“Branding Comes Early in Filmmaking Process”
It used to be writers were urged to be specific in their description to create more of a sense of reality as well as evoke more of a mood to their scenes. For example:
* Instead of “he downs a beer,” try “he drains a PBR.”
* Instead of “she lights a cigarette,” try “she flames a Marlboro.”
* Instead of “he pulls a gun,” try “he whips out a Glock.”
Yep, specificity to provide color and ambiance.
That was then. This is now:
LOS ANGELES — Jordan Yospe had some notes on the script for “The 28th Amendment,” a thriller about a president and a rogue Special Forces agent on the run. Some of the White House scenes were not detailed enough, Mr. Yospe thought. And, he suggested, the heroes should stop for a snack while they were on the lam.
“There’s no fast-food scene at all, but they have to eat,” he said.
Mr. Yospe was not a screenwriter, not a producer, not even a studio executive. No, Mr. Yospe was a lawyer with the firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips. He was meeting with the writer-producer Roberto Orci, who co-wrote “Transformers” and “Star Trek,” to talk about how to include brands in “The 28th Amendment.”
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In the past, studio executives made deals to include products in films. Now, with the help of people like Mr. Yospe, writers and producers themselves are cutting the deals often before the movie is cast or the script is fully shaped, like “The 28th Amendment,” which Warner Brothers has agreed to distribute.
Now, having Campbell’s Soup or Chrysler associated with your project can be nearly as important to your pitch as signing Tom Cruise.
“The cost of movies is going up, and that really drives almost everything,” said Jack Epps, the co-writer of “Top Gun” who is chairman of the writing division at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. “If you want to catch an executive’s attention right now, it’s not just selling the script, but you’re showing them how to create a brand.”
So all this time we’ve been trying to, you know… tell a good story, when we should have been focused on “showing them how to create a brand.”
The more intricately a film involves a product, the more a brand pays for the appearance, offering fees ranging from a few hundred thousand dollars to several million a film.
Writers say this helps them work in brands gracefully, rather than finding out later that studio executives have jammed in products at the last minute. “The pressure to integrate is always there,” Mr. Orci said. “It’s got to be done realistically.”
So writers are taking charge. In the 2009 film “Up in the Air,” Jason Reitman, the writer and director, wanted a real hotel brand for his frequent-flying character.
As a Hilton HHonors Diamond V.I.P. member himself, Mr. Reitman urged the studio to make a deal with Hilton, which offered free lodging for the crew, sets and promotions of the film on everything from key cards to in-room televisions to toll-free hold messages. Hilton worked with the production company to make sure everything from staff uniforms to hotel shuttles was portrayed correctly.
Deals like that mean lower-budget movies like “Up in the Air” can be made. They also mean movie viewers are increasingly paying to see more elaborately constructed advertising.
Used to be called brand integration. But if the (brand) tail keeps wagging the (story) dog, perhaps someday we’ll call it story integration. Or maybe we already should:
The iPad snagged a starring role in an episode of “Modern Family” on the brink of the tablet computer’s retail debut.
Apple Inc.’s latest device figured prominently in Wednesday’s episode of the ABC series as a sought-after birthday gift for one of the characters. The iPad goes on sale at Apple stores Saturday.
On “Modern Family,” Claire (Julie Bowen) is eager to buy an iPad for husband Phil’s (Ty Burrell) birthday and sets her alarm to make sure to get one. She snoozes past the opportunity, enlists her family’s help and, by episode’s end, is able to get hold of the prize item.
“It’s like Steve Jobs and God got together to say, ‘We love you, Phil,’” says her tech-geek husband.
Walt Disney Co., ABC’s parent company, announced Thursday that it would offer applications for all its businesses on the iPad. About 20 ABC series will be available to iPad users through a Wi-Fi connection, the company said.
Look, I love “Modern Family.” IMHO it’s the best new comedy in years. And I thought the iPad episode was hysterical. But isn’t it also just a little bit… I dunno… weird… that the largest individual shareholder of Disney Co. (ABC’s parent company) is Apple Inc. Chief Executive Steve Jobs?
No, wait. There’s another buzz-phrase for that: Creative synergy.
So where does that leave screenwriters? Does that mean while we aren’t supposed to include specific song titles in spec scripts, we can, perhaps even should include specific soup, auto, cereal, toothpaste, hotel, and so on brands?
Perhaps each studio should create a list of companies they have deals with per specific consumer goods to help steer screenwriters.
But then you’d have to create, say… a Sony draft with Ford, Crest, and Budweiser… a Warner Bros. draft with BMW, Aqua-Fresh, and Miller… a Universal draft with Volkswagen, Colgate, and Coors… and so on..
This could get very confusing for a screenwriter…
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m feeling a bit funky. Gonna go crack open a cool, crisp Corona… uh, Amstel Light… no, I mean Leinenkugel… screw it, just gimme a damn beer!