Creative Critical Reflection #2 - Marketing and Distribution

   Our film, “Masks,” is going to be marketed very close to the way that the original Halloween was going to be marketed. The goal is to build intrigue for the film by having our promotional material be based on the gas masks and the word “Masks.” The goal of this style of marketing was to have people ask questions about what the movie is about. Another tactic we looked at for the marketing would be to take inspiration from The Dark Knight and make realistic material that would be seen in the film and use it as the promotion. The Dark Knight used political campaign ads that had graffiti to show the Joker's presence. We planned on having fake graffiti (made in Photoshop) made that said creepy phrases that would allow for the goal of the terrorists to be seen. The phrases would be similar to, “The gas kills all,” or “The masks are here to protect.” As the terrorists are planned to use chemical warfare in the film. Another film that is outside of the psychological drama/horror genre was Kingsman. He looked at that series so that we could understand how to market digitally. What we learned is that constantly posting is not a good idea, but by posting semi-frequently and posts that are interactive help to build hype around a film’s release. Here are some examples of posters we have made for the marketing:

   The distribution plan for our film would follow the traditional style of distribution by meeting with a production house such as Blumhouse or Lionsgate. These production companies are known for their horror films and would help fund the creation and distribution of the film process. We would want a normal theater distribution in October to emphasize the genre as a horror film and have the film be in theaters for four to five weeks. After the film stops playing in theaters then we wait ninety days for a Blu-Ray/DVD release. The final goal for our distribution plan is to get out the movie on a major streaming service like Netflix or to sell the licensing rights to a company like HBO or Showtime. The first option is more likely to pay an upfront check for a multiple movie lease, and Netflix is known to buy films for as little as one hundred thousand dollars. The latter option is where a company buys the right to use your film and then they license it to other streaming services for a price. HBO does this by having a subscription process for their applications and websites, but they also have an add-on for apps like Amazon and Hulu for $10. This route seems more profitable and easier access for fans of the film.