It's hard for independent filmmakers to find distribution for their films beyond the Internet, but Executive Producer Oren Jacob (also CTO at Pixar) and Directors Alex D. da Silva and Justine Jacob have changed the game through their use of social media, web video and social good.
NewTeeVee reports that the filmmakers have contacted individual theaters asking to be shown while offering an extra suggestion: $1 of each ticket sold will go to food banks near the theater to help feed the community. So far, 100% of the theaters that have agreed to carry the film have agreed to that plan. The team also used Twitter to promote the movie, tweeting replies to users who mentioned it to ask where they lived, then calling those fans' local theaters personally to pitch the film.
Charity and marketing are also combined in the film's online video campaign. The team uses a Blip.tv channel to host the trailer or other videos, and all the ad revenues from the Blip.tv content goes to support the charity Feeding America.
The Groupon Effect
We're most impressed by the possibilities inherent in the Groupon strategy, though. The first Groupon for Ready, Set, Bag! went live in Seattle today, offering locals the opportunity to mass-purchase tickets to see the film at local theaters. It lets the filmmakers do something that would have been impossible in another era: guarantee theaters a minimum level of attendance and box office success.
We can see this as a viable strategy for future independent films with a few extra tweaks. For example, you could make a deal with a local theater that if the film doesn't meet the minimum number of Groupon sales, it simply won't run, alleviating any concerns the theater might have about risk as compared to running a film that might be a safer bet otherwise.
It's also beneficial because the filmmakers don't have to pay for the local exposure that they get through the Groupon. To instill good will, they're building the $1 food bank donation into each ticket sold through Groupon, and sending each buyer a complimentary cotton grocery bag.
Ready, Set, Bag!