Using Social Media As Marketing

Hey Filmmakers!

So the title of this post doesn't look very interesting, but stay with me a second!

For the past few weeks I've been in a creative rut in terms of this blog, whenever I have had ideas it's been inconvenient and forgotten (I must start jotting ideas down), or I've lacked the passion to sit down and write, but this morning whilst on Twitter I had a brainwave! So here I am, writing about using social media in terms of film marketing/promotion!

Now I am going to open with the obligatory statement - Social media is incredibly important to your film/production, it gives you an interactive audience (Which is mostly a good thing, for an opposing example see why Joss Whedon recently closed his Twitter account), but I think there's a key element a lot of similar articles to this I've seen miss out!

So usually large blockbusters will have a twitter account and they'll drearily release information and links about the film, which is great as it acts as an information hub on that movie, but the key in film promotion are the personal Twitter accounts of the Director & Cast.

Take X-Men; Apocolypse as an example, all the big reveals have been taking place on Brian Singers Instagram account, we've had a chance to see all the stars of the film announced on there, often as our first confirmation. This method is increasingly taken off as Directors are creative people, and creative people are interesting! Combine the interesting nature of these people and their work with the (mostly) unfiltered social interaction they have on these accounts and you have a whole new field of marketing that is far stronger than the traditional advert and the "Official" (Boring) company and film pages.

Another example of the personal marketing revolution is the fantastic James Gunn, interacting personally with fans on his Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat he regularly interacts with fans, and takes time out to do it all personally, this is helped by the fact Gunn is also a fun, intelligent, and rational man, which may explain how he's already building up excitement for his 2017 film Guardians Of The Galaxy 2 in 2015!

So you may be asking, how does this apply to your project? Well the important thing is to be yourself. There's no point inventing a personality, even if it's online, or in person people will be able to see through you eventually, obviously apply a filter to what you say at times, you do have to have a certain degree of professionalism, but the important thing is to remain yourself, and be exciting! Talk to any fans you may get, retweet their drawings/costumes etc. As well as posting photos from the set, even if it is you and your cast having fun/goofing off!

If you promote your film in a very personal way, you'll find you have a lot more success, and the process of making a movie is more enjoyable!

Keep on filming!

-Geraint