Beyond just the standard trailer(s) and poster, many films have an entire promotional campaign designed to spark interest. Here’s a look at ten film promotional campaigns which should have stayed on the drawing board.
Selling a movie is not an easy task, and over the years it has not gotten any easier. Promotional campaigns have to be very creative and persistent in order to capture people’s attention amid the sea of advertising we are flooded with on a daily basis. Common tactics include giveaways, publicity stunts, viral marketing techniques, sponsorships, and product tie-ins. Many films try to push the boundaries of traditional promotional campaigns in an effort to get an edge on the competition. Below is a brief look at ten campaigns (in no particular order) which definitely pushed the envelope, but doing so did more harm than good for the films they were trying to promote.
Selling a movie is not an easy task, and over the years it has not gotten any easier. Promotional campaigns have to be very creative and persistent in order to capture people’s attention amid the sea of advertising we are flooded with on a daily basis. Common tactics include giveaways, publicity stunts, viral marketing techniques, sponsorships, and product tie-ins. Many films try to push the boundaries of traditional promotional campaigns in an effort to get an edge on the competition. Below is a brief look at ten campaigns (in no particular order) which definitely pushed the envelope, but doing so did more harm than good for the films they were trying to promote.
- 11/29/2017
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (G.S. Perno)
- Cinelinx
There’s no question that hordes of people will swarm to theaters to see “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” on opening weekend, and most of them will get their money’s worth — it’s yet another visually dazzling comic space opera about intergalactic heroes trading banter in their meandering quest to save the universe. Writer-director James Gunn was already onboard to direct a third entry before this one hit theaters, a signal that this vibrant formula works really well for a lot of people. Unfortunately, the enthusiasm for a big, flashy blockbuster like “Guardians” has the power to overwhelm everything else out there, and drown out memories of other first-rate science fiction storytelling from recent years that still deserves a larger audience. Here are a few of them worth checking out this weekend. Trust us — “Guardians” will be there next weekend, too.
“Beyond the Black Rainbow” (2010)
The first (and...
“Beyond the Black Rainbow” (2010)
The first (and...
- 5/5/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Adult Swim animator and voice actor Clay Martin Croker died yesterday at the age of 54, as reported by Adult Swim creative director Jason DeMarco and contributor/rapper Mc Chris. Croker is best known for voicing both Zorak and Moltar on the long-running Cartoon Network talk show parody “Space Ghost Coast to Coast,” a series credited for establishing Adult Swim, spawning four separate spin-off shows — “Aqua Teen Hunger Force,” “Sealab 2021,” “The Brak Show,” and “Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law” — and produced the majority of the writers and staff who still currently work for the alternative programming block.
Read More: Adult Swim Makes History By Launching First Full Episode On Vine
Croker began his career animating promos for TNT in the early-90s, but moved to Cartoon Network a few years later to help animate and design bumpers for the network’s rebranding. It was then producer Mike Lazzo, now Senior...
Read More: Adult Swim Makes History By Launching First Full Episode On Vine
Croker began his career animating promos for TNT in the early-90s, but moved to Cartoon Network a few years later to help animate and design bumpers for the network’s rebranding. It was then producer Mike Lazzo, now Senior...
- 9/19/2016
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
New Line Cinema
Bruce Campbell is the greatest b-movie actor of all time.
Think about it: can you name another indie actor with a CV like his? He has been a regular in some of the lowest-rated television series of the past 20 years. He played “Soap Opera Actor On TV” in the Coen brothers’ Fargo. He stole the show as the voice of Captain Shuggazoom in Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! He starred in a series of Old Spice adverts in which he performed a spoken word version of Duran Duran’s Hungry Like The Wolf. He even appeared as the Surgeon General Of Beverley Hills in John Carpenter’s epic Escape From… Erm… L.A.
For some reason though, Bruce has never really caught the breaks that his acting ability, comic timing and giant chin should have generated. He remains relatively unknown beyond his solid cult audience, despite...
Bruce Campbell is the greatest b-movie actor of all time.
Think about it: can you name another indie actor with a CV like his? He has been a regular in some of the lowest-rated television series of the past 20 years. He played “Soap Opera Actor On TV” in the Coen brothers’ Fargo. He stole the show as the voice of Captain Shuggazoom in Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! He starred in a series of Old Spice adverts in which he performed a spoken word version of Duran Duran’s Hungry Like The Wolf. He even appeared as the Surgeon General Of Beverley Hills in John Carpenter’s epic Escape From… Erm… L.A.
