PR for Filmmakers Workshop, part of the AOF Film Festival

Calling all Filmmakers:

On August 26^th I and my associate, Verena King @VerenaKingPR (who will be focusing on social media), will be giving a PR for Filmmakers Workshop, a part of the AOF Film Festival.

Is this important?

It is if you’re a filmmaker.

Why?

Because, you want your film to succeed.

What makes or breaks most films?

It’s the buzz, the anticipation, the excitement.

And nothing can create that buzz more effectively than the media.

An effective PR campaign (or lack of one) can make or break your film

Being featured in the media, gives you the validation and credibility of being newsworthy.

If you work it right, media begets more media and the snowball effect begins to kick in.

When should you launch a PR campaign?

All together...

Now!

Don’t make the mistake of starting your PR campaign once you’ve finished your film, or after you’ve submitted and been accepted by a festival.

You need to start planning your PR strategy on day one.

You need to make the public relations cost as basic a budget item as the cost of your camera or lighting, or any of the other essentials.

So, have you or your film been covered in the media?

If not, why not?

And if your answer is yes, have you utilized your media coverage for maximum effect?

Do you have a comprehensive PR gameplan?

Does your gameplan include the following?

Creating stories that grab the media’s attention
Developing a local, regional and national PR strategy
Developing your press releases
Creating your various media lists
Developing your media follow-up strategy,
Outlining the protocol for the media follow up calls,
Utilizing your media in your overall marketing campaign
Melding your social media outreach with traditional PR

These are just a few of the topics we’ll be covering at this essential nuts and bolts PR workshop.

PR for Filmmakers is a unique workshop designed specifically for producers, directors and filmmakers. Focusing on how to effectively promote and market your films, the workshop will cover a number of topics including how to develop stories and pitch ideas, how to write a press release, how to build a media list, how to effectively pitch the media, the difference between the trades and mainstream media pitches, and how to meld your traditional media and social media outreach.

The workshop is designed to help filmmakers build their brand and create a buzz via the media to reach their audience, influencers, investors, distributors and other appropriate opportunities. At the end of the workshop, filmmakers who wish to participate will be allowed to give a 30-second pitch. If your pitch is chosen as the most effective (a subjective call by Anthony), you will win a free 90 minute consultation with Anthony Mora, along with a press release, pitch and targeted media list.

The PR for Filmmakers Workshop will be held in Monrovia at the Krikorian Premier Theaters in the filmmaker It runs 11:00 Am -1:00 PM. The Workshop is free for AOF 2014 Accepted Filmmakers and Writers. There is a $25.00 charge for all others.

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

Do Not Read this Article - If You Want Your Film to Fail

Why filmmakers make films Let’s start with a multiple choice pop quiz that includes just one question:

Why do filmmakers make films?

1) Because they’re bored and have nothing else to do.

2) Because they have too much money and don’t know how else to spend it.

3) Because they want to watch it in their room, by themselves, on their laptop, over and over.

4) Because it’s a fun, albeit expensive, way to meet people and maybe find a date.

5) Because they have a story they want to tell and share with as large an audience as possible.

If you answered 1, 2, 3, or 4, stop reading his article right now and see what’s playing on Bravo.

If you answered number 5 and you indeed are a filmmaker, or interested in becoming one, read on.

In all honesty, I don’t think there are many filmmakers that set out with the objective of having their film fail. They’re not rooting for it to be seen by only a handful of family and friends, or spend its life in distribution limbo or be remembered only as a side note, they can say, yeah I made a film once.

But the way many filmmakers act and the decisions they make or don’t make has to make one wonder.

Without marketing and public relations there is no film success.

Period.

It’s a given.

It’s a truth, set in stone and yet it’s something that many filmmakers ignore or avoid or in some case simply forget. They are so focused on getting their film made that they forget why they are making their movie.

Understand that as a filmmaker marketing is an integral part of your job description. It isn’t simply something you could do. It isn’t a choice, isn’t an option

If you want your film to succeed setting up a marketing plan that stats when you’re writing your first draft is something you will do.

Start outlining your public relations campaign, as soon as you start working on your project. Whether at the writing or preproduction stage, start thinking about the PR angles and how you can best utilize them when ready

Once you have your stories map out your outreach, if you can hire a PR firm to launch a campaign, or for some basic consultation, that will make your life a heck of a lot easier, but if your budget doesn’t allow it, don’t let that stop you.

Make a list of your possible stories or media angles. Successful PR is successful storytelling. It’s an art. One angle could be the film itself, the subject matter, another could be your journey to making the film, and another could be the cast members. No matter how crazy some of the ideas might sound, write them down. You never know where that one story that hits the right nerve will come from.

If you’re adept at writing, put together a one page press release. If you’re not, find someone who can and have him or her write one for you. Keep it at one page.

Next put together a list of your main target media outlets. Now contact them. Be aggressive, but not pushy.

Don’t wait for others to market your film. It’s up to you to take action. Either bring a professional on board or start your own marketing outreach.

You’ll never get where you want to go if you don’t start.

So…

Start!

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.

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. Regardless of the direction you chose to take, get your PR and marketing gameplan in place at the start of your filmmaking journey.