The Most Important Parts of your Indiefilm Marketing Mix RIGHT NOW.
There’s more than one way to market a movie, here are some different ways you should prioritize getting the word out about yours!
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been writing about how we used to market movies, vs what works in marketing them now. So to expand on that, here are the most important things in marketing your movie in today’s day and age.
Consumer Reviews
It’s been decried as outlandish and treasonous by many studio heads, but among the most important things that filmmakers need to do to make money making movies in today’s market is to focus on getting good customer reviews. The same is true across any consumer product in any industry these days.
People tend to look closely at what other people who bought the product think of it. As such, negative reviews have a hugely negative effect on your bottom line. The fact that the reviews are often tied into various algorithms or listed across multiple platforms generally makes it the most important single factor in how your film will sell.
Genre
Genre is still as important as it ever was. It’s a classification of both what you like, and what you’re presently in the mood for. When I watch a movie with my wife, one of the first things I ask is what sort of movie we want to watch, and then we list through a few genres. Not sure of what genre or sub-genre is? Check the links below.
Related: How distributors think of Genre
Related: How distributors think of Sub-Genre
Professional Reviews
The term professional review has become more varied than it used to be. I don’t just mean someone reviewing your film for the LA Times or the NY Times, in this instance, I could also mean The Nostalgia Critic, Lindsay Ellis, MovieBob or any one of dozens of prominent YouTubers. (I understand that a lot of these are more in-depth film criticism than standard reviews, but I would lump them in there.) Sites like Bloody Disgusting would also fall into this category.
Traditional Press
Traditional press other than reviews is more important on an industry level and as such is much more important for traditional distribution. This would be things like acquisitions announcements trade magazines, or something of the sort.
The other way the traditional press can be useful is if you can get some kind of coverage on YOU or your company in a paper for where you grew up, or something of that sort. Like most things in the entertainment industry, this is largely relationship based.
Related: 6 rules for contacting press
Poster
The poster for the film will always be important, but given that all of the pieces I’ve listed above tend to either greatly influence search results or Search Engine Optimization for your film, the poster has ended up down there. As I’ve discussed in other blogs, the post needs to be both authentic and eye-catching enough to drive the potential viewer to click through to the next stage and find out more information.
Related: The MOST important thing in Marketing your Movie RIGHT NOW.
Trailer
On an independent level, unless you can get some press with it, the trailer is most likely going to help convince people to watch the film more than help them discover it. That being said, next to the reviews, this may have the biggest impact in convincing them to watch it.
Synopsis
Finally, people want to know what the movie is about. It needs to be short, punchy, and focus more on SELLING your story than telling it.
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5 Takeaways from AFM 2018
A legacy port of my breakdown of the 2018 American Film Market.
I’ve been going to the American Film Market® for 9 years now, and I’ve been chronicling what’s going on with the market in many ways from podcasts to blogs and even a book or two. So given that AFM® 2018 wrapped up yesterday, I thought I would do something of a post-mortem. While I’ll outline my feelings on the whole thing in this blog, the long and short of it is that the state of the American Film Market is mixed
But before I dive into it too deeply, I’d like to say this. My vantage point on this is purely my own, and subject to the flaws that one would expect from experiences of someone only attending the market for a few days this year. I went on an industry badge because I simply needed to take a few meetings to check in on things I’ve already placed with Sales Agents, as well as shop a couple of my newer projects to the people I prefer to do business with.
I considered exhibiting this year but decided against it after hearing how slow Cannes was in May, as well as the massive drop in buyers AFM Experienced last year. We’ll see how that changes next year. One last note, I wrote this blog in traffic in LA, while my wife drove. I normally don't publish first drafts, but it's time-sensitive, so apologies for any typos.
So without Further Adieu, let’s get into the post-game.
