Want Your Film to Succeed? Read On (PR Tips for your Film & More)

It used to be that a film company would spend the same amount of money marketing a film as it would spend producing a film. The P&A, or prints and advertising would include the prints, advertising, PR, screening, basically anything that had to do with getting the film out to the public and creating a buzz.

In this digital world the word “prints” is rather rapidly fading from our vocabulary, but everything that falls under the advertising umbrella is still mandatory. And now you can add a host of other must-haves such as a website, social media strategy, EPK (electronic press kit), a blog, etc.

The trouble is that most producers in the world of independent filmmaking seem to factor very little of the above into their overall budgets. Oh, they’ll generally build a website, maybe put a few trailers on YouTube, do a minor Facebook outreach and then…. Wait.

What they don’t do is start by creating an initial budget that includes, at the very least, a web designer/webmaster, a graphic artist, a savvy social media consultant, and an experienced PR firm, or PR consultant.

What they don’t do is what you want to make sure you do.

You want to cover all of your basis from day one, since, chances are you’re not going to do this after the fact. After you’ve produced your film, unless you’ve budgeted and carefully prepared, your money is spent, you’re in a rush to get it out there, you’re exhausted and the last thing you want to do is come up with a savvy, creative marketing approach.

At that point, in all probability, you’re going to throw up a website, cut a fast YouTube trailer, send out some tweets and Facebook posts, write and send out a novice press release (with no strategy or follow up). If you’re smart you’ll make sure you’re listed on IMBD and that you have your own Wikipedia page. Then, thinking you’ve covered all the basis, you’ll kick back and wait.

Then…

you’ll wait some more.

You’ll then either come to the conclusion that no one understands how brilliant your film is and the world’s just not ready for you yet, or that marketing and PR are a waste of time. They must be. No one responded.

The truth is, you didn’t prepare, you didn’t give marketing or PR a chance and you didn’t give your film a chance. You could have a gem, a real hit on your hands and never know it.

Now the good news.

You can do it differently. It’s best if you plan for all of the above at the pre pre production stage of your film, but, no matter what stage of the process you’re in, you can stop review the situation, develop a new gameplan and prepare for success.

In my PR for Filmmaker workshops, I cover all of the basics that you need to know to help your film succeed. If you can’t make it to one of workshops, follow our blog. If you have questions, shoot us an email.

As a wise man once said, knowledge is power, so learn as much as you can, do your preparation and give your film a real shot at success.

Film Publicity

Producing A Film? Create Your PR Plan First

Making a film can be a magical experience, but many filmmakers get so excited about and engrossed in the making of their film that they forget producing their film is only step one. Actually the production of your film should be pretty far down the line in your film to-do list. Particularly when it comes to new filmmakers, the excitement of making a film, and all that is involved in scripting, pre-producing, casting, production and post production, has a tendency to become all consuming. Creating the film becomes everything. But here’s the question, what are you going to do once your film (filled with joy, enthusiasm and dreams as well as blood sweat and tears) is completed. How are you going to get your film, promoted, marketed, distributed? How are you going to build that bridge between your finished product and your audience?

If this article were actually a script, we’d be having a flashback sequence here. We flash back to the incarnation of your project. We would fade back to before you edited, shot, cast, or wrote your film and add a new focus to the process. In this sequence your new flash back approach in the past would change your future. You’d figure out a game plan outlining how to PR, promote and market your film. Your new public relations plan would act as a guide, as a roadmap as you moved forward in your filmmaking process. It would be a bridge-building process between you, your audience, distributors, potential investors and influences. It would be the focus that helped insure your film would have a strong shot at succeeding.

So many filmmakers come to me after they’ve finished their film. They’ve been so wrapped in the process and the project has inevitably gone over budget. They didn’t consider a marketing campaign before they started production and now have very little money left for marketing. There’s often little I can do for them at that point. Those I have most success with either start with me during pre-production, or from the start realized that marketing was an essential part of the game plan and kept that in mind during the production process.

Ideally you want to start promoting your film and creating a buzz online and in the media before you finish shooting or editing your project. A well thought out media relations and social media campaign can serve you in a number of ways. Keep in mind, depending on your needs; you are going to be addressing different audiences with your media relations campaign. One outreach could be directed to the general public, another to a more targeted grout of viewers, another to distributors and still another to possible investors. You can also start creating a buzz for upcoming projects while promoting your current film.

So dive into your film project. Make the very best film you can. But be smart about it. Make a PR and marketing campaign an essential part of your film’s game plan. You don’t want to end up with a film that a few of your friends see, or gathers dust in your home, or gets submitted to a few film festivals and then fades away. You’ve put your heart, soul, time and money into your film project. You now owe it to the film and to yourself to give it a chance to succeed.

The PR & Distribution Connection for Indie Films

There are two primary areas where most independent films run into roadblocks, the first is marketing/PR and the second is distribution. That has pretty much always been the case, but now, with the film industry in such flux and more competitive than ever, it’s becoming even more of a challenge. Marketing, public relations and media exposure do not only create a buzz and help establish your brand, but these strategies can also solidify distribution interest, and interest film festivals. Distribution gives your film a way to reach your audience

At Anthony Mora Communications, Inc. we’ve been promoting major and independent feature films and documentaries for years. Having worked as a screenwriter and indie film producer, I know the hazards and pitfalls of getting a film from concept to the market. With that in mind, we’ve developed a unique PR and distribution outreach designed to publicize and market films as well as secure distribution.

Our firm specializes in media placement, media training and image development. We have placed clients in a wide range of local, national and international media venues including: Time, Newsweek, The Today Show, 60 Minutes, CBS This Morning, CBS Evening News, People, US, Entertainment Tonight, Premiere, Fox News, USA Today, CNN, MSNBC, 20/20, Oprah, The London Times, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, and various other media outlets.

Making a film can be a magical experience, but many filmmakers get so immersed in the making of their film that they forget about focusing on the next steps, specifically marketing and securing distribution. Too many filmmakers forget to ask themselves what they are going to do once their film is completed. How are they going to get their film, promoted, marketed, and distributed? What is their gameplan for building that bridge between the finished product and the audience?

What we’ve developed are unique PR and distribution film packages with the independent filmmaker in mind. The approach is to actively PR and market a film while pursuing distribution through a number of channels including theatrical, DVD, VOD/Pay TV, and Online/Streaming.

We deal directly with distributors to make sure your film get the best deal and secure the widest release possible. By coupling our distribution efforts with a simultaneous specialized publicity campaign, we increase your film’s exposure both during the process of securing distribution, and during your film’s release.

If you have a completed independent film and are seeking distribution and publicity we can help. We have worked with a wide array of movies. Each film is unique and there are an almost infinite number of different strategies we can utilize depending on the needs of each project. Your primary objectives are to have your film find its audience and to make your project profitable. Public relations and distribution are the two keys that can help you reach your goals.