How Robert Ebert’s Two Thumbs Down Saved a (Bad) Film

April 11, 2013 Leave a comment

ebert_optA few years back when I was still managing actors, I was working with a client who was starring in a low budget horror film.  It wasn’t a very good film.  It basically was what it was.  But still, we wanted to generate as much media as we could for the project.  We sent a copy of the film to At the Movies when Gene Siskel and Robert Ebert were co-hosting the show.  We didn’t figure anything would come of it.  They certainly wouldn’t review this straight to video low budget horror film.  But hope springs eternal so we watched for the next few weeks.  Then, three weeks later, towards the end of the show, Robert Ebert picked up the video and looking into the camera explained why the film in question was so bad.  He panned it big time.  This was beyond two thumbs down.

We were overjoyed.  No one had heard of the film before and now it was being discussed by (arguably) the top critic in America on national TV.  I’m no believer in the adage that any PR is good PR, but this was one case where a rotten review by that particular critic was a homerun.  Suddenly the film was on the map. That’s how powerful and respected Robert Ebert was.  He turned film criticism into an art from that captivated the mainstream public.  He brought thoughtful reviews and criticism to the masses.

Ebert passed away at the age of 70 in Chicago on Thursday, April 4.  He was the first critic in history to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 1975.  He was famous for his writing style which was incisive put also sarcastic and humorous.   Apart from film criticism, he also wrote film-oriented books including Werner Herzog: Images at the Horizon in 1980, I Hated, Hated, Hated This Movie. He also co-wrote the screenplay for the film “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.”  That fact alone brought him its own unique form of cache.  He was great fun to read and watch and helped bring film literacy to a new level.  I have to admit it was even enjoyable to watch him tear apart the film my client was in.  He did it with such relish and conviction.  It was hard not to be entertained.  I just wished I’d had popcorn.

He will be missed for he was one of a kind.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2013

 

Filed under Entertainment, Film Tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

Hathahaters: Anatomy of A Collective Bullying

April 8, 2013 Leave a comment

anne_hathaway_1549_635xSunday’s New York Times ran an article titled “Do We Really Hate Ann Hathaway?”  The article went on to list the blogs and articles that have all taken their shots at the actress and went on to further cement the term Hathahaters in the current pop lexicon.  This phenomenon is not confined to bloggers or Twitter.  It has been covered not only in the Timesbut also in New York Magazine, the New Yorker and the New Republic.  It is generally covered with a certain amount of glee.  The writers in the mainstream outlets tend to feign neutrality and proporte to simply be reporting on the story, which is tantamount to telling a group of thirteen year olds that other people are calling one of their classmates ugly.  You’re not saying it of course; you’re simply reporting what you heard to the rest of the school.

I think it’s safe to say that these stories Tweets and posts reflect more on us than they do on the actress in question.  For a culture that prides itself on taking a firm stance on bullying, we seem to have a collective relish for it.  For that’s all that is really at play here.  Miss Hathaway seems to annoy some people, but a lot of celebrities annoy us.  That’s really what’s at work here.    With the collective piling on of the highbrow and lowbrow media, pop culture has given itself a free pass at collective bullying.  It’s okay to attack her because, hell, everyone else is; not only are some bloggers taking shots, but the mainstream media is as well.

A few weeks ago Howard Stern did a riff on the topic, but that’s his job.  At least that makes sense.   As to the rest the ongoing attacks they must be difficult for her to take.  Yes, I know, she’s a celebrity and needs to have thick skin if she’s going to be in the public eye.  But this is more akin to a Lord of the Flies mentality at play than a TMZ day at the office. Hathaway doesn’t seem to be the real story here and all in all, it certainly doesn’t reflect well on us.  There is an axiom that all publicity is good publicity. I doubt it.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2013

 

Filed under Entertainment, Top Stories Tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

