Film Marketing: Getting it Right the First Time

Tuesday July 16, 2013

Hello from Steve Thompson / Thompson Communications:

Every film benefits through good marketing and promotion.  In my opinion, producing and directing films requires a completely different set of skills and talents from those necessary to effectively promote a film.

I've promoted over thirty films: docs, narratives, even Spider-Man 3 for Academy Award Winner Cliff Robertson, who I also worked with for ten years.  I've promoted regional openings, festival, promotional, and premiere screenings, provided publicity, marketing to distributors, and outreach to other industry executives for completion funding and possible co-productions.

No one has all of the answers for every film, and what works for one film may not work for the next.

But when you work with me, I draw on the experiences of promoting all of those films, on subjects ranging from UFOs to reggae music to a political revolution in Russia.  So there's an excellent probability that we'll get it right the first time, saving you time and money in the long run, and helping to take you to the next level in the least amount of time, at the lowest possible cost.

I want to speak with you about promoting your film.  If you get back to me and give me a general idea of your expectations, I'll answer any questions you may have, and I'll quickly provide you with enough information so that you can decide whether or not you'd like to work with me.

Thanks for your consideration!

Best Regards,

  Steve Thompson

Thompson Communications

856-942-4434

s t e v e @ c i n e m a n e w s w i r e . c o m

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Cliff Robertson Honorary Documentary Update

Thursday May 23, 2013

Hello from Steve Thompson / Thompson Communications:

As we head into the Memorial Day weekend, I want to thank everyone who has extended help to us: our donors, the media outlets who have covered our effort so far, and to everyone else who has helped spread the word about our project.

Our IndieGoGo campaign to cover the development expenses ends next Friday, May 31st, so I have installed a Donation button on my Thompson Communications page describing our project, because I will not be giving up after next Friday.

Mary Jones was the first to cover us, by graciously allowing me to appear on her show and talk about Cliff and our project.  Two media outlets that reach the La Jolla, CA area, where Cliff grew up, will be covering our project, but I don't know when those stories will be published.  Tommy Lightfoot Garret has covered our project on his Highlight Hollywood site, as has General Aviation News.

I have written to a number of people who had contact with Cliff, including John Travolta, Harrison Ford, and Michael Caine, asking for quotes on our project, and asking them if they would at least consider offering a few comments about Cliff on camera, in our project.  If any of them even provide me with a quote on our project, that will help us tremendously.

There are expenses in developing a film like this pertaining to consideration of the legal entity that will actually be producing the project, obtaining the rights to include clips of the films we have in mind, then developing a basic script outline that will enable us to formulate a detailed production budget and schedule.

I will not ask my attorney, or our director Brian Gillogly, to provide these services for free.  I too have financial responsibilities, so neither am I in a position to spend a great deal of time on the project without compensation.

Those who know me personally know that I have one guiding force in my life.  I manage our family's business, and I only do things that I know my father would have approved of with our family assets.  I apply the very same principle to our project: Everything I do I believe Cliff would have approved.

My original idea was to raise the development and production funds through crowdsourcing, like our IndieGoGo campaign.  Schedule screenings individually by region through TUGG, then possibly find a distributor to handle DVD sales.

In my opinion, the Development stage is absolutely necessary, so if the IndieGoGo campaign doesn't pan out for us, then I will find another way to fund the Development and eventual production.

For today, I would request that you still continue to help us by spreading the word on our IndieGoGo campaign, and consider making a donation.

I am receptive to comments from everyone.  One comment I have received is that it is possible that asking donors to fund the Development looks like some sort of scam.  I suppose that's possible, but it would be a pretty damned small sized scam, created by someone who can easily be tracked down.

I can assure you that dishonoring Cliff is the absolute last thing on my mind, and I also assure you that I won't be absconding with the funds we raise.

In my mind, nothing about the project has changed:  Cliff Robertson was a terrific man, who helped a great deal of people.  His accomplishments as actor, pilot, and humanitarian are nothing short of astounding.  I will do everything I can to see to it that a documentary honoring him is made.

I believe Brian Gillogly is the one who can take our passion and put it up on the screen for us, and my attorney is the one who can guide us towards attaining our goals by avoiding unforeseen problems.

