GUEST EDITORIAL: Movie Makers Become More Transparent
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Movie Makers Become More Transparent
By Lewis Robinson
Ever wonder what a gaffer does or a best boy? If you sit through the credits at the end of a movie, you will see a number of jobs with odd-sounding names. The problem is, there really is not an explanation given for exactly what those folks do on the movie set. Some you can guess, like sound engineer or film editor. Others are pretty mysterious. The ironic thing is some common titles actually have some pretty obscure jobs. For instance, what does an executive producer do? Better still, what does the producer do? You may know that the producer of any movie is the most important person who actually does nothing behind the camera. Well, what exactly does she or he do?
Sure They Are Important But What Do Producers Do?
One of the reasons it is difficult to say what producers do is because their job description covers so many areas. The producer wears more hats than anyone connected with a movie. It is said that a movie begins and ends with the producer. That person typically interacts with those who have a script or simply an idea they want to “pitch” for a movie. The producer is the person who knows how to draw together the entire creative team—including writers, cinematographers, composers, actors and directors—to make a movie happen. Often the most important piece is the financial aspect—not just raising the money, but overseeing how it will be spent and determining how to earn it back. One large, new aspect of that is how ecommerce will impact the film's budget. This is such a new concept that many producers are still asking what is ecommerce?
Do You Buy Your Tickets Online Yet?
In a nutshell, ecommerce in relation to the movie industry is when you use your smartphone to go online and buy tickets. If you have not done that yet, you owe it to yourself just to see what it is like. There are several major movie ticket sellers online in addition to the theater chains themselves that can sell you tickets. You will also be able to choose where in the theater you want to sit and what concessions you want to buy. Of course, this has to do with the shrinking number of people over the past decade who actually went to the theater. Many folks have stayed home to watch movies as they are released on streaming services. That is another aspect of how e-commerce is impacting the movie industry.
Where Else Is Ecommerce Involved in Movies?
Ecommerce, of course, is simply electronic commerce and it relates to using the internet to purchase things you used to go to the store to buy. We do not think about it much now, but the motion picture industry was one of the first to be impacted by ecommerce. Remember renting movies at the video store? Online DVDs, then streaming services put stores like Blockbuster and Hollywood Video out of business. What other ecommerce incursions are going on now?
Streaming services.
Third-party ticketers.
New digital advertising models. Ever notice an ad for a new movie pop up on your search engine or social media site?
Online reviewers. You no longer have to wait for your brother-in-law to tell you whether or not you should see a film.
Where Will Movie Marketing Go Next?
You might not realize it, but producers use a lot of tools when it comes to marketing their movies. Your favorite social media site, the search engine you most use and even call centers you didn't know existed know you and they are aware of what kind of movies you like. Chances are you will not see a cnam call center’s name pop up on your cell phone screen anytime soon to talk to you about taking in a new movie, but producers are getting lots more creative about the ways they want to show you their movies.
