How do institutions use digital technology to promote films?
Released - 21st May 2010
DVD Release - 24th May 2010
Total Gross Box Office of £3, 000
Better performances were seen across the DVD release (achieved sales of £9, 500)
Online Marketing
- Lionsgate's release was centered on a digital strategy with the aim of engaging and interacting with the core horror and 15-24 audiences - creating a hype and excitement around the film release and spreading it virally
- 600, 000 fans on Facebook (out of 3.3 million people in the 15-24 demographic)
- Lionsgate already communicated with 20, 000 of them through the Facebook pages of Saw V and VI
- Target audience were encouraged to 'fan' the film on Facebook and spread it virally through their friends
- There was very little wastage in their advertising as it allowed them to target their audience very specifically
Facebook Voting Ads
- Had film branding to drive awareness
- A click to play trailer
- Posing question to user ('What would you kill for?') and their answers were published to their friends who were then encouraged to take part
- Users were at one point encouraged to become a fan for the chance to win digital recording equipment
- Users were using the applications of the page but weren't becoming fans, they had to modify the page so users were asked to become fans of the page and the number of fans increased
- Facebook campaign ran for 5 weeks - first 2 weeks used to target horror fans and the remaining 3 for targeting the broader 15-24 audience
- Advertising spend extended to an over-all 10.5 mil.
- The Facebook campaign performed well, delivering a higher rate of engagment than normally would have been expected with this kind of advertising
- Facebook changed their site during the Heartless campaign from users being able to 'become a fan' to them 'liking' the page - this highlights that there are risks using sites such as Facebook to campaign as they possess the ability to change their site without warning
Offline Marketing
TV and press advertising followed up the DVD and Blu-ray launch
Monday 21 March 2011
Monday 14 March 2011
How did Momentum Pictures market and distribute The King's Speech?
With what is considered a low budget of £9,232,500, the King's Speech is an 'art-house film' based on the Royal Family during World War 2. With a widely successful cast and the help of distribution companies such as Paramount Pictures and The Weinstein Company, catching the audience's attention was made to look easy by Momentum.
The poster for the film pulls the focus of the target audience to the three main stars, Colin Firth, Helena Bonham-Carter and Geoffrey Rush. One of the main selling points of the film is it's cast, and using the poster and many opportunities for interviews to promote the film put an emphasis on the actors included and draws in the attention of the target demographic. The poster has a particular regal feel to it, playing on the fact that the film is based around the King and the typically British Royal Family, this would attract a large audience of people outside of the UK as the Royal Family is a particular tourist attraction. Although the films was predicted not to receive much attention from the public, the poster omits any media reviews which would otherwise convince an audience that is on the fence to go and see a film, making it obvious that the instant success of the film was not predicted.
The official website was scarce to begin with, only featuring the trailer for the film and small 'About' section. Although the film had no publicity through social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, it was promoted through the studio's pages and feeds. This gave regular updates about the movies marketing and publicity.
The positive word of mouth that surrounded the film came from the light hearted side of the trailer in which we see the comedic scenes between Firth and Rush before being reminded of the seriousness of the era in which it is set. The trailer balances the comedy and the drama well and shows off the performances of Firth and Rush. After the film's debut at the Telluride Film Festival the word out mouth about the movie spread after it became an instant awards contender. The background of the film revealed the writer had suffered from a similar impediment as the King, making it feel more personal.
The movie was tactfully set to be released just in time for the awards season which allowed it to gain plenty of recognition for nominations. Although the talk of the film may only have lasted a short while after the hype had died down, the timing of the release allowed the frenzy to continue as the King's Speech picked up 121 award nominations.
The King's Speech is set to be released on DVD on 9th May 2011, shortly after the 'Royal Wedding' where a lot of media attention will be on Britain and the Royal Family.
The poster for the film pulls the focus of the target audience to the three main stars, Colin Firth, Helena Bonham-Carter and Geoffrey Rush. One of the main selling points of the film is it's cast, and using the poster and many opportunities for interviews to promote the film put an emphasis on the actors included and draws in the attention of the target demographic. The poster has a particular regal feel to it, playing on the fact that the film is based around the King and the typically British Royal Family, this would attract a large audience of people outside of the UK as the Royal Family is a particular tourist attraction. Although the films was predicted not to receive much attention from the public, the poster omits any media reviews which would otherwise convince an audience that is on the fence to go and see a film, making it obvious that the instant success of the film was not predicted.