For some reason though, Bruce has never really caught the breaks that his acting ability, comic timing and giant chin should have generated. He remains relatively unknown beyond his solid cult audience, despite...
- 7/16/2015
- by Michael Waugh
- Obsessed with Film
When Harold Ramis died last week I looked for a poster to memorialize him. It wasn’t easy: Ramis was a director of American comedies, and American comedies, especially from the 1980s onwards, tend not to have the most visually arresting posters. But then I came across the poster for National Lampoon’s Vacation, a poster I had seen before but not paid a lot of attention to because its hyper-realist, exaggerated comic book style wasn’t really my cup of tea. But looking at it years later I can appreciate it as one of the last hurrahs of movie poster illustration as well as a witty parody of heroic iconography in the service of broad comedy.
The poster is the work of Boris Vallejo. Born in Peru in 1941—he came to the States at the age of 23—Vallejo is a renowned fantasy and science-fiction illustrator known for his muscle-bound heroes,...
The poster is the work of Boris Vallejo. Born in Peru in 1941—he came to the States at the age of 23—Vallejo is a renowned fantasy and science-fiction illustrator known for his muscle-bound heroes,...
- 3/7/2014
- by Adrian Curry
- MUBI
Captain America: The First Avenger comes out next month. Not just “Captain America,” as everyone in the universe will refer to it for the rest of time (except for the occasional dad calling it “Flag Spider-Man”) but “Captain America: The First Avenger,” the latest of a mostly new breed of movies with unnecessarily cumbersome titles that no one will ever actually say. Sure, the lengthy titles sometimes help to distinguish between installments in a franchise, or slightly aid Google searchers, but there’s still something elementally strange about tens of millions of people going to see a movie without ever actually saying (or knowing) the official title of the film. Below, a list of 30 Movie Titles No One Has Ever Actually Said (Colon: Curse Of The Last Returning Title Sayer (Part 2) Movie): 1. X-Men Origins: Wolverine “We better add ‘X-Men Origins’ before ‘Wolverine’ so when we make 30 more films in the ‘Origins’ franchise,...
- 6/9/2011
- by Dan Hopper
- BestWeekEver
2011 marks the tenth year the Oscars have singled out animated films for their own Best Animated Feature Oscar and I started looking over the list of nominees and began to wonder how they might match up with public opinion.
In ten years 34 films have been nominated for the Best Animated Feature Oscar, eight of those nominees have been Pixar films, five of which went on to win with Cars and Monsters, Inc. serving as the two that didn't end up taking home the gold. So Pixar has obviously been crowned king by the Academy, and this year I think we're all expecting Toy Story 3 to make it six wins for the animated studio. Does this mean the top eight animated films over the past ten years were produced by Pixar?
Of course, this isn't an exact science. Looking at only the Academy's animated nominees means several films aren't even...
In ten years 34 films have been nominated for the Best Animated Feature Oscar, eight of those nominees have been Pixar films, five of which went on to win with Cars and Monsters, Inc. serving as the two that didn't end up taking home the gold. So Pixar has obviously been crowned king by the Academy, and this year I think we're all expecting Toy Story 3 to make it six wins for the animated studio. Does this mean the top eight animated films over the past ten years were produced by Pixar?
Of course, this isn't an exact science. Looking at only the Academy's animated nominees means several films aren't even...
- 2/2/2011
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
We all know him. We all love him. In fact he may be, despite what certain beer commercials say, the most interesting man in the world. His name is Bruce Campbell and he’s the world’s most famous B-Movie actor! Today we’ll be counting the Top Ten Bruce Campbell Roles, starting with number ten…..
10. My Name Is Bruce (Movie, 2007)
Despite being poorly reviewed (by me included), This still makes the list as it is uncut, unadulterated Bruce Campbell in it’s purest form. The plot is a little iffy and the ending is nothing more than a B-Movie send up, but who gives a damn about plot when Bruce Campbell is kicking ancient monster ass in a Hawaiian Shirt?
9. Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters (Movie, 2007)
8. The X-Files (TV Series, “Terms of Endearment”, 1999)
7. The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. (TV Series, 1993-1994)
Proving his comedic...
