The Affect of Social Media on the Film Industry

By: Brittany L. Reid

Social Media has become a predominant trend for today’s generation. Everyone is able to connect to other people around the world just by reaching out and talking to them through social media websites. One business that has been greatly affected by the rise of this trend is the film industry. Not only are movies becoming more available for online viewing, but they are also being produced and distributed with the help of voices on social sites such as Youtube, Facebook, and Twitter. These voices are really movie fans who guide producers in how they should promote and distribute films. The voices are so powerful that they have the potential of serving as the essential, driving force behind the very existence of the film industry in the near future. Movie fans who are users of social media sites influence film marketing, film production, and the success of film distribution.


Film Marketing

According to the article "Top Social Media Websites for Film Marketing," many of today’s most popular websites are the same venues through which directors and producers interact with their audience in order to market their films. These websites are used to generate traffic and buzz about movies in different ways, whether the films are in the planning, pre-production, production, or post-production stage (Chaitanya, 2010). An article on Blog.complete.com entitled, “Finding Watchmen: Why Social Media Matters in Film Marketing” focused on the most searched sites people visited to look up information for movies. The sites were tracked between November 2008 and February 2009 and revealed that about 18.5% of searchers went directly to the film’s website, while about 18.4% visited Wikipedia.com, about 6% visited IMDB.com, and about 4.8% visited youtube.com. These numbers can be attributed to the fact that visitors travel to various sites for various reasons (Baird, 2009). For example, Youtube is the primary source used to promote trailers and clips for a variety of films. People comment on the trailers and give their opinions on the scenes, characters, and their expectations of the plots. The movie audience can also track the production of those films through sites like Facebook if the movie company continuously updates their page with new information. Facebook also utilizes new modern trends such as cross-platform storytelling and getting fans to promote their films.

Onedegree.com explains how cross-platform storytelling is a beneficial marketing strategy for directors. In the article, “How Social Media is Empowering Independent Filmmakers,” it is explained that the basic concept, “Allows the story’s character(s) to live in other platforms before the film is released to give them a broader life and further help with the film’s publicity” (Hamburg, 2009). For example, directors could make Facebook pages for the film’s characters, in which they live their own lives until the film’s release date. Fans can then interact with the characters and get to know more about them, as well as gain insight to their role in the film before its debut. Through this interaction, fans connect directly with a variable that is significant to the functioning plot of the film.

In addition to this, whether the fans are visiting Facebook, Youtube, or another social media site, there is no doubt that they will forward links and messages of the film’s statuses to their friends, contributing to the marketing of the movies. Fans can also donate money and promotional materials such as posters, banners, t-shirts, etc. in order to help with the marketing of the films. Directors also utilize social media sites in order to help with film production (Hamburg, 2009).


Film Production

The production of a film consists of many variables such as casting, funding, and searching for shooting locations, costume designers, makeup artists, and more. These different aspects can be easily accessed through the usage of national and international social media websites. Today, directors have taken advantage of the social media trend to create their own versions of popular sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. An article entitled, “Social Networking and the Film Industry” explains how these newly created sites are essentially a type of networking created specifically for the movie business (Halfon, 2008). The sites are beneficial because they expand to the national regions of the globe and are created in many different languages. So if movie-makers wish to produce a film in a foreign country, they can connect with costume designers, makeup-artists, and look for filming locations in that country by using social media sites made specifically for the movie business. Several of these sites include KinoRezo, which is the French equivalent of LinkedIn; CineFriends, which is the French equivalent of Facebook; and Canes2010, which is the English equivalent of Twitter. Yet professionals are not the only ones who can utilize these sites. Anyone who has a general interest in making movies can use these sites, as well as a network on TriggerStreet.com, in order to promote their material.

TriggerStreet.com allows anyone who has created movie-scripts, screenplays, trailers, clips, comics, or anyone who simply likes to critique films, to gather in one location. The website is essentially the film industry’s version of Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter all merged into one place. The positive thing about TriggerStreet is that both professionals and non-professionals are aware of the site. So, people can make connections and gather the contacts of those looking to become big-time film directors, and help them along the way. However, even though people can follow professional directors on social media sites like Twitter, the problem may lie in the fact that those professionals may not be the best means of trying to achieve renowned recognition in the film industry.


