Shock tactics (marketing Australian films)

There is more and more talk (I think debate is too strong a word) about distributors' marketing of Australian film releases here. Filmmakers and commentators are making the link between the poor performance of local films at the box office and the lack of awareness of these titles within their respective markets, saying marketing campaigns should kick in a lot earlier.

Nash Edgerton, whose local thriller The Square came and went without leaving its mark on the box office, quoted in The Age:

"In this day and age with the amount of films that come out each week you do need to start building awareness early. Look at what Baz Luhrmann's done with Australia. There's been an awareness of that film since before they started shooting."

AFTRS blog the (red) set has more on the Australia campaign - a Hollywood-style release which, by virtue of its origins, should speak to producers, distributors and exhibitors here.

In the current climate (an ice age which looks set to last) distributors cannot be expected to shower as much prints & advertising cash on Australian films than is being done on their American counterparts. What could be done to give local films a warm introduction to their audience?

1) Are distributors being creative enough?

Have local distributors lost their touch? Have years of putting out American products which come complete with all the creative marketing elements in place dulled their ability to sell a film from scratch?

Some current releases are good enough to warrant a little hard work, but instead they get bad posters, last minute press screenings, mixed marketing messages, generic websites (if any), and little-to-no online marketing. Meanwhile other films with commercial potential are simply not distributed widely because the distributors are not sure how to handle them.

2) Could the timing of the campaigns be improved?

Websites put up at the last minute (Newcastle's is only now live even though the film is less than 4 weeks away), long-lead press screenings that miss the deadlines for monthly publications and the absence of teaser campaigns combine to stack the odds against local films even before they hit theatres.

The Australian's Lynden Barber writes the blogosphere's equivalent of an open letter to a distributor about exactly those failings.

When distributors go for a domestic premiere, they should try to get the timing right. Rather than capitalize on a high-profile festival slot at Sydney or Melbourne film festivals, some distributors wait months to release a film, while being unable to sustain the buzz in the intervening time.

3) Are the festival strategies appropriate?

It's shocking how many industry people I've spoken to recently who don't have a firm grasp on festival strategies. Many distributors have not even attended the key events they're aiming to send their films to, and their idea of which are the "hot" festivals is ten years out of date. Some producers I've met have worrying delusions about their films, thinking they have a Cannes film when in fact it'd be better suited for the London Australian Film Festival, or wanting to put a film in an official competition which can't withstand such critical scutiny.

Some events generate sales, others generate publicity, some events are important for building buzz while others are good instruments to raise awareness with niche markets. A world premiere in Dungog rather than Sydney might work for some titles, but it's bound to hurt the chances of others. A world premiere in a well-chosen festival outside Australia can often beat a misunderstood screening at a high-profile homegrown event.

4) How is the technology being used?

There are more and more ways to learn about and watch new films these days, but local distributors seem stuck in an era of traditional delivery: theatrical, then DVD, long-lead then short-lead press.

Where is online streaming? Where is HD video-on-demand? Where are the specialized online movie networks? Where are the promotional widgets and facebook campaigns?

Even blogging is misunderstood by the PR companies hired by distributors. I can't count the number of inelegant, shameless requests I get (and ignore) to promote an upcoming movie without being given the courtesy of an advance screening /screener.

5) Can distributors learn from filmmakers?

Of course it takes a tremendous amount of resources to give a film the noise it requires to make itself heard above the Abba singalongs, talking chihuahuas and garbage-collecting robots. But not all marketing strategies need be expensive.

The internet has become a powerful tool for filmmakers - in the States in particular, where many savvy producers are taking matters into their own hands and handling the distribution themselves. Recent filmmaker-led marketing strategies (necessity is the mother of invention) have come up with some interesting and effective methods to promote a film (the directors of Four-Eyed Monsters will even give you a free tutorial!)...

New wine-themed US indie Bottle Shock, for example, has recently defied industry expectations, choosing to self-distribute and raking in over US$4 million. The film's producer Brenda Lhormer, talks over at film.com about the way she used the internet to promote the film:

That's how we're getting the word out, thank God. We would die without [the internet]. We're working with Yelp on a market to market basis. We've tapped into online film clubs, wine clubs, and wine merchants. We're asking them to get the word out about the movie. (...) We have a gazillion events we've planned through college alumni networks, business alumni networks. It's been this viral wildfire. I'll put it this way: it would be much more lightly attended without the internet publicity.

It's up to distributors, exhibitors and industry networks now to reach out to filmmakers - an unlimited reserve of promotional enthusiasm and DIY resources - and devise joint initiatives to get the film seen (think IFP and Ballast). Consultation needs to happen between those who make the film and those who release it: grassroots campaigns, digital rights management and release strategies can benefit from filmmakers' input... as long as they've done their homework.

Understandably, not all filmmakers are clued up to the laws of the market nor are they equipped to deal with the nuts and bolts of getting prints out there, but underestimating what they can bring to a film's campaign can be fatal.