Producers and Audiences

1. Producers and Audiences 9. The major selling points of films

2. Objective • Understand what the major selling points of films are, and how institutions like film companies use them to make the film more appealing to the public

3. Let’s look at a film poster How does the poster sell the film?

4. Let’s look at a film poster Stars at the top – famous! Love interest in the background – she’s not too important Holmes and Watson centre; Holmes has a smug smile (he will win) Watson’s cane and haughty expression indicate pride/contempt Villain of film Tagline – play on words Credits tell us finer details

5. Film posters are the end product • They are made long after a film is cast and are therefore a feature of post-production • Pre-production is where a film is deemed to be viable by a studio • We will look at this process first before returning to post-production and marketing

6. The film pitch This is when the idea of a film is presented to commissioning executives at a film company. Someone might have a very short time, sometimes 5 minutes, so the pitch needs to contain all the details of the film: • Brief summary of the plot • Similarities to other films • Potential stars for the film Merchandising and franchise opportunities might be discussed too – depending on who is pitching the idea

7. What might a studio executive go for? • We will look at the possible selling points of films in depth now • Be aware though that this might not always be a guaranteed formula for success (we will see why films fail in a later lesson)

8. 1. “[Star] is in it!” • Believe it or not, film stars often decide they want to do a project before the film is actually made. • Their agent will send them a script. • Sometimes, a star just being on board makes it more likely that the film will be made (especially if they are a big box-office draw like Tom Cruise or Johnny Depp)

9. 2. “It’s been written by [writer]!” • Writers are usually the last to get paid, but depending on how successful they have been in the past, they might guarantee success • Paul Haggis (Crash, Million Dollar Baby) • Joss Whedon (Buffy/Angel) • Kevin Smith (Jay and Silent Bob, Dogma) • Matt Damon and Ben Affleck (Oscar!) • Joe Eszterhas (trashy hits – Basic Instinct, Showgirls) • Nora Ephron (romantic comedies with Meg Ryan)

10. 3. “It’s just like [mega-hit]” • The public know what they like, and they like what they know • That’s why so many films are similar to one another • Vampire films, horror films, romantic comedies, pirate films, wizard and magic films. Christmas films…

11. 4 “[Director] has made it” • Some directors get on board very early; they may even write the screenplay under a pseudonym • If the director is known, he or she will often sell the film because the public has a track record of seeing their films • Clint Eastwood, Quentin Tarantino, David Fincher…

12. 5. “[Famous person] likes it and is willing to put their name to it” • Necessary when you are trying to sell your film in America • “Ben Stiller presents” [Submarine] • “Steven Spielberg presents” [Super 8] • Use a bigger name to sell a smaller name • You often make more money as a producer or through a production company

13. 6. “Everyone else is watching it.” • Word-of-mouth (particularly when your ‘mouth’ happens to be the Internet and your Facebook page!) is a great way of encouraging other people to watch a film • Of course, this can also generate negative publicity around the film so those who are doing so often work within the parameters of the film and production company. • Twitter hash-tags; Facebook pages; BBM?

14. So, what’s next? • Once the film is made, film studios create marketing materials (like film posters) • Often a film company sets aside an equal amount of money to that of the film’s budget to market the film • Usually it works… • Sometimes it doesn’t…

15. Marketing Strategy • Film posters • Personal / press appearances • Television appearances • Websites • Press interviews • All of this will emphasise the selling points of the film • But this doesn’t necessarily mean the film will sell tickets!