10. My Name Is Bruce (Movie, 2007)
Despite being poorly reviewed (by me included), This still makes the list as it is uncut, unadulterated Bruce Campbell in it’s purest form. The plot is a little iffy and the ending is nothing more than a B-Movie send up, but who gives a damn about plot when Bruce Campbell is kicking ancient monster ass in a Hawaiian Shirt?
9. Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters (Movie, 2007)
8. The X-Files (TV Series, “Terms of Endearment”, 1999)
7. The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. (TV Series, 1993-1994)
Proving his comedic...
- 12/8/2010
- by Aaron M.K.
- Nerdly
So... unlike the Hulk, y'all apparently like me when I'm angry. I'd like to thank everyone for the overwhelmingly positive response to my little rant and offer my apologies to Canadians; I've been to your country many times and everyone I've met has been unfailingly lovely and the maple syrup really is that good. It did feel good to get some of those frustrations off my chest, but now everything is back to normal, where I just insult bad television. At least for the time being. Here's Wednesday night's TV:
8:00pm: "Big Brother" on CBS
"Minute to Win It" on NBC
"PBS Special: Tavis Smiley Reports: New Orleans: Been in the Storm Too Long" on PBS. Some of the PBS shows I want to start typing in the style of "Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters" just to highlight how unnecessary and ridiculous these title constructions are.
8:00pm: "Big Brother" on CBS
"Minute to Win It" on NBC
"PBS Special: Tavis Smiley Reports: New Orleans: Been in the Storm Too Long" on PBS. Some of the PBS shows I want to start typing in the style of "Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters" just to highlight how unnecessary and ridiculous these title constructions are.
- 7/21/2010
- by Intern Rusty
Metal band Mastodon are hitting studio and working on the soundtrack for upcoming movie "Jonah Hex", according to Ain't It Cool News. On how the song will sound, the online publication was told by a source that it is "needless to say, pretty heavy!"
Mastodon indeed are known for their heavy rock tracks. They have scored music for 2007 flick "Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters". They have also contributed their songs to such popular video games as "Saints Row" and "Guitar Hero" franchises.
The band's drummer Brann Dailor also revealed their latest studio album "Crack the Skye" will be adapted into a film. "[We] wrote out a screenplay that reads from song to song. We didn't storyboard it, but we wrote a screenplay," so Brann said, adding that the band have met with a filmmaker to discuss about the big screen project.
"That'd be killer if it actually happens,...
Mastodon indeed are known for their heavy rock tracks. They have scored music for 2007 flick "Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters". They have also contributed their songs to such popular video games as "Saints Row" and "Guitar Hero" franchises.
The band's drummer Brann Dailor also revealed their latest studio album "Crack the Skye" will be adapted into a film. "[We] wrote out a screenplay that reads from song to song. We didn't storyboard it, but we wrote a screenplay," so Brann said, adding that the band have met with a filmmaker to discuss about the big screen project.
"That'd be killer if it actually happens,...
- 9/4/2009
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters
First Look Pictures
Having already created a sensation with a guerrilla marketing campaign that was mistaken for a terrorist bomb plot by Boston authorities, Cartoon Network Adult Swim fixture Aqua Teen Hunger Force takes the plunge into the big pool with the feature-length "Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters." (Take that, "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan"!)
No doubt about it, the show's certifiably bizarro, stream-of-consciousness sensibility has made the transition notably intact, which should please its young male fan base.
But though it has its undeniable laugh-out-loud moments, the brainchild of Matt Maiellaro and Dave Willis isn't immune to the problem often faced by supersize cartoons -- namely, what might be effectively clever when doled out in episodic portions tends to get diluted over the course of an expanded format.
For those not in the know, Aqua Teen has nothing really to do with swimming or adolescents but rather three giant fast food staples.
That would be Master Shake (voiced by Dana Snyder), the leader of the trio, Frylock (Carey Means), a brilliant, airborne serving of French fries, and the dim but lovable Meatwad (Willis), a meatball that has long outlived its "best before" date.
The plot, such as it is, involves the quest for a circuit board belonging to a piece of exercise equipment owned by the Force's slobby next-door neighbor Carl (Willis again) that turns out to be part of an evil scheme perpetrated by Dr. Weird (C. Martin Croker).
