INTRODUCTION

This report was created to show the work done in the Film Producer class FIL-4661 at the Film Department of the University of Central Florida in the Spring of 2009.

The class consisted of lectures by field experts: Shannon Lacek - a Festival programmer, Rich Grula & Matthew Curtis - past and present marketing managers for the Florida Film Festival, Christine Vachon - world renowned film producer,  Tom Hurter & Nick Martinolich - previous UCF film students, and Professor Randy Finch.

The class itself was divided into teams of 2-4 group members, averaging out to about 20 teams in total. Each of the teams were assigned either a narrative or documentary film that would screen in competition at the 2009 Florida Film Festival (FFF). Working with the staff and their various filmmakers, the students were in charge of guerrilla marketing tactics to promote their assigned film.

Our team, for the non-competition Florida film "THE ATTIC DOOR", includes Allison Gawarecki (B.A. Cinema Studies 08/09) and Morgan English (B.F.A. Film). The filmmakers were Danny Daneau (Director), Eric Ernst (writer) and Erica Harrell (producer). The following report covers what we attempted, what we accomplished, and most importantly, what we learned.

SYNOPSIS & BRIEF HISTORY

FILM SYNOPSIS

Two abandoned pioneer siblings must confront their greatest fear in a haunting and romantic story about growing up. A young brother and sister are abandoned in the vast and lonely landscape of the 19th century American West. Each day, they struggle to keep up the family farm, anxiously waiting for their parents to return. With nowhere to escape, the two siblings are about to discover that they are not entirely alone. As much as they try to deny the truth, something behind the attic door has awakened and they must now face their greatest fear. THE ATTIC DOOR is the story of love, loss, loneliness, and the truth behind childhood fears.

PRODUCTION 

         The Attic Door was filmed on location in Kanab, UT using the wonderful desert landscapes available there. Throughout the entire pre-production, production and Post-production Danny and his team kept a video blog of everything going on that can be found at his website http://theatticdoormovie.com. In filming The Attic Door they used the desolate and epic Western landscape, iconic John Ford country, to echo the terrifying loneliness of the two young characters. Though the landscape was at times harsh for the relocated crew throwing high temperatures, dust storms, and the occasional flooding directly in their path to finishing the film.

DISTRIBUTION 

         Currently The Attic Door is working its way around the festival circuit, first with a panel at Sundance, then the Florida Film Festival, and hopefully beyond. Danny will then self-distribute the film. Apparently, this is a trend that a lot of indie filmmakers are following, to cut costs and keep overhead low.

FILMMAKER BIOGRAPHIES

Director Danny Daneau At only 26 years of age, Danny Daneau is an independent filmmaker who has worked extensively in many areas of film and multimedia production. Daneau graduated with a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Central Florida School of Film where he directed numerous award winning short films, music videos, and mixed media projects that have played in over forty film festivals around the world. In the August of 2008, Daneau completed production on his first feature length film, THE ATTIC DOOR.

Producer Erica Harrell is an independent feature film and shorts producer, currently resides in Los Angeles. After the success of her first short film, Cat’s Bad Hair Day (award winner at Hamptons International Film Festival 2005, and Official Selection of the 2005 Tribecca Film Festival), Harrell began developing her first two features. In just two years these films, The Attic Door and Acts of Mercy are both wrapped with post production and awaiting their premieres. In addition to her independent film work, Harrell is the Assistant Coordinator on the HBO hit television series Entourage as well as a development assistant for producer Kristin Hahn.

Writer Eric Ernst is a feature film screenwriter currently residing in Los Angeles. After graduating with a BFA in Film from the University of Central Florida, Ernst pursued multiple industry jobs such as working as a Script Coordinator for CBS/Paramount Television. Ernst, a former classmate and colleague of director Danny Daneau, came on to The Attic Door early in the development process as a co-writer and even assisted the film as a co-producer throughout production.

