RESEARCH: HOW IS THE CAMPAIGN COSTED?

ABOVE THE LINE COSTS:

These are known costs for creating marketing material, buying media advertising and creating an online presence for the film itself. 

BELOW THE LINE COSTS:

Publicity builds further awareness and interest in a film- and authored articles or editorial interviews are something more 'trusted' than display advertising, which is paid for.

RESEARCH: WHO IS THE TARGET AUDIENCE?

To guide me to finding my target audience, I utilised the FDA website where there were two film experts; Kezia Williams and Chris Besseling who had concise, informative guidance which helped me to find my target audience. 

 On the FDA website, Kezia Williams, Head of Theatrical Distribution at Entertainment One UK, explains that defining the target audience will affect the ‘where’ and ‘how’ of the marketing campaign; 

For example: 'Where should the distributors promote and advertise their film on social media?' and 'how should they would promote the film to appeal to and to engage their target audience?'

Kezia Williams explains, in the video, that distributors will start to define their audiences by comparing other films with their films. 

Who is the target audience?
Kezia Williams
Research - 

• Bespoke research, focus groups, interviews with potential audience
• If the film is based on a book or a film there is already existing data of the audience to access that can be used when targeting the film to an audience
• Talent: if theres actors that appeal to a certain audience 
• Core audience must be identified before looking at the audience that could show interest in the film
• Some films have multiple target audiences 

Chris Besseling - 
Research 

• Anomalies at the box office such as surprise hits make research into target audiences even more important 
• Historical data is used to give the 'green light' (OK)  for a project 
• First strategy is comparing lists of titles that have subtle links with the film - actors, directors, genres and subject matter. This is used to find out the target audience brief. 
• Historical fame data is to discover the target audience - age, gender and socio-economic standing which gives an overview of who the audience is likely to be and who should be targeted
• How comp titles perform at the box office is another important factor to consider - this influences how much will be spent on P&A

INTRODUCTION TO TRAILERS

HOW DO YOU FIND OUT ABOUT A FILM?

Normally, I tend to see an ad somewhere. whether this be on the radio or on TV. If the movie appeals to me, I will go further and research it online, e,g searching for a release date, watching trailers etc. For example, I found out about the movie Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker on the radio. Suddenly after, I saw social media posts about it. All these led me to eventually purchase a ticket to watch the movie. 

WHAT MAKES YOU WANT TO SEE A FILM?

Actors and storyline play a significant role when sparking my interest. Specific actors are able to make me want to see a specific movie upon release as it is able to trigger my interest. With Adam Sandler being one of my favourite actors, I generally enjoy watching his films specifically due to my interest in his strange humour. 

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT FROM A FILM?

Generally, you are able to know what to expect from a trailer if it is clear. Genre is also extremely important. You can understand what you are viewing completely off genre. You can see the movie as and action and adventure rather than a horror. With some films, you are unable to tell if it is a certain genre as there are multiple recurring themes. For example, I found it difficult to tell if 'The Woman in Black' was a horror, ghost or spooky film. With the themes in the film I personally would not associate with horror and rather with Sci-Fi and supernatural. 

WHAT AM I PAYING FOR WHEN I BUY A CINEMA TICKET?

When paying for a cinema ticket, I believe it is mostly paying for the viewing experience rather than the movie itself. Viewing the movie in a cinema setting is much more immersive and allows for the movie to be viewed in higher resolution, on a bigger screen, with Dolby surround sound. 

ARE THERE FILMS I HAVE TO SEE IN CINEMA OR DOES IT NOT REALLY MATTER?

Some franchises do work better on a wider screen. I have found my watching experience is better in the cinema when I am watching a Marvel movie, because the action sequences contain so much detail. However, you don't miss much by watching at home, and it is definitely personal preference.

RESEARCH: WHAT SETS A FILM APART?

Kezia Williams explains that it's important to develop the message and identify any key themes and hooks and what exactly  is going to interest and excite your audience. it can be started at different moments in any film campaign such as the script: when they first read the script, they get a sense of what’s going out, what the most motivational, engaging and motional parts of the story. Or, later when the first footage is seen, rushes from the film when it’s in production or the final film itself- they realise that this is a really important element of that film. This is what helps developing the film and the hooks, which will be bought out in public and marketing.

Unique selling points are important in setting the film apart from others in its genre:

Types of selling points:

• Cast
• Well-known director 
• Quality of the performances 
• Reviews 
• Awards 
• Films source material - based on a true story, a real person, a book or part of a franchise/sequel 
• When making a sequel you automatically have a built in audience that you can cash in on 

RESEARCH: THE ROLE OF THE DISTRIBUTOR

I used the FDA site The Film Space to research the role of the distributor.
Mark Batey, Chief Executive of the FDA, describes how distributors have to consider the 'what, who, when, and how' involved in acquiring and marketing films for successful distribution.

In each of the small snippet videos we watched, Mark Batey explained the roles of the distributor. 

The Earliest and first question to ask yourself when distributing a film is: "what is this particular film'. 

 A key consideration when distributing is finding out: Who really is the audience?

Deciding when to release the film is also a crucial job. With more people viewing films at different times of the year, the time of which the film is able to be viewed by the public is essential. 

How much can we spend to afford of marketing and other means of advertising. How many cinema's are going to be interested in playing it? These are important decision making factors that can make or break a movie upon release. 

WHEN?

Our recently visited case studies: Captain Marvel and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story are both distributed by Disney, the superhero and action films are normally released around the summer season from about March to September. However, networks like Hallmark, that are known for original seasonal programs, will usually pick a date just before the appropriate holiday, such as Christmas. Christmas movies are  usually released at the end of November, which can also be seen in Disney's Frozen and Noelle. 






HOW? 

The FDA Yearbook 2020 has updated information on how audiences use specific website like YouTube and how important social network sites like Twitter are. The info about how audiences use IMDB supports our opinion that it is more than a database but also functions as a site that audiences use to view trailers, with Joker, Avengers Endgame and KGF Chapter 1 the top three.