(Click here for link to PBS article: "Can Social Media Chatter Predict Oscar Winners")


Film Distribution

Even though prospective movie directors attempt to seek out middleman distribution companies to help them with their movies, their search is not always successful. Many movie-makers attempt to send their movies to film festivals in hopes that a big company will see their films and opt to help fund, promote, and distribute said films. However, a very small percentage of movies shown at film festivals are actually chosen for funding and world-wide distribution. An article entitled, “Film Publicity 2.0-Part 1” displays a video which reveals that about 2% of films being made are accepted into top film festivals, and even then not all of the movies viewed at the festivals are distributed to movie audiences (Hamburg, 2009). Instead, directors should consider self-distribution by communicating with their audiences directly. This can be done by promoting and showcasing movies on their own film-websites, on sites such as TriggerStreet.com, or even on social networking sites like Facebook or Youtube.

Even when it comes to delivering special features to the audience to enhance the marketability and successful distribution of their movies, directors may soon be able to avoid costs that come with distributing film on dvds altogether. In the article, “Social Media-Social TV and Building Audience Communities Online,” it is revealed that a new technology is in the works that will allow the TV audience to accesses special features of programs they have just viewed from the comfort of their own home. In other words, the features will be available on the same technology that they just used to watch the movies: their television screen (Papworth, 2008). In the past, people have relied professionals in the film industry to contribute to the success of their films both in cinemas and in terms of critical reception after distribution. However, it is now getting to the point where those professionals may not be needed at all.


Conclusion

Social networking has now become the equivalent of a movie’s pre-screening before it reaches the final draft, is edited, and is ready to ‘print’ for the big theaters. Today, there is more one-on-one interaction with the film audience in every single stage of creating a movie. It is very possible that soon, film festivals and movie-cinemas, like the print industry, may become endangere and that the entire film business may be conducted wholly online. According to “Filmmaker Magazine Summer 2008: When The Audience Takes Control,” many sites are already opening the path for this, such as: Tangler.com (forums), Tv.com, BlogTV.com, Ustream.com (for live streaming which allows filmmakers to communicate with their audiences), Ning (a free service that enables you to easily create your own social network for your film with the same features as site like Myspace and Facebook), and more (Weiler, 2010).

My Favorite Youtube Video

My favorite youtube video is below:



This is my favorite video because it was a project my family and I did together. We heard about the Georgia Powerbal Contest sometime in January so we decided to come together to do this. The goal was to make a commercial advertising Powerball Lottery's arrival in Georgia.

We all came up with the scene together. For this particular video, my aunt worked the camera; my grandmother and I were the actresses; my mom was in charge of hair and makeup; and I edited everything together using Final Cut Pro.

Currently, I live on campus and my family is two hours away. That we were able to get together and do this a few weeks ago really made me happy because I'm usually far away from home for a long time. Oh! The puppies are my aunt's pets too! Working with them was a lot of fun. They wiggled all over the place! lol! ^-^ I suppose you could say including them in the video was just one way to welcome them into the family. =)

Even if we do not win the contest, just getting together to do this as a project was a lot of fun! That's why this is my favorite video!

My Twitter Account & Following Ellen DeGeneres

This is the link to my new twitter account! I'm so excited! ^^
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Below is the same post I made on Courseden. I'm also putting it on my blog for backup!


NAME AND SIGNIFICANCE OF PERSON

I decided to follow Ellen DeGeneres on Twitter.

My family has always been a big fan of Ellen and we watch her show together all the time when I'm at home. What we love most about her is how giving and generous she is and how she is always willing to help other people any way that she can.

She also has a wide range of accomplishments, from hosting a variety of award programs to receiving Emmy Awards, People's Choice Awards, and Kid's Choice Awards. In addition to this, and to being a successful entertainer (with her comedy shows and sitcoms), Ellen has also done a lot in terms of giving to charity. She's supported multitudes of foundations such as the St. Jude's Children Research Hospital, Artists Against Racism, the Red Cross, the Humane Society, and more.

She is funny, witty, and kind-hearted, so I thought she would be a great person to follow along on Twitter.


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NUMBER OF FOLLOWERS

At the start of the week on Tuesday, Ellen had 4,156,878 followers. By Friday the number had increased to 4,175,747.


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NATUR-ING 3 OF ELLEN'S POSTS OVER THE WEEK

1) Happy Birthday Ellen!:

Apparently, Ellen’s birthday was on Tuesday of this week! She mentions how one of her birthday wishes was for Michael Jackson’s “This is It” dancers to perform on her show and they did! Posts about her birthday carried on over to January 27th, where she states that friends like Ryan Seacrest , Usher, and more left her birthday wishes on her voicemail. She tweets about other birthday gifts she received as well. Happy Birthday Ellen! ^^

2) Super Bowl- Go Saints!:

On January 28th, she makes several posts about how her mother is going to the Super Bowl to see the Saints play and how excited she is about seeing her mom’s face painted in black and gold (lol)! Apparently she is a big Saint’s fan!

