ENTERTAINMENT : MARKETING DOCUMENTARY FILMS: GUIDE TO YOUNG FILM MAKERS

By ROBIN GHOSH

(ECONOMIST )

KOLKATA, 31 JULY 2023:

During the last few years a number of film institutions have come up throughout the country imparting skills and techniques of filmmaking.

While youngmen and women have acquired skills and abilities, they lack marketing skills.

Many of them aspire to become independent filmmakers – most of them want to produce documentary films and monetize it.

They want to market it to domestic and international TV and OTT channels. Unfortunately, the so-called film schools help students to acquire technical skills – there is no training module on marketing and promotion.

Having sparse knowledge on promotion and marketing – young filmmakers are unable to sell their documentary – though their product is of international quality.

In the course of mentoring the participants engaged in a Workshop on Documentary Filmmaking in Kolkata organized by Robeensmediashop, a memo has been prepared to guide the students regarding various methods of marketing of documentary films.

As soon as you decide to make a documentory on a particular theme – you should start thinking about marketing it.

In fact, as you start shooting, you should try to capture relevant images which can help you to create a poster, a video clip, a promo to market your documentary.

1. Once the video clip or promo is created invite people to view it.
2. Provide the link by email and social media accounts.
3. Set up a Facebook page for the film, open a Twitter account and get people interested in your film.
4. Build a website that provokes people into wanting to see the film and in the website blog inform about its journey into various film festivals.
5. Initiate efforts to sell the documentary to public broadcasting channels in India and abroad.
6. Search major documentary film festivals and showcase your work.
7. Try to link your film with a popular media platform – tv, newspaper, magazine or a social media blog.

What is impotant is to understand that your documentary is like any other product – it needs 360 degree marketing. It requires intelligent leveraging – leveraging a buyer who will place it to a larger platform.