March 21, 2004
10 rules for professional movie blogging
Taking on board what I’ve learned from blogging Young Adam, this is how I’d design a commercial blog for a big-budget movie.
1. I would keep the blog entries as short and sweet as possible. Movie goers have short attention spans.
2. I would post links to do with all the people invloved. If John Travolta was the star I would blog all the interesting stuff on him I could find. His love of flying airplanes or whatever. The blog would become as much an A-Grade source for Travolta information as it would for the film.
I would do likewise for all the other actors, and the director, and even the producer. The point of publicity is to make the recipient feel like he/she is getting real, juicy, insider info. A feeling not unlike the college student gets when the bouncer finally lets him in to the club.
“Make them feel like they’re getting behind the velvet rope” etc.
3. I would keep on hammering away on why I think it’s a good movie. I would never let them forget I think it’s a good movie. Ever.
4. If the movie was getting any “buzz”, I’d report on that too.
5. I would make sure the blog had an authentic voice. Of course, if it’s a great movie my job is easier. If the movie is a total dud, I would dig deeper in order to find whatever merit I could.
The way to do that, obviously, is not to compare it with Citizen Kane. Better to realize that even a mediocre movie has a good story behind it– the combined results of millions of dollars and roomfulls of smart, driven people. Try to find the brightest people on the project and try to bring their energy in to the equation. Even if it’s the worst movie ever, there might be some amazingly wonderful person working in the costume department or whatever. Try to tap into that side of things.
6. Talk about the actual business. Perhaps explain to people the compelxities of a distribution deal or whatever. Try to make them see where the movie fits within a billion dollar industry. Cultivate intrigue. Again, people want to be ‘insiders’, it’s hard-wired into our systems to want to belong to the Alpha Group. Get them beind the velvet rope, any way you can.
7. Start early. To build awareness of the movie properly needs at least least a year, preferably two. It’s not about telling millions of people at once. You talk to a few thousand at a time. Let the word spread gradually. Give it time to seep into the Zeitgeist, like absinthe on a sugar cube.
8. Buy media. Word-of-mouth is good, but not always reliable. Buy the means to drive the necessary eyeballs to your site, and charge it to your client at an honest profit to yourself.
9. Allow comments. Let your readers contribute, the more the better– it builds interactivity, word-of-mouth, and most importantly, credibiltiy. That being said, have no qualms about deleteing rude ones and banning ISP addresses. “Trolls” are never helpful. Be prepared to police your blog vigilantly.
10. All this is in vain without some kernel of intellectual honesty informing your every action.
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