Zach Rayment – MARKETING CAMPAIGN

What kind of film is it?• Event; Mainstream; Niche; Cult following.• Is there any 'star' status actors, producers or

directors behind the film which can benefit the campaign commercially.

• Is the film hoping for some sort of nomination for an award: Oscars, British Academy Film Awards, etc.

• What certificate will it carry? (age rating); who can/can't see it? 

• Is it a sequel/prequel to an existing franchise? if so, how is it different while keeping key themes from its predecessor. 

When should it go out?The possibility of competition could affect when the film is released publicly. For example, Batman Vs. Superman and Captain America: Civil War were originally set to release to dates close to each other worldwide, this was an issue as both films are of the same genre (superhero) and this made the makers of the films conscious that it is unlikely that the mainstream audience will see two films of the same genre at the same time, unless they are strong fans of both of the franchises. Another thing to consider when releasing a film, are current events, such as seasonal sporting events, such as the olympic games, football, rugby, etc. These type of events may keep the audience from your film over these periods; consuming them for weeks at a time if your demographic is apart of this fan base. Where should it go?Where it is released, depends upon what type of film it is, and the funding for marketing, distribution and

Zach Rayment – MARKETING CAMPAIGN

exchange (theatrical / digital / straight to DVD release). If the film has the potential for theatrical release, it needs enough marketing to reach the target audience, if this is possible, it can be released into many theatres. However, if the film has little funding left after production, companies such as  "Our Screen" offer an alternative. Our screen allows film fans to control their local cinema, they pick the film, chose where and when, if enough people book tickets - there is a screening.In some circumstances, a film may be 'platformed' in a single location before mainstream release. Most films released in the UK are on fewer than 100 prints. London, with an increasingly diverse population of 12.4m people (mixture of potential audiences / demographics), accounts for about a quarter of UK cinema admissions.How is the filming going to be released?The film will be released as early as possible, the distributer would view the finished film themselves, then confirms the planned released date. UK distributors, who would generally cover all of the release costs, including marketing and print production, draw up a detailed budget. This covers both the launch, and the overall sustaining of the film post-release. The investment and projected returns can be reassessed subject to commercial performance week by week.To release a film theatrically in the uk, can vary from 1000s of pounds, up to an excess of £4-5 million per film. Worldwide this figure increases dramatically. For a film that costs $100-200 million to produce, the costs of distribution can climb to a further

Zach Rayment – MARKETING CAMPAIGN

expenditure of $100 million + to release; this huge expenditure being committed before any income from the release, so the stakes are high in this sense, and failure will be costly.Film MarketingThe distributor's job is to raise enough awareness and interest in a film to persuade potential audiences to buy tickets, and then to go and see it at the nearest cinema at the earliest opportunity. Rather than all other entertainment options at the time; competition as I described earlier.Film ArtworkThe artwork for a film is based around the: stars, genre, credits and relevant tagline's which interest the target audience.Film posters will often be either created by the studio, or a sales agent. Then rolled out internationally / adapted for use local use. Alternatively, they may be devised in the UK from scratch, depending on what approved materials are available for the poster, and how the film is best positioned and therefore targeted for these local audiences.Many months before the release date of a film, a website, as well as an initial teaser poster may be created, in order to announce that the film is coming out soon. This stage is referred to as the 'early building blocks' of marketing, generally including phrases such as 'Coming soon', 'From the makers of….'. or some other form of a tagline.TrailersTrailers are often described as one of the strongest assets, and even one of the most cost effective marketing techniques available to a film distributer.

Zach Rayment – MARKETING CAMPAIGN

As it is the first audio-visual form of advertising pre tv, online and any other forms of promotional material such as this.Trailers are shown theatrically - before a film, online on video streaming services - such as youtube, Tv, and can even be streamed straight to your mobile devices through apps that feature info on or copies of the film/yet to release - such as flixter (for film info & trailers) and iTunes (for digital download). Exit Polls / Early ScreeningsThese are generally conducted as people are leaving a paid screening of your film, either on the weekend of release or after an exclusive pre public theatrical release, in private screenings. These types of early screenings are often done to spread word about the film; hopefully positive. As well as this, film critics are often also invited to their own private viewing before the public release date, to create a buzz about the film when they critic it in their published articles, again, hopefully positive. For these exit polls that I referred to, the audience are often asked questions about how they would rate the film: Excellent, good, fair, poor, etc. They are also asked questions such as "Would you refer this film to your friends/family?". As well as often being asked if they would purchase the film on dvd/digitally after theatrical release - when available.Digital MarketingDigital marketing ranges from websites dedicated about the film, to viral campaigns. This broad stage also includes the maintaining of social media feeds; publicising the film, to give it a social media presence. Larger distributers with their own websites, will often dedicate "microsite's" to each

Zach Rayment – MARKETING CAMPAIGN

individual film they wish to promote through their site. Essentially this microsite is a dedicated part of their website which has its own collection of pages only accessible through this microsite. To further increase their digital presence, distributers will use methods such as monetisation, which means other sites, games, etc will advertise the film, and every time the link for the film is clicked (such as an image of the poster, or trailer for the film, etc), the company advertising your film is payed a small sum for every click.  Publicity Publicity covers the featuring of your film on the front cover / article inside of a magazine, to a leading critics positive response. Publicists today need to think of the impact of all forms of media available to them, especially digitally, where everything is instant and some processes can be free - such as social media publicity. PromotionsThe campaigns area of promotion comprise several elements: licensing and merchandising, third-party brand promotions, media and exhibitor promotions, screening programmes, and more.For merchandising, Manufacturers are licensed for use of approved logo's, symbols, images or character in association with the film. This merchandise will be on sale to the public through stores and various online retailers, helping to enhance the film's overall presence and to enrich their profile. The ranges of merchandising can vary from: action figures, to ringtones, to clothing, to stationery, to calendars, to anything possible, practically without any limitation. Films regularly have official soundtracks, games and

Zach Rayment – MARKETING CAMPAIGN

books, which can generate significant revenues along side the film.For example, the song "Hanging tree" featured in mocking jay part 1, was available for digital download on iTunes during the time of public release of the film theatrically. This provided significant revenue, as well as promoting the artist; James newton Howard. This is an example of synergy, as both the artist, and the film's producers profit financially, and find benefits here publicity wise. Research & TrackingResearch for your film, identifies which parts of the film your target audience liked, and didn't. Along will identifying which characters/actors they appealed to the most, as well as how much they liked the setting, etc. This data affects which shots/stills are selected for the trailers, tv spots, artwork, website, etc.