The official website was scarce to begin with, only featuring the trailer for the film and small 'About' section. Although the film had no publicity through social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, it was promoted through the studio's pages and feeds. This gave regular updates about the movies marketing and publicity.
The positive word of mouth that surrounded the film came from the light hearted side of the trailer in which we see the comedic scenes between Firth and Rush before being reminded of the seriousness of the era in which it is set. The trailer balances the comedy and the drama well and shows off the performances of Firth and Rush. After the film's debut at the Telluride Film Festival the word out mouth about the movie spread after it became an instant awards contender. The background of the film revealed the writer had suffered from a similar impediment as the King, making it feel more personal.
The movie was tactfully set to be released just in time for the awards season which allowed it to gain plenty of recognition for nominations. Although the talk of the film may only have lasted a short while after the hype had died down, the timing of the release allowed the frenzy to continue as the King's Speech picked up 121 award nominations.
The King's Speech is set to be released on DVD on 9th May 2011, shortly after the 'Royal Wedding' where a lot of media attention will be on Britain and the Royal Family.
UK Film Council - FAQs
- Both the BFI and Film London are taking over functions that once belonged to the UK Film Council. For the BFI this will include the distribution of National Lottery funding.
- Film London will be encouraging inward investment in the UK in a partnership with Warner Bros., Pinewood Studios Group, the Production Guild, UK Screen Association and others.
- The Innovation Fund was an initiative proposed in the UK Film Council's 3 year plan, however the decision to abolish the UKFC was made before the fund was launched and so the it was frozen.
- The Certification of films is still responsibility of the UK Film Council and will be until the 31st March 2011 when it will be handed over the the BFI
- The Film Fund and the Prints and Advertising Fund will continue to accept and assess applications for funding and will continue until 31 March 2012. After that it will be for the BFI, in consultation with the Government, the film sector and other stakeholders, to decide on its future policy and funding priorities.
- Film London will be encouraging inward investment in the UK in a partnership with Warner Bros., Pinewood Studios Group, the Production Guild, UK Screen Association and others.
- The Innovation Fund was an initiative proposed in the UK Film Council's 3 year plan, however the decision to abolish the UKFC was made before the fund was launched and so the it was frozen.
- The Certification of films is still responsibility of the UK Film Council and will be until the 31st March 2011 when it will be handed over the the BFI
- The Film Fund and the Prints and Advertising Fund will continue to accept and assess applications for funding and will continue until 31 March 2012. After that it will be for the BFI, in consultation with the Government, the film sector and other stakeholders, to decide on its future policy and funding priorities.
Monday 7 March 2011
The King's Speech
The King's Speech - The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/feb/11/the-kings-speech-british-film
- Colin Firth did not support the film receiving a PG-13 rating in the US meaning all swearing had to be cut from the film
- The director of the film was predicted as likely to lose out on an Oscar although the cast, composer and writer seemed to be definite winners
- Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush will all receive $1m regardless of the Oscar results
- It is though to have revived the British Film Industry, even after being turned down by both Film4 and the BBC
- The director is now in demand to direct new Hollywood films such as Iron Man 3 after the Oscar success of The King's Speech
- 'Momentum' pictures distributed the King's Speech
- 3.52 mil. opening weekend as opposed to Slumdog Millionaire's £1.83 mil.
- Odeon Leicester Square grossed £106, 000 in one night
- Top regional site was Odeon Guildford with £28, 000 (audience demographic in Guildford is exactly the type they were targeting)
- UK Film Council - who's government funding has been axed - funded the film after it was rejected by BBC and Film 4 for funding.
