If you browse filmmaking groups on Facebook or Reddit you’ll find this question asked pretty much once a month. “What is the most important part of a film?” I’m not sure what exactly would provoke this question. Film is (in my opinion at least) the ultimate synergy of the arts. It’s a symbiotic relationship between image and sound, between actor and camera, between script and stage, between filmmaker and audience. All things must be working in harmony with the ultimate goal of progressing and communicating the story. You can’t really say that one is more important than another because ultimately at the highest level if you don’t have all of it then you have nothing.

Nevertheless, in each case people will chime in advocating for their department. Cinematographers will say the image, sound engineers will say the audio, writers will say the story, directors will say the vision, and actors will say the cast. And while it’s encouraging to see each department take pride in their role, their answers will ultimately be a bit self serving.

The inherent problem with the question is the implication that one department will be prioritized over the others on the filmmakers next set, and so there’s a level of fear that if we don’t advocate for our department as most important then whatever time/money there is for us will be reallocated to the department the filmmaker values most (as influenced by the comments).

So with all that pretext, may I offer an alternative view? The most important part of filmmaking, by some distance, is nothing that happens on set. It’s what happens after you wrap. It’s what should be happening during production. And it’s arguably what should be happening as soon as you green light the film. It’s the marketing.

“MARKETING!!!!” Many of you exclaim with indigence. “That’s so corporate. I’m an artist, not an advertiser.”

You may also point to plenty of influencers who would tell you that it’s the story, or the audio, or the directing, or the location or any number of other things, and I would not stop them from advocating their particular niche. However, I will point out that every influencer who’s telling you something is the most important already has a firm marketing platform to stand on and make their point from.

Practically let me break it down for you. In this day and age it’s not even uncommon for people to be able to make stellar films. There are great actors out there that aren’t even Z-list. There’s a plethora of amazing stories. Almost every DP is capable of solid lighting and beautiful images. Good directors are a rare thing still, but in terms of the technical, every department is overachieving in terms of quality especially when compared to what was considered good even as recently as 10 years ago, and with so many creatives on a set in every department even a terrible director can create a good film if they are wise enough to lean on their crew.

So given that we can expect your film to be top notch in every department, what marks the difference between a successful film and a film that gets showed to a few festivals, and not much else. It’s the marketing. Think about it. What’s the worst film you’ve ever seen in theaters (for me it’s Justice League…. never been so angry at a film before in my life). Why did you see it? Seriously why? If you had known how bad it was going into it would you have watched it? Probably not…. not unless you enjoy heckling a film. Now contrast that with the best films you’ve ever seen at festivals. The film you think “people need to see this” and “surely it will get distribution,” but did it? For most of you the answer will be no.

Why do you think that is?

It’s the marketing. Even if that film’s marketing is on point it was missing something. Something that would get it in front of distributors, or in front of a wide audience. Something that would make the name of the film a part of the public conscience.

The truth is a terrible film with great marketing will always do better than a great film with terrible marketing.

So what can you do? Here are some ideas:

The best thing is to make sure marketing is part of your plan from day one. Even if you don’t have a budget for marketing starting off, make sure you get cell phone pictures of big events.
Create an EPK (electronic press kit) as soon as you green light the film (before you go into pre-production or as a part of pre-production). Update this document regularly through production. Include the actors you attach with bios. Even if you’re keeping the film on the DL at the beginning, when you want to get the film to market this will be a necessary part.
Create a teaser of some sort. You may do this as part of a fundraiser, or you may choose to shoot a scene that sets the tone for your film early in production and use it to generate interest. Or it may be something you create to give the overall tone of the film (think the Interstellar teaser)
Get a ton of pictures! Make sure a set photographer is in your budget for every day. Maybe use a few different ones (each one that shares images will be introducing your film to a new audience).
Make sure your key cast and crew are contracted for marketing dates after your film. One of the major problems I’ve had is loosing the cast and crew after the filmmaking is done. If you’re doing a no budget film post-production can take months if not years, and everyone will move on. Make sure you can get them back when you need to, and do what you can to keep them engaged and informed throughout the process.
Don’t rush. It’s tempting once you green light a film to dive straight into production. To schedule shoots before you even have your cast. To finish the first draft of your script and call it don. These are all terrible ideas. Films frequently benefit from a longer pre-production process. Take your time to find the right people, right locations, right costumes/props for your vision, and document the process.

There’s a lot more I can say about marketing, but at this point I’ve probably said enough. It’s your turn! What do you think the most important part of film is? Do you disagree with me? or What creative marketing ideas do you have? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this!

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The most important part of a film?