Bums on seats- Film marketing

Film marketing- Paranormal activity

Paranormal Activity is a good example of how marketing techniques can help boost the success of a low budget film. Paranormal activity's budget was less that $15,000, but it managed to achieve over $190 million at the box office. It was shot by video game designer Oren Peli who didn't have formal training in film production, but it managed to gain attention from Steven Spielberg. Its success was mainly achieved by its marketing campaign which used social media to generate popularity.
In this blog, I will explain the ways in which the producers helped drive the film forward to Hollywood success by implementing unique marketing strategies and intensive promotion. I will explain how each technique helped promote the movie and helped increase revenues, box office sales and overall popularity.

Producer audience research

After production, Paramount did lots of audience research to see whether audiences in America wanted to see the film in the cinema. For example, they used a site called eventful.com to create an app named the 'Demand' button. This was where the target audience could vote for the film as to whether they wanted to see the film in a cinema in their area. Paramount did this audience research because it enabled them to show the film where it was demanded the most, therefore reach the most appropriate audiences. Paramount announced that if 1000,000 'demanded' to see the film using the demand button it would get released in a wider area. 

After voting had finished, Paramount compiled the results to establish what the demographics of the people who voted were. They did this to understand who the most popular demographic was, and so know who the primary audience was for Paranormal activity. Here are the statistics showing who took part in the 'Demand' button votes, and divides the demographics into age, gender US or non US. The results show that the average vote was similar for both male and female voters- 6.4 and 6.2 respectively. However, it it can be seen in the diagram that there were more male voters than female- 84,476 males compared with 17,355 females. This showed that the target audience was likely to be males. Also, the largest age group for the votes was 18-29 year olds who comprised of 64,474 altogether and gave the film an average rating on 6.5. It can also be noted that males under 18 gave the film an average rating of 6.6. These results were useful for the producers, as it enabled them to understand who the target audience for the film- 18-29 year olds, and so they were able to market the film accordingly. Test screenings In order to understand what the potential audience felt about the film, Paramount did some test screenings. The film was initially screen in Scream Fest horror festival in 2007, where it received positive reviews from viewers.  Paramount also ran 13 midnight screenings in Los Angeles.

Response to test screenings 

Here are a few of the comments the audience posted on blogs, social networking sights and YouTube in response to the film and its trailers, and test screenings. 

There was a range of both positive and negative feedback from the audience, but most agreed that the film was very scary and a good horror film

Negative comments

• “Why the fuck is this movie even considered scary?”

•  “Ill never understand how anyone could think this movie was scary. It looked like an amateur video camera at the end of someone’s bed. Most nights, nothing happened. When something did seem to happen, the woman screaming sounded so fake, it made it seem like I was watching a comedy. Id recommend this movie to anyone who doesn’t mind getting ripped off and wasting their time.”

• “This movie fucking blows. The only way I can justify sitting through this snoozefest is if paranormal activity and the footage was actually real. Avoid this film like the plague. I feel sorry for anyone who actually paid to watch this shit. If you found this movie scary, you’re a fucking idiot”

• “Cheaply made movie that looks and feels cheaply made with a corny, stereotypical story-line that’s been done multiple times. The movie left me with nothing when it was done. Don’t waste your cash” (http://matthewdenhama2media.blogspot.co.uk/) 

Analysis

These negative comments show that a lot of people who went to watch the film screenings had high expectations of the film, but were disappointed with the film's lack of continuity in terms of it being as scary as the trailers and promos. 

This information would of helped the producers and Paramount Studios to decide where to screen the films, as they could search up demographics and find out what the viewers want from the film. Negative comments prove to be useful, because it helps the producers understand the reasons why the viewers may not like the film, and so they're able to make the next films more in accordance to the audience's demands. 
Lots of people seem to get very angry and abusive towards the film, which shows that they are passionate about the film. 

Positive comments

• “Ill never forget the chills i got the first time i watched paranormal activity this movie scared the shit out of me lol. It also ruined almost every other scary movie I’ve seen. For some reason after I saw this I became numb to most other scary movies. I still enjoy them though.”

• “Seen all the paranormal activity movies and cannot wait for number 4 to come out this fall. Very scary but I think for me this was the scariest one of all. But still and enjoyable movie for the person who likes his scary movies. For me scary comes with the price of not sleeping for 3 days lol still in then end I enjoyed it.”