Spring Breakers Gives Hollywood a Lesson in PR 101

March 19, 2013 Leave a comment

url-1The LA Weekly wrote that Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers is like Godard meets Girls Gone Wild.  The review starts with Jean-Luc Godard’s famous quote “All you need to make a movie is a girl and a gun.”  That quote’s not far off the mark. I’ve read and heard quite a few reviewers make the Girls Gone Wild comparison, although that particular series ended up with a crash and burn scenario.  But where Spring Breakers is gaining most of its coverage is due to the casting.  And in this case it’s not so much that the names carry such weight, but that it’s a film in which a slew of Disney-esque squeaky clean pre- teen idols turned bad… really bad.  Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez and Ashley Benson turn their good girl images on their preverbal heads.  That is the real buzz behind Spring Breakers and what’s causing the media frenzy.   It would have probably received a fair amount of coverage with James Franco and a cast of sexy half- naked gun totting actresses, but it’s the image shift of these particular actresses that has commanded such media attention.

Either Korine is simply incredibly lucky, or this was a very well thought out bit of casting that he understood would be the engine to fuel his PR onslaught once the film was released.  I think we can dismiss the luck theory.  He’s no slouch when it comes to savvy marketing, although this will be his first film to truly break into the mainstream.  And that can primarily be traced to his savvy casting.

'Spring Breakers' Rome Premiere

Regardless what you think of the acting, the story, the direction, or the film itself, there is quite a lot to be learned here from a PR perspective.  This is a perfect example of how a few choice decisions can drive the marketing of a film.  Spring Breakers is generating enough media heat to fuel its sales in a big way.  So the question is, will audiences pay $10 or more to watch Selena Gomez and other good girls go bad?  You bet they will.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2013

FameFlynet Inc. “51020722 Stars attend the Rome premiere of ‘Spring Breakers’ on February 22, 2013 in Madrid, Spain. Stars attend the Rome premiere of ‘Spring Breakers’ on February 22, 2013 in Madrid, Spain.” Photo. imnotobsessed. 23 Feb 2013. 19 Mar 2013. <http://imnotobsessed.com/2013/02/23/vanessa-hudgens-selena-gomez-ashley-benson-rachel-korine-spring-breakers-premiere-in-italy/spring-breakers-rome-premiere-4/&gt;

 

Filed under Entertainment, Top Stories Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Brendan O’Connell, Listening To Your Art & The Colbert Report

March 6, 2013 Leave a comment

read the full text...Part of creating art is listening to it and letting it guide you.  That’s not always an easy task.  Many artists have definite set-in-stone ideas about where they are, should go, how they and their art should look, sound, feel, etc. By imposing their ego on their art, they often get in the way of the true expression and their innate ability to create.

130225_walmart-art-01_p465-1Brendan O’Connell is a perfect example of an artist who allowed his art to guide him.  Brendan set out to be a novelist.  That was his dream and that was where he saw himself headed.  He was writing a story in which a character taught himself to paint.  Brendan thought it would be interesting to personally experience that process so that he could more accurately capture it in his writing, so he decided to teach himself to paint.  And that decision made all of the difference. From that point on his art set the direction and Brendan followed.  Not every artist would have heard, listened or taken heed.  Brendan  is now a renowned fine artist who was recently profiled in the New Yorker, is appearing on   The Colbert Report this evening and will soon be featured on CBS Sunday Morning and in People magazine.

His talent and creativity is what drives his work, but his ability to listen to his art and let it serve as a beacon, led him to his current incarnation as a painter.  Then again, the novelist could resurface down the line.

This doesn’t mean that following your muse will automatically lead you too to the Colbert Report, but, hey, you never know.   Bottom line is – it will lead you.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2013

 

Filed under Entertainment Tagged with , , , , , , , ,

Ben Afleck’s Remarkable PR Transformation – And You

March 2, 2013 Leave a comment

urlThe PR and image rehabilitation of Ben Affleck is a pretty amazing one.  If you think back to the days of “Gigli” and the whole Jennifer Lopez media blitz, all was not going that well.  It was around that time that he was named People’s Sexiest Man Alive, which moved him from Oscar winning writer and serious actor to being thought of pretty much as a full time tabloid star.

