Film Promotion and Marketing of Post Apocalyptic by Joanne Lloyd

Target audiences and importance of marketing

Marketing informs the audiences of a films release and provides a build –up that creates interest. Marketing can be Pull or Push advertisement, this solely depends on the target audience as different ages are informed by different means.A film distributor is a company or individual responsible for the marketing of a film. Pull and push is important to a distributor as the helps them obtain there target audience. Example of this would be for the majority of cinema goers are between the ages of 15 and 25, this group are typically internet savvy. So to gain an large interest from this audiences would involve websites, apps and bonus features such as interviews and clips. Where as over 30’s, aren't as internet savvy so the best way to advertise to this audiences would be trailers/teasers on TV and Posters. (Push advertisement).Marketing is very important to distributors as they want an good response from box offices and create a profit from the film they have made in a media conglomerates.

Advertising in different forms Trailers are essential to any film marketing as it offers the viewer with questions about the film and hook the viewer if the target audience is met. Posters are not as effective as trailers because they are to be only viewed for a short amount of time, whereas trailers hold audience attention for a few minutes, with action, dialogue, soundtrack and hints towards a narrative. Advertising use various devices and strategies to promote a film a good example being “28 days later (2002)”. From Screen daily website http://www.screendaily.com/marketing-campaign-raises-awareness-of-28-days-later/4011159.article

“A savvy marketing campaign came up trumps in the UK this week as 20th Century Fox launched British director Danny Boyle's latest film 28 Days Later. The horror title defeated all comers in the country including Hollywood heavyweights XXX and Lilo & Stitch and fellow wide openers Changing Lanes and Mr Deeds.”

“The company began a£600,000 television campaign five weeks ahead of the film's release, placing TV spots mostly in male-skewed programming such as high-profile football games and terrestrial television premieres of films such as The Matrix and A Clockwork Orange. These spots featured audience reaction footage taken by night vision cameras of an invited preview audience to entice audiences in.”

This advertising was very effective because it reached its audiences through their other lifestyle interests ( older men and football). This combined with the (then unique) concept of audiences reactions to the film in TV spots added a flare to the film, as it generated a lot of “buzz” and “word of mouth”. As this advertising was interesting the target audience was compelled to go to the cinema.

Genre and target audiences Most effective marketing always reaches they target audiences, by offering unique concepts about the film in term of narrative. One major factor which helps promotion be effective is film genre. As this factor provides a structure of set up in trailers and offers advertisement in other media effectively e.g. horror magazine for horror genre of films.The trailers often follow various conventions based on the genre which they are representing which offer a similarity in sequences and use of mediums e.g. soundtrack, dialogue and camera shots. Some conventions of trailer sequences in post apocalyptic films are ; • the situation = events which have taken place• Characters struggles and relationships = characters

talking about survival and their emotions and back story.

• Locations= scenes of the destruction or symbolic locations

• Build up = Action tensing up and hitting a climax • Soundtrack = is dramatic and build up a sense of fear or

distress • Interesting camera placement= unique shots used

quickly to keep audience attention

link to 28 days later trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eunaclr-WgU

Box office and Campaign effectiveness “Finally the company tried ambient advertising launching a fictitious survivalist website in August creating buzz in chatrooms and propagating the idea of what would happen if a virus as depicted in the film actually occurred, only revealing the site's link to the film the day before previews commenced. They also created flyers featuring the films provocative logo, which incorporates the international biohazard symbol, which circulated at all the UK music festivals throughout the summer and street graffiti in Dublin, as well as projecting the logo onto the Dail, the Irish parliament.”http://www.screendaily.com/marketing-campaign-raises-awareness-of-28-days-later/4011159.article

These forms of advertising were used before the announcement of the or any previews, this created buzz online in chatrooms where target audiences would have been met. Word of mouth was generated by “stunts” of street graffiti and flyers of the logo. These would have become prevalent when the previews and film were revealed, and general audience would have recognised the symbol and be interested in the film. Both these forms of advertising and promotion wouldn’t have been expensive to do, therefore the distributor could maintain budget for bigger more expensive forms of push advertisement e.g. “placing TV spots in high-profile football games”. This was very effective promotion and marketing as the budget for 28 Days Later (2002) was estimated to be $8,000,000. On opening weekend in UK, 3rd November 2002 about £1,500,079 was generated (318 Screens). Gross world wide was $82,719,885. (information on box office was taken from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0289043/business )

What I think we should do and opinions The example I looked at was from a main stream film company within a media conglomerate, however cause are films is supposed to be indie post apocalyptic. We cant focus too much on expensive push advertisement, but instead focus on pull advertisement such as YouTube banners, internet trailers and website design. But we can create posters in Photoshop with snapshots from the trailer, or by taking photos od charters and placing them on a magazine cover as a feature. Many people in this generation have portable media devices such as laptops and smart-phones , because of this feature I think are film should have advertisement in terms of placement on websites such as Odeon cinema web-poster or Duke of York cinema feature in billing. Apps are useful in advertising as they can provide audiences with information about film and extra content e.g. layouts and previews. As apps are personalised to the owner of the phone, advertisement can reach the target audience quickly and gain an interest as they will already had an curiosity in the type of product e.g. horror genre. When a target audience is met there is a buzz generated among people and others may become interested creating more sales.