Release of a film
- marketability - audience?
- -> develop campaign to best communicate to that audience
- how much money spent on marketing -> work out what film can take from box office in UK - appropriate budget level to reach box office potential that film has
- marketing and promotions, publicity, talent (actors) in films and what they're happy with doing e.g. interviews, promos, premieres
- what to spend budget on - posters, newspapers, radio, online, TV
- choose primarily who film will appeal to best and best communication channels to use to reach that audience most effectively
Positioning and Audiences
- define who audience is
- - does film have specific genre?
- - does it speak to a certain age group?
- - to whom the directors and actors will appeal
Target Audience
- with smaller titles it's very important to really identify target audiences and focus on them
- - use research data from past films - who has been, the frequency of their visits, age, gender, what kind of cinema (local multiplex, cinema down the road..)
- - pinpoint target audience as best you can
- e.g. over 45s will take a week or two to go and see something at the cinema - advert needs reinforcing - with teenagers they might just go to the cinema and see if there's anything they fancy which may have just come out
- - different audiences react differently, and need to be targeted differently - their decision making processes are different
Competition
- HUGE amount of films out there
- - need to stand above others to be noticed
- - affecting facctors include: holidays, weather, audience patterns
- - e.g. not much TV advertising in July and August - people watch less TV - in summer big outdoor posters are better
- - e.g. 2. October half term there are lots of films out - it's dark early, rainy, boring... teenagers tend to go to the cinema
P&A Budget
- includes: all costs of prints (actual film itself)
- all various technical elements that go without shipping backwards and forwards etc.
- advertising costs - most important part, inc. designing posters & press adverts, to making TV spots, to making a trailer for the cinema - then where they're advertised
- target marget - banners on internet sites? TV ads?
- - might not have a high enough budget for what you want - e.g. TV ads can be very expensive - radio ads are much cheaper, and have a huge audience around the country
Word of Mouth
- critical - when you want it to happen depends on the film
- - sometimes word of mouth will be very strong from start & so if they have the film early, they run audience screening programmmes -> free screenings before release
- - that audience will tell their friends how great it is (if it is) and that they should see it when it comes out
- - e.g. screening for 100 people and each tells 10 people that it's really good and they should go and see it - this multiplies the word on that film
- - more likely to believe it from friends than seeing/hearing about it
- word of mouth - when film is acquired late, they rely on advertising films - opening weekend, and then it's in the hands of the public -> if the word of mouth is bad, the life expectancy of the film is greatly reduced, and vice versa
Marketing Plan
- main publicity = through advertising and press
- advertising is expensive - adverts, magazines, newspapers, TV, radio, internet
- more free forms of advertising = press etc.
- - place features about films in magazines, set up interviews with directors, TV shows, radio...
- outdoor advertising - expensive
- screenings (word of mouth)
- internet - email, viral campaigns etc.
- word of mouth - especially important in specialised films - not as much money for big advertising
Film Trailers
- trailer is most important key to selling film - public's first and only exposure in cinema to what they're going to buy into
- - same environment etc. as when you'll see it
- trailer must have right impact and message, down to the way graphics, sound, concept of film, are portrayed
Link Between...
- must convince cinemas to take film - first major step
- must sell to exhibitors first - find somewhere to put it
Digital Marketing
- viral marketing = v. simple -> creating something, like element of a game, video, quiz, that, because it's so good, you will send it on when it's sent to you
- most effective = word of mouth - best communication is someone saying their [good] opinion - you value their opinion, you know them etc.
Test Screenings
- research - in advance, e.g. testing poster ideas, trailers, concepts of films -> meeting people's expectations, delivering to right audience in way you want it to
- recruiting audience of target market - fill in questionnaires after the film, some people talk to them about issues - likes/dislikes etc.
- studios might use this & change the film, maybe change the ending etc.
Persuading Cinemas
- convince exhibitors to take film -> more difficult, independent films
- first sell the film to the cinemas
Opening Weekend
- VERY VERY IMPORTANT
- 3-day-figure -> opening day (always a Friday) - Friday, Saturday, Sunday figures
- - Monday = make-or-break - film must have been successful, and made more money than other films in that cinema as a rotation - if it's last, film is taken off
- - films that are out for just a week = hold-overs
- - based on how much money you made in that cinema in that weekend -> determines whether or not you get another play date
Piracy
- escalated in UK over past 5 years
- 2006 - piracy accounted for 20% of all DVD sales in UK
- - British consumer may feel they're getting a bargain but are actually being ripped off by inferior quality
- - money they spend on those pirate DVDs goes to various criminal elements they may not be aware of
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