The Press Release Press Kit

The Press Release & Press Kit The Press Release What is a press release??  A press release is pseudo-news story, written in third person, that seeks to demonstrate to an editor or reporter the newsworthiness of a particular person, event, service or product. The Press Release How is a press release used?  Press releases are often a single sheet of paper with a few paragraphs, sent alone, by e-mail, fax or snail mail. They are often included in a full press kit.  The Press Release Press Release Breakdown: Before you write a word, remember this:      The reporter is not interested in helping you make money or driving viewers to your film. The reporter or editor wants to know only the FACTS that will help him/her craft a good story about whatever your film’s subject matter is. The reporter is not only looking for a story that will be interesting to his/her readers, but is ultimately concerned about pleasing his/her editor. The individual reporter is not interested in your “great actors”, “super story” and “commitment to production value.” So…that won’t impress them. The Press Release Press Release Breakdown:     Take your ego out of it!!! Take your “natural inclination” to sell, sell, sell out of it. Forget about how many long, hard hours you put into the film and how passionate you are about the world seeing it. Using facts, look at your production with a cold, objective eye. The Press Release Press Release Breakdown:  The Press Release Creation Above the line personnel & Talent Adjectives to describe the production (HEADLINE) Hot topics Title of Production Relevant Past projects… Special Effects or unusual filmmaking techniques The Press Release Press Release Breakdown:  The Headline    State your most exciting news, finding or announcement in as few words as possible. Use mostly adjectives and only a few nouns. Emulate the headlines you see in the newspaper every day. Avoid using too many conjunctions. NOTE: Use the diagram from the previous slide to create the headline. The Press Release Press Release Breakdown:  The Headline continued…  Answer certain questions such as… 1. 2. 3. What Genre – Film Noir? A Western? Anime? Action? Horror? Comedy? Production Style – Big Budget? Small Budget? Independent? Subject Matter – War? Love? Drugs? Music? Art? The Press Release Press Release Breakdown: The Headline continued… Full Sail Examples:    “That Night A Piece Of Me Died” – Dark Night “World War I Legend Comes To Life At Full Sail” – Belleau Wood “Film Tackles Drama On The Most Tragic Day In America’s History” – Six After Nine The Press Release Press Release Breakdown:  The Lead  You’ll want to utilize some of your “hot topics” for this. Now you are allowed to use more conjunctions, nouns AND adjectives in a complete sentence or two. Grammar and punctuation play a major role in how easy it is to read your Lead, and whether or not a reporter or editor will keep reading.    If the reporter were only to read the lead of a good press release, he or she would have everything they needed to get started. The Press Release Press Release Breakdown:  The Lead continued…   Basically, the press release Lead gives you the opportunity to elaborate and further “hook” the reporter or editor, without stepping on the drama of the press release headline. Shorter is better. Try to keep it to one page, you don’t want to loose your reader. The Press Release Press Release Breakdown:  The Lead continued… Full Sail examples:  “Student filmmakers tackle this hilarious story with exciting stunts, and special effects in Arizona Cooley”  “After one last voyage, a whaling captain decides to retire, but a dark prophecy bars his way.” The Press Release Press Release Breakdown:  The Body It's Journalism 101 -- the first paragraph includes the who, what, where, when and why of the film.  There's no room for BS, hype or sell. Just the facts.  The Press Release Press Release Breakdown:  The Body continued… 1. 2. 3. 4. Who: Who is making the film, who is staring in the film What: What is the film about? Where: Where did you shoot it? Where is your film going to be released? Why: Why does this story need to be told? Does it entertain, tackle provocative subjects or inform? The Press Release Press Release Breakdown:  The Body continued… Provocative subjects: Current Events, war, politics, etc  Religion  Art  Human sensuality  Humanity & personal drama  Mental Health  Environmental Issues If kept to a minimum and brief description, you may use some of the “special effects or unusual filmmaking techniques” that may have been used in your film.   The Press Release Press Release Breakdown:  The End of the Press Release  This summary & history of your production company is known as the "boilerplate" -- an old newspaper term meaning a block of standard text that's used over and over again. In this case, it's text that you might use at the bottom of all your releases. Place your boilerplate right above the ###'s. One more trick: below the ###'s, add a line that says something like:    If you'd like more information about this film, or to schedule an interview with Jo Schmo, please call Pat Schmo at 555/555-2222 or e-mail Pat at pr@the35mmfilm.com The Press Release Press Release Breakdown:  So please, oh please have at least 2 more people besides yourself read, and re-read your final draft after you have proof read it yourself twice! If your press release has typos or grammatical errors, you can bet it will reflect poorly on your entire production.  The Press Release  Press Release Examples: http://www.unitedmedialicensing.com/b2b/h tml/press_release/pr_05_13_04.html http://www.missionmovie.org/PressArea/pr esskit.html   Press Release Etiquette Press Release Pitch Etiquette: The Art of Pitching your Press Release  Don’t sell your product unless you know everything about your product. People will be able to tell you are a “salesman” and not a “pitch-man”.  