Thanks again for your help, please let me know if you have any questions.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

Best Regards,

  Steve Thompson

Thompson Communications

856-942-4434

s t e v e @ c i n e m a n e w s w i r e . c o m

Cliff Robertson Honorary Documentary on Thomcomm.net

Honorary Cliff Robertson Documentary Planned

Over lunch in the Hamptons aviation journalist Robert Sirdey asked Cliff Robertson how he decided which roles to accept.  Without hesitation Cliff answered "I wouldn't do anything that my granddaughter couldn't see."

That's what I figure is the logline for our documentary project: "What Cliff's granddaughter should see."

Cliff Robertson was a talented actor, a skilled and accomplished aviator, and an astoundingly kind man.  He helped countless people.  He gave two time Academy Award Winner William Goldman (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Marathon Man, All the President's Men, and many, many more!) his start in the film business.

He stood up to studio chief David Begelman, sacrificing his career, rather than his integrity.

He deserves a tribute to his life and accomplishments, and that's what I intend to produce.

Director / producer Brian Gillogly (Accidental Icon: The Real Gidget Story, in which Cliff appeared) has agreed to direct the film, and my own attorney Jackie Borock has agreed to provide counsel to us throughout the project.

Developing the project will take a substantial amount of time on our parts, so I have initiated an IndieGoGo campaign to raise $9500 to cover the development costs.

 

Development activities include: Determination of the best Legal Entity for the project.  Creating a basic initial script outline.  Decisions regarding which films to include, who to contact from each film, who to contact in aviation, and who to contact regarding Cliff's humanitarian work, and of course the development of a more detailed, accurate production budget.

Once the Development funds are raised, I would estimate that it will take us between four to six weeks to develop the actual production plans.

Maybe you knew Cliff too, maybe you admired his performances on stage and screen, maybe you experienced his enthusiasm for aviation, or appreciated his humanitarian work. 

Now you have the opportunity to help us produce a documentary that will honor him, creating a lasting record of his achievements.

Please help us make it happen.


Update May 9th, 2013

Special thanks to our donors for helping us make this project happen.  Still a long way to go, but I believe in all of us who knew Cliff personally or through his work.

Thanks to Mary Jones for having me on her radio show, and thanks to Tommy Lightfoot Garrett for featuring our project on his Highlight Hollywood site.

Update May 16, 2013

As our project progresses, we have some initial considerations regarding who we would like to appear in our film:

John Travolta -- Received Living Legends of Aviation's "Cliff Robertson Ambassador of Aviation" award from Cliff

Harrison Ford former Young Eagles Chairman, Cliff Robertson founding Chairman

Michael Caine told Cliff of his Academy Award win in Philippines while filming Too Late the Hero

William Goldman -- Cliff gave him his start in the film business.

Sam Raimi -- Spider-Man director

James Franco -- Spider-Man co-star

Rosemary Harris -- Spider-Man co-star

Tobey Maguire -- Spider-Man co-star

We are open to suggestions, and are specifically looking for people who shared aviation experiences with Cliff.

Steve Thompson

s t e v e @ c i n e m a n e w s w i r e

The Less Predictable Side of Crowdfunding


I was as amazed as everyone else when tv producer Rob Thomas recently not only raised his $2 million goal on Kickstarter, but as of today has raised nearly $4 million.

But within days of him dramatically exceeding his goals, some interesting points are beginning to be considered by various writers.

One of the most interesting in my opinion is Jason Schmid's Crowdfunding studio films: Amazing or insane?

I hadn't considered the lack of oversight (no creative interference, woo hoo!) by traditional investors, but what I think is worth considering is that the large number of the IndieGoGo investors are settling for nothing more than the perks described in the campaign.

Companies like eBay and iomega have faced class action lawsuits for several reasons, and although Rob Thomas and his crew are certainly well intentioned, this Veronica Mars / Kickstarter situation seems to me to beg for a class action lawsuit, particularly since there is no provision for share of profits.  (I would be glad to publish a piece by an entertainment attorney on this subject.)

But then of course that assumes that there will be profits, and anyone who follows Hollywood news knows that even blockbusters never actually earn any profits, at least according to studio accountings.

Anyway, I'll continue to follow the Veronica Mars story, and keep you informed.  Yes, of course I do provide publicity and marketing services to my clients, but I also bring them relevant news that I believe is worth their consideration, even if it may not be what they want to hear at that particular time.

