Category: General

“Froning” Case Study

Video on Demand release can be successful with a built-in social media following
At Quiver we are often asked how films can achieve success online through self-distribution. This case study will tell the story of “Froning, The Fittest Man in History,” a film that was in the number one spot in three genres on the weekend of its release. Creators Heber Cannon and Kevin Daigle harnessed the celebrity power of Rich Froning and the massive social community around CrossFit to create an instant hit. They also held several screenings of the film at crucial times to create buzz around its release.

“Froning” tells the story of Richard Froning, four-time winner of the CrossFit Games and winner of all three stages of competition three times in a row. Cannon describes the story as “Real superhero stuff. The subject of the film is physically cable of amazing things.” Froning is also the most dominant athlete in the short history of CrossFit. He was instrumental in bringing CrossFit into the mainstream as a sport with top athletes. Cannon says that 95% of the film was created by his small crew, and it was modeled after an action-based “Michael Bay or Marvel movie.”

Social media & “Froning”
CrossFit and the CrossFit Games have a massive social media following on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. CrossFit has nearly 3 million likes on Facebook, 796k followers on Twitter and 1.7 million on Instagram. CrossFit Games has 1.7 million likes on Facebook, 595k followers on Twitter and 1.3 million on Instagram. In addition, the community is very strongly engaged to these social media accounts. CrossFit also has a presence on Snapchat, Periscope and YouTube. Cannon and Daigle let all of their fans and followers know about the film through these various outlets. They also created a website (Froningfilm.com) and a Facebook fan page that would update fans on screenings and platforms to find the film.

Cannon was able to build anticipation for the film using its large social media community. “Froning” premiered at the 2015 CrossFit Games in July, and tickets sold out in 10 minutes. On the same weekend, a trailer of the film was released live at the CrossFit Games on the jumbotron. In September 2015, the trailer was released online. At this point only 500 people had seen the film at the CrossFit Games, and thousands of people started talking after its release. Word-of-mouth about the film spread further as four more screenings were held across the United States. Cannon pushed the film hard across all of the social media platforms in October when it finally became available on iTunes. Several involved people shared their clips online so many different people were talking about the film all at once.

The anticipation worked. The morning following the release of “Froning,” iTunes called and asked who they were and how they were doing “this.” “Froning” was number one in the independent, documentary and sports categories on iTunes, and held onto that spot for a month after its release. It was number 8 overall on iTunes during that first weekend. The film is still selling well today with no traditional or paid marketing – just word of mouth from social media. Daigle estimates that close to 100% of the CrossFit world has seen the film.

Takeaways
– Get on social media. Most key are Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
– Success can come from leveraging social media marketing a film on iTunes. Build a community of fans invested in your film and use them to create a buzz around your release.
– Use events related to your film to build world-of-mouth such as the CrossFit Games
– Strategically release media such as trailers and clips relating to your film on social media to get people talking about your film before, during and after your release.

If you are interested in releasing your film on video on demand platforms such as iTunes, please email info@quiverdigital.com for more information on our services.

Top 10 Movies of 2016 from Quiver/Premire Digital

At the end of every year, the critics and blogs and cinema pundits begin to extol awards and begin numbering their favorite (and least favorite) movies, shows, albums, plays and virtually every form of creative expression meant to be enjoyed by the masses.

Over the past year, we at Quiver / Premiere Digital have delivered hundreds upon hundreds of films and TV series to the digital platforms. While we work on marketing and windowing strategies with the platforms and our clients, we are first and foremost, movie lovers. We do it because we love the medium.

To have a little fun, and get in on the awards season hype (Hi, SEO!), we asked a few of our team members what movies made them laugh, cry, and nerd out in 2016.

Sean Flanagan, Quiver Manager

  • La La Land – A film I wanted to go into ironically, within the opening LA freeway sequence, that all melted away into a story that was both related as an aspiring writer/filmmaker and provided levity in an otherwise depressing year cinematically and politically.
  • Deadpool – An X-men movie got to swear and break the 4th wall and do all the awesome comic book stuff that most of the other movies are too earnest to ever attempt. Somewhere 10-year old Sean’s dreams came true with this film.
  • Captain America: Civil War – A large-scale action ensemble that made a divisive source material into its own inspiration. This is probably the best (yet) version of why Marvel’s slow build of characters and interconnecting adventures cannot be duplicated with DC’s attempt at a rushed Justice League. Major props to the best Spiderman yet, accomplished in two scenes.
  • Live By Night – On New Year’s Eve 2004, I vowed to support Ben Affleck in all of his life decisions, because, frankly, Gigli was not THAT bad and the backlash was unjust. My support yielded Gone, Baby, Gone, The Town, Argo and now Live By Night. An ambitious crime drama with a great roster of character actors. So, you’re welcome, World.
  • Midnight Special – Jeff Nichols is a national treasure. Each film he crafts is more ambitious, while telling an engaging story that touches on. This one is E.T. meets Close Encounters in the story of a fractured family coming together for one great call to adventure. It’s Stranger Things for those that don’t have 8 hours to wonder what actually happened to Barb.
  • Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
  • Loving
  • The Little Prince
  • Nocturnal Animals
  • Green Room