• “A classic ghost story is always about the strange noises you hear or how something moved that you know you put somewhere else. Believe me, a movie has not affected me this much since the exorcist, paranormal activity crawls under your skin and doesn’t let you go" (http://matthewdenhama2media.blogspot.co.uk/) 

Analysis

Although most of the comments were very negative towards the film there were some that enjoyed it and totally disagreed. 
Most of the comments say that when watched at home and with as few distractions and people as possible, this film can be very frightening and worth watching. Most people who have watched the first one continue to go and and see 2,3 and 4 therefore showing that the movie has worked well at providing the audience with their expectations. 
Lots of the film is deliberately made boring so that when something scary does happen the horror is emphasised and shocks the audience.

Response to research

Change in film's ending and scenes

After the original film by Peli was screened in 2007, Paramount decided to change the original ending, as they'd recently bought rights of ownership for the film after Paramount had aquired Dreamworks. Several scenes were cut out, and two new endings were filmed because of this. 

Audience targeting

Paramount targeted their primary audience mainly through social media. Its age certificate was 15, which meant audiences aged 15 and above were primarily targeted. However, in America, the film was given an R rating which meant viewing of the film was restricted to adults over 18. Paramount used the internet to create a viral marketing effect, through the demand button on eventful.com as well as using social media. 

Twitter

For example, Paramount used Twitter to target their audience. This is because Twitter is mostly used by young people aged 15 and over. Paramount targeted their audience through twitter by encouraging viewers to post tweets about their experiences after watching the film. This therefore helped Paramount achieve success through viral marketing as the tweets generated by Paramount were retweeted thousands of times by their followers, who encouraged their peers to watch the film. Twitter is an extremely influential website for young people and Paramount took advantage of this through posting online tweets. 

Facebook

Paramount had an extensive social media presence, with almost 175,000 Facebook page likes  and almost 200,000 twitter followers , Paramount Pictures was successful connecting and engaging its followers.  

Paranormal Activity 4's "wanted" feature on Facebook. 

Paramount also used a "want it" app on Facebook which encouraged viewers to vote to view the film in their nearby cinema, which was similar to their demand button on eventful.com. Using Facebook for this was even more influential, as Facebook is extremely popular among audiences aged 15 and above. 

Twenty-five cities around the world could win a screening of Paranormal Activity, before its general released in theaters. To do so, fans of the movie could utilise "Want It" application on Facebook. Wanted helped Paramount target their primary audience, as it recognises the demographics of the people voting. Also, as it was a competitive vote, it encouraged more people to join in, and so increased the potential audience for the film, as the leader board shows below. 

Distribution

Premier

The film was premiered at Screamfest on October 14 2007 and was shown at Slamdance Film Festival on January 18, 2008. It also also screened at Telluride Film Festival on September 6, 2009. These premieres helped the film be shown to more specialist film fans, as they often go to film festivals. Therefore, the movie premier didn't open doors to mass audiences, as premiers are visited by limited numbers of people. However, the premier was uploaded online and shown on TV and this helps with marketing as viewers will start to notice the film. 

Release

33 screenings were reportedly done on october 3, and the film made $500,000 domestically. Shortly after this,  Paramount announced that the film would have a limited release in 40 markets playing at all hours. Although this was a limited release, it increased the amount of people who were to view the film. 

Paramount announced on October 6 that Paranormal Activity would be released nationwide if the film received over 1000,000 demands on eventful.com which was achieved on the following Friday. Therefore, Paramount's marketing campaign helped the film achieve wider distribution as more demand increased the areas which the film could be distributed in. 
After this, Paramount announced wider domestic release on Friday 16 October and expansion to more theaters on 23 October. This increased the amount of people who watched the film, as a wider release meant more people were able to watch it in the box office. 
Paramount was rated R by the MPAA despite it having no gory scenes. This was apparently because of 'strong language'. This rating impacted on the film's release and reception as it meant that younger audiences weren't able to watch the film at the cinema despite the audience research showing that younger people were the most popular target audience. 

Home release

Paranormal Activity was released on DVD and Blu-ray on December 29, 2009.

