catering and product placement

[dlevanchuk]

majority of my no-money budget goes to food, so im kind of trying to find a way to cut that out, to bring more money on the screen..

has anybody tried to contact major food/beverage brands or restaurants to request something like a free box of drinks, or some food for a crew in exchange to do a product placement in your movie thats being made for festivals?

 

[directorik]

majority of my no-money budget goes to food, so im kind of trying to find a way to cut that out, to bring more money on the screen..

has anybody tried to contact major food/beverage brands or restaurants to request something like a free box of drinks, or some food for a crew in exchange to do a product placement in your movie thats being made for festivals?

I have. And I've had more luck with local restaurants than
with nationals.

What the major brands and national restaurants are interested
in is exposure - advertising. You will need to contact their
marketing/product placement departments and they will ask
about the film. Entering festivals is usually not enough - but that
doesn't mean they won't do it. If you don't ask you will never know.

Put together a pitch and be realistic. The fact that you will enter
festivals doesn't mean your movie will be seen by anyone - and
that's what product placement is all about; being seen by a lot of
people.

Local places are usually more open to donations. Sometimes they
are excited by being part of a local movie production.

 

[NickClapper]

The set that I worked on out in Canada was 'sponsored' by Snapple (ice tea only), Dr Pepper, Orange Crush (which I'd never drunk and is gross) and PopChips (which are awesome). There was so much snaffle and 'pop' (as the Canadians would say) that there was tons left over at the end of the shoot.

The conditions of the sponsorship weren't even that the product had to be featured in the film (although they did give them the rights to be shown and Snapple made a brief cameo). I recommend writing a whole bunch of letters and, eventually, people will be willing to send you some stuff. That said, the producer did say that she probably sent 1000 letters seeking bits and pieces of corporate sponsorship. But you've got to work hard if you want free stuff (in some sort of reverse logic...).

 

[dlevanchuk]

excellent info! thank you

 

[jmoschner]

Also try grocery stores. Some local ones might be willing to donate some food items that are right near expiration or some store brand drinks, etc.

As a general tip, when you are doing the catering try doing things like using sports coolers of kool aide/powdered drink mix and one of ice water and using cheap plastic or reusable cups people can write their names on. Much cheaper than soda and bottled water.