possible – a two minute trailer. The cheapest marketing tool to create is the poster – also known as the “one sheet.” The most common mistake of student filmmakers is to refuse to make choices and instead make the poster a collage of many small images.

Think of a movie as a “brand name product” being created from scratch. The consumer market is crowded with ad messages, so each brand has only a moment to convey a message. What’s an easy-to-explain message of the film? Filmmakers will want to repeat the message – in posters, radio ads and trailers – to build “brand awareness” for the film. If multiple messages and positions are used, limited marketing resources are diluted, and the core audience is not motivated. Consumers may even think that different ad presentations are for different movies. Marketing campaigns are tweaked and overhauled by necessity when ineffective, but be sure the title text – a signature – is the same.

An example of a simple message well told is an ad for the 1977 feature-length documentary “Pumping Iron.” Then unknown bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger is shown full body against a black background with white-on-black large text of a critic’s comment: “This movie has heart, soul, blood, guts, perspiration and plenty of muscle.” The triumphant and muscular body against a plain background is an eye catcher. There’s no clutter of award trophies or other bodybuilders.

Another critical element of the campaign is key copy line, which hopefully positions; (the “Pumping Iron” ad conveys aspiring to bodily perfection). The 1979 sci-fi movie, “Alien,” used the memorable, “In space, no one can hear you scream,” that conveys the horror of a space ship crew pursued by nasties.

Creating ads and ad copy is an art that defies easy description. The best movie ads give consumers an idea of its genre (especially if the title does not), a sense of story and personality. Regarding the last point, the most effective art has a human (or animal) graphic, and not just inanimate objects such as street or landscape scenes.

Ads also should excite the imagination by hinting at more than is stated. For example, the key copy line of “Boys meets girl and lives happily ever after” imparts genre, plot and humanity. The trouble is that it’s too flat-footed, earnest and leaves consumers feeling that “I’ve seen this before.” There’s nothing left to the imagination.

A common impulse of student filmmakers is for marketing to project an outrageous message (graphics or text), which can be a mistake. Yes, outrageous will get noticed for a moment, but will it really motivate consumers to want to see the film? Will it impress film pros like festival executives? Remember, marketing aims to build a “brand name” product so being flip or sensational undermines serious films.

There are two reasons that it’s a good idea to establish the marketing campaign in pre-production. First, all the waves of publicity will deliver a uniform message and positioning that builds a brand awareness. The other value is that marketing materials can be created at low/no cost during production, when cast, costumes and backgrounds are easily available. In parallel with production, the student filmmaker can assemble a two-minute trailer, avoiding have to spend extra funds to rent equipment and staff later. Having a ready trailer gives the film a leg up on other films without trailers that are trying to land berths in film festivals.

A film marketing campaign at its best is a staged rollout in pre- determined waves. The first waves such as Internet content and long-lead media such as monthly magazines, which require three months advance planning for articles. The first waves should be designed as “teasers” to simply pique interest. It’s no good to make a full “sell” because the film isn’t yet available for viewing. Closer to release date, the short-lead media such as daily newspapers, TV and radio should be targets. The message should become more hard sell, since the film will be available for viewing.

Remember, once a magazine editor sees articles for a film in a newspaper, the film is “old news” for the magazine. The lesson is certain media doors – the long-lead media – close once a film gains traction in the marketplace. When receiving attention at a festival, the student filmmaker should carefully collect all reviews and articles for use later. After a fest, it’s usually advisable to “go quiet” and not drum up further interest in the consumer media. Once the film is set for consumer premiere, the marketing machine should be revved up again. Coming after a “quiet” period, the film will seem new again to magazine editors.

Many student filmmakers dismiss marketing by saying the film speaks for itself. Remember that student films are “calling cards” designed to let the filmmaker move on to bigger projects. If the student filmmaker is proud of the finished film at the end of the process, the process will be a failure if nobody notices.

Business journalist/analyst Robert Marich is author of three editions of academic/business book Marketing to Moviegoers, and has a quarter century experience in covering film, TV, music, traditional media and new media.