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| AFX Industrial (film scores) |
Marketing, the antithesis of art?
If you've just finished your film then you'll want as many people to read about it, talk about it and see it as possible. But unfortunately, many low budget films fail because they never find adequate ways to market and distribute themselves. I know from first hand experience that after funding, shooting, editing and grading their film many directors simply give up and fail to market it at all.Of course, I totally understand that. Being a composer I often felt that simply completing a musical work ought to be enough ... Well I used to feel that way. Until I realized that if I didn't sell my 'works of art' he he, then I'd end up working in Macdonalds with no time to work on my art at all! We must sell a piece of our work before we can invest in a new project - and unless it's a hobby for you then that is the nature of the game. It's inevitable.
But marketing a film takes many shapes and forms, T-shirts, posters and of course the humble soundtrack CD. And there it is. It may seem humble until you realize how deeply companies like Amazon and iTunes penetrate this little planet we live on, then a globally released OST becomes a very desirable thing indeed.
'Imagine the soundtrack to your film available to billions of film and music lovers across the globe!'
From Japan to India to Iceland to Brazil iTunes, Amazon (and many other online stores) now have total monopoly over CD sales. My record label (Affex Records) now sells CDs and Mp3 albums in territories and cities I've never heard of ... There's a world of hungry consumers out there and they need feeding.
Imagine the soundtrack to your film being made available to literally billions of film and music lovers across the globe! The CD cover alone is one hell of a great advert for your film! And, if we consider the amount of people that hear a score before they see a film - it's a great way to market your movie. But please don't think this kind of marketing is just reserved for blockbuster movies, we always include a global CD release as part of our standard scoring package.
However, I'm not writing this blog to plug what AFX can offer you, no I'm writing it to raise awareness of the marketing potential available to film makers. With an OST release you can enjoy marketing that you probably never even considered. It's this or MacDonalds right? Right. Just checking ;0)
'an OST release adds a whole new level of coolness and credibility to your film'.
The Kudos Factor
OK, marketing lesson over let's look at the inherent coolness of having your film's soundtrack on general release worldwide.Soundtracks sell films, you only have to look at the popularity of Clint Mansell's Requiem for a Dream score to see that. Used everywhere from the X Factor to the Olympics - its a global hit! That weird little cult film was dragged from obscurity into the mainstream all because of Clint's stunningly poignant score. I loved the whole film by the way, not just the Jennifer Connelly scene ;0)
As for how your film is perceived it goes without saying that having an OST release, either before or on the actual day of your film's release adds a whole new level of coolness and credibility to your film. Don't you think?
Fans like paraphernalia
Yes they do! I remember being obsessed with my favorite artist and never being able to find enough physical 'stuff' to possess that was attached to the artist. Maybe you got old and cynical but real fans are often young and hungry for it - sell 'em stuff! They want it! Your film's OST CD could end up in cars (more advertising) on the radio (more advertising) on Mp3 players as shared files (more advertising). And every time the soundtrack is mentioned, looked at or listened to the name of your film is what people will remember, not the composer not the distributor but the name of your film. Priceless!Isn't it complicated?
Well, yes I'd be lying if I said that planning your score from the very first note on paper to a bar-coded, globally available CD and Mp3 download is easy. But at least you as the director don't have to worry about any of that stuff ... That's my job.Of course having your OST available as a worldwide release will undoubtedly improve the image, notoriety and sales of your film. But before you take this road you must be brutally honest with yourself ... Do you really want all the publicity and exposure this can bring? Do you really want people to see your film?
- David.
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For more info email directly: mail@dchewitt.com
Visit AFX at Shepperton Film Studios
I've become convinced that more and more that it is important for artists of any kind--including authors--to have presence on any of the "i" platforms. I got my first request for my Frugal Book Promoter in that format only yesterday (on Twitter). Being a marketer, I know that for every one who asks there are many times that number who would prefer to buy my book that way.
ReplyDeleteI'm working on getting some of books up there. Including my poetry chapbooks. One never knows. (-:
Hey Carolyn thanks for your comment. Yes as an artist or a writer it's important to embrace every medium. I mentioned that marketing can be perceived as the antithesis of art but without it our art may as well not exist. Art only comes to life when it affects people and marketing enables that to occur.
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