| Working with Exhibitors |
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Page 2 of 2 Marketing to a Niche AudienceRather than go head-to-head with multi-million dollar blockbusters, many successful producers tailor their films to a specific audience that is underserved by the mainstream industry.Ten years ago, for example, gay and lesbian audiences were starved for representations of their lives on-screen. Almost any modestly budgeted, competent feature with a gay theme could be assured of a steady audience and financial success within the limitations of the demographic. That’s no longer the case. Those audiences have become much more selective, they now have much greater visibility in all forms of media. It can be difficult to identify an underserved audience – we often don’t know who they are until a fresh voice or talent comes along and the audience responds. Currently, we’re seeing a growing and consistent market for movies from India. Most of our major cities now have a regular audience for Bollywood films, and there are some Canadian Bollywood-type productions now being made that have their eye on external markets as well as the one here in Canada. If you correctly identify an underserved audience, and have the right distributor, marketing to this demographic can be an effective way to avoid the pitfalls of a risky and expensive mass-market campaign. Exhibition rules of the gameExhibitors are primarily concerned with the operation of their theatres and the selection of films they play. The distributor is responsible for marketing and promotion, although an exhibitor will often work with a distributor on any special promotions that might help make a release mutually beneficial to all.A film is generally booked for a minimum run of two weeks in a first-run situation. The commitment for the second week may be reduced if the film opens particularly poorly and other titles are also looking for screen time. On the other hand, the film will play beyond the two-week commitment if it continues to attract an audience. How big does that audience have to be for a continuous run? There is no set minimum number. The acceptable audience level will depend on things like the time or season of year and other titles in release at the time of exhibition. This is why your distributor will discuss desirable release dates and promotional opportunities early on in negotiations with exhibitors, and why you should raise these issues early in your relationship with your distributor.  |
