“Do studios need help finding audiences?”

I’ve been yammering on this site for months about the importance of marketing when it comes to just about every aspect of a movie’s production. In Sunday’s New York Times, there was this article in this business section which provides more grist for the mill:

The six big movie studios, all suffering from a sharp decline in DVD sales, are scrambling to cut costs. Marketing is seen as the most bloated part of moviemaking. A summer blockbuster can easily carry a worldwide marketing budget of $150 million.

$150M!!! That’s not the cost of making the movie. That’s for the marketing! And the fact that marketing dollars are so high, it affects every aspect of film production, including development, casting, etc:

At the same time, studios want more of a guarantee that their creative decisions are commercial. Is that plot line confusing? Will audiences like the title? Should we cast Kate Bosworth or Kate Hudson? Neither? A consumer testing company like ARSgroup could deliver statistical reports on those kinds of questions — useful information when it comes to justifying $170 million production budgets to the corporate bosses.

I am a strong proponent of writing stories that you love, stories with which you resonate strongly, taking that emotional connection and riding it all the way to FADE OUT, and in that process, create something unique, fresh, and imbued with your distinctive voice.

That said, as you churn through story concepts, trying to decide which one to work on next, one little voice inside your head should probably be the one that is aware of how important marketing is. How clean is your story concept? What marketable elements can you find in it? Can you envision what the 1-sheet of your movie would look like?

This is a classic example of where commerce smashes up against art in the screenwriting process. In the best of all worlds, you’re passionate about writing a story that is hugely marketable.

Comment Archive