J.Lo jumped from Afleck to  Marc Anthony and Affleck went to Jennifer Garner.  He ended up marrying his “Daredevil”/”Elektra” costar.   The Lopez tabloid days were his lowest point media wise and it looked like he could be stuck there for a while.   In 2007, he moved from actor to director and his first feature film “Gone Baby Gone,” was released.  That he followed with The Town”  which garnered an Oscar nomination for Jeremy Renner for best supporting actor and made over $150 million.  Afleck was back in the running as a serious actor and director in Hollywood.  Next came “Argo.” Which he produced with Grant Heslov and George Clooney, not bad company.  And the rest, as they say is history.

So, where do you fit into this article?  We’ve all had setbacks.  We’ve all had times where everything seems to be headed in the wrong direction.  Here is a transformation story to remember.  What Ben Afleck pulled off was pretty remarkable and I applaud him for it.  It’s easy to give up and get stuck when things aren’t going your way.  Hollywood and the public can be particularly fierce and when they turn on you it can cause a whiplash.  Afleck kept his bearings.  He kept moving forward and reinvented himself.  This is a lesson for all of us whether inside or outside of the entertainment industry.  Down times can be temporary, if we keep forging forward.  Have a vision and stick to it.  When things seem the bleakest you might feel lost at sea, but keep moving and soon you’ll see at least glimmers of the shore.  And you never know what can be the key that will open that door for you.  So,  I congratulate him for his Argo win, but, to be honest, I still think “Gone Baby Gone” is his best work to date.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2013

 

Filed under Entertainment, Top Stories, Uncategorized Tagged with , , , , , , , ,

Those Depressing Oscars

February 26, 2013 Leave a comment

urlCome Oscar night it seems most of Hollywood is in a steep depression.  Most are depressed because they weren’t nominated, or at the very least, invited.  The majority of those who did attend were depressed because they weren’t nominated.  And out of those who were nominated, only one ended up winning, leaving a list of depressed nominees.  But, that said, did the Oscars really have to end with that depressing song to the losers? Or apparently that was the funniest part of the evening?

Still, Seth MacFarlane can exhale. Ratings were up according to reports.  Sunday night’s telecast of the 85th Academy Awards ceremony ratings were up, according to early reports. Particularly among the much valued 18-49 demo.  The MacFarlane hosted show was up 19 percent over last year by earning a 12.1 rating.

It also helped that the winners were money makers this year and had actually be seen by more than a handful of art house movie goers.  This time around six of the nine Best Picture nominees including  Argo, Lincoln, Les Misérables and Silver Linings Playbook have, up until now, each earned more than $100 million at the box office.  Last year, The Artist had made nowhere near that.

Now that the Academy Awards are over and the trophies have been given out, the marketing and PR campaigns shift into high gear.  The awards were spread out enough that a number of films can benefit.   Life of Pi, Lincoln, Django Unchained, Silver Linings Playbook, Les Misérables and of course Argo, all ended up with some bragging rights.  Now the millions on ads, marketing and PR start to flow in an effort to get you to see films you missed or to pay yet again to see a film that’s now an Oscar winner.

And for those still depressed they weren’t invited.  There’s always next year.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2013

Acuna, Kirsten. “The four big Oscar winners of the night, Daniel Day-Lewis, Jennifer Lawrence, Anne Hathaway, and Christoph Waltz.” Photo. Business Insider. 25 Feb. 2013. 25 Feb. 2013. <http://www.businessinsider.com/oscar-winners-2013-2013-2&gt;

Filed under Entertainment Tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,

Amar Sidhu and The Black Russian: A Unique Film Marketing Saga

January 29, 2013 Leave a comment

Screen shot 2013-01-28 at 5.08.53 PMI’ve written a number of articles on how to utilize PR and media relations to help market your film, land distribution and build your brand. But before you can promote your film, you have to get into the game.  That’s not always easy.  Hollywood can be a daunting closed system to an outsider.  It often takes as much creativity to get into the film world as it takes to create the film itself.  By the same token, the upside of Hollywood is that there is no definite success path.  Each successful actor or filmmaker has his or her unique story.  As the industry changes more entrepreneurial actors and directors are carving out their own successful paths .That’s what makes Amar Sidhu’s story so compelling.

