Online Movie Marketing

Online Movie Marketing

Films today are now relying more on the Internet for success at the box office and exposure for independent films. Today we are also seeing the copyright laws being pushed to the extreme.

It is not uncommon to see the flash of a website at the end of a trailer for a major studio release, in fact is almost compulsory for any major studio to have its own website on the Internet. The Internet is really the only completely world wide marketing tool. "Also if the movie proves to be a success in any way, it will quite possibly spawn a number of unauthorized fan sites. Unless, of course, it's a sci-fi film or a sub-Tarantino endeavor, in which case it will probably inspire hundreds of cyberfans to test the copyright laws in their own digitally-enhanced way"(Moving Pictures International 2). Most of the major studios do have a presence on the way. Fox , MGM , WB , Universal , Miramax and Disney . Just to name a few, as well as many of the Independents. With links built into these sites which lead to other pages on the Internet, anyone who looks at these pages can then be directed towards reviews and online merchandizing stores. Where, with the aid of a credit card, they can not only buy the soundtrack, but also the T-shirt and the commemorative mug. Another click of the mouse and they can find out when it's playing at their local cinema and even the time of the last train home. A major studio will spend somewhere around 100,000 dollars to maintain and update their website. This helps to keep the site fresh and can incorporate the best in Internet graphics and animation such as Flash, or Shockwave Media. The price is much lower for smaller companies; usually an independent can get away with a decent site for a...

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...is going to come a long very shortly that will completely change the way we view films. The studios are already headed in that direction and it will not take long until such an innovation is authorized and created. With the amount of piracy on the Internet, it is hard to tell what will be the result of the actions taken by the film industry and motion picture association. There is still much to be discovered, and much to be created. It is up to the filmmakers of tomorrow to decide if they will embrace this newfound marketing tool or go on with the traditions of those before them. But they must realize that the technology will not go away and it will continue to be a part of the industry. It will be better to explore and understand this new medium rather than be ignorant to the power that it holds. This is something that will inevitably have to be decided upon soon.