The Many Methods of Movie Marketing: Part 5 Press Junkets and Preview Screenings

This is the fifth part of my many posts on the different methods of movie marketing, this one covering press junkets and preview screenings. This is mainly for my film students who are looking at the relationship between film producers and audiences. First we looked at how producers get information from audiences and now we move on to how producers give information to audiences. You can find part one on posters and trailers here. Part 2 on TV, radio and print media advertising and using the internet and viral marketing is here. Part 3 on movie merchandise is here. Part 4 on premieres is here.

Press junkets are where the people behind the film gather the press together for an event usually held in a hotel. They have the stars and filmmakers available for individual or group interviews and may have a press conference Q&A session. This allows TV and radio shows, magazines, newspapers and websites to come and interview the stars and the then give the film free publicity by writing about it. Stars will also be contracted to appear on chat shows to promote the films but a press junket allows a lot of media outlets to get access to the stars quickly and efficiently. Most big releases will have a press junket in different cities across the globe. For example the Star Trek Into Darkness press junket was held at London’s City Hall but was more of a conference with a Q&A to give as many media outlets a chance to print something about the film as possible. Read more about the Star Trek Into Darkness press conference here.

Preview screenings are also an excellent way to spread the word on a movie. Different to test screenings, preview screenings show the finished film and do not ask for detailed feedback. They are special screenings that can be accessed in numerous ways. Critics will be invited to them in order to review the film, sometimes people will win competitions to gain tickets to them and sites like ShowFilmFirst offer tickets to their members. Sky, The Telegraph newspaper and the Daily Mail also offer tickets to their subscribers occasionally. If the film is good, preview screenings create positive word of mouth and more people will go and see the film on opening weekend. Sometimes some feedback will be required from the audience in order to gauge their reactions and figure out how to market the movie more effectively to the target audience. Currently the Guardian are offering tickets to a preview screening of Behind the Candelabra. Preview screenings can be an excellent and relatively cheap way to develop some good buzz around a smaller film with a small marketing budget.

Next up is the final part on film festivals.

Zombies Attack London!

In case you are a Londoner and haven't heard about this, please go check out this link!

 'On Sunday 27 May, zombies will rise all over London and shuffle into the West End, invading the Leicester Square gardens from 12.00 noon – for Lawn of the Dead.'

Leicester Square has apparently been undergoing 18 months of redevelopment work and is re-opening this weekend.  I wouldn't know as it's an hour and £20 train ride away from me so I don't get up there very often!  However as it's the home of the Odeon that had the first digital projector in Europe and hosts the most premieres with a capacity for 1683 people, this is pretty much the centre of London's film exhibition.

Apparently there is going to be loads of stuff going on all weekend starting today:

'An array of interactive displays, costume characters and personal appearances will bring the new-look Leicester Square to life in a special film-themed event running from Thursday 24 to Sunday 27 May.  Free to the public, the live event will showcase the quality and diversity of films coming to West End cinemas in 2012 in a variety of engaging ways - while also offering a glimpse of the spectacular film events hosted in Leicester Square during previous years.'

It sounds really exciting and pretty much a film lovers dream.  I hope the beautiful sunny weather that has just finally arrived holds out all weekend for the lucky Londoners in attendance.

In case you're wondering what the zombie invasion is about: 'The programme of relaunch events includes a celebration of FrightFest, which has haunted the Square for the last 12 years'.  Hence the zombies. 

And there's more.  In an email I was sent from See Film First, it says:

''Get down to the square for:
 ▪ interactive preview zone, in which visitors may select and view their own choice of content such as trailers, compilations and games on digital iTables;
 ▪ a family zone with entertainers, face painters, green-screen photo opportunities for audiences aged 3 plus;
 ▪ a performance zone that will feature a film quiz presented by Alex Zane, a Q&A with the world's leading stuntman Vic Armstrong as well as a movie fencing demonstration, and an insight into life as a leading film journalist with Empire magazine.'

If all that isn't exciting enough, you can 'come as a zombie or get a special make-over in the Square' if you head down on Sunday!

Head here for the full programme including the details of free screenings of Top Cat - The Movie and Red Tails.  The programme really suggests this would be a great family event but just be careful of all the marauding zombies on Sunday.

So is anyone going along to any of this?  I'm busy Friday and Saturday but am really hoping to go join the zombie madness on Sunday.  If I do, expect lots of ridiculous photos next week.

 Read more about it over at Screen Daily.

Loving free screenings

Just a quick one to spread some love for ShowFilmFirst, Total Film Magazine, LoveFilm and Paramount Pictures. So far this year I've been to free preview screenings of '127 Hours', 'The Fighter', 'Tomorrow When The War Began' and just last Sunday, 'Water for Elephants'.

Total Film Magazine has a screening club run in association with ShowFilmFirst and because of this I got a pair of tickets to 'The Fighter' (very good) before it's national release. I also got tickets for Hall Pass but couldn't go (and judging by the trailer... I think this may have been a good thing!) and have tickets in my posession for new Paul Giamatti film 'Win Win' on Tuesday. I just love a free film especially because of the hideous prices of cinema tickets and look forward to spreading the word on films that need a word of mouth push.

I also get updates from ShowFilmFirst just by 'liking' them on facebook. This lead to the recent grabbing of a pair of tickets to 'Water for Elephants' This was a film I had very low expectations of. It just didn't sound like my kind of thing. Robert Pattinson... blah... Reese Witherspoon... blah blah. But I don't know if I get blinded by the thoughts of not paying for a film or if it really was good but I quite enjoyed it. It's not a masterpiece or anything but it was very engaging and kept me interested throughout. However no tears were shed so it's definitely not up there with the greatest dramas.

I have entered 3 competitions so far this year. One with Paramount to see 'TWTWB' with introduction from Rachel Hurd Wood which I won 2 tickets for and even got fed free popcorn and coke!!! The other two were with LoveFilm. One for '127 Hours' (outstanding) with Danny Boyle Q and A where I got to ask the director a question and the other was for an 'Attack the Block' screening followed by Q and A with director Joe Cornish and actress Jodie Whitaker. This is on Monday in London and I can't wait. I've been looking forward to this film for awhile now and hope it lives up to the very funny, exciting looking trailer.

Also, while I'm praising all these wonderful film-related companies, I've got to mention the Empire cinema chain that now do cheap tickets on Tuesdays. It costs anybody who wants a ticket £2.95 to see a film in the cinema (but only Tuesdays!). Along with Orange Wednesdays, this is the best promotion I've seen and is the only way film studios, distributors, exhibitors are going to lure tight-ass people like me back into cinemas. With Lovefilm servicing my filmic needs, I'd almost forgotten the cinema existed. Forget 3D, digital screens, extra comfy seats and waiter services or whatever cinemas are all now offering... I JUST WANT CHEAP TICKETS! Or free ones if there's any going...