| Who is the Audience? |
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Page 2 of 3 You may find that not all members of the creative team are in agreement about the intended audience. Or, once the distributor comes aboard, you may find that the distributor is not in full agreement with the creative team about the intended audience. What do you do if this happens at either stage? Discuss it, debate it, turn it inside out, and do everything possible to reach consensus on this most fundamental matter. If consensus proves impossible, chances are pretty good that the project is fundamentally flawed (or perhaps just poorly conceived). Positioning statement – what to put in itA positioning statement is not a detailed marketing plan (the detailed plan is part of the distributor’s mandate). So there’s no need at this early stage to build a budget and allocate the expenses. Instead, focus on your key positioning elements. Here are the ones that I looked for in my years as a distributor, marketing consultant and executive producer -- and that, as a government funder, I now require for purposes of project evaluation.1. Premise – a one-liner identifying the story and genre Grab the potential funder (who you should think of as your first audience) by stating an interesting premise. Sometimes the best way to describe what you are after is to reference another film, saying something like “a romantic comedy/female Rocky story about an aspiring country and western singer.” 2. Synopsis – a few paragraphs about the story Describe the setting, basic plot, main characters, and reveal the tone (without trying to describe every twist, turn and nuance.) Be prepared to spend some time on this! A good synopsis is more difficult to write than most people think. 3. Audience – a few words about the primary and (as applicable) secondary audiences Give the gender and age range of each of these target groups, and identify what will attract each to the film – such as humour, romance, or social commentary. 4. Selling points – your answers to the question: Why is this the right film at the right time? Your selling points may include the stars (signed or wished-for, and tell the truth); a universal theme (good vs. evil, first love, triumph of the underdog); the director’s track record; the fact your film is based on a true story or a well-known work of fiction; etc. Beyond all that, show your passion. Yes, “show me the money” is important, but potential funders need to see your passion. It’s about more than your desire to be creative and to attract funding for the project, it’s about your true passion for the material itself – and that has to shine through in the positioning statement and the verbal pitch as well. Continued... |
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