Would you like to work with someone who can save you time and money, someone who can provide you with professional public relations services, and keep you informed with information that will help you improve your own productivity?  If so, give me a call, I'd like to work with you too!

As Always, Thanks for Your Consideration!


Steve Thompson


s t e v e @ c i n e m a n e w s w i r e . com

Thompson Communications

856-942-4434
Skype: stephen.thompson580

Coming Soon! New Ghostbusters Documentary

March, 2013 -- There's a new Ghostbusters documentary on the way: Cleanin' Up The Town: Remembering Ghostbusters.  The documentary tells us the full story from where it all started through to the future of the Ghostbusters franchise.
  
Produced by UK based Bueno Productions which is run by Anthony and Claire Bueno.  Bueno Productions is a media production company with bases in London, the Midlands and South Devon, they provide a range of services to a broad area of the UK.

 
The film will include appearances by Sigourney Weaver, Dan Aykroyd, Annie Potts, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Jason Reitman, William Atherton, director Ivan Reitman, Ray Parker Jr., and many, many more.

Bueno Productions also co-produced the award winning documentary Beware The Moon: Remembering An American Werewolf In London for Universal Studios.

I'll be keeping you up to date on this one!

Join Tony Bueno's Cleanin' Up The Town: Rembering Ghostbusters Facebook Group

Professionally Promote Your Independent Film

From JFK, to Reggae, to Arnold

Although I feel that having the experience of promoting over thirty films is valuable, each film is actually a highly unique experience.

One person I've enjoyed working with is Jim Marrs, author of Crossfire: The Plot That Killed Kennedy one of two books that Oliver Stone used as a basis for JFK.  Jim is a great guy, who thoroughly researches his work.  Jim is controversial, but I think everyone with an open mind should at least be aware of his opinions, and how he arrived at them.

Coincidently for ten years I worked with Academy Award Winner Cliff Robertson, who frequently charmed audiences with his stories, one of which was how President Kennedy himself picked Cliff to portray him in PT 109.

In 2005, Charlotte Lawrence approached me to promote Made in Jamaica, a film on reggae music.  Back then web marketing was fairly new, but in a matter of weeks Charlotte and I managed to generate world wide coverage for her film.  To my amazement, the film was even covered on a Hebrew Reggae site.  Who knew there was a Hebrew Reggae site, maybe even more than one?  It was Charlotte and her father Pascal Herold who first asked me to approach potential distributors on their behalf.  Charlotte and Pascal gave me a screen credit in that film.

In 2008, I helped friend and client Guile Branco promote his body building documentary Why We Train, which included an appearance by then Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.  It was fun coordinating with the Governor's office on promoting Guile's festival appearances.  Although Guile had Arnold's permission for him to appear in his film, we were not able to get Arnold to appear at festival screenings or even comment on the film.  I tried, but he was just too busy running the State of California at the time.

Now if you have an independent film that needs publicity, or you are seeking a distributor or co-production partner, it's time that you get in touch with me!

Contact me and I’ll be glad to send you a sheet listing all of the films I’ve promoted, and how I helped each director, producer, and client.

  

As Always, Thanks for Your Consideration!


Steve Thompson


s t e v e @ c i n e m a n e w s w i r e . com

Thompson Communications

856-942-4434
Skype: stephen.thompson580

‘Veronica Mars’ Kickstarter Reaches $2 Million 


Friday March 15, 2013 -- No doubt by now you know that tv producer Rob Thomas made history this week by raising over $2 million in only one day on Kickstarter for a Veronica Mars feature film.

Naturally Thomas had some advantages: primarily a huge tv show audience with a hunger for more, the star of the show promoting the effort, and the cooperation of Warner Brothers who offered legal and distribution assistance.

Nevertheless, it does prove that it can be done.  Couple that with robust acquisitions at Sundance this year, and the re-emergance of Picturehouse, and you have a very optimistic landscape for indie films.

There will always be risk in the film business, but this year indie producers have a few extra advantages in their pockets that they didn't have in the last few years.

Keeping an open mind, and using all available assets has never been more important than it is today.

When you are ready to work with someone with an open mind, who will help you develop your own competitive advantages, please get in touch with me.  

Let's make it happen!

Steve Thompson


s t e v e @ c i n e m a n e w s w i r e . com

Thompson Communications

856-942-4434
Skype: stephen.thompson580