MARKETING WORK

MARKETING TECHNIQUES

• Face-to-Face contact, handing out fliers
• Contacting film students, professors, and film professionals
• Posting collateral at schools and indie coffee shops (Stardust, Austin's, Cup O' Soul)
• Facebook advertising and events
• Online forums and community event/activities boards
• Contacting radio and TV stations

College Students & Professors

 (inc. UCF Student Union promotions)

  

Coffee Shops

(e.g. Stardust Video & Coffee)

Facebook Advertising

Online Community Events/Activies Boards

(e.g. Orlando Event Guide)

Local News & Radio Stations

(e.g. WMFE)

REASONS BEHIND MARKETING TECHNIQUES

• Face-to-Face interactions can be more memorable, and are harder to ignore.
• Film students, professors and professionals are likely to be interested in the work of a local filmmaker / UCF Alum.
• Indie coffee shops support the arts, especially locally, as do their patrons.
• Utilizing the internet (in the form of Facebook advertising and Online Event Forums) is a way to instantly access thousands of potential customers.
• Radio and TV stations are also great mediums for accessing thousands of potential audience members.

Delegation, Success & Failure

DELEGATION

When it came to dividing tasks between us, Allison did the face-to-face promotions with potential customers, and Morgan worked behind-the-scenes online, as well as with local businesses. For a specific breakdown of actions we took, reference the timeline in "CALENDAR" post.

Allison promoting at UCF

SUCCESSES

Using Facebook Ads proved to be very valuable, and worth the money. We utilized Danny's built-in fan base and played up the "local filmmaker" aspect to people interested in film (school/faculty members and local production workers), which was effective. It also meant the majority of the audience was predisposed to enjoy the film, so the screening was very well received.

Morgan promoting at Full Sail

FAILURES

News stations and radio stations, except for WPRK, weren't receptive to the press releases. A few gave a courtesy response, but never featured the story. We realize that once we send a press release, it's out of our control what they decide to do, but we could've contacted them sooner and perhaps done a follow-up phone call, especially with the radio stations. Danny expected interviews, and he was only able to appear in one place, which was disappointing.

CALENDAR

Actual Project Timeline

FEB 18: "The Attic Door" film was assigned to our team.

FEB 22: Aleigh made initial contact with filmmaker Danny Daneau.

FEB 23-24: We prepared a marketing plan, pitch, and timeline; Determined target audience and list of key words. Morgan compiled the lists and posted them on basecamp for assignment.

FEB 26: Tom Hurter offered assistance and gave us a press release for the film.

MAR 3: Aleigh spoke with Danny about his goals for promotion, his schedule, and what he expects from us.

MAR 10: Morgan contacted WPRK DJ to set up interview; Aleigh set up Facebook events for screening

MAR 12: Morgan attempted pickup of collateral/artwork from Enzian, hadn't arrived.

MAR 17: Printed raw poster artwork on plain paper flyers, both of us handed the flyers out.

MAR 24: Collateral/artwork finally came in to Danny's friends house, Morgan picked it up; Kept 1/3 of the materials for ourselves, took 2/3 to the Enzian; Morgan got UCF teachers Andrew Gay and Theresa Scandiffio to offer extra credit for watching the film, Ryan Pomeranz promoted it in his class as well.

MAR 25: Aleigh wore stilts to draw attention and promote the film outside the UCF Student Union.

MAR 27: Morgan created and launched a Facebook ad; Morgan put up posters at UCF and Full Sail; Aleigh posted flyers in Disney breakrooms.

MAR 29: We sent press releases to 8 radio stations, 4 TV news stations, and the UCF Central Florida Future; Morgan posted the event on CraigsList, MetroGuide.com, Orlando.Eventguide.com, and XL106.7 Community Activities page

MAR 30: Morgan hung posters in the UCF Communications bldg, the VAB bldg, Austin's Coffee House, Stardust, and Cup O' Soul coffee shop.

MAR 31: Aleigh joined the Poundcake team, promoting the film outside the Regal Winter Park.

APR 3: Danny appeared on WPRK radio show to promote the film; Facebook Ad ended, 46 people used it to buy tickets

Total pre-sale tickets: 178

APR 4: DAY OF THE SCREENING; Morgan promoted the film at the Regal Winter Park, hoping to sell the remaining tickets.

Total tickets sold: 243

Actual Timeline vs. Original Timeline Proposal

MARCH 1-7

• Did not contact Erica Harrell, because our conversations with Danny gave us sufficient guidance; Also consulted ready-made press kit on The Attic Door's website.

MARCH 8-14

• Did not prepare or distribute collateral/artwork yet, Danny sent it 2 weeks later.
• Press release was already given to us, no need to prepare it.

MARCH 15-21

• Didn't contact news or radio stations yet because Danny's schedule was uncertain, in respect to scheduling prospective interviews; Also seemed more prudent and timely to contact them the week prior to the screening.
• Did not distribute any official collateral yet because it hadn't arrived, so we made due with paper flyers.
• Did not contact museums or high schools, thought our energy would be better spent on college campuses, local film/production circles, and indie coffee shops.

