Thanks to the rise of social media and online influencers over the past decade, independent filmmakers have made great progress in the funding, creation and distribution of movies. Three people on the forefront of this evolution are Hollywood producers and dealmakers, Billie Greif, Benjamin Friedberg, Roger Goff and Blake Boyd. They recently sat down with VizSense and attendees of the 2016 National Association of Broadcaster’s Show in Las Vegas to share their insight into what the big studios can learn from the independents, how online influencers have changed the face of the independent film industry and what’s next on the horizon for the movie industry.

What do most people not know about the way movie studios market films?

Benjamin Friedberg: I think the most surprising thing is how much of a guessing game film industry marketing has been historically. Most big film studios put out 12 – 15 movies per year in hopes that one will be a blockbuster and pick up the slack for the rest of the underperforming movies.

Roger Goff: I hate to say it this way but it’s like the big studios throw spaghetti at the wall and hope something sticks, whereas the independent filmmaker has to be more thoughtful, efficient, almost surgical in how they go to market.

Billie Greif: It’s an archaic marketing model enabled by the fact that the big movie studios have huge budgets so they can afford to make mistakes. The independent filmmaker, however, has to be conscious of budget from the day they pitch the concept until post production and distribution. That’s why having a fan base identified beforehand - and being in-tune with those who are influencers - does more than provide valuable insight in the concepting and validation process, it provides an important sense of credibility in the fundraising phase of the project all the way to the promotion of the film. 

Goff: The big studios think the “push” mentality still works. Anyone who’s watched the negative impact that on-demand entertainment has had upon the advertising industry’s media buying and planning models and revenue knows this. It’s all about creating the “pull” with the audience from day one.

Friedberg: It’s really amazing. By and large as an industry, film distribution is based on comps -- no actual formula or hard evidence, just wild guesses -- which is why leveraging online influencer networks is a huge opportunity for the big studios and indie film studios, alike.

What could the big studios learn from the independent film industry?

Blake Boyd: There’s so much noise, so much competition, so many entertainment choices anymore that, whether they like it or not, the bar has been raised. While independent filmmakers like me have had to be more adept at finding an audience from the outset, a few of the big studios are just now coming around to the idea they need social media and online influencers to help them find an audience.

Greif: Agree, and there’s more to that picture. If you’re using social media to find an audience after the project has been concepted, pitched and is in production, you’re missing out on an opportunity to improve the odds that your film will resonate with audiences and be embraced and talked about to the fullest extent possible.

Friedberg: And to add to…that you’re being efficient in how you promote the film. Demographics and attitudes are in a constant state of flux. If you think your movie about medical marijuana only plays best with urban progressives on the coasts, think again. The fastest growing interest base for medical marijuana use is 40 – 60 year-old mothers and grandmothers in the suburban Midwest. If you examine the location of those driving large swaths of online conversation and who the critical influencers are, you’d see this.

Boyd: And within this group, there may be an influencer or two with a huge following who can reach out to and mobilize a future fan base.

Without a doubt, the process of successfully creating and marketing a film is a herculean effort and more complex than ever before. What’s the solution?

Goff: Tapping and partnering with online influencers is a promising solution. It helps filmmakers be more surgical and efficient in where and how they create, distribute and promote films.

Greif: There are digital terrain mapping and influencer identification tools out there that even the independent filmmaker can afford but, honestly, time is our biggest enemy. It helps to have a SWAT team, of sorts, that can quickly access the influencer information and conversation and put the action plan plan together in short order.

Boyd: To add to that, most independent filmmakers like me don’t have a marketing team. We need the x-ray machine and the radiologist to diagnose our needs and tell us which influencers can help at every stage in the filmmaking process.

What’s the most exciting thing on the horizon for the entire movie industry?

Friedberg: The crowdfunding trend has been huge for us. In fact, I’ve been able to make a movie using funds from a Kickstarter campaign. The power of these “micro-investors” is huge. You don’t have to convince many indie filmmakers that the online micro lending community is a critical aspect of their influencer strategy.

Boyd: Big Data is going to fundamentally change the film industry at all levels. Those who get on-board and tap into its power will win. While artists like me don’t need to know algorithms, we do need to be wise enough to know what we’re missing and, like I said earlier, have the diagnostician to help uncover the answers.

Greif: I can see a day when fans will have a say in the whole process of making a movie start to finish because the ability to engage with an audience through social media – at every step of the way - is so powerful.

Goff: The film studios that will survive in the future are those who find their influencers and engage them early on. Enthusiastic, engaged, powerful influencers are 10 times more effective than any traditional marketing campaign. It’s not just a more authentic approach to filmmaking, it’s more efficient. I can’t say it enough, influencer engagement is critical.

Thanks again to the National Association of Broadcasters and SPROCKIT for hosting VizSense at the 2016 NAB Show, and a very special thanks to industry veterans, Billie Greif, Benjamin Friedberg, Roger Goff and Blake Boyd, for their insight.

To learn more about how VizSense is solving and simplifying the influencer marketing conundrum for today’s most visionary brands, corporations and agencies, contact us. We invite you to learn more about how to discover, understand and engage influencers at VizSense's Influencer Tradecraft Workshop by registering here.

We also urge you to download our free film industry eBook, Making Sense of Influencer Engagement: The Essential Elements of a Successful Influencer Outreach Program.