Movie studios digging social media

An article by Ayelet Noff    4 Comments

When ever I hear that one of my favorite directors is releasing a new film I usually head over to that film’s official website or read up a little on IMDb. This is the protocol for most people, I think. But this year, we will be seeing more and more directors choosing different, or rather, additional digital media routes to promote their babies.

Don’t get me wrong, the official website is a great way to create a buzz simply because it will contain the movie’s trailer. The trailer video naturally becomes viral, ultimately driving an effortless promotion for the studio. There are also some indie directors that regularly use extra methods such as cross-platform storytelling (allowing the story’s characters to live in other platforms before the film is released, giving a rounder life to the character, and ultimately helping to promote the movie) and also by simply enlisting  their online fans to help spread the word.

But now, one of the most respected film directors, Spike Jonze, will soon release his new film rendition of “Where the Wild Things Are,” and this time, in addition to the usual trailer site, Jonze has opened a film blog, called We Love You So.  His motive behind this was to chronicle the production’s final days and “shed some light on many of the small influences that have converged to make this massive project a reality.” Perhaps this subject matter is nothing we couldn’t find on the movie’s website or in an interview, but lately Jonze has been blogging out of the box, and has invited us into his more personal thoughts and experiences, such as a time he nearly drowned as he attempted to film a cameo in Adaptation. These are the kinds of intimate details which will connect us to the director and perhaps act as a reminder later on, to see his film.

I’m going to take a leap here and predict that more star directors will follow in Jonze’s lead and we will start to see more and more official film blogs pop up.