PR Secrets for Independent Films

I met with an independent filmmaker the other day about his PR needs for his upcoming film.

Why is that news?

Because he met with me to discuss launching a public relations campaign for his film six months before he will start shooting.

We’ve been representing films for over two decades and believe me this is news.

Generally we'll be contacted by filmmakers once their film has been shot and locked, often a week before the first screening. These filmmakers have generally put a great amount of thought into the making of their film, but little or none into the marketing or promotion.

And that is the kiss of death.

You can make an amazing film, but if you don’t find some way to get it in front of the public only you, your family, and your closest friends will know about it.

So, back to my meeting: the filmmaker wanted to launch well before principal shooting began in order to create an early buzz about the project. He then wanted to do some on-the-set promotion to offer the audience behind the scenes stories and then shift the focus once the film was ready to screen. He hadn’t locked down distribution, so part of the PR outreach was to interest distributors as well as to begin to build a name for himself in the industry.

Before contacting my firm, he had been sending out press releases through a wire service and was unhappy with the results. People commonly mistake sending out press releases with launching a PR campaign and nothing could be further from the truth. Press releases are a tool, but nothing more. Sending out a release through one of the paid wire services can help a film’s SEO, but seldom (unless there is a strong newsworthy element or an A-list celebrity attached) will it result in actual media coverage.

He then brought on an intern and had her try her luck at landing media coverage for his production company and upcoming film. That was unfair both to the intern and the media. It placed the intern in a no-win situation since she had no idea how to launch a film PR campaign and it wasted the media’s time. She was busy trying to sell a product, whereas what the media was looking for stories. She inundated producers, editors and writers with the film’s one-sheet which is a sales sheet designed to attract buyers and distributors.

The media hates one-sheets.

I’m repeating myself here, but this can’t be overstated, journalists want stories. If you try and sell them, you lose them. It’s as simple as that.

For a media relations campaign to work:

Start early
Know the right contacts
Develop compelling stories
Remember less is more
Be persistent
Be creative
Follow through
Treat the media with respect
Remember effective PR is effective storytelling

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

The Film Festival Marketing Approach

Film festivals are definitely one approach to market and showcase your film and one I would encourage any filmmaker to consider. But using that as your sole approach can backfire. Let’s say one of your primary goals is to show your film at film festivals, particularly at the top festivals. Fine, the film festival route is certainly a viable one when it comes to promoting and marketing your film, but keep in mind that’s not the only route. Plenty of independent films land a distributor or self distribute and find an audience going different routes altogether. Regardless of whether you go the film festival route or have another strategy, you should start thinking about your film’s marketing and release strategy as soon as possible. If you’re smart, you’ll start before the screenplay is finished, certainly before the first frame has been shot.

Remember, the PR & marketing can be the engine that drives the project. It can open doors to distribution, financing and build your audience base. Keep your options open every step of the way. As I mentioned earlier festivals are one approach, but not the only one. Let’s say you’re working on a documentary; you have a number of distribution and showing possibilities from the festivals, to theatrical to outside the box screenings at schools, museums, organizations and churches. Often these types of screenings can run even during a festival showing.

One way festivals can help, is they are great places for forming relationships with others involved in various aspects of the film process. This can be particularly helpful for producers and filmmakerswho are going to self distribute their film. Filmmakers now need to take a more active role in the marketing, public relations, and distribution of their films and festivals can definitely help forge important relationships.

But there can also be a downside to festivals. It’s possible to get locked in the film festival loop and not look at alternative, creative ways to market, show and showcase your film. Even if your film is accepted to one or more, that in itself does not guarantee your film will succeed. Too many film producers base their entire marketing strategy on being accepted by a festival. If it turns out no festival bites, which happens a fair amount of time, these filmmakers are left with no alternate strategy. They are more or less stranded and left with no alternate approach. You don’t want to find yourself in that position.

My advice is to begin on day one with a PR and marketing strategy that goes forward whether or not your film finds its way to a festival. Regardless of the direction you choose to take, get your PR and marketing gameplan in place, start your PR outreach and launch your filmmaking journey.

Cresswell, Jackson. “Sundance London Film Festival is Launching in April 2012.” Collider. 15, Mar 2011. 19 Apr 2013. <http://collider.com/sundance-london-film-festival-2012/>

Filmmakers: Making Marketing Your Top Priority

The film festival route is certainly a viable one when it comes to promoting and marketing your film, but keep in mind that’s not the only route. Plenty of independent films land a distributor and find an audience going different routes altogether. Regardless of whether you go the film festival route or have another strategy, you should start thinking about your film’s marketing, publicity and release strategy as soon as possible. If you’re smart, you’ll start before the screenplay is finished, certainly before the first frame has been shot.

Remember, the PR and marketing can be the engine that drives the project. It can open doors to distribution, financing and build your audience base. Keep your options open every step of the way. For example, if you’re working on a documentary, you have a number of distribution and showing possibilities from the festivals, to theatrical to outside the box screenings at schools, museums, organizations and churches. Often these types of screenings can run even during a festival showing.

Festivals can be a great place for meeting distributors and forming relationships with strategic partners. This can be particularly helpful for producers and filmmakers who are going to self distribute their film. Filmmakers now need to take a more active role in the marketing, public relations, and distribution of their films.

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.