Film Promotion And Marketing

Audiences for blockbuster event-film sequels and adaptations often formulate highly developed expectations, motivations, understandings and opinions well before the films are released. A range of intertextual and paratextual influences inform these audience prefigurations, and are believed to frame subsequent audience engagement and response. In our study of prefigurative engagements with Peter Jackson's 2012 film, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, we used Q methodology to identify five distinct subjective orientations within the film's global audience. As this paper illustrates, each group privileges a different set of extratextual referents - notably J.R.R. Tolkien's original novels, Peter Jackson's The Lord of The Rings film trilogy, highly localised political debates relating to the film's production, and the previous associations of the film's various stars. These interpretive frames, we suggest, competed for ascendancy within public and private discour...

Following the negative reception of Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two (2012), The Walt Disney Company’s Disney Interactive division shuttered the game’s developer Junction Point. This closure signaled a definitive corporate shift from home console development to games made for the emerging mobile market, such as Where’s My Water? (2011). The company's multiplatform game Disney Infinity (2013) combines the collectible aspect of Activision’s Skylanders series (2011-Present) with the creativity-encouraging play mechanics of Mojang’s Minecraft (2009). As such, the game represents Disney’s reconciliation of the console and mobile markets to drive sales of branded merchandise available at retailers as well as the company’s own theme parks and brick-and-mortar stores. This paper analyzes how Disney Infinity functions both as a platform for video game adaptations of Disney media and as a means of cross-promoting various sectors of The Walt Disney Company amidst changes in the video game market.

This article will analyse the distribution and promotion strategies of Matteo Garrone's Dogman (2018) in the United States. It will reconstruct the singularity of this case study in a comparative perspective, considering both the international circulation trends of European national cinemas and the distribution of contemporary Italian films in the United States. An integrated methodology will be adopted, combining film and media industry studies, cultural studies, and the field of art and culture economics. After an analysis of the tendencies of the distribution of Italian contemporary arthouse cinema in the United States, the specific distribution strategies adopted for Dogman will be considered against the background of the financing system within which the production model of the film is embedded. Further, the role of Magnolia Pictures, the North American distributor of Garrone's film, will be inspected through the discussion of some interviews with professionals directly involved in the promotion and distribution of the film.

This book explores the widespread phenomenon of celebrity fandom and provides the reader with deeper insights into the emotional dynamics of a consumer’s parasocial fan relationship with a celebrity. Following an overview of how fandom and celebrity have previously been portrayed across different academic fields, the chapters take the reader on a narrative journey into the life of a fan. Using the author’s autoethnographic account of his personal fan relationship with a film actress thereby as a case study, this detailed study examines how consumers can become emotionally attached to a celebrity and how this attachment can add meaning to their life. By exploring the complex nature of consumers’ behaviours and experiences, Celebrity Fandom and Consumer Behaviour uncovers the (para)social link between the celebrity and an individual’s personal desires. This book has an interdisciplinary appeal and will provide an insightful read not only to scholars, students and anyone interested in celebrity fandom, but also to talent agents, publicists and marketing managers working in the entertainment industries.

Markus Wohlfeil was Lecturer in Marketing at the University of Stirling, UK, the University of East Anglia, UK, and University College Cork, Ireland. His research focuses on celebrity fandom; film tourism & consumption; film marketing & business; the role of myth creation, interpretation & adoption within punk subcultures; the reincarnation of punk's DIY culture on PledgeMusic; and experiential marketing communications. He also has a personal interest in amateur filmmaking, watching & collecting movies, going to punk gigs, listening to vinyl records and playing table tennis.

Please note that this manuscript here is only the first half of the first chapter plus table of contents - and posted for promotional purposes.