Jacob Coburn, Account Manager

  1. Star Wars: Rogue One – Many will justifiably criticize the film for uncanny valley CGI renderings of deceased actors or forced continuity into the greater Star Wars Universe. Others will object to a sparsely-developed cast of characters. To me, though, this is the first film to truly recapture the magic of the original trilogy, and not because its set so close to its timeline. Gareth Edwards creates a galaxy full of grime, questionable characters, and unimaginable size that was so quintessential to the original trilogy, and so neglected in the movies since.
  2. Hail, Caesar! – My personal heroes Joel and Ethan Coen crafted this light caper set against the backdrop of Golden Age Hollywood, and in doing so perfectly captured what it is to work in “the industry.” It is a nasty business full of big egos and questionable intellect, and no sane person would be a part of it. And yet, every once in awhile, you can be a part of something magical, and you forget the rest.
  1. The Nice Guys – An exciting, hilarious, and totally engrossing film that seemed to totally fly under the radar. Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe’s surprisingly excellent rapport, plus a mystery way more interesting than one would expect, make for one of the most entertaining neo-noir films in recent memory.
  1. Deadpool
  1. Zootopia- Beautifully animated with a great cast and an insightful story, Zootopia is a really solid family film. It should be required viewing for your most politically terrible relative this holiday season, no matter which side of the aisle they’re on.
  1. Arrival
  2. Popstar: Never Stop Stopping
  3. Star Trek Beyond
  4. Doctor Strange
  1. Independence Day: Resurgence – I know, I know, I know. Listen I know it’s not objectively one of the 10-best movies this year. BUT, I didn’t get to the theater much, and this movie was extremely maligned despite actually being pretty good. Taking place many years after the original, Resurgence is a well-executed sci-fi thriller follow-up to the franchise that took over my my later elementary school years. After Roland Emmerich’s disastrous forays into the world of art-house cinema, it is nice to see him blowing up major landmarks again.

Movies I have high hopes for but haven’t yet seen: The Witch, Moonlight, Manchester by the Sea, Birth of a Nation, Loving, La La Land

Phil Garrison, Account Manager

  1. The Witch – An excellent drama film wrapped in a surefire horror shell. Great performances, excellent writing and production design, and for once, an “indie” horror film that isn’t afraid of what it is – the ending plunges straight into horror territory with an excellent and decisive exultation of fear.
  1. Kubo and the Two Strings – I have a soft spot in my heart for stop motion animation, and Kubo and the Two Strings is an exceptionally strong film. Emotional, beautiful in its creation of the world, steeped in lore and atmosphere, this film is an excellent entry for Laika. It’s beautifully shot, well acted, and worth the price of admission.
  1. Arrival – Perhaps more than any other movie I saw this year, Arrival came at the exact right time. A gorgeous movie with a poignant and timely message about communication and the nature of life, death and time – this film is a beautiful statement about humanity and its potential all wrapped in a thrilling science fiction fable.
  1. Star Trek Beyond – The best of the NuTrek movies, hands down. Better than most of the Next Generation films as well, this movie captures Star Trek in a way that hasn’t been done in a long, long time. The exploration, the world, the menace – all done right. Finally, the great cast gets a great story to match.
  1. Warcraft – My obligatory “bomb” on the list. Ignore all its faults (strange casting, awkward real-life production design, and a somewhat clumsy script) and you have an honest-to-god cult classic here. The orc storyline, acting, and CG are fantastic and moving, and Jones does an excellent job of condensing an encyclopedia of lore into a 2 hour runtime.
  1. Hail Caesar!
  2. Captain America: Civil War
  3. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
  4. The Nice Guys
  5. Doctor Strange