3) Helping a Fire-Fighter:

On January 28th, Ellen also posts about a team of LA firefighters who rescued a dog last week, and how one of the firefighters is looking for a girlfriend. At 3:19 on Jan. 28th she wrote: "Wanted: Loving girlfriend for a heroic, adorable, and single fireman. He rescues dogs! Come on ladies. You're welcome http://su.pr/1dvTWh".

I think it’s very sweet that she offered to help the man find someone through her show and her Twitter account.


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Generally, Ellen’s posts seem to consist of events happening on her show or happening in her life. In addition to this, she ‘tweeted’ about how she has opened up a link on YouTube called “GetonEllen” where people can send in videos of their talents and she’ll air them on her show. She also gave out iPods to a few lucky people as well. She is a very nice and caring person who is always willing to give and help other people anyway she can, whether they are on her show or whether they are fans of her show. I really do look up to her, and that’s why I decided to follow her on Twitter.

Click here for link to my post on our class's courseden page. ^-^

Facebook Experience

My past experiences on Facebook has been beneficial, and efficient.

I first signed up with Facebook during my Freshman year of college because it was a requirement to join the group that the West Georgian had set up on the site. Writers for the paper were told to check Facebook for updates on meetings and events/articles that were available to write about, and to know what stories were already assigned.

After I joined Facebook, I was immediately hooked. One thing that I absolutely love about that site is that I have been able to reconnect with several friends and family members that I have not seen in a long time. Many of the people that I have found or who have found me are people that I thought I would never hear from again, so I’m thrilled that we’ve found each other once again through the advancement of a modern technological site like Facebook. One friend that I have found moved away from my home-town when we were in the fourth grade. I hadn’t heard from her since, and I just found her on Facebook last year! We were both very excited and we did a lot of catching up in talking about old times! The site makes it much easier [than it was in the 90s] to maintain connections with those who live far away. Also, I am part of a variety of groups that help to enhance the social networking that is necessary in order to progress in today’s society.

Many of the groups I have joined of Facebook correlate with larger, national groups (The National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Alpha Lambda Delta, etc.), and I know that any information presented on my profile pages and on my account represents who I am as a person. I know this will serve as a great asset if any employer decides to check out my profile page to analyze my interests, as well as my membership and standing in various professional organizations. I like the fact members can control how they present themselves online, and that profile pages serve as excellent representations of people if someone of high status were to come across their Facebook pages. Another feature that I love about the site is that some professional organizations have actually made their own groups for people to join, and that increases the chance that a post made within the group could make a good impression on executive member if they happen to check the group for updates.

Currently, I have taken advantage of every social-networking benefit provided by one of the most popular sites on the internet. I have even made a Facebook group for my Reid’s Reel Review program that airs on the UWG campus. Family and friends have both joined the group, and I hope that the membership only continues to grow within the next few years. I am ecstatic that Facebook has made communication, as well as social networking as a whole, much easier and more beneficial for today’s society.

It is because of this that Facebook is currently my primary mode of technological communiction on the internet.

Britt Blog 2

My favorit website is a site I created for my show UTV-13 show, "Reid's Reel Review." I love the site because it gives me the opportunity to practice my web design skills while promoting my program at the same time. It features interactive tools so that people can participate in polls, answer triva questions, and leave messages through a guest-book. There are also clips of past episodes as well as a link for "outtakes" and"behind the scenes" footage that people may enjoy watching.

I hope that this blogging class will teach me even more skills to further enhance my site as well.
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Edit: My "Reid's Reel Review" website is no longer active because it is currenly undergoing reconstruction. In the meantime, episodes of my show can be viewed here. Thank you!

-Brittany Reid

Britt Blog 1

My name is Brittany Reid. I am a Senior at the University of West Georgia. My major is Mass Communications and my minor is Creative Writing. I love anime (Japanese Animated) cartoons and my favorite anime is Inuyasha. Currently I have a show at the University of West Georgia entitled "Reid's Reel Review" where I review movies and interview/interact with students to get their opinions on the movies. My goal is for my show to one day be as popular as Entertainment Tonight, so I hope to continue developing it even after I graduate.

I have signed up for this course because blogging is the most recent technology-advanced form of media communication that seems to be essential if one is to pursue a career in the media field. I want to make sure I learn the important aspects of blogging so I can be a successful journalist/reporter in the future.