Amar is a successful physician, who is now creating a niche for himself as a successful action star.  When Amar Sidhu, M.D. was pursuing his medical degree at Tulane University, he was awarded the Outstanding Leadership Award and went on to become the Valedictorian of his graduating class. When he completed his residency in dermatology at the University of Southern California, he was awarded the “Outstanding Resident Award.” He has since gone on to become one of the most respected dermatologists in Southern California. But that, as they say, was just the beginning; Amar Sidhu has now set his sights on acting and is being met with similar success.

Working as one of Southern California’s top dermatologists doesn’t leave much time for going on auditions or networking.  Realizing that and understanding he didn’t have the time to slowly build his resume, Amar decided to go an entirely different route to reach his goals and realize his dreams.  Just as he did when pursing his medical career, he came up with a gameplan and has to date produced and starred in two feature films.  His first project was the foreign action drama Aakhari Decision, which was shot in Los Angeles and in India.

actor at work He is now ready to firmly establish himself with his latest feature release, The Black Russian. After the success of writing and acting in his first film Aakhari Decision, Amar has completed his second feature film, delivering a commanding performance in a new action conspiracy thriller that combines the action of ‘Man on Fire’ with the suspense of ‘Taken.’ When a Los Angeles attorney (Amar) discovers his photojournalist girlfriend has gone missing on assignment in Pakistan, he delves deep into a world of terrorism, drug trafficking, and corruption in his attempt to uncover what happened. This time Amar adds the title of co-director to that of actor and producer, giving him a challenging but immersive experience of the trials and tribulations of filmmaking. This level of creative input has also allowed him to refine his acting.  In addition to a local shoot in Los Angeles, the crew worked in India and Pakistan.   Not one to rest on his laurels, Amar is currently in pre production on his third film, a sci-fi action film called Winter’s Dream.

Amar’s goal is not to produce or direct, but to act.  His films offer a gateway to that world.  Utilizing public relations, social media and grassroots marketing, Amar is establishing himself in the film world.  He is continuing to produce and star in his own feature films, but, as his momentum builds, he is also garnering the attention of other producers and directors.  His star is on the rise.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2013

Filed under Entertainment Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The PR & Distribution Connection for Indie Films

January 8, 2013 Leave a comment

film distribution & prThere are two primary areas where most independent films run into roadblocks, the first is marketing/PR and the second is distribution.  That has pretty much always been the case, but now, with the film industry in such flux and more competitive than ever, it’s becoming even more of a challenge. Marketing, public relations and media exposure do not only create a buzz and help establish your brand, but these strategies can also solidify distribution interest, and interest film festivals.  Distribution gives your film a way to reach your audience

At Anthony Mora Communications, Inc. we’ve been promoting major and independent feature films and documentaries for years.  Having worked as a screenwriter and indie film producer, I know the hazards and pitfalls of getting a film from concept to the market. With that in mind, we’ve developed a unique PR and distribution outreach designed to publicize and market films  as well as secure distribution.

Our firm specializes in media placement, media training and image development.  We have placed clients in a wide range of local, national and international media venues including:  Time, Newsweek, The Today Show, 60 Minutes, CBS This Morning, CBS Evening News, People, US, Entertainment Tonight, Premiere, Fox News, USA Today, CNN, MSNBC, 20/20, Oprah, The London Times, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, and various other media outlets.

Making a film can be a magical experience, but many filmmakers get so immersed in the making of their film that they forget about focusing on the next steps, specifically marketing and securing distribution.  Too many filmmakers forget to ask themselves what they are going to do once their film is completed. How are they going to get their film, promoted, marketed, and distributed?  What is their gameplan for building that bridge between the finished product and the audience?

What we’ve developed are unique PR and distribution film packages with the independent filmmaker in mind. The approach is to actively PR and market a film while pursuing distribution through a number of channels including theatrical, DVD, VOD/Pay TV, and Online/Streaming.

We deal directly with distributors to make sure your film get the best deal and secure the widest release possible.  By coupling our distribution efforts with a simultaneous specialized publicity campaign, we increase your film’s exposure both during the process of securing distribution, and during your film’s release.

