I was thinking, traditional distribution is get a movie in the theatre, make almost nothing off that, but then hope that generates a buzz so money is made in the other distribution channels (DVD rentals, cable, etc). But with the popularity of DVD rentals by mail using BlockBuster online and Netflix, it seems to me that the "buzz" that can make or break many movies is the user ratings on such sites, or also imdb or other movie user rating sites. In other words what I am trying to say is it seems to me that if an indie producer/studio puts out a good or great movie, wouldn't it stand a good chance of getting seen lots once users pick up on it and rate it? I guess I am not sure if that would translate into financial return or not, if a flat deal was made to Blockbuster/other, since that deal might be made before the film's popularity was discovered; or would the deal involve residuals ($) to the indie producer based on the quantity of rentals/downloads over the years?
user ratings as marketing ?
- Thread starter Joe999
- Start date
Sure it would stand a chance of getting seen.
No one is really sure what translates into financial return. Many films that
seem a sure hit - big name actors, well known director, topical story
(Lions for Lambs) - fail, and many films that come out of nowhere with
lesser known actors, unknown director and cliche story (Juno) are big hits.
In the future more and more movies are going to be going directly to DVD
and download. The producers of those movies will want the deal to involve
residuals based on quantity of rentals/downloads over the years. That's
exactly what the current writers strike is about. The writers want the producers
to share a bit of those residuals. they are trying to keep the writers out of
that aspect. That leads me to believe they think residuals for downloads is
going to be a huge number very soon.
The most common error people make when thinking about marketing, is to confused the delivery system, with the marketing system.
So, for instance, because Youtube can create massive audiences for particular clips, it's tempting to believe that you can build a marketing strategy for a film around Youtube. The same, I suspect, is true of Blockbuster's delivery system. Both are excellent delivery systems, but require special circumstances to also serve as marketing tools.
Other than all the complex "how to" questions, in terms of "how do you create a great film?"... there is only really one huge question in this industry... "how do I get an audience for my movie?"
Seriously, when it comes to getting a return on your film, this is the most important point. And, there aren't any pat answers.
There is however an easy way to test your theory... market research. Find as large a sample group of your target demographic as possible and get them to list their last ten film rentals.... then ask them to list next to each rental either how they heard about that film and why they decided on that film over another.
The larger your sample size, the better the answer will be. If your sample often pick out a film by an unknown director, with an unknown cast, based purely on ratings points... then all you have to do is figure out how to massage the ratings points.
But, you do need to be aware that the reasons people give for doing things and the reasons they actually did it don't always tie up.
So, for instance, because Youtube can create massive audiences for particular clips, it's tempting to believe that you can build a marketing strategy for a film around Youtube. The same, I suspect, is true of Blockbuster's delivery system. Both are excellent delivery systems, but require special circumstances to also serve as marketing tools.
Other than all the complex "how to" questions, in terms of "how do you create a great film?"... there is only really one huge question in this industry... "how do I get an audience for my movie?"
Seriously, when it comes to getting a return on your film, this is the most important point. And, there aren't any pat answers.
There is however an easy way to test your theory... market research. Find as large a sample group of your target demographic as possible and get them to list their last ten film rentals.... then ask them to list next to each rental either how they heard about that film and why they decided on that film over another.
The larger your sample size, the better the answer will be. If your sample often pick out a film by an unknown director, with an unknown cast, based purely on ratings points... then all you have to do is figure out how to massage the ratings points.
But, you do need to be aware that the reasons people give for doing things and the reasons they actually did it don't always tie up.