Too many movies??

Well this weekend was yet another awesome weekend for movies. Elizabeth: The Golden Age; We Own the Night; Lars and the Real Girl; Sleuth; and Across the Universe all opened around the country this weekend. These are just a few of the movies that came out. I am not even going to go into the tons of indy films that came out too.

Professionals are saying that now more than ever, there are a lot of movies. Chalk it up to more indy studios like Fow Searchlight and Warner Bros Indepent, or chalk it up to studios trying to release their films at the same time of year in order to set up their films for a better chance at producing a good Oscar buzz, but whatever you chalk it up to, know that it is harder than ever to get your movie noticed.

And with so many movies, it doesn't have more than two weeks in a theater to work its magic. Theaters are getting movies in and out as fast as they can.

This weekend I went to see Across the Universe, the new tripy Beatles movie. Wow was it amazing. But I will admit, if it wasn't for my friends being crazy about the Beatles, and getting high, I probably wouldn't have chosen that movie. So the moral of the story is that you have to get a few people fired up about your movie. If you can appeal to someone so strongly that it cuts through the clutter for them, then they will get their friends to go to. There are so many choices, people will gladly take a little guidance from someone that garuntees a good movie experience.

Assassinating Movies

Did you know that "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" is coming out this Friday? Neither did I. There are lots of others that didn't know either. It turns out that the distributor, Warner Brothers Studios has just released the movie all willie-nillie-like. Little advertising and almost no promotion.

The trouble with deciding to release a movie quietly and neglecting to announce it until a few days before it is released is that there cannot be press screenings for the movie. And in the places where the theater scrambles to put together a press screening, they have to do it after many of the writers miss their deadlines.

Perhaps Warner Bros. did not think that Jesse James would do very well and decided to just wash their hands of it and let it go. But come on WB! The least you can do is release it in a normal way to encourage the usual publicity a movie gets. They didn't even get Brad Pitt to go on Conan to promote it.

I haven't seen the movie yet, but critics are giving it pretty good reviews. This might be robing people of a good movie experience. That doesn't bother me very much though, its not there is a noble cause promoted in the movie. But what does make me mad is the fact that it is someone's art being treated like a piece of crap. WB, I am disappointed in you.

"Thanks Blockbuster," says Netflix

There are three categories of movies in my life. I'll see it in theaters, I don't even want to talk about it, and of course I'll rent it. But that used to mean a lot more than it does now. My system was developed during the ice age when you had to walk down the streets of Reynoldsville, PA to go to video store, pick it out and tote it home. Then you had to worry about taking it back.

Now-a-days we are accustomed to just adding a movie to our Netflix list and wait for it to show up at our door. That's how Good Luck Chuck made it onto my list of renters seeing that I wouldn't have to actually exert effort to see it.

But it is not just Netflix's system that caters to lazy couch potatoes that has boosted its stock to about $22. Blockbuster is helping out. Noticing the new trend to buy and rent movies online, blockbuster started its Total Access campaign to tap into the online market. This proved to not be profitable at all. The only thing that happened was it took away business from the walk in store buyers. Now enter the genius move. Blockbuster saw the non-value of advertising for its Total Access, and oops more online business goes to Netflix. The old bait and switch. Only not on purpose.

So if you are looking to invest in the movie renting industry, may I suggest the $22-a-share netflix as opposed to the $5 Blockbuster.

Convenient Advertising!

Well we have all heard of Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. Well Leonardo DiCaprio is hosting the next installment in the the-world-is-going-to-hell-unless-we-do-something-to-stop-it series. The new movie, "The 11th hour" picks up where Gore left off and talks about global warning thanks to the industrial age. But wait, there's more! The 11th hour goes on to talk about what we can all do as individuals in order to turn our worst hour, into our finest. That is some good stuff.

And they are teaching us to fight g-warming with style. The marketing plan for 11th hour is making it easy to spread the word about the movie, about the issues it talks about, and get involved in the solution. AdWeek.com reports that the great organization behind the film, along with this cool widget, is revolutionary for a movie like this.

This little widget features the trailer, links to environmental sites like its sponsor Gaiam, the option to mail to a friend, and even the embedded code to make it supper easy to place in a blog or social networking site. If you care about green issues, you can spread the word like hot butter on toast!