1. Buyer numbers appear to be up, and they’re buying
Word in the corridors last year was that AFM went from around 1800 buyers in 2017 to around 1200 buyers in 2017. After talking to a few sales agents who shall remain nameless, it appears that the total buyer count at this year’s AFM is somewhere in the vicinity of 1325. While walking the corridors I definitely saw a lot more green badges than last year.
Not only were there more buyers there. It appears that they’re actually buying films. I heard several sales agents remarking that they had closed multiple sales at the market, and the buyers were sticking around much longer than they have in years previous. Overall, this is good for the market, especially given that for many years almost all of the business was done in follow-up not actually during the market, especially for smaller-budget films.
2. Exhibitor numbers appeared to be down
In previous years, both the second and third floors of AFM were packed with smaller sales agencies, This year, only the third floor was booked and even then it seemed as though fewer offices were booked. Also, it appeared that many of the offices on the 8th floor seemed to be vacant.
After talking with a few exhibitors, it appears likely that this trend is going to continue next year. Several I talked to were unsure of whether or not they would continue to exhibit at AFM. Although we’ll see if new names come up to take their places.
3. The Entirety of the Loews required a badge to access
This made a lot of headlines prior to the market. I was hesitant to believe that this would be a good thing for the market, particularly for the high priced film commission exhibitors on the 5th floor. I only showed up to the market on Saturday, but apparently it was extremely quiet for the days preceding it. The market seemed somewhat slow to me, but mildly busier than I expected it to be on Saturday, and, but began steadily dropping off on Sunday and Monday, and Tuesday was VERY slow, even by the generally slow standards of what is functionally the last day of the market.
Word on the street is that many of the regular exhibitors on the 5th floor were not too happy with it, especially for the first few days. Although I’ll keep my sources on that anonymous. One notably missing 5th-floor exhibitor was Cinando. It’s possible they moved, but the spot that they normally occupied was vacant. This could be due in part to the growing prominence of MyAFM.
In some ways, it was nice, though. It was never too hard to find a seat, and once you got into the building there were no additional security checks. Not sure if that makes up for the drawbacks though.
4. The Location Expo on the 5th floor was fantastically useful, but under-attended
AFM opened one of the Loews Hotel Ballrooms for use by film commissions and specialty service providers starting on Saturday. It was really useful to be able to talk to various commissions and compare incentives. However, there very few times I saw more than a handful of people there, and I dropped by at least 8 or 9 times because of various sorts of business I had to do with some of the vendors in the rooms. (More soon)
Overall I hope to see it again, but I can’t help but think it would be more useful to all involved if it were in an area that did not require a badge to check out.
5. Early Stage Money exists there (For the Right Projects
I was surprised to see how much traction my team got for an early stage project, despite the fact it has a first time feature director. Admittedly, we came in with a good amount of money already in place, and it’s a good genre for this sort of thing but the fact that there might be a decent amount to come out and report in blogs early next year.
Thanks so much for reading! If you haven’t already, check out the first book on film markets, written by yours truly. Also, join my mailing list for free film market resources so you’re ready for future film markets.
All opinions my own. AFM and the American Film Market are registered trademarks of the Independent Film and Television Alliance (IFTA) This article has not in any way beed endorsed by the IFTA, AFM, or any of its affiliates.
5 Ways to Market Your Movie Besides Social movie
Making. a movie is only the first step. Before you’re done, you’ll have to market it. Here’s a guide for ways to do that besides social media.
There’s a lot of advice on the internet, as well as on this blog about marketing your film using social media. That’s with good reason, Social media is among the most cost-effective ways to market your project if you do it properly. Further, it helps you maintain a long-term relationship with potential customers. That being said, it’s not the only way to market your film. It might not even be the most efficient way when it’s the only thing you do. What follows are 5 ways to market your film other than social media.
For this blog, all 5 of these tactics can and should be used in conjunction with each other, and can greatly augment your social media marketing.
Before we begin, every once in a while I’ll take a question I get on Twitter and turn it into a blog. This question came @AmandaVerhagen a while back, but I’ve not had time to adequately address it until now. If you have a question about film distribution, marketing, financing, or sales, feel free to @Mention @TheGuerrillaRep and I might just write a blog to answer your question.
