Film Marketing: How to get on the front cover from film festivals!

I ran DDA's Press office in Cannes for over 20 years working with names including Johnny Depp, Jack Nicholson, Robert De Nero and Al Pacino to name but a few. For PR stunts Cannes was brilliant as there is so much press there, assuming you can get their attention with something exciting, then the chances of publicity are decent.

My PR Stunts:
I have been involved in organizing a few stunts, and some have been hugely successful and easy to organize, and some have been unmitigated disasters and have cost fortunes.

I did a photocall once for a film called FRAUDS, where I found a lovely Victorian merry-go-round just across from the Majestic Hotel, by the beach. The film starred Phil Collins and Hugo Weaving, and at 8.30am one morning I got the owner to open up early and did a really fun photocall. We made all the papers the next day. The power of the photo! Mind you, I had to line the owner's palm!! Nothing for nothing in Cannes…..or very little anyway!

Some very basic rules on how to stage a PR stunt:
1. Make sure the stunt has impact - do something big, dramatic, outrageous and relevant to your film
2. Use your imagination - clever ideas nearly always beat expense for coverage
3. Find some of the photographers before hand and issue flyers etc so that they know its happening - you'll see them at any of the main events happening so go round and hand them out afterwards - otherwise engage a PR specialist who knows everyone - see tips below!
4. It won't always work - circumstances and other events need to be taken into consideration when planning a stunt

How to do a photocall in Cannes and alert photographers:

This follows for every major festival, but my experience is of Cannes so I will use that to explain the process.

1. Tell the photographers when your photocall is - grab their attention with a poster
2. Put on the poster a photo of the subject if you have one and use bright ink!
3. Put the poster up in the press office and photographers room - you might have to be a little creative to get in!
4. Hand out flyers at someone else's photocall or grab the photographers as they are walking in!

Timing for the Stunt…

Some basic rules on photocall timing:
1. Choose a good time of day with decent light
2. Make sure not a lot is happening i.e. not lunchtime! (5pm is great!)
3. Press screening is 8.30am for the official red carpet screening in the evening
4. Between 8.30-11am the festival tends to be quiet and the photographers have nothing to do - great time to grab their attention - and they'll be in the press room! Give them a couple of days notice.
5. Don't do a photocall when something else is on - it seems obvious but if Scarlett turns up at exactly the same time, you know who they're going to want to snap!



Ross Grayle Jones is co-founder of OneFatCigar.com a website for film industry professionals to promote their work. Susie Tullett's film marketing guide can be found on the One Fat Cigar website.