It was with tumultuous
joy and celebration that I went off to the newly refurbished Eastgate movie house to watch a 3D movie.
Not just any movie, mind you, but a recent release less than a month
after its US release date. Well done to the crew at Ster-Kinekor.
They not perfect yet (I had a glitch at the ticketing system) but
they are making a stand for the way things should be. The movie was
excellent, the theatres clean and the popcorn good. It is with great
pleasure that I shall watch their effect on the pirate movie scene. I
had already spotted a copy of the film I watched at the flea market
happily promising an impossible 'DVDrip' quality. I don't know about
you, but I would much rather pay a dollar extra to watch a flick on
the big screen than trying to make out the sound on a
poorly-recorded, ripped version. Ster-Kinekor have set their pricing
most competitively and are using social media to market what is
coming out. Should they continue to provide up-to-date movies they
will continue to have my support.
The movie in question
that I went to see was the much acclaimed, first instalment of 'The
Hobbit'. Based on the book by J. R. R. Tolkein, at the time of
writing it has generated nearly USD500 million in revenue (against an
estimated budget of 300 million) and has lived up to the hype and
expectation surrounding it. Which brings us to the question 'What
makes a successful movie?' Note that I said successful and not great,
sorry to all the 'Twi-hard' fans in the world but the Twilight
franchise is successful, not great (but that is a matter of personal
opinion). Many great ideas often fall short because they never go on
to be a success and generate enough income to sustain their
viability.
Well a successful movie
has a good story (well usually). A storyline that can be followed
easily, and sustains the suspense till the last credit has rolled off
the screen. Basic stories involve a protagonist (the good guy), the
antagonist (the bad guy) and a problem to be solved (which creates
suspense or you would stop watching). The product you sell is the
protagonist in your personal story to solve a problem that your
client has (which usually doubles at the antagonist). Include a bit
of emotion and you have a potential best seller.
Movie makers have a
plan. Most movies have a long planning stage. Budgets, scripts,
casting, location choice, shooting schedules, costume design, set
design, the list goes on. Too many people start a business with a
half-baked plan and then wonder why they end up with a half baked
business. Plan properly. If you have never done this before then ask
someone.
Successful movies
develop a cult following. Once in a while what is considered a 'B
grade' film captures a niche market's attention, the first
'Underworld' managed this and was able to spew out sequels based on
the initial success. You have a group of core believers that utilise
your product to the exclusion of all else. This clique are your best
sneezers and the people you can market to. 'The Hobbit''s success can
be attributed perhaps to the legion of 'Lord of the Rings' fans that
have been awaiting the release date for the last year. In many ways
the groundwork for 'The Hobbit' was laid when Peter Jackson first
started filming 'The Fellowship of the Ring' a dozen years ago. Which
brings us to the next point.
Successful films have
an appropriate marketing strategy. The trailer timeline for Jackson's
latest saga started nearly a year ago. There has been a year of
ingraining the fact that the movie is coming into the world's
subconscious for a year or more. The best unexpected marketing
however was the disputes over directors and acting guilds that gave
the film free publicity in the press. Go study their website and
examine all the little bits that are thrown in not just to give you
something to do, but to help sustain the image of the movie in your
mind. Free ringtones that reinforce anticipation everytime you hear
them. Games targeted at people who will appreciate the story. Games
targeted at people who won't appreciate the story. Smart marketing.
Smart design. It is a SIMPLE website that offers, for the ease of
navigation, a huge amount. Has it been a successful website....well
USD500 million in under a month tells me that it probably has been.
Success, even the
overnight version, is based on conscientious planning and hard-work
and some good choices. Let us engage in some more of that this coming
year. All the best for 2013 and Happy New Year.
No comments:
Post a Comment