The widget technology also allowed non-profit websites to post it on their sites with their logo instead of the trailer's. This makes them look better while spreading word. Basically, the trailer can be distributed by individuals AND organizations. I love the cause, I love the fact that the marketing reflects the cause, and I love the environment.

And in honor of World Vegetarian Day, and National Vegetarian Month, I want to remind everyone that eating vegetarian conserves energy and helps turn the 11th hour into our finest.

And here is a funny video about veggies.

"I'm as mad as hell"

ShadowCatcher Entertainment is breaking all the rules with how they will market their new indy film "Outsourced." Fed up with the middle man distributing his films, owner and manager David Skinner has decided to do all his own marketing and distribution for his new film "Outsourced." After talking with Miramax/Disney, he decided that it makes much more sense to do it this way (check seatlepi.com for the whole story) and it is looking like others will follow.

"The studio had a lucrative cable deal in place, but we wouldn't see any of those profits. Meanwhile, they would invest nothing in the ad campaign." Skinner says. "We would have to raise that capital ourselves. Welcome to the wonderful world of independent film distribution." Skinner thinks it was just like when Peter Finch screamed "I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!" in "Network."

Skinner is taking the power and profits away from the big distribution companies and putting them back into the hands of independent film makers. I like this for two big reasons, Number one is that this should breed more creative marketing strategies. When the same company does all the marketing campaigns for every movie, they all start looking the same. Just like how every movie trailer sounds the same cause the same guy writes all the scripts.

The second reason I like it is because this is going to mean more money going back into the pockets of indy film makers. With most of Skinners advertising based on word of mouth, his movie has to be good in order for more people to go see it. Indy film makers do not have the money to a lot of advertising, but the well done films will get noticed and the profits will go straight back to the creator. This means good movies will be rewarded, which hopefully means movies getting better and better.

So thanks ShadowCatcher Entertainment, I'm not as mad now.

Nothing beats pudding

If you are tired of getting lost in the advertising soup, perhaps its time to through your name into the pudding. The pudding is a new internet calling service like skype that you provides calls for free. Plus it comes with voice recognizers that will listen in and send advertisements to your computer for whatever you happen to be talking about. pcworld.com reports on the idea.



I love it. This is about as direct as you can get. Someone is talking about your movie, it is in their head, and BLAM! up pops your trailer. Now they can continue to get more excited about your film and ohh look at that, the movie poster for it with the opening dates.

And you are not just getting people talking about your film. Let's say Johny Student is reading Beowulf in class and is talking to a classmate about it. He might not know about the movie, or be unsure of when it comes out. But up comes the poster, trailer, and hopefully the spark notes.

The pudding will be starting their beta version that you can sign up for at their website thepudding.com I am curious to try it out and see if I get tired of having The Rock pop onto my screen every time I ask my friends what the game plan is for tonight.

Look for The Nines Trailer(s)

J.J. Abrams is not the only one that has some interesting marketing ideas this year. John August, writer and director of The Nines is letting his fans do his marketing for him, Literally.

August has launched a trailer making competition for his new film that stars Ryan Reynolds as three different characters interacting with each other as TV producer, actor and video game designer for what looks to be a horror film version of what it would be like if the Sims you controlled were real... and the ensuing drama and fright that would surely follow.

The competition is set up where contestants download clips from the website. They can then enter one of two competitions: Pure Trailer, using only the provided footage; Mash-up Trailer, using whichever clips from anywhere you want. But don't feel like you have to make a trailer that looks like the official trailer. August even says that they went in one direction with it but that contestants could do whatever they wanted.



I really like this idea. Not only does it get people involved and invested in the movie, but August does a great job of giving you just enough information to make you interested. The trailer doesn't give anything away, and it wasn't until I downloaded the footage that I feel like I have a general understanding of what the plot might maybe possibly be, maybe. I want to go see the movie now if for no other reason to see if Reynolds is the God of this world maliciously toying with himself, or if he is an oblivious avatar in a terrible game designed by him, or if that blond girl is the real one that is taking away the pool ladder. On the bright side, at least this one has a title for me.