Golda Criddle, Digital Marketing Coordinator

  1. Arrival – This is my top favorite for the year so far. So many things about this movie are visually beautiful – the remote house Amy Adams lives in, the way the language of the aliens are depicted, and the memories(of the past or future?). I love the focus on the struggle to communicate (which is something we deal with everyday) rather than global war like so many other alien invasion films.
  2. 10 Cloverfield Lane – You never know what’s going to happen next in this thriller/horror film. Everything in the bunker with John Goodman and Mary Elizabeth Winstead is creepy and amazing at the same time. I also love how it turns quickly from a horror move to a science fiction movie in the last 10 minutes.
  3. Moana – This film is beautifully animated and the soundtrack is super catchy. I also like the focus on personal journey rather than a romantic interest for a female protagonist.
  4. Secret Life of Pets – I have always wondered what pets do when I’m gone. While it is crazy that this takes place over a short amount of time, it’s a fun story with great characterizations of pets.
  5. Doctor Strange – The mirror dimension is a cool concept and I liked the battles fought with non-physical powers. The addition of Doctor Strange brings a different element into the Marvel/Avengers universe that I look forward to seeing more of in future films.
  1. Kubo and the Two Strings
  2. La La Land
  3. Rogue One: Star Wars
  4. Deadpool
  5. Zootopia

Did you enjoy these films as much as we did? If you are looking for video on demand distribution for your independent film, check us out at QuiverDigital.com.

Here’s hoping 2017 brings many more wonderful stories to the screen!

Indie Film Marketing Part 4: Social Media

This month’s independent film marketing tool is one of the most creative and fun: social media! Many films, small and large have used this ubiquitous form of technology to form viral campaigns that made their films successful. Today we will introduce some strategies that may include things you are already doing to market your film and how you can use social media to generate more buzz.

Website & Platforms

It is absolutely essential that your film has a website and at least a Facebook page, Twitter profile and Instagram. Snapchat and Pinterest are also great platforms to leverage depending on your film’s audience. Click here for a list of cheap web hosts to start a website, and all social media platforms are free to create pages and profiles on.

Facebook Page

It’s a good idea to make your film’s page visually with profile and cover images that are unique. Get creative with the design of these images. Facebook Apps can be used as games to invite and share other fans to like the page. You can also use these to create engaging contests. Photos and videos are the best content to share on Facebook.

Persona marketing

A spin on the social media profiles for your film is to create a profile for a character. This is best done on Twitter, and works especially well if they have a distinct voice and appeal to a certain audience. There are many profiles for TV and movie characters online including the Mad Men cast and TED the stuffed bear.

Video ads

You can use clips from your film to advertise it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and more. Some of the best clips to choose are those that convey emotion or your trailer. You may want to consider using paid advertising on these platforms to share these clips. Videos are engaging and give the viewer a sneak peek at your content. Be sure to create unique hashtags for your film to use on the appropriate platforms. We recommend uploading clips to your film’s website as well as YouTube in order to publicize your website as well.

Events

If your film has a built-in niche audience (i.e. horror, pets) consider inviting influential bloggers to your premiere along with the press. They can conduct interviews with the cast, which can serve as great content to go viral. If you have celebrities or sponsor partnerships in your film, be sure to invite them as well so they can leverage their own social channels.  

Graphics, Memes & Quizzes

Create unique graphic content for your film that fans can share. This is part of experiencing the film’s story. A great example of this is the film The Hunger Games strategy to create a virtual Hunger Games where people online could join and compete against other districts. The best graphic content is customized and allows one to feel like they are part of the world like the badges of the  Hunger Games. You can also auction off the props in your film on eBay in an effort to create buzz. Creating quizzes that people can take centered around your movie  is also a great way to immerse your audience.

IMDB Listings

IMDB is a site millions of people use daily to look up films. Make sure yours has a page so people can find your movie. You can use this link to see how. It may also be worth it to invest in IMDB Pro. You  can also use the IMDB Top 10 or Top 50 Movie Lists to advertise your film among more popular ones.

Those are just a few ideas on how social media can help market your film. If you are looking for online digital distribution, email your inquiry to info@quiverdigital.com.

Video On Demand Terminology

Hello,

While browsing through our site, you may have come across certain terms or acronyms. Here is a handy guide to help you out on what they mean!

Ad-Supported Video on Demand (AVOD): With AVOD, the consumer pays nothing to access content. The platform earns money by requiring users to watch advertisements before (pre-roll), during (mid-roll), or after (post-roll) their online streaming content plays. The platform pays the filmmaker or distributor a percentage of the ad revenue earned. Youtube and Hulu are examples of AVOD platforms.

Transactional Video on Demand (TVOD): This category of VOD is referred to as “Transactional” because consumers pay for individual transactions to buy or rent films. iTunes and Google Play are examples of TVOD platforms.

There are two types of TVOD:

• Electronic Sell Through (EST) (sometimes known as “Download to Own” or DTO) is the digital sale of the film for unlimited viewing in exchange for a fee.

• Download to Rent (DTR) is the digital rental of a film that is accessible for a limited length of time.

Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) SVOD platforms charge consumers a monthly fee to access their full library of content. Netflix and Hulu Plus are examples of SVOD platforms.

• Cable Video on Demand Cable VOD allows cable television subscribers to get access to content on demand via cable settop boxes.