MARCH 22-27

• Did not contact retirement communities or historical societies, since we found success promoting to younger demographics.
• Aleigh came up with the idea of wearing stilts to draw attention, so that was an improvised promotional tactic.
• Opted to promote only to online community activities bulletins, rather than traveling also to local YMCA or apartment complex activities boards, in the interest of time; Also, online bulletins are more accessible and generally more widely used.

MARKETING STRATEGY INTRODUCTION

One major challenge in marketing this script is it's lack of distinct genre. Not every film needs to be pigeon-holed into a category, but those categories do make for easier promotions.

Investor Suggestions

As a hypothetical investor of the film, we would suggest that the filmmakers flesh out the suspense/thriller scenes. Those scenes awkwardly stand out amidst the dramatic, melancholic tone permeating the rest of the script. It makes it difficult to target a niche audience, since the tone and format are inconsistent.

We would also implore him to choose a leading boy with an authentically expressive and emotive disposition. Caroline has many obvious emotional arcs, but Darrell's are much subtler. In the hands of the wrong actor, his performance could fall very flat.

Achieving Awards & Attention

Every competitive film sets out to win awards and get attention. While jury/panel awards are generally out of our control, we can influence audience awards. By finding a specific target audience, we can fill the seats with a demographic predisposed to enjoy the film. 

Gaining press and attention is even more attainable, since there are endless ways to get a film noticed. Promotional gimmicks are a quick and easy way to turn heads. Similarly, it's effective to inundate the community with a variety of references to the film. It's best to attack on all fronts - radio broadcasts, TV news stations (and ads if the budget allows for it), internet communities, local shops / businesses, not to mention tabling and canvassing in public areas.

Advice For Filmmaker

Director Danny Daneau provided a significant amount of ancillary materials in preparation for promotion, which was very helpful in shaping the film's public image. They were effective and we would suggest using them again.

Additional advice for future promotional campaigns

* Utilize Facebook Ads

* Free up more time for potential interviews

* Attention-grabbing techniques 

(not necessarily stilts, perhaps a public installment of a door & frame, or the like)

* Show previews or trailers at participating coffee shops / art houses

(similar to Winter Park's Stardust or Austin's Coffee)

CONCLUSION

Our experience was one of grassroots guerilla-marketing and creative vigilantism. We were a stilt-walking, coffee-shopping, facebook-stalking duo. Vigorously pursuing every free and cheap method of promotion possible, our efforts resulted in the biggest pre-sale screening of the entire festival. As young indie filmmakers ourselves, this project gave great hands-on experience for how to promote and publish films without breaking the bank. It's invaluable information that we're sure to use in the future.

APPENDIX

OFFICIAL POSTER & POST CARD

PRESS RELEASE

UCF Film Alum Brings Home Feature Film To Screen At Florida Film Festival

Local boy Danny Daneau makes good 

as his film “The Attic Door” is selected to screen at annual film fest

ORLANDO, FL: March 30, 2009. Local boy and UCF Film Master of Fine Arts graduate Danny Daneau’s feature film, “The Attic Door” has been selected for a special screening at the prestigious Florida Film Festival. Daneau crafted “The Attic Door” while completing a Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Central Florida. The Attic Door will be screening Saturday, April 4, 4:00 PM - 5:45 PM at Regal Cinemas as part of the festival. Tickets can be purchased at the Enzian Theater box office located at 1300 S Orlando Ave in Maitland, FL‎ or online at www.floridafilmfestival.com.

THE ATTIC DOOR is the breakthrough feature length film by writer-director, Danny Daneau, from a script he co-wrote with UCF alum Eric Ernst, produced by Erica Harrell, also a graduate of the University of Central Florida film program. Because Daneau produced the film while living in Orlando, many of his key crewmembers live in the area. At only 26 years of age, Danny Daneau is an independent filmmaker who has worked extensively in many areas of film and multimedia production.

Daneau is part of the first of three graduate filmmakers from the new Master of Fine Arts program at UCF entitled “Entrepreneurial Digital Cinema:. The three-year program helps filmmakers write, produced, and complete a feature length motion picture. With the rise in digital technology, UCF saw the potential for a different type of masters program.