- 'Marathon publicity effort, strong critical support and bold positioning by distributor' can contribute to the success of a film
- 'The 10% Rule' which suggests that the UK gross of a film in sterling will usually be around a 10th of the US figure in dollars
- Funding from 6 different independent bodies including See Saw, Bedlam Momentum, UK Film Council, Transmission
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/feb/11/the-kings-speech-british-film
- Colin Firth did not support the film receiving a PG-13 rating in the US meaning all swearing had to be cut from the film
- The director of the film was predicted as likely to lose out on an Oscar although the cast, composer and writer seemed to be definite winners
- Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush will all receive $1m regardless of the Oscar results
- It is though to have revived the British Film Industry, even after being turned down by both Film4 and the BBC
- The director is now in demand to direct new Hollywood films such as Iron Man 3 after the Oscar success of The King's Speech
Tuesday 1 March 2011
Marketing for Avatar
US Conglomerates can use their massive size to influence their target audience into seeing their films.With the social media at the making or breaking of new releases, Fox decided to enter the market with the most expensive film ever made. Promotional deals made with Coke Zero and Mcdonalds allowed customers to gain access to the virtual world of Pandora by downloading an AR application on AVTR.com. Mcdonalds went on to create a virtual world where customers could discover different aspects of Pandora.
Cameron revealed in August 2009 that there would be a 15 minute promotional video in cinemas.
The film began with fairely low key actors and a story line and characters that had yet to be established, and so the costs of production were vast. He was confident, however, that the marketing would help establish Avatar as a must-see without the support of known characters, adding: “I think people recognise when you show them something you’ve never shown them before, something that’s new and fresh. You don’t need a brand.”
Cameron revealed in August 2009 that there would be a 15 minute promotional video in cinemas.
The film began with fairely low key actors and a story line and characters that had yet to be established, and so the costs of production were vast. He was confident, however, that the marketing would help establish Avatar as a must-see without the support of known characters, adding: “I think people recognise when you show them something you’ve never shown them before, something that’s new and fresh. You don’t need a brand.”
Saturday 26 February 2011
Who do you believe is the most influential institution in the British Film Industry?
Throughout the British Film Industry there are three main influential bodies, The British Film Institution (BFI), The UK Film Council and The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). Of these three, I believe The UK Film Council is most influential.
The British Film Institution was created in 1933 as a private company although has received a lot of public funding throughout the years. Currently, the BFI have three sources of income; various grants and sponsorships are obtained from sources including the National Lottery and private donations, commercial activity from the BFI Southbank and the BFI London Imax and finally, public money allocated through the UK Film Council. This shows that the UK Film Council has an amount of control over the funding the BFI receive and so it can be said that due to their control over the funds of the BFI, they have a greater influence within the British Film Industry.
The British Board of Film Classification on the other hand has a lot of influence over the distribution of films. They can set the rating for a film – U, PG, 12, 12A, 15, 18 or R18 - and perceive whether the film will be a success. If a film is aimed at a younger audience but has had the rating of 18, the film is going to be less successful as it would not appeal to people at the age of 18 or over. Therefore, the distribution of films depends highly on the ratings awarded by the BBFC and whether or not they think it is suitable for the target audience.
The UK Film Council was set up by the Labour government in 2000, and is a department that promotes and develops the film industry in the UK. They have generated nearly £700 million in box offices across the world and offer advice during the editing stages of films to make sure the certification awarded reflects the target audience. In addition, they provide expert assistance for a majority of mainstream British films as well as those that promote upcoming actors or directors, helping to improve the image of the British Film Industry as a whole.
As well as establishing and promoting new films in the British Industry, the UK Film Council can also assist in promoting films in America and across the world to gain them recognition. In doing so, they create larger profits for the film and therefore the industry and can boost the economy of the country. The Boat That Rocked is an example of a Working Title Films production that was unpredictably unsuccessful in the UK. The UK Film Council however provided their expertise and influence for Working Title and helped promote the film in America. They renamed the production ‘Pirate Radio’ and created a brand new trailer that would appeal to the US audience. The film was a lot more successful in the USA than the UK due to the help and advice provided by the UKFC. Although they are under the threat of the government cutting their funding, the UK Film Council remains one of the main influential bodies in the British Film Industry. They lobby at the BBFC and so use their position to influence the decisions made, they can help very small British films companies distribute their films in the USA and develop new film makers, get a wider choice of films to audiences in the UK, promote Britain as an international film making location and raise the profits of British films abroad, therefore boosting the British economy and having a large influence on all profits made.
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