Events
Hosting an event to spread the word about your project can be a great way to build excitement and generate interest in your project. This can be something as simple as a happy hour at a local bar where you buy a few drinks for strong supporters, or as complex as renting an event space, supplying the booze, and having some people say a few words. Ideally with entertainment.
What you do really comes down to how much time you have to organize and what your budget it. The importance of the milestone you’re celebrating also plays a factor, although any milestone worthy of an event is also likely worthy of some time to organize it
Festivals
Shocking, I know. However what does bear mentioning is that festivals are only as useful as you make them. Getting into festivals can be a great way to expand your network and grow the reputation of the film, however the effect that will have will be limited unless you learn how to work the festival.
Essentially, getting into a festival provides you a space where you can utilize every other item on this list to grow your notoriety, your film’s reputation, and your professional network.
Flyers/Givaways
Having something tangible you can give away to people at events in festivals will help people remember you. They’ll remember you even more if you attach something to the card that has some immediate value beyond the information you’re handing out. This can be as simple as a tiny piece of chocolate attached to a card, a bottle of hand sanitizer, or even a small bottle of alcohol( if the demographic is right.)
Adding a giveaway will help you stand out in the minds of whoever you give your giveaway to .It’s easy to get lost in a pouch of postcards and flyers, but something as simple and cheap as a piece of chocolate can make all of the difference in how you’re remembered by the event goer.
Stunts
Pulling some sort of marketing stunt can be a great way to stand out and attract a bit of press. Whatever you do, you’ve got to make sure you do it safely though.
One of the most famous stunts at Cannes was when someone lit themselves on fire (in a fire suit) and then after they were put out, it was revealed to be an attractive your woman in a bikini who starred in the film she was promoting. Rumor has it the woman later lost that bikini while being interviewed, but that’s another matter. Also, that happened in the late 80’s/early 90’s, so the culture was different.
Your stunt doesn’t have to be as outlandish as that, but should be as memorable. If you have a war movie, you might want to consider throwing toy paratroopers from a rooftop you can gain access to. If you’re promoting at Sundance, a woman in a bikini making a quick walk through the cold with premier tickets would certainly grab some eyeballs and some attention. Especially if you can work in a joke about accidentally packing for Cannes. That said, make sure you have a trenchcoat and hot drinks on hand to help her out when she inevitably gets cold.
In any case, the goal of the stunt is to get eyeballs in a safe and legal way. It’s to help you and your movie be memorable and to ideally attract a bit of the final item on our list.
Publicity
Publicity is almost always the most cost-effective way to spread the word about your project. However, it’s not always the easiest thing to get. Generally, you’ll need a relationship with an outlet, something truly eye-catching, or a good publicist to get any substantial amount of coverage. Sometimes you’ll need all three.
There are a couple of ways you can disseminate a press release. PRNewswire.com is relatively affordable, but it’s unclear how much individual press coverage you’ll get out of it. It does still help with your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to at least a degree though.
Generally, if you can afford a publicist, it’s the best way to go by far. My favorite publicist is October Coast, they’re very cost-effective for the value they provide. While it’s possible to get big marquee press coverage from October Coast it’s unlikely. This means you probably won’t get you the big outlets like Deadline, Variety, or THR, but you will get dozens of relevant niche blogs. In general, you’ll need a higher-cost publicist, or if you’re lucky your distributor, sales agent, or producer’s rep will handle this for you.
EDIT FROM THE FUTURE: There may be a few more things I’ve learned from Running Mutiny that I’ll share in a new blog around the efficacy of paid ads and sponsorships. Comment if that’s of interest.
Thanks for reading! If you want more help financing or distributing your movie, the best place to start is my film business resource pack. It’s got templates, an e-book, and a whole lot more to help you grow your indiefilm company and career. Oh, it’s completely free, get it below.