Social Networking and Movie Marketing

This article from The Wrap (July 9th, 2009) suggests how Twitter and Facebook have changed 'word-of-mouth.'

Telling A Story Using Old and New Forms

We are not the only filmmakers telling a story across multiple platforms; e.g., free Internet video clips, social networking alerts and a more traditional DVD release.
Great resources are being developed for filmmakers eager to use new platforms for marketing and distributing their stories. For example, the Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC) has a compiled a list of links (web-based resources) for filmmakers. As evidenced by the video clip above, BAVC filmmakers are pioneers in using the full range of interactive formats, including but not limited to video game applications, interactive, web-based experiences, mobile streaming, multi-user communities, etc.

Producer Jim Stern Tells Indie Filmmakers to Cut Costs (No Stars) and Think About Marketing From the Beginning

With the traditional means of distribution collapsing, indie producer Jim Stern spoke about the tough times for indie film at this year's Los Angeles Film Festival.

As Stern acknowledged, the current state of the independent film business is especially bleak: Nearly 10,000 films were submitted to Sundance in 2008 -- and only three have been released theatrically as of mid-June 2009. And the number of indies that have grossed $1 million or more at the box office has dwindled from sixteen at this point last year to six currently.

But Stern thinks there are strategies for dealing with this mess. Here is a link to the full text of Jim Stern's speech.

Beyond the Short Clip

When motion pictures were first invented, a kinetoscope lasted about thirty seconds.


One hundred and ten years later, the most popular Internet videos were also just short clips lasting well under two minutes.



Curiously the original motion pictures (made by Edison and the Lumieres) and the original Internet videos (made by the users of YouTube) also shared certain aesthetic similarities. For example, in addition to their short duration, these pioneering motion pictures (from 1896 and 2006) used stationary cameras and were often "presentational," in the sense that the characters onscreen acknowledged the audience, whether directly by playing to the camera or indirectly making it clear that they are aware of the camera.

Just as kinetoscopes evolved into feature length films and eventually television series that can stretch over hundreds of episodes, today we are seeing motion pictures produced for the Internet that are longer and more ambitious than the original short clips. The NY Times on July 6th, 2009 reported on how production companies are creating 10- and 20-minute shows for the Internet and writing continuing story arcs for their characters.

Viral Video Sites

* Albino Blacksheep
* Break.com
* College Humor
* Funny or Die
* Google Videos
* JibJab
* Kewego
* LiveLeak
* Metacafe
* Newgrounds.com
* Pandora TV
* Veoh.com
* YouTube
* eBaums World

Online Viral Videos to Drive Sales of DVDs? We'll Need to Use Social Media Power Users.

When we are ready to market our 90 minute DVD, short video clips will appear online that are both compelling and also begin to tell our story. These video clips will be produced under our control while we are filming the 90 minute film. But unlike the 90 minute film, the online clips will appear to be user-generated (e.g., from security cameras, cellphones, or presentational videos created by amateurs).

For our purposes, our online video clips will be of two types: 1) viral videos (free video clips that are so compelling we hope they will become viral - i.e., passed from one viewer to the next) and 2) story support (free video clips that may not become viral, but that provide narrative elements of our story to an audience searching for Adele online). In a matter of a few days we hope to create enough attention (with both types of video online) that we gain free publicity.

Our plan is to have a least six viral videos that are available and circulating for free at the precise moment that we begin to distribute our full-length film to paying customers. To become viral, our videos must be so entertaining they'll be shared by viewers who have no awareness of our larger story.

We realize that simply placing videos on YouTube or similar sites won't be enough to drive sales of our DVD's. We'll need to use social media to drive an initial wave of viewers to our videos. And to direct that attention when we need it, we'll need Power Users to alert their fans and followers to the existence of our videos. Then, once our videos are attracting attention, we'll need a mechanism (including those same Power Users and the Media) to alert the greater audience to the availability of our film.

We are still in the planning stages, but already we realize that existing social media Power Users will play a key role in building interest in our viral videos and the 90 minute film. On our own we can seed the web with videos. But the task of alerting members of various online communities to the existence of our videos, and then the task of alerting those communities to the the existence of our 90 minute film, will require third parties.

To recap: The videos we create for our viral online videos must be so compelling that they will be passed from viewer to viewer (embedding or linking to them). Power Users will be necessary to start a viral campaign. Then, at the moment that our videos are becoming viral, we'll once again need Power Users to alert the online audience (and others) to the fact that our videos (which initially will appear to be unrelated and drawn from real life) are all part of a larger project including a 90 minute feature length film.

Here is an article about Social Media Power Users: http://socialmediarockstar.com/how-to-get-recognized-in-social-media

Woopra: Real-Time Analytical Tracking

In addition to tracking our websites using the tools of Google Analytics, we are approved for a closed beta application/ service called Woopra (woopra.com).
Woopra offers powerful analytical tools including real-time tracking of all of our websites. We are particularly interested in tracking the reach of our viral videos and how these videos are spreading in real time.