http://www.zippyvideos.com/594925078321154 6/cyethe_car_salesman/ Don’t be like Larry David. Press Release Etiquette  Be humble, yet confident in your pitch while making it newsy, exciting and relevant. If your pitch is too demanding or overzealous, you can be sure they will remember your name and production for all the wrong reasons…therefore defeating the purpose of your intentions.   Give them a story, not an advertisement.  Newspapers do not exist to give you FREE publicity. They exist to provide readers with interesting stories. Your job is to give the journalist what he or she (and the readers) want, while getting the free exposure. Press Release Etiquette  Make sure you’re relaxed before you…  CALL first to “PITCH” your story…and then send your press release, or entire press kit. NO FOLLOW UP CALLS… to "see if they got your release."   Journalists hate this! They feel that you’re badgering them and usually don’t have time to respond to follow up calls. If it’s worth it, they’ll publish it. Press Release Etiquette With the luxuries of the internet: 1. In your pitch, you can “plug” a website that will have the press release on it. Make sure that your press release is also offered in a PDF or other downloadable format. 2. The Press Kit What is a Press Kit :  The term "press kit" is a generic term which has come to mean a specific group of materials distributed to movie theatres, print publications, web publications and exhibitors to help advertise and promote a film. The Press Kit What is a Press Kit :  The main purpose of a press kit is to give Movie Theatres, other Print & Media publications, Radio, Television & Cable Broadcasters, Web Publications and Exhibitors "tools" or "ideas" that could be used for promotions, contests, advertising suggestions, etc. The Press Kit What is a Press Kit :  In other words, a press kit is provided to help the film distributor with ideas on how to create a successful film campaign, i.e., how to get movie goers into their theatres. Companies like Hammer Creative, who once were simply “Trailer Houses” are now taking over this part of the industry as well.  INSIDE THE PRESS KIT What is inside a Press Kit :  As far as its contents, no two press kits are alike. However, most press kits will contain a few "staple" items. These may include:  INSIDE THE PRESS KIT  Ad Slick    An Ad Slick (AKA: Add Sheet) is a page (sometimes 2) of camera-ready ads and advertising blocks of varying sizes that are prepared and ready for submission to varying publications. They used to be (and quite a few still are) prepared in house by the studios and sent to theatres and/or promotional companies. Sometimes the studios hire an outside advertising firm to create them (like they do for trailers, i.e. Hammer Creative). INSIDE THE PRESS KIT  Ad Slicks  These ad sheets/slicks come in a variety of forms. Some are on 8-1/2" x 11" pages and are either bound or loosely placed in a flap or folder within the press book or press kit. In some cases (particularly when the studios are conducting larger promotions) the ad sheets may be 20 to 30 pages bound separately and called "ad pads" or "ad supplements."  INSIDE THE PRESS KIT  Ad Slicks  The ads on these sheets can be used just like "clip art”, cut out of the ad sheets/slicks and sent in to the newspaper or magazine for scanning. Some ads will contain an area where the theatre can put their name and show times. Underneath each ad is the display size information used by newspapers and magazines (i.e., 2 cols. x 100 lines 7 inches). Ad sheets/slicks can sometimes contain slogans such as "Starts Thursday" or "Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You.“    INSIDE THE PRESS KIT  Ad Slicks Examples INSIDE THE PRESS KIT  Ad Slicks Examples Grease II St. Elmo’s Fire INSIDE THE PRESS KIT  Ad Slicks Examples INSIDE THE PRESS KIT  Ad Slicks Examples INSIDE THE PRESS KIT Promotional Merchandise (Premiums)   Advertising aids. A listing of advertising materials and merchandising tie-in products. Just look at ebay! People are nuts for these collectables! INSIDE THE PRESS KIT  Promotional Merchandise (Premiums) INSIDE THE PRESS KIT Black & White/Color Press Stills  Black & white/color pictures of the stars in certain scenes with full credit information on the bottom. These can be used in a variety of ways for promotional purposes. INSIDE THE PRESS KIT   Black & White/Color Press Stills BELLEAU WOOD INSIDE THE PRESS KIT   Black & White/Color Press Stills THE ROAD INSIDE THE PRESS KIT   Black & White/Color Press Stills MORTS BELLS INSIDE THE PRESS KIT   Black & White/Color Press Stills THERE’S A POUNDING… & THE ROAD INSIDE THE PRESS KIT Black & White/Color Press Stills  FANTASTIC 4 By Kerry Hayes  INSIDE THE PRESS KIT    Black & White/Color Press Stills THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW By Kerry Hayes INSIDE THE PRESS KIT    Black & White/Color Press Stills THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW By Kerry Hayes INSIDE THE PRESS KIT Black & White/Color Press Stills  LEGENDS OF THE FALL By Kerry Hayes  INSIDE THE PRESS KIT  Where were the stills from each of the previous “blockbuster” films found? Where else could the be found or published? Who would want these photos and why?   INSIDE THE PRESS KIT  Press book  A book or booklet that normally gives…     Complete background of the movie Talent Above the line crew any interesting information that could be used in press releases . INSIDE THE PRESS KIT  Press book Home on the Range Kill Bill WEB PRESS KIT Web Press Kit :  Web Based Press Kit Example  http://www.hollywoodbitchslap.com/featu re.php?feature=903 THE ONE SHEET Press Kit :  One Sheet