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Showing posts with the label 2016 audiences

CASE STUDY: Why are there so many sequels in movie theaters?

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The overabundance of sequels is nothing new. But why are they in theaters instead of in the secondary markets of Direct-to-DVD or VOD? Nico Lang from Salon attempts an answer: Part of that is due to a studio system that’s grown more cautious in recent years, banking on pre-existing properties that seem like safe bets in an uncertain film market. “We have projects at six studios, and ninety per cent of their attention goes to the ones that are superhero or obviously franchisable,” director Shawn Levy (“Night at the Museum”) told the  New Yorker . “And every single first meeting I have on a movie, in the past two years, is not about the movie itself but about the franchise it would be starting.” The other reason, though, that so many theatrical sequels are being greenlit is because of the erosion of the home video market. With the disappearance of video stores, the rapid decline in DVD sales, and sluggish VOD numbers, movies are being pushed into theaters that have no busines

PRODUCTION TIPS: How to Copyright a Script and Other Legal Tips for Screenwriters (or Filmmakers)

Here's a guest post I did for Script Reader Pro entitled " How to Copyright a Script and Other Legal Tips for Screenwriters ." Of course, this advice also pertains to filmmakers, in general, since so many of you wear multiple hats in your productions and are aspiring Tarantino-types.  I know I am biased but it's a really good article. Check it out. ~~Danny Jiminian, Esq  I am an entertainment lawyer at www.djimlaw.com . For help in getting permission from musicians and other copyright owners to use their stuff without getting sued, as well as, clearing the script, negotiating life story rights, researching public domain works, registering your script with the US Copyright Office, drafting collaborator’s agreements and dealing with copyright infringement/entertainment litigation matters, you can contact me at danny@djimlaw.com

CASE STUDIES: How to Market Your Film to Different Audiences on Facebook like Straight Outta Compton Did

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According to Business Insider : In a panel at South by Southwest, Universal’s EVP of digital marketing, Ed Neil, and Facebook’s entertainment head, Jim Underwood, talked about the customized racial marketing for Straight Outta Compton, the 2015 film that chronicles the rise of gangsta rap pioneers N.W.A.  Neil credited part of this to a specialized Facebook marketing effort led by Universal’s “multicultural team” in conjunction with its Facebook team. They created tailored trailers for different segments of the population. Why?  The “general population” (non-African American, non-Hispanic) wasn’t familiar with N.W.A., or with the musical catalog of Ice Cube and Dr. Dre, according to Neil. They connected to Ice Cube as an actor and Dr. Dre as the face of Beats, he said. The trailer marketed to them on Facebook had no mention of N.W.A., but sold the movie as a story of the rise of Ice Cube and Dr. Dre.  The trailer marketed to African Americans was completely different. Unive