Since the 1960s Thailand has succeeded in positioning itself as the leading Southeast Asian country for foreign film-related projects. Every year hundreds of foreign feature films, documentaries, commercials, TV programs, music videos, etc. are shot everywhere in Thailand. Thus, foreign film production is a crucial factor in the condition of the Thai film
industry and an important generator of revenue. With various marketing tools the Thailand Film Office promotes the country as an attractive location for foreign talent and film production companies. Furthermore, an increasing number of Thai screen talents and crews play key roles in foreign film-related productions. The foreign film production companies
usually collaborate with domestic ones that have specialized in providing services needed by their international counterparts. This paper seeks to take stock of the last twelve years and the current situation of foreign film production in Thailand and to explore the support international filmmakers receive. To this end, the paper reviews the following: statistics about foreign film productions and generated revenue, the role of the Thailand Film Office, rules and regulations of foreign filmmaking in Thailand, and the role of Thailand-based film
production service companies. Furthermore, based on a SWOT analysis the paper makes predictions about the future of foreign filmmaking in Thailand. Results of the analyses show the following: The increase in the number of foreign productions and the generated revenue have increased significantly since 2003. The Thailand Film Office is very active in promoting Thailand as a film location destination and greatly facilitates the application process for shooting permits. The rules and regulations for foreign filmmakers are straightforward. Thai film production service companies are vital to the success of foreign film-related productions in Thailand. Moreover, the outlook for the number of foreign film productions in Thailand and the revenue generated by this industry is positive due to the country‘s established
reputation as a film destination hub, modern film equipment, and a new financial incentive scheme to be implemented in 2017.

Digital distribution led to the rise of next-generation filmmakers, whose content (both short and feature length) was created for and distributed to online audiences (Ryan & Hearn, 2010).

Independent companies and large studios (Netflix, Amazon Studios, Hulu) producing next-generation film do not rely on theatrical success, since they work on micropayment, subscription or advertising driven business models. This paper includes a literary review that maps the digital marketing strategies over the purchase journey, and define key performance indicators for each digital marketing strategy. To explore how next-generation film distributors are currently employing digital marketing strategies , a survey and a multiple case study methodology was designed and then implemented.

The findings of the literary review, the survey, and case study are used to point out the limitations , industry challenges and research opportunities in the field of next-generation cinema.

Like other film industries, Bengali film industry or Tollywood started applying marketing tools keeping in view various promotional needs in film business. Various genre films have been produced in recent times with shorter release window. Distribution has been transformed through digitization along with increase of multiplexes, but there has been an unfortunate decrease in single screens pan India. Bengali cinema raised its budget & marketing expenditure to boost the business, increasing the gross income to some limited number of films but lags far behind the success of even South Indian films. Hence, film promotion techniques are used with the growth in audience research area, where Word of Mouth & Viral Marketing play an important role across most demographic and socioeconomic levels, to enhance the size of the market and to help the business in its expansion across larger regions in order to earn higher rate of gross income per film, as the number of film releases are more in recent years.

Bollywood or Tollywood, both use marketing tools for various promotional factors in film business. Hindi movies have gone global with higher gross income, whereas South Indian films have also reached some clusters to grow business. Various genre films have been produced in top six local language films, except Hindi. Distribution has gone digital, along with increase in multiplex, but unfortunate decrease in single screens pan India. Bengali cinema gained some budget & marketing expenditure to boost its business, increasing the gross income, but far behind from even South Indian film success. Hence, various film promotion techniques are used with increase in audience research, where Word of Mouth plays as a major tool across all demographic levels.

This essay introduces the concept of genre personae, using the case of New Line Cinema's mid-to-late-1980s handling of its Elm Street property to reveal the extent to which highly misleading critical discourse is appropriated strategically in the repackaging of cultural products so as to exaggerate product differentiation - a phenomenon which has exerted a profound and distorting influence on critical and historical undertsandings of genres both inside and outside the academy.

Bengali film industry started applying marketing tools in various promotional needs in film business. Various genre films have been produced in recent times with shorter release window. Distribution has become digital, with the increase in multiplex, but unfortunately, decrease in single screens also happened throughout West Bengal. Bengali cinema raised its budget & marketing expenditure to boost the business, increasing the gross income, but to some extent or to some limited film. Hence, various film promotion techniques are used with increase in audience research, where viral marketing plays a major tool across major socioeconomic levels, so that the size of the market becomes bigger and business can expand across larger regions with higher rate of gross income from a film, as the numbers of film releases have increased in recent years.

