You’ve spent all your funds creating your film and months shooting it; and have finally wrapped post-production. Things should be smooth sailing now, right? Wrong! One of the hardest thing about making your film a success is marketing it, and that seems a lot easier than it actually is. Many independently produced films don't get the much deserved attention and income because they are not given the right exposure.
Here are tips you can use to successfully market your film:
Poster:
What's a movie without a poster though? I don't even need to delve deep into this one. A poster is like an official identity print for a film. It makes it easy to promote the movie. It can be printed and posted in the right places for potential audiences or shared as a digital copy via email, social media and on the internet. A good poster should be like a visual synopsis for the movie and it should make it easy for people to identify with the cast and storyline. Fans can also download the digital version and share it for further promotion.
Website:
You need a landing page where people can get all the information they need about your film. Create a website and add in details about the film itself and the production process (certain readers such as film students and other filmmakers appreciate reading about other's experiences of how they faced challenging odds and still triumphed to make a masterpiece). Narrate the plot, list cast and crew so all those responsible for making it happen can then start promoting the website for you too. Make sure that the theme of the site suits the genre and storyline of the movie. You cannot have a website for an action drama filled with pretty florals and butterflies. Make sure the content is engaging, simple to read and doesn't contain any spoilers.
Trailer:
Don’t be afraid to tease people a little. A film with a trailer that will have people guessing as to the complete storyline of the film and wanting to see more will go a long way in getting them to actually watch it when it releases. Be careful though to keep them guessing, but don’t confuse them. Your trailer is key in building the much needed enthusiasm for potential viewers. Even if your film is a slow experimental piece, your trailer should be gripping enough that even people who would never watch this genre of film will turn up to see it. Trailers should never be too obvious or contain a lot of spoilers, remember they’re like the synopsis at the back of a book. Too boring an no one’s going to pick it up. They are also like giving away a part of your work for free and audiences appreciate that. They can be easily shared online and among audiences, generating even more buzz.
Social Media:
Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Vimeo, etc are massive buzz generators. Your film should have its own social media accounts and you should constantly update your followers about the progress your film is making during the shoot and in pre- and post-production. Follow other filmmakers, film students, film bloggers/writers/journalists/critics and PR people. It will make them notice your account and possibly get interested in knowing more about your film. In the best case scenario, they will want to see it when it is released and even promote it on their own accounts too. Related hashtags make it easier to find the relevant audience and exposing your work to a wider network. If you use the social media tool best enough, you might find your film trending or going viral. All those Likes and Retweets will come in handy.
Festivals:
It doesn’t matter if you think you’re going to win anything or not, just by being chosen at a film festival means your name and your brand is gathering steam. The best thing about festivals is that you know for sure that everyone attending or scheduled to see your film is an avid film lover. If the love it, they will talk about it for months to come and it also helps you create a great network for your brand. If you win, even better! Festival awards are like an automatic viral marketing system. Critics and writers will be raving about you and more people will want to see your material.
Once your film is selected for a festival make sure the whole world knows about it. If you don’t have the money to pay the submissions fees, there are a number of free film festivals out there.
Email Listings:
I assume that as a filmmaker, you have quite a reasonable contact database. Use it! These can either be colleagues working in the industry or any types of stakeholders. They have an interest in your work or know someone who will. Your email contacts also don't have to be people you personally know or have met before, with the internet, it is easy now to gather the right contacts of all the relevant people that need to know about your film. Write up a great promotional email and press release informing people about your film and release dates. You can also send out emails for every milestone like when you release a trailer, put together a launch event/screening or attend a festival. Direct marketing is one of the most effective ways of promotion and email lists will ensure that your film receives great attention from the right people.
IMBd Listing:
Nothing screams 'legit' for a film than a listing on the mother site of all things film, IMBd. If your film gets onto IMBd, not only will it gain recognition, it will also receive a lot of respect. People take material listed on IMBd very seriously. The site has a frequently asked section that will answer all your questions on how to add your title onto the site and guidelines that will help you determine if your film is eligible for a listing or not. However, the quickest way to get an IMDB link is to submit your short, feature or documentary to a listed film festival. All films screened at listed festivals automatically get onto IMDB.
Wikipedia:
I know that in school you are often told that Wikipedia is not a reliable source for your research papers, however, fact is that it is the most used source of information for the general public. Wikipedia is easy to find on many search engines and people will often prefer it over most information websites. Listing your film on Wikipedia will ensure that it's details are easy to find and people will recognize it as a legit title.
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