Tweaked from an existing slideshare, this is a lesson for the industry section A Level Media exam.

1. CROSS MEDIA CONVERGENCE
THE FILM INDUSTRY

2. THE FILM INDUSTRY
CROSS MEDIA CONVERGENCE
▸ LO: To understand the process of cross media convergence and
synergy in production, distribution and marketing
▸ Publicists handle all interview requests for the stars of the film – form
newspapers, magazines, TV Talk Shows etc.
▸ To protect the client from any surprises, publicists will ask the
journalist exactly what the story is about and what questions s/he
plans to ask.
▸ In some cases, the publicist will ask to be present at the interview to
make sure that the client doesn't comment on sensitive issues or
make remarks that could look bad in the papers.
SYNERGY:
CO-OPERATION
AND
COLLABORATION

3. THE FILM INDUSTRY
PUBLICISTS
▸ Publicists often organise press tours for actors, celebrities
and authors. The publicist makes all the travel
arrangements for the client, sets up locations, arranges for
press passes and even accompanies the client on the road.

4. THE FILM INDUSTRY
PRESS JUNKETS
▸ As the release date of the film draws closer, film’s marketers try to get early
favourable press coverage in newspapers, magazines and on entertainment TV
shows.
▸ The main film publicity tactic is a ‘press junket’.
▸ At a press junket, journalists, entertainment reporters and film critics are flown
out to a special location for a day or weekend of interviews with the stars and
creators of the film. The actors, directors and screenwriters sit in separate rooms
and the reporters are brought in one by one to ask their questions.
▸ Press junkets are highly controlled environments where interviews are often
attended by a publicist, who make sure interviews never veer from positive
topics.
▸ If you've ever seen a TV interview with an actor sitting in front of a poster of their
movie, that's from a press junket.
▸ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdHoaUnKXXM

5. THE FILM INDUSTRY
SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING AND PUBLICITY
▸ More than ever, publicists network with online bloggers
and read and respond to comments on popular social
networks.
▸ In addition to a standard press tour, they might arrange for
a live, online Q&A session with a popular fan site or
interviews with podcasts.

6. SUM UP WHAT A PUBLICIST’S JOB IS.
WHAT IS THEIR ROLE IN A PRESS
JUNKET?
CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
THE FILM INDUSTRY

7. THE FILM INDUSTRY
CROSS MEDIA CONVERGENCE
▸ About the same time that the first trailers hit the theatres, the film studio will unveil an
Official Web site for the film.
▸ Typical Web sites allow visitors to:
▸ view multiple versions of the trailer,
▸ watch behind-the-scenes interviews and mini-documentaries,
▸ read plot synopses, download cell-phone ringtones and desktop wallpaper,
▸ play games,
▸ chat in forums
▸ pre-order tickets. The official movie website/page is only the beginning of a much
larger Internet marketing campaign.
▸ Look up the webpage for “Drag Me To Hell”
▸ https://www.uphe.com/movies/drag-me-to-hell

8. THE FILM INDUSTRY
CROSS MEDIA CONVERGENCE
▸ Weeks before the film opens nationwide, the promotions
department starts an all-out publicity blitz.
▸ The idea is to bombard the public with so many images and
promos for the film that it becomes a "can't miss" event.
▸ Film marketers will plaster the sides of buses with huge ads,
place billboards all around the city, run tons of teaser trailers on
TV, place full-page ads in major newspapers and magazines, and
the movie's stars will show up on all of the major talk shows.
BUILDING TO A CLIMAX

9. THE FILM INDUSTRY
CROSS MEDIA CONVERGENCE
▸ The Internet is proving to be a prime spot for publicity
blitzes.
▸ Promoters can place interactive ads on the Web sites most
trafficked by their target audience.
▸ They can also release behind-the-scenes clips, bloopers
and other viral videos on video-sharing sites like YouTube.
▸ Or they can release different media clips and let the fans
create their own trailers.
THE INTERNET
DOES THIS APPLY TO OUR
SET TEXTS? RESEARCH AND
FIND OUT!

10. THE FILM INDUSTRY
PRODUCT ‘TIE INS’
▸ Another popular strategy is to use highly visible product tie-
ins and corporate partnerships.
▸ In the weeks leading up to the release of "How the Grinch
Stole Christmas," images of the green Grinch appeared on
packages of Oreos, boxes of Fruit Loops and cans of Sprite.
▸ Even the United States Postal Service got into the act,
stamping letters with special "Happy Who-lidays!" messages.
▸ For marketing children's movies, the Holy Grail for publicists
is getting promotional gifts in McDonald's Happy Meals.

11. THE FILM INDUSTRY
PUBLICITY STUNTS
▸ One final movie marketing strategy is the
publicity stunt, an orchestrated media event
where someone does something incredibly
silly, dangerous or spectacular to draw
further attention to the opening of the film.
▸ An example is when the promoters of "The
Simpsons Movie" transformed dozens of
nationwide 7-Eleven convenience stores into
replica's of Springfield's own Kwik-E Mart.
▸ Sometimes they can go wrong though – still
got the headlines though!
▸ https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=ci_KKIdsJSo

12. THE FILM INDUSTRY
BEST PUBLICITY STUNT OF ALL TIME?
▸ Stunt: Marketers Claim the Movie Is "Real"
and Actors "Missing and Assumed Dead”
▸ When "The Blair Witch Project" hit theaters in
1999, filmmakers were determined to make it a
success. How? By claiming it was 100 percent
real. Yup. Marketers said the movie's three
actors (who never made public appearances)
were all "missing and assumed dead." They
even hung "missing" posters around the
Sundance Film Festival to boost buzz. The
result? One of the most successful hoaxes in
movie history — "Blair Witch" grossed about
$250 million (on a $22,000 budget), and a new
genre (horror mockumentary) was born.
THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (1999)

13. THE FILM INDUSTRY
DISTRIBUTION/MARKETING
▸ Marketing is
one of the
most
important
aspects of a
film’s
distribution
and there are
many
different ways
to market a
film.
A SUMMARY
Festivals/Awards
MerchandisingInterviews/Articles
Special screenings/Premieres
Online/Mobile content
Trailers
Posters

14. WHAT IS CROSS MEDIA CONVERGENCE?
WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT? (GIVE
EXAMPLES)
CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
THE FILM INDUSTRY