There's more than a hint of South Park-esque larceny to ATHF (CMFFT), laced with what would seem to be some powerful recreational herbs, but after the first half-hour or so, the movie does begin to lose some of its loopy potency.
Still, the extended version does allow for an inspired lineup of voice cameos, including Larry Blackmon and T-Man of the 1980s funk band Cameo, plus Rush drummer Neil Peart and Evil Dead legend Bruce Campbell, as well as a deviously funny parody of those vintage movie theater ads featuring singing-and-dancing snack foods.
Having already created a sensation with a guerrilla marketing campaign that was mistaken for a terrorist bomb plot by Boston authorities, Cartoon Network Adult Swim fixture Aqua Teen Hunger Force takes the plunge into the big pool with the feature-length "Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters." (Take that, "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan"!)
No doubt about it, the show's certifiably bizarro, stream-of-consciousness sensibility has made the transition notably intact, which should please its young male fan base.
But though it has its undeniable laugh-out-loud moments, the brainchild of Matt Maiellaro and Dave Willis isn't immune to the problem often faced by supersize cartoons -- namely, what might be effectively clever when doled out in episodic portions tends to get diluted over the course of an expanded format.
For those not in the know, Aqua Teen has nothing really to do with swimming or adolescents but rather three giant fast food staples.
That would be Master Shake (voiced by Dana Snyder), the leader of the trio, Frylock (Carey Means), a brilliant, airborne serving of French fries, and the dim but lovable Meatwad (Willis), a meatball that has long outlived its "best before" date.
The plot, such as it is, involves the quest for a circuit board belonging to a piece of exercise equipment owned by the Force's slobby next-door neighbor Carl (Willis again) that turns out to be part of an evil scheme perpetrated by Dr. Weird (C. Martin Croker).
There's more than a hint of South Park-esque larceny to ATHF (CMFFT), laced with what would seem to be some powerful recreational herbs, but after the first half-hour or so, the movie does begin to lose some of its loopy potency.
Still, the extended version does allow for an inspired lineup of voice cameos, including Larry Blackmon and T-Man of the 1980s funk band Cameo, plus Rush drummer Neil Peart and Evil Dead legend Bruce Campbell, as well as a deviously funny parody of those vintage movie theater ads featuring singing-and-dancing snack foods.
- 4/16/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
First Look president Vitale exiting
NEW YORK -- Ruth Vitale is leaving her post as president of First Look Studios, effective April 30. Her departure marks the first earthquake at the indie studio since First Look Pictures CEO Henry Winterstern's abrupt departure March 5.
"(First Look founding investor) Prentice Capital has been nothing but wonderful," Vitale said in an interview Wednesday. She will oversee the April 13 wide release of the animated Cartoon Network series adaptation "Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters" and consult on First Look theatrical releases, including Paris je t'aime, through year's end.
Vitale said she has no other plans after her departure but described her resignation as a "mutual decision." First Look was close to finalizing a deal for what would have been this year's first South by Southwest Film Festival theatrical film acquisition, David Mackenzie's British drama Hallam Foe, before it fell through.
"It saddens me, but moving on is the best for everyone in light of First Look's decision to conduct its theatrical business on a smaller scale," Vitale said. "I leave behind a strong team and take pride in the projects that I helped bring to First Look."
The move caught some at the company by surprise, even though there was uncertainty and a lack of clarity about the company's direction in the wake of Winterstern's departure.
"(First Look founding investor) Prentice Capital has been nothing but wonderful," Vitale said in an interview Wednesday. She will oversee the April 13 wide release of the animated Cartoon Network series adaptation "Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters" and consult on First Look theatrical releases, including Paris je t'aime, through year's end.
Vitale said she has no other plans after her departure but described her resignation as a "mutual decision." First Look was close to finalizing a deal for what would have been this year's first South by Southwest Film Festival theatrical film acquisition, David Mackenzie's British drama Hallam Foe, before it fell through.
"It saddens me, but moving on is the best for everyone in light of First Look's decision to conduct its theatrical business on a smaller scale," Vitale said. "I leave behind a strong team and take pride in the projects that I helped bring to First Look."
The move caught some at the company by surprise, even though there was uncertainty and a lack of clarity about the company's direction in the wake of Winterstern's departure.
- 3/15/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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