Foreign film production is a vital source of revenue for Thailand, a job creator and a stimulator of tourism. This article seeks to outline and assess the developments and challenges of Thailand as a foreign film production destination from 2016 to 2018. To this end, it analyzes statistics of annual revenue, production types and the nationalities connected to foreign film projects and
discusses the Thailand Film Office’s marketing strategy and activities. Within the context of film-induced tourism, the article also contextualizes the temporary closure of Maya Bay. The results show that (1) the TFO’s promotional strategy is effective as it includes the dissemination of marketing materials and the organization of an annual film festival, competitions and other events that foster international cooperation; (2) Japanese, Indian and continental European productions are the most numerous; (3) the intensity of foreign filmmaking activity in Thailand fluctuates year by year but has stabilized at a high level during the 2016-2018-period; and (4) the high 2018-revenue figures can be attributed in part to the new tax incentives.

Whereas scholars, commentators, and industry-insiders emphasize commercially compromised film-types are re-energized at the level of production (through the mobilization of supposedly innovative content), this article show the extent to which distributors repackage economically weakened product-types by using promotional posters to reposition films generically.

Günümüzde küreselleşme ekonomik, politik, toplumsal alanlarda olduğu gibi kültürel/ sanatsal üretim ve çalışmalarda da yoğun etkileri söz konusu olmaktadır. Özellikle global film dağıtımının merkezi konumundaki Hollywood’da üretilen filmler bütün dünyayı kültürel olarak etkilemekte ve dönüştürmektedir. Bu durum sinema sanatının ticari ve kültürel propaganda yönünden küreselleşmenin en etkin araçlarından bir haline gelmesine yol açmaktadır. Amerikan yaşam tarzının ve batı kültürünün adeta taşıyıcılığını yapan küresel sinema anlayışının dünyanın her yerinde yaygınlık kazanması başka ülkelerin ekonomik, sosyal, politik yapılarıyla ve en önemlisi yerel kültürel değerlerini ciddi olarak tehdit etmektedir. Türk sinemasında da yeni sektörel eğilimler, film dağıtım ve gösterim ağlarının yapısı ve kültürel değişimler gözlemlendiğinde Hollywood sinemasının dizginlenemeyen gücünü arkasına alan küreselleşmenin yoğun etkilerini görmemiz mümkün olmaktadır Bu çalışmada; sinema sanatının dünya çapındaki gücünden ve yaygınlığından hareketle Küreselleşmenin  Türk Sineması’nın yapım, dağıtım ve gösterim işleyişlerine olan etkilerinin araştırılması ve ortaya konulması amaçlanmıştır. Anahtar Kelimeler: Küresel Sinema, Dünya Sinema Sektörü, Hollywood, Türk Sineması, Film Yapım, Dağıtım, Gösterim

The chapter uses the case of Jamie Lee Curtis to invite us to think more closely about how industry decision-makers utilize specific on-screen talent to increase the commercial potential of horror films – and, by extension, other genres – as well as about how the personae of specific performers serve this strategy. Curtis' scream queen reputation has resulted in her coming to personify the purported shoddiness, sadism, and sexism of much late-1970s and early-1980s ‘American’ horror cinema. In contrast, this chapter shows that producers and distributors actually used her early star persona to undermine the credibility of claims that their films exhibited these exact characteristics. This practice, I argue, involved the appropriation and cultivation of a star personae that was built less around passivity and inaction on the screen than with dynamism and agency in front of it. At this time, Curtis' star persona did not emphasize the figure of the damsel in distress. It was in fact constructed around her association to innocuous horror films (initially prestigious ones; later anodyne ones), to the institution of Hollywood, and to the philosophy-cum-lifestyle movement that Hilary Radner has since dubbed "neo-feminism.

