1. Film Marketing for the #1 Independent Film of 2008 Restores Faith in the Process
quot;No movie's success is guaranteed, no matter how good the
marketing is,quot; says Union Entertainment Division
President/Executive Producer Jijo Reed, and he should
know. In almost two decades writing and producing marketing
campaigns for features and television, Reed has seen his
share of hits and misses. quot;Focus groups and testing can only
impart so much information; ultimately, you hold your breath and keep the faith until the movie
opens.quot;
Faith may have more to do with it than most people realize. The most successful independent
feature of 2008 was a movie called quot;Fireproof,quot; about a fire captain facing new challenges as he
recommits to his marriage. quot;Fireproofquot; is not up for an Oscar, and its cast did not win a SAG
award; in fact, for the most part it features unknowns, with the exception of Kirk Cameron in the
starring role. Written and directed by Christian filmmaker Alex Kendrick, the project drew on a
largely volunteer crew and it was made with a budget of $500,000. It grossed $33 million in
theatres, outperforming such critically acclaimed indie
fare as Woody Allen's quot;Vicky Cristina Barcelona.quot;
quot;Fireproofquot; is a quot;faith filmquot; - the term used to describe
faith-based movies usually made by Christian
production companies - and the ad campaign was
created by Union's Entertainment Division. Its
success, and that of Reed's team, is no fluke; the first
faith film handled by the group, quot;Facing the Giants,quot;
grossed $10 million theatrically and pocketed another
$20 million on DVD. Released on DVD January 27,
quot;Fireproofquot; already has charted as the #2 bestseller on
both Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble with quot;Twilightquot;
at #1.
Union's creative impact was felt on YouTube, with trailers for both films garnering hits in the
hundreds of thousands.
quot;We try to understand our audience, and tap into what will communicate directly to them, while
maintaining the essence of the film in the marketing materials. A universal message often makes
the most personal connection to the moviegoer,quot; says Reed, whose current projects include less
holy offerings as the ground-breaking thriller quot;13,quot; a scripted, interactive web series and feature
film on which Union has partnered with Milchan/Vaneyssen in a deal with Paramount and
MySpace, and Reed is also producing the reality series quot;LA Sheriffsquot; for Spike TV. Trailer Editor
Nick Davis adds, quot;Once we understand the flow and truth of the film, the trailer and spots will
coincide with the intended message, and that is what sells it.quot;
The belief-based trend has gained momentum since quot;The Passion of the Christ,quot; but not all the
pictures do well. Ultimately, marketing is about finding those moments of connection and creating
a link.