It was released in the United Kingdom on March 22, 2010 on DVD and Blu-ray with some specials. Its later DVD release date especially for the UK release meant that the film sold less, as a delayed release causes more people to forget about the film. Therefore, although the film was extremely successful, it would have been more successful in the UK if it was released earlier as more people would have noticed the film's advertisements and marketing campaigns. 

Publicity and Marketing

Paranormal activity achieved much of its commercial success through its viral marketing campaign and the use of social media to achieve this. For example, the Facebook app and the demand button created more public awareness of the film, as viewers were more likely to share and promote the film to their friends.
Paranormal Activity didn't have as many magazine and television advertisments when compared to most feature films. Megan Colligan, co-president of marketing for Paramount, said that the budget for advertising the film was limited and so marketing for the film had to be very specific and target the right audience. was because the film was initially indepentant and although taken over by Paramount after the initial test screenings, it still marketed itself primarily through the internet.

Promotional Strategies

Paranormal Activity's promotional strategies can be comparable to The Blair Witch Project which was a film which inspired Peli to make Paranormal Activity and also one of the first films to use the internet to make a viral campaign. However, Paranormal Activity took this to a step further with its demand app.

Their website was viewed by millions of people. Paramount had said that they'd release the movie nationwide if there were 1 million demands. They achieved this, and so the film was shown to 160 screens and averaged $49,379 per screen, which is the highest per-screen average ever for a film playing in over 100 theaters.

Reaction videos

Reaction videos from Paramounts initial test screenings run in LA were posted onto YouTube and on their official site. They were also included in their official trailer. Reaction videos weren't used like this before apart from in The Blaire Witch Project. They helped the film's marketing become viral because audiences are influenced by watching other people's reactions. Therefore, by including the dramatic reactions of viewers in the test screenings, Paramount were able to reach out to more people as the reactions made the film seem more thrilling and entertaining. 

Interviews

The cast, producers and Director Oren Peli for Paranormal Activity did many interviews for the film, in a range of media including appearing on the news, on the web, for magazines and on chat shows.
Here is a screenshot of an online interview with Oren Peli about the making of Paranormal activity, and his personal ideas, opinions and background to do with the film.

The actors and producers of Paranormal Activity also appeared on chat shows such as the one below. It gives them a chance to express their opinions and experiences of the film as well as promote it. 

Actors Micah Sloat and Katie Featherston also appeared in news interviews such as the one below. Here, they talk about their experiences of making the film as well as how not releasing it initially on DVD made it more commercially successful. 

This news interview helped the film gain more publicity and attention, because lots of people watch the news. Therefore television was a good platform for the actors and producers to promote their film and target a wider audience.

Posters

Paramount also released movie posters of Paranormal activity which were posted on billboards, bus stops, outside shops, online and other locations. However, the tight budget on advertising meant that they weren't used as much when compared with other films. These posters used all the appropriate codes and conventions which successfully market the film. For example, the imagery, colours and selection of fonts all help attract the audience, making them believe the film is thrilling and scary. Therefore the use of movie posters helped Paramount to call out to potential viewers of the film through their dark imagery.

Trailers

Paramount also released a series of trailers which contained footage of the reaction videos from the test screenings. These were all very thrilling and helped generate more publicity for the film as audiences were more influenced to view the film at the box office. They also followed the codes and conventions of successful trailers, appearing dark and eery, with lots of key shots from the film to grab the viewer's attention. 

YouTube 

Paramount’s YouTube channel specific to Paranormal Activity  has since been updated with the arrival of Paranormal Activity 2 and 3. It now only features 12 videos for Paranormal Activity 3.  Today, Paramount's YouTube channel has 23,956 subscribers and over 25 million total views.

 

Conclusion 


In conclusion, Paranormal Activity has become one of the biggest selling horror films in recent years. All this was through its unique marketing strategies, and it taking an advantage of the social media platform to capture attention from fans, and boost revenues through its Demand button, which enabled it to gain 1000,000 demands, and so was able to be screened all around the world. 
It went from being an indie film which was almost homemade, to become a box office best seller. 
It was unique in the way it conducted its audience research by conducting screening and capturing reactions on video, and then posting these reaction videos online. This encouraged viewers to watch the film, and so by its social media presence and its screeenings, it helped pioneer the way forward for future indie horror films.