Filmmakers! Raise money or defer costs with Product Placement

Batutta said:
Yes, let's all be sluts suckling at the teet of the corporate whore. I share David Lynch's view on product placement--

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4wh_mc8hRE
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I saw that... that is funny... but another point of view as expressed by Jay May is that in the old days of film, businesses had fake names... For example, ACME plumbing or ACME electric etc. everything was called ACME... Real company names, real products etc, work better becasue the audience knows they are real and not made up... To use a real name you need clearance from that company... and if there is a mutually benefitial arrangement that enables you as the filmmaker to raise some of your budget, or get a free location or GOOD FOOD for your crew and cast I don't think that is sooo bad....

YES I agree it can go overboard and it could lead to whoring... And I have more concerns over product integration then placement... with integration you are FORCING writers and actors to write and endorse a product for the sole purpose of advertising... With placement you already have said product or location written into your script (say your two main characters get some fast food to eat) why not have the place be a real place? Why not get that location for free if you can work it out? It's not easy being an indie and getting a film made why not pursue all resources? Doesn't have to make you a whore if you maintain your story and the products do not become the story...
 
No thanks. I agree with Mr. Lynch.

The only thing worse than a full-fledged whore is a little whore. Nobody likes a little whore.
 
To go off of what Filmnut said, I think there's a difference between having a can of Coke in a scene or eating at Burger King (instead of their generic substitutes) and doing what Transformers did and changing the mythology of the franchise so GM can plaster it's cars all over the film. It's like Joe's Pizza in Spider-man 2. Joe's Pizza is a real place and that was their real phone number seen in the movie but, IMO, no aspect of the film was compromised by having Peter work at a real pizza place as opposed to working at a fake pizza place.


-A
 
Yeah, it's definitely an insane idea to try and make a movie that actually makes money...
 
Blaine said:
Yeah, it's definitely an insane idea to try and make a movie that actually makes money...
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There are two kinds of filmmakers; those who make films to make art, and those who make films to make money. Filmmakers who want to produce art can sometimes make money, but filmmakers who just want to make money, rarely produce art.
 
Batutta said:
There are two kinds of filmmakers; those who make films to make art, and those who make films to make money. Filmmakers who want to produce art can sometimes make money, but filmmakers who just want to make money, rarely produce art.
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If I want art, I go to a gallery or museum. If I want entertainment, I go to the movies. :beer:
 
Blaine said:
If I want art, I go to a gallery or museum. If I want entertainment, I go to the movies. :beer:
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I'm not talking about ART with a capital A. Entertainment can be art. I'm saying if your only motivation to make a film is to make money, and all your creative decisions are based around maximizing profit, your film will be a disposable pile of garbage.
 
If you want to make it anywhere in this industry - you need to have marketability. Yeah, that might include product placement.

If you want to make little videos for art. Sweet. If you want to make a living in the fiction film world...you need to make money.
 
Mattykins said:
If you want to make it anywhere in this industry - you need to have marketability. Yeah, that might include product placement.

If you want to make little videos for art. Sweet. If you want to make a living in the fiction film world...you need to make money.
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Well said. :thumbsup:
 
Blaine said:
If I want art, I go to a gallery or museum. If I want entertainment, I go to the movies. :beer:
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What happens if the movie is being screened in a museum? :)

Being creative and productive means having to work around and beyond your obstacles.
Those obstacles, weaknesses, or whatever you want to call them are usually the things that can help to make something more original.
 
Mattykins said:
If you want to make little videos for art. Sweet. If you want to make a living in the fiction film world...you need to make money.
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Who said you can't make art and make money? I just said people who only want to make money, rarely produce art...or should I qualify that with "good art". I still believe success as an artist is always a crap shoot, so you might as well do what really inspires you. If you fail, at least you'll feel good about what you've done...And I actually don't care about product placement if the project already calls for a product to be used.
 
Blaine said:
This argument always breaks down because art is so subjective to the individual. It's nearly impossible to agree en masse on the definition of art.
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True, and maybe I loaded it too much by using the term. I think my point is that injecting ideas like marketability into the creative process is wrong. When you are working on a project, you are driven by a creative idea, and the work should be focused on getting that idea across in the best way possible, not working in a product placement or entertaining notes driven by market research that add nothing, or worse, compromise the original idea. As I said, I draw the line on product placement as nothing more than wallpaper. If the company says I need to show a close up of the logo for at least 3 seconds, SCREW THEM!
 
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