If you have a completed independent film and are seeking distribution and publicity we can help. We have worked with a wide array of movies.  Each film is unique and there are an almost infinite number of different strategies we can utilize depending on the needs of each project. Your primary objectives are to have your film find its audience and to make your project profitable.  Public relations and distribution are the two keys that can help you reach your goals.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

Filed under Entertainment, Film Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

From 2016: Obama’s America to The Prosecution of an American President

September 20, 2012 Leave a comment

2016: Obama’s America has become the fifth highest-grossing political documentary of all time and the most lucrative documentary of 2012. The documentary is based on Dines D’Souza’s book The Roots of Obama’s Rageand features an interview with Obama’s half brother, George Obama.  But when it comes to highest grossing documentaries, Fahrenheit 911 easily tops the list followed by Sicko, An Inconvenient Truth, and Bowling for Columbine.

Michael Moore has taken this style of filmmaking to a new level which is either a positive or a negative, depending on your point of view.  The genre can promote ideas or a specific ideology and with shrewd media relations or PR, it can reach a remarkably large audience.  What some see as fact finding and truth telling, others view as blatant advocacy at best and political advertising at worst.

For years this type of filmmaking was seen as extremely niche and unprofitable, but over the last decade all that has changed.  The film genre has become increasingly accepted and successful in theatrical release.  Films such as Fahrenheit 911, Religlous and  An Inconvenient Truth have shown that documentaries can not only make a statement, they can also make money.  Compared to narrative features, documentaries can generally be made for pennies on the dollar making them less risky ventures since even in a limited theatrical release can result in a decent return.

For a while it seemed as though those with a progressive or more liberal message were the main players in the documentary film world, but in 2012 2016: Obama’s America quickly evened the playing field.  Now a new political documentary enters the fray with the release of The Prosecution of an American President. The film documents the efforts of Vincent Bugliosi, one of our nation’s foremost prosecutors, as he presents his case that former president George W. Bush should be prosecuted for the deaths of over 4,000 American soldiers who died in Iraq. Based on Bugliosi’s controversial New York Times bestseller, the movie discloses hidden details of how key Bush officials and President Bush himself systematically lied to Congress and the American people, deliberately taking our nation to war under false pretenses. Watch the trailer here:

According to the film, Bush and his people said Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. They didn’t. They said Saddam was an imminent threat to our national security. He wasn’t. They convinced us Iraq was involved in 9/11. They weren’t. And yet America, still reeling from the tragic September 11 attacks, launched a full scale invasion of Iraq.

As with 2016: Obama’s America, The Prosecution of an American President has a specific market it’s addressing.  The interesting challenge for all of these politically oriented documentaries is to see if they can not only speak to the choir, but enlist a few new converts.

List of top 10 political documentaries

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

Filed under Entertainment, Film, Top Stories Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How To Market Your Film

September 17, 2012 Leave a comment

Just as the worlds of music and print journalism have been changed forever, the world of film production, distribution and marketing has been turned on its head.  The internet has changed the definition of business as usual in the entertainment world.  There are now new avenues of distribution and marketing.  Technology has also changed the film world in other ways.  There are some very impressive feature films being made on shoestring budgets, outside of the basic studio system.  But once you get a film produced, what then?  How do you secure distribution, or find your target market?   Public relations is more important than ever in this process.  Social media and other forms of internet-oriented outreach are vital, but to create the type of buzz needed to truly launch a film, you need an effective PR campaign.   Media relations includes reviews, interviews, and feature stories in print radio or TV.  Once you have that component in place, start to broaden your marketing mix.  Start focusing on blog postings, article marketing and creating a presence in the social media world.

Why is traditional PR so vital when launching a feature film?  It offers you and your movie the validation and credibility of being featured in magazines and newspapers as well as on TV and the radio.  That type of coverage helps create a buzz and builds a brand for you and your film.   That type of press coverage also separates your film from the competition.  It establishes your film in the marketplace and you as a player.

You don’t necessarily want your film reviewed as much as you want stories about you and your film.  Come up with a number of media pitches and hooks about you, your film, the actors, the storyline, etc.  As you start to garner some media coverage, start a social media campaign to amplify and magnify it.