By concentrating on elements of film content and the cultural politics of feminist activists, scholars have suggested that Hollywood’s women-in-danger films of the early 1980s represented the greatest misogynist trend in the history of American cinema. However, by focusing on the marketing of such films as Dressed to Kill (Brian De Palma, 1980), He Knows You’re Alone (Armand Mastroianni, 1980), and The Fan (Ed Bianchi, 1981), it is clear that Hollywood distributors consistently framed these thrillers less as celebrations of violent misogyny than as cautionary tales of a backlash brewing against American women. Accordingly, this article suggests that Hollywood’s women-in-danger films were part of an industry-wide effort to retain older moviegoers, especially mature women. The author argues that Hollywood companies used marketing materials to differentiate their women-in-danger films from sensationally promoted exploitation fare such as Snuff (Anon., 1976) and Maniac (William Lustig, 1980). This practice crystallized in the late 1970s following a controversy over Paramount’s mis-marketed rape-revenge opus Lipstick (Lamont Johnson, 1976), and the promising returns of Columbia’s Eyes of Laura Mara (Irwin Kershner, 1978) and When a Stranger Calls (Fred Walton, 1979). Approaching women-in-danger film marketing as a dynamic historical process reveals that Hollywood’s greatest successes involved emphasizing female participation in the production of the films, spotlighting similarities to other female-oriented production trends, and invoking the figure of the female spectator.

For over 100 years, the ‘coming attraction’ film trailer has been a key part of film promotion and viewing practices (both theatrical and domestic). Despite the prominent role of the trailer within the fabric of popular media, it has rarely been discussed in terms of audience behaviour, beyond limited claims that the viewer is either misled by inaccurate advertising or has become the source of increased prosumer activity. This article therefore offers the first rigorous exploration of the disparate range of audience perspectives on, and responses to, the trailer. We show that trailer viewing can be understood as a consumption practice that is separate from (and sometimes unrelated to) feature film viewing. Analysing data collected from an online survey, we reveal that while the trailer does have informational and prefigurative value to audiences, trailer viewing is also led by criteria that include emotional attachment, cultural value and social expectation. Our analysis disputes th...

El objetivo principal de este trabajo es analizar el uso que la televisión hace del cuerpo seductor como principal punto de atracción en las campañas publicitarias de series ficcionales norteamericanas. La investigación se centra exclusivamente en el cuerpo de la mujer. El trabajo quedará dividido en tres partes. En la primera, se realiza un breve repaso al análisis del cuerpo femenino, el sexo y el erotismo como reclamos publicitarios ofreciendo, también, una panorámica sobre las investigaciones que se aproximan al objeto de estudio. Tras esto, en una segunda parte, se realiza el análisis en cuestión de los materiales publicitarios de las series de televisión para, en una tercera parte, y gracias a los resultados obtenidos, desarrollar unas conclusiones finales y formular una serie de cuestiones que permitan, en un futuro, preparar el terreno para otras investigaciones.

A uniquely multimedia (and not transmedia) franchise characterized by what Jonathan Gray refers to as “paratexts,” James Bond has been adapted to a variety of media following his introduction in Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale in 1953. As with the character’s films, Bond video games have fluctuated wildly in relation to both audience and critical reception. While Activision’s GoldenEye 007 (2010) received much praise, the company’s subsequent 007 Legends (2012) has been mocked as a failure to adequately adapt the cinematic James Bond to games. These latest, and apparently final, Activision titles place the current 007, played by Daniel Craig, within stories based on non-Craig-starring Bond films, including Goldfinger (1964). While this anachronistic insertion is intended to modernize these classic stories, critics and fans have remarked that such jarring juxtaposition is disrespectful to the franchise’s history.

Building from work on the relationship between video games and films (such as Geoff King and Tanya Krzywinska’s anthology ScreenPlay: Cinema/Videogames/Interfaces), my essay examines the complex narrative and franchise issues that these ret-conned Bond games raise. While other Bond paratexts are considered, such as games like Rare’s GoldenEye 007 (1997) and Electronic Arts’s GoldenEye: Rogue Agent (2004) as well as the “Young Bond” and continuation novels, I focus on the franchise rewriting and reception of Activision’s GoldenEye 007 and 007 Legends. Particular attention is placed on adapting Bond’s characterization, tropes, and narratives while also examining the relationship between the franchise’s continued appeals to nostalgia and strive for relevance in the digital era.

La presente comunicación se centra en el sector de la promoción y marketing de la industria del cine y la televisión. De esta forma, se estudia la evolución y modificación que han sufrido formatos relativamente nuevos y recientes como el sitio web promocional. Así, gracias a la interactividad que propone el concepto de web 2.0 y a las nuevas formas de publicidad online, estos soportes publicitarios han evolucionado en sub-formatos completamente diferentes. Tal es el caso, por ejemplo, del sitio web interactivo, en el que el consumidor-usuario puede construir y generar contenidos que tienen que ver con la propia película. Al mismo tiempo, otros formatos clásicos, como el tráiler o el cartel se han transformado, generando, a su vez, otros nuevos modelos. A todo esto se une el fenómeno fan que contribuye a la difusión del mensaje promocional gracias a la utilización de las redes sociales (Facebook) o sitios "contenedores" del tipo Youtube. La promoción de películas y series de televisión se extiende, en definitiva, en un universo digital virtual donde las posibilidades de interacción y creatividad parecen no conocer fin.

International film market of Iran (IFM) is one of the most important presenters of different films and television programs to be sold in the world market especially in Middle East. The primary purpose of this paper is to investigate different methods to promote this market. The study uses a questionnaire and distributes it among buyers and sales agents of IFM. The results of hypothetic tests prove that the socio-cultural factors are the most important reasons for the participants. Another important criterion promoting sales of movies is different awards from various movie festivals dedicated to moviemakers. The opening date and place of market,
publication and publicity are other important criteria influencing sales of movies. The paper illustrates film-marketing mix for film marketers. Indicators, which are important for participants in international film festivals, are also illustrated for international film market holders.

La presente comunicación se centra en el sector de la promoción y marketing de la industria del cine y la televisión. De esta forma, se estudia la evolución y modificación que han sufrido formatos relativamente nuevos y recientes como el sitio web promocional. Así, gracias a la interactividad que propone el concepto de web 2.0 y a las nuevas formas de publicidad online, estos soportes publicitarios han evolucionado en sub-formatos completamente diferentes. Tal es el caso, por ejemplo, del sitio web interactivo, en el que el consumidor-usuario puede construir y generar contenidos que tienen que ver con la propia película. Al mismo tiempo, otros formatos clásicos, como el tráiler o el cartel se han transformado, generando, a su vez, otros nuevos modelos. A todo esto se une el fenómeno fan que contribuye a la difusión del mensaje promocional gracias a la utilización de las redes sociales (Facebook) o sitios "contenedores" del tipo Youtube. La promoción de películas y series de televisión se extiende, en definitiva, en un universo digital virtual donde las posibilidades de interacción y creatividad parecen no conocer fin.

Dentro de la promoción cinematográfica en las redes sociales, cabe considerar, junto a las cuentas oficiales, todos aquellos perfiles de los agentes involucrados en la producción, creación y comercialización. Partiendo de esta base, el texto se centra en los perfiles de los directores de cine español, una de las figuras más destacadas de esta industria. Para abordar este tema escasamente explorado, esta investigación analiza, mediante un método mixto, la presencia de los directores en las redes, los hipervínculos con otros espacios digitales que sustentan en las descripciones de sus perfiles, las identidades que proyectan, la verificación de sus cuentas, los contenidos de sus portadas, la cantidad de seguidores que acumulan y las diferentes estrategias y contenidos promocionales que utilizan. Los resultados obtenidos muestran un escenario en el que más de la mitad de los directores de cine español usan sus redes sociales con fines promocionales, especialmente durante el lanzamiento de sus producciones. No obstante, sus perfiles presentan limitaciones a la hora de establecer conexiones con otros espacios digitales, ser detectados frente a posibles perfiles falsos, crear grandes comunidades de seguidores y diseñar estrategias y contenidos que respondan a los nuevos paradigmas comunicativos y a las dinámicas de estos espacios sociales.

This paper examines the development of the media franchise that began with Alien (Ridley Scott, 1979). As one of the few franchises to follow — rather than reboot — its original continuity, Alien has accumulated a uniquely complex web of texts, from cinematic sequels, prequels, and spin-offs to video game, literary, and comic book installments. Due to this complexity, Alien has struggled to unify its disparate texts while adapting to changes in media franchise management.

The Alien franchise illustrates how the shift from multimedia to transmedia has brought new demands, such as stricter continuity among texts and stronger collaboration between licensors and licensees. Under multimedia, franchises follow a top-down form of management in which an ancillary text (e.g., a tie-in video game) repeats the narrative of a mothership text (e.g., a film). The digital era, however, has encouraged a more integrated and less hierarchical form of management. Henry Jenkins (2006) has noted that franchises within our contemporary convergence culture leverage multiple media to create more complex, intertextual stories and more expansive storyworlds. Put another way, whereas multimedia franchises involve narrative repetition, transmedia franchises involve narrative expansion.

Building upon the work of Derek Johnson (2013) and Daniel Herbert (2017), I provide a historical intervention into media franchise management strategies by examining the overlapping textual and industrial aspects of Alien and its successors. The paper begins by analyzing the Alien franchise’s shift from multimedia to transmedia management. I then present the tie-in video game Aliens: Colonial Marines (Sega, 2013) as an example of franchise mismanagement and argue that it represents the challenges of navigating these shifts.

Because each ancillary text affects a franchise’s storyworld, transmedia raises the stakes for each text to add financial and narrative value. In multimedia networks where the narrative does not extend beyond mothership texts, tie-ins could be written off as peripheral, but Aliens: Colonial Marines demonstrates how, under transmedia, ancillaries perceived to be lacking in added value can be discredited by having their narrative contributions retroactively written out of continuity. The game’s troubled production context suggests that the Alien franchise has remained rife with conflict, even as transmedia has replaced multimedia as the dominant organizational logic.

The fine line that exists between fervent enthusiasm and brazen desperation has been all but erased in the audacious world of film promotion in Pakistan. Bawdy and gauche, the antics of the teams promoting films in Pakistan, are, at best, embarrassing and, at worst, deplorable. Yet, the exuberant campaigns continue unabated, one louder than the other, as people watch variously in awe, disgust, wonder, and horror.

"Scholars have consistently applied psychoanalytic models to representations of gender in early teen slasher films such as Black Christmas (1974), Halloween (1978) and Friday the 13th (1980) in order to claim that these were formulaic, excessively violent exploitation films, fashioned to satisfy the misogynist fantasies of teenage boys and grind house patrons. However, by examining the commercial logic, strategies and objectives of the American and Canadian independents that produced the films and the companies that distributed them in the US, Blood Money demonstrates that filmmakers and marketers actually went to extraordinary lengths to make early teen slashers attractive to female youth, to minimize displays of violence, gore and suffering and to invite comparisons to a wide range of post-classical Hollywood’s biggest hits – including Love Story (1970), The Exorcist (1973), Saturday Night Fever (1977), Grease and Animal House (both 1978).
Blood Money highlights the many forces that helped establish the teen slasher as a key component of the North American film industry’s repertoire of youth-market product.

"This is a bold and innovative piece of original scholarship which recontextualizes not only a misunderstood and dismissed group of films, but also provides a new understanding of an entire period in post-studio Hollywood. Richard Nowell does nothing short of shattering a generation of reductive, speculative, and ill-informed writing on the early cycle of teen slasher films through a fine-grained, detailed historical account of their place in North American film production and distribution and their often audacious and original deployment of commercial elements from a range of Hollywood genres and box office hits. Blood Money moves with seeming effortlessness from proposing a completely new account of the arc of production cycles through the movie marketplace to proposing an original model of spectator engagement to dealing a rigorously-researched death blow to the demonstrably false assertion that these films foreground protracted scenes of male violence against women cynically calculated to appeal to a predominantly male audience. Future historians of the horror genre who ignore Blood Money’s insights into a major transitional period in the relationship between independent producers and the major studios will do so at their own peril." - Kevin Heffernan, author of Ghouls, Gimmicks, and Gold: Horror Films and the American Movie Business, 1953-1968.

"Challenging numerous myths along the way, this impeccably researched study sheds new light not only on slasher films and cycles, but on the nature, structure and practices of independent production in North America in the 1970s and 1980s. Highly recommended." - Professor Steve Neale, University of Exeter, UK

“Richard Nowell’s meticulously researched, engagingly presented and forcefully argued study offers new insights into how films, filmmaking and film marketing operated in the North American film industry of the 1970s and early 1980s. It is an exemplary piece of work, which will hopefully inspire other scholars to work along similar lines." - Peter Krämer, Senior Lecturer in Film Studies, University of East Anglia, UK; author of The New Hollywood: From Bonnie and Clyde to Star Wars (2005)."