THE ATTIC DOOR is about a young brother and sister (Madison Davenport, Kit Kittredge: An American Girl) who are abandoned in the vast and lonely landscape of the 19th century American West. Each day, they struggle to keep up the family farm, anxiously waiting for their parents to return. With nowhere to escape, the two siblings begin to discover that they are not entirely alone. As much as they try to deny the truth, something behind the attic door has awakened and they must now face their greatest fear. THE ATTIC DOOR is the story of love, loss, loneliness, and the truth behind childhood fears.

Daneau says, “this film has been a three year labor of love and a dream come true to complete. The story is deeply personal to me and I am so happy to have the privilege to screen for our hometown.  

"Behind The Attic Door" Doc: Selected Episodes

Behind the Attic Door - Episode 3 - Caroline and Darrell from The Attic Door on Vimeo.



Behind the Attic Door - Episode 5 - Monsoon Season from The Attic Door on Vimeo.



Behind the Attic Door - Episode 7 - End in Sight from The Attic Door on Vimeo.

Attendance, Press, Reviews

ATTENDANCE:

(ONE SCREENING ONLY): 243 tickets sold

Florida Film Festival 2009 Official Site

PRESS AND REVIEWS:
ORLANDO WEEKLY

(Justin Strout) - 3 of 4 Stars

[excerpt]

"UCF’s Danny Daneau makes his feature directorial debut in this haunting mood piece about a brother and sister who are left by their parents to tend to the family’s farm in the 19th-century West. Tethered to isolation by the vast mountain range before them, they discover the horrors a mind can play when left to its own devices, and the deeper disquiet of time’s passage. Daneau couldn’t have chosen a tougher platform for his first time out, asking very young actors to command the screen alone for the film’s entirety with sparse dialogue and action." See Source Article Here 

PARK CITY RECORD

 "Utah Sets Precedent for First Student Film Incentive" (Taylor Eisenman) 

[excerpt]

" 'Monster in the Attic' was a valuable learning process for everyone involved, according to Harrel. "We helped hammer out the details," she said about the pilot program. Peters also brought on Sterling Van Wagenen, the co-founder of the Sundance Film Festival and former chairman of the University of Central Florida Film School, to help with the logistics of the program. Harrel said that while there were a lot of kinks along the way, like a long casting process and challenges raising money, once they got on-site in Kanab, it was a pretty smooth shoot. 'It was nice to have our crew in town and be able to walk onto the set,' she said. 'It's such a huge opportunity for universities from around the country to be able to come to a place as magnificent as southern Utah and be able to film there.' " See Complete Article Here

WASATCH JOURNAL

 "Little Hollywood Rides Again" (Christy Karras)

[excerpt]

" Danny Daneau is the first recipient of a new $15,000 incentive offered to college students and recent graduates. He used the funds as seed money to raise about a quarter million dollars to make a ghostly pioneer-era thriller with the working title A Monster in the Attic. He fell in love with Kanab - despite the fact that he is from Florida, didn't know much at all about Utah until a couple years ago, and filmed during the summer, when temperatures can rocket to 110 degrees or higher under a merciless sun."

See Complete Article Here

SALT LAKE TRIBUNE

"Kanab Re-Welcomes the Western" (Mark Havnes, Rosemary Winters)

[excerpt]

" The director of 'Monster in the Attic' said Kanab and surrounding areas are magnificent for his movie, which stars Melissa Davenport and Jake Johnson, both 10 years old and experienced actors. ... Daneau said the premise of the film - his master's thesis - is children dealing with fear of the unknown. He draws a parallel between the monster in the title with the Boo Radley character in the book and film, 'To Kill a Mocking Bird.' Producer Erica Harrell said townspeople have been generous with help. By Hollywood standards, the move is 'ultra-low budget, she said: A mere $175,000.' "     See Complete Article Here

Associated Parties and Resources

Danny Daneau 

(Director)

Attended Premiere           

Erica Harrell

(Producer)

              

Eric Ernst 

(Writer, Co-Producer)

Scott Uhlfelder (Director of Photography) Attended Premiere

Rachel Hargreaves-Heald (Associate Producer)

James Holden (Production Manager)

Alex Eastwood (Production Designer) Attended Premiere

Erin Riegel (Art Director)

Cory Johnson (First Assistant Director)

Sean Heyboer (Second Assistant Director)

Madison Davenport (Caroline)

Jake Johnson (Darrell)

THE ATTIC DOOR OFFICIAL WEBSITE