Distribution : Marketing? by Kumali Neptune

Hey, Kumali. I think a wizard of social media can definitely help your film get past the white noise. Especially if your film is kick ass. Good luck. Onward and upward.

Marketing firm is likely a problematic and very expensive answer.

A publicist may be a better way to go. Maybe talk to Roz Wolf, maybe ask for a consultation? She's awesome! https://www.stage32.com/RozWolfPR

I have worked in marketing for over 20 years and these both sound like great ways to lose your money. The reason I say that is because “marketing firm” and “social media brand ambassador” are not specific. Those titles don’t tell you they have experience marketing films to a target audience. Watch out for Maslow’s hammer. You probably want to create awareness of your film with a certain audience and within a certain time frame. The best bet is to find someone who has expertise and a track record in doing exactly that really well for multiple films before. A publicist was a great recommendation if you want awareness from people in the industry. If you want to build a fan base around your film, I think it will likely be tough to hire that out because nobody who is also doing marketing for many other clients will bring the contagious passion to it that you will. Just my two cents.

Technically speaking any "ART" form goes through different marketing or advertising patterns as it is a "PRODUCT" which very much falls equally on both ends of objective and subjective cases.

I mean I can "create" a film like a product that is very artistic with a Modernist view or PostModernist approach or any other. Objectively to a theme or subjective for the global audience to relate. But say if I make a film associating with some studio or even say Netflix which moreover buys the product and sells a service creating that "experience", then the responsibility of marketing and advertisement is with Netflix how they cater to their audience, so is why they go on social media promotion as it's technology-driven.

But for Independent filmmaking, since the film is a product it bases itself on 4ps

Product(Good researched, script, well-done unique film) itself, Pricing of the product(Know what the film's artistic value is so that you build an ecosystem of filmmakers, producers and shareholders for those reasons to keep it specific for auctions kind off), Place where you are putting it up(Know where you are showcasing it in theaters, specific premier shows, etc) and Promotions(Festivals). This is what most Independent filmmakers unknowingly approach or most don't know this and try to check everything to make it work.

This is the core reason many theaters in America and across the world are facing the issue of closing down because Netflix, Amazon, Apple treats film as service rather than products to be given space for screening on theaters(Single and Multiple Screens). Because if they do then they to survive sharing the theater space but best is rather make films as a service and ransack whole ecosystem of Independent filmmaking, theater businesses and small producers too in a way.. That is why you see so many big SuperHero films being made and many Indie filmmakers, Auteurs, small Producers are against this transition and voicing against OTTs. And many don't know why what's happening. Until they get to know, everything is slurped clean slate and lost in oblivion!

For instance, Apple products when under Steve Jobs lead it, they worked on a long shot product development and most of their promotions were as products for innovation rather than service catering to the audience. But now under Tim Cook, it's slowly turned into a service, they project it as product still but can't do it anymore. Hence you see a lot of promotions, marketing, and advertisements and less of genuine innovation.

So when you say how to create "BUZZ", you are calling your film as a service and checking all the social media and other service driven options to get your product for larger audience as how Netflix or Amazon does. But if you more want to lean as independent film making, think in terms of 4Ps, and how to get theaters release it, how to get promotions in festivals, get the right value, Satellite rights so on!

I actually spoke about this in Clubhouse for everyone's sake but many couldn't get what I'm explaining as most Filmmakers don't see the Business side of it and those who do, don't want to reveal it and think associating somehow Service can keep them afloat. But don't release it becomes so saturated market that their work becomes too bland, useless for future films in coming years. It's happening already as many people even though watch good films on any OTTs, but they can't truly decide what makes a best product. It's all all eggs in one basket of OTTs across.