As you’re launching your film’s media relations campaign, focus on developing a strong online presence.   Create an easy to read, easy to navigate, visually compelling website.  Develop a presence on Facebook, Google+, Twitter and other social media sites.  Start a Youtube channel and start posting short clips. Write articles that film enthusiasts will be interested in.  Comment on other films.  Engage people in online conversations.  Concentrate on film sites, but also consider other markets that have to do with your film’s topic.  For example, if your film is sci-fi oriented, search for sites that cover that genre.

Now brainstorm.  Come up with different ways you can generate interest in your project.  Don’t limit yourself, consider humor, sex, controversy… you get the idea.   Remember when working to create interest online your job isn’t to sell, but to create interesting content and start stimulating conversations.  Don’t minimize the importance of visuals – you’re working in the film world.

Never forget that the bottom line when creating an effective PR campaign for your film is to have compelling stories.  What makes your film interesting?  What makes you and your journey as a filmmaker interesting?  You’ve used your creativity to make a film, now use that same creativity to make it a success.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

Filed under Entertainment, Film, Marketing Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Art, PR and the Billion Dollar Art Market

April 4, 2012 Leave a comment

The art world is a world of business; really big business.  According to a recent segment on 60 Minutes, the market for this art has outperformed the Standard & Poor’s list of 500 common stocks since 2003.  Just as art is your passion, art is also your work.  Many artists don’t like to concern themselves with the business aspect, but if art is your work. It is also your business.  It’s important to remember that creating your art is only step one.  This is when marketing, PR and media relations need to become part of the picture.

As a good investment, art is bigger than ever. Elite art buyers – many from Russia and China — are so ravenous that in the last year alone, the contemporary art market raked in over $5 billion in auction sales.

Just as art is your passion, art is also your work.  Many artists don’t like to concern themselves with the business aspect, but if art is your work. It is also your business.  It’s important to remember that creating your art is only step one.  In order for your work to become a successful business, you now need to master the art of connecting with your audience, which means it’s time to learn the art of storytelling.  And now, marketing, PR, and media relations enter the picture, no pun intended.

Particularly when it comes to the world of fine art, too many artists and galleries get lost in discussing the specifics that are of interest only to those involved in the art world.  This mistake is not dissimilar to a physician who talks to patients the same way he would speak to a medical peer.  That type of communication is specialized, it is field specific and it generally only works to alienate the public.

Always keep your target audience in mind; remember who your customers are.  If you are targeting art aficionados, fine, use art jargon and art facts, but if you are targeting the general public, beware.  This is particularly true of those who work in or own art galleries.  Often by trying to impress, they end up intimidating a prospective buyer.  Someone might be interested in a particular piece, but by making obscure references that only art insiders will understand, that person ends up intimidated and uncomfortable.  Generally that person will find a quick way to exit and leave -and another one bites the dust.  If that person had been made to feel comfortable and welcomed, if the discussion was about the look and feel of the work, about how and why the work was created, perhaps a story or two about the artist, the opening to the sale would be there.

The same holds true when telling your story to the public and the media.  Effective public relations is effective story telling.  Never lose sight of that.  People don’t want cold facts or jargon.  They want to be engaged, and stories engage.  You’ll want to come up with one overall story and then drill down and find stories that meet the needs of different media outlets.  These stories might be about your art, your journey, your experiences, or your influences.  Make a list of possible stories for example, how and why you became an artist, how you developed your particular style, new projects, shows or exhibits, awards and honors, collaborations with other artists, etc.

Different stories will resonate with different media outlets, so know who your market is, learn which media outlets target those markets, study the media, read or watch, the websites they visit, etc.  Define your message, your market and develop stories and media angles that resonate with your audience.  Launch an effective story-based, PR campaign and you’ll build a bridge between your art and your customers.  Next time 60 minutes does an art story, you can be the example they use.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

“Scrioff Fine Art Gallery.” Photo. Scrioff. 04 Apr 2012. <http://www.stricoff.com/&gt;

Filed under Entertainment Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , ,

← Older posts

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 129 other followers

%d bloggers like this: