WHAT SELLS? WHAT DOESN'T?

New media films are making a splash!

Independent documentary films that inform usually sell, especially on TV. Documentary films that inform and entertain sell even better. Some have done very well in theatrical release.

Entertaining films (fiction) or narrative films are harder to sell. They usually require a name actor, a famous story or great special effects. A well known "name" actor makes it easier to advertise these films and draw a large audience, but it has been shown that even the best names alone do NOT guarantee box-office success.

"Art" films are always a difficult sell. Most artists make them for themselves. With millions of free films on youTube, anything that stands out and is different will usually attract attention, but selling it for money is another story.

Films with a "gimmick" might attract an audience, but they would not generally maintain interest for very long. It would depend on how well they were made, how visually interesting and how entertaining they were and whether they could sustain interest for a lenghty period of time. It's easy to get an audience for a few minutes but very hard to keep them for much longer than that.

Today's audience is accustomed to channel surfing. You can gain their attention for a moment, but sustaining it is another matter. One click and they're gone!


Copyright ©2009, Stanley N. Lozowski. All Rights Reserved.

Foreign fare evolves with audiences

With an anticipated haul of $16 billion this year, foreign box office has become crucial to Hollywood — but the studios are noticing the makeup of those audiences is changing. This shifts could mean changes for studios’ distribution strategies — as well as changes in their production priorities.

Falling birthrates are just one of the factors affecting who goes to the movies overseas, how often they go and what films they choose to see.

Five countries (Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan and South Korea) have seen a serious drop in birthrates. Eastern Europe and Russia are also seeing declines. Each year in these countries, fewer moviegoers enter the core teen/young adult audience — though increasing income levels prop up the box office in most of these areas. Teens and young adults are also increasingly downloading films instead of going to theaters.

Countering those trends is the fact that adults are getting out more and becoming frequent moviegoers. People aged 40 and up are going to movies more often as their children grow up. They are becoming increasingly important in territories ranging from Australia to France.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE By TIMOTHY M. GRAY, DAVE MCNARY -
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117997670.html?categoryid=13&cs=1

© 2008 RBL, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.