33 How to Market a Movie

Daniel: "So, how is the project coming along?"

Haley: "It's coming along great, actually!"

Daniel: "Really?"

Haley: "Yes, the only thing you have to worry about is having enough money for me when you take me shopping 😜"

I put my phone down.

Is she really going to do it, I thought, as my eyes went to the papers I had just printed out. There was no way I was leaving the fate of the project in Haley's hands.; I was just going to submit the one I prepared when she eventually admitted failure.

But then again, maybe she'd surprise me. Her confidence was either completely unfounded, or she had a secret weapon up her sleeve, so I decided to play along.

I went downstairs and meandered around for a while. Did I really have nothing to do? Wow, I really didn't. I sat on the couch for a while, just doing nothing, until I noticed something new on the coffee table.

It was an invitation of some sort, adorned with elaborate designs and elegant lettering. It seemed out of place amidst the usual assortment of mail and magazines.

As I was inspecting it, Mom came into the room.

"What's this?" I asked Mom, holding up the invitation.

"Oh, that's the dinner invitation from Cam and Mitchell," Mom responded.

"Dinner invitation? It looks more like a royal decree," I commented, observing the invitation in my hands to appreciate the detailed artwork.

"Oh, then you should see the other invites they sent before," Mom said, shaking her head.

"So, we're all going?" I asked.

"Yes, we are," Mom replied.

I haven't seen those two since the whole incident with the golden globe almost a year ago and Mitchell was Haley's uncle if i remember correctly.

"And now I need your help. Which of these flower arrangements do you think is the best?" she asked, holding up a large binder.

Oh no, not again.

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"So, you guys excited?" Matt said as he joined us at the table. We were going to start a session of D&D.

"About the game…" John trailed off.

"No, you idiot, WrestleMania! We are going to Orlando, remember?" Matt said.

"Oh yeah, thank you, Daniel, for getting the tickets, and to your mother too for taking us," John said.

"What are you guys scheming here?" Lucia said.

"We were talking about our trip to Orlando for WrestleMania," Matt replied eagerly.

"Why do you even like that stuff? You know it's fake," Lucia said.

"It's still real to me, dammit!" I said, mimicking the famous meme.

John and Matt began laughing uncontrollably. Lucia muttered something about boys and joined Joanna.

"Alright, let's get started," I said between laughter.

The group had gathered around the table, their character sheets, dice, and maps spread out before them, and I started the game.

Today the party was continuing to track down the elusive sorcerer Varina who had narrowly escaped their grasp in the last campaign.

"As you make your way through the dense forest, the tracks of Varina lead you to a clearing."

"The air tingles with magic, and you can feel her presence nearby."

As the party was discussing their strategy, my phone vibrated with another text notification.

I tried to ignore it, but it buzzed again, persistent. With a sigh, I reached for my phone and muted it.

"Is it that freshman chick from your class?" Matt teased.

"No, it's not. Let's just drop it and get back to the game," I countered.

"Ah, come on, Danny, you can tell us. Was her name Julie? No, wait, Haley!" Matt persisted.

I saw Joanna shifting uncomfortably at the mention of Haley's name. Her expression soured slightly, though she tried to mask it with a sip of her drink.

"It's none of your business, Matt," I responded, forcing a smile.

Lucia then punched Matt in the arm.

"Ouch!" Matt exclaimed.

"He said it's none of your business. Now, let's get back to the game. We were just getting to the exciting part," Lucia interjected, effectively ending the conversation.

"Guys, focus," I urged, attempting to steer the group's attention back to the game. "Varina isn't going to wait for you to finish chatting."

"Yeah, yeah," Matt replied with a grin. "Just making sure our fearless GM isn't too distracted by his admirers."

The group chuckled, but Joanna remained quiet, her eyes fixed on the map, though her thoughts seemed elsewhere. The adventure continued, with the party navigating traps and battling Varina's minions, and soon the game ended for the day.

I caught up with Joanna before I left.

"Hey, Jo," I said, catching her attention. "There's something I've been thinking about."

"What is it?" she asked.

"I was thinking about recording your song in a professional studio. I might be able to get Stardust Studios to let us use their space for a few hours," I suggested, cutting straight to the chase.

Joanna's eyes widened, and a smile slowly spread across her face. "Really? That would be incredible. But are you sure it's okay? I mean, that sounds like a big favor."

I shrugged off her concern. "It's no big deal. Your song is already gaining traction, and a professional recording could really take it places."

Joanna thought about it for a moment but then she relented. "Okay, let's do it. Thank you, Daniel. This means a lot to me."

I nodded, then joined Matt, who was waiting for me. I believed Joanna had the potential to be a star, but her shyness was a significant hurdle. I hoped that with our support and encouragement, she would be able to overcome it and showcase her talent to the world.

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For The Blair Witch Project to be as successful as I wanted it to be, I knew the marketing had to be different. The movie was nearing completion, and it hadn't even been a month since it started shooting. Considering the original only took about eight days, this was too long.

I wanted to use the marketing techniques that made the movie popular originally.

I wanted to create a series of fake articles suggesting that the events depicted in the film had actually occurred.

I was going to seed these articles on online forums, websites, and social media platforms and even release some snippets of the movie, making people believe that the events described in the articles actually happened.

There was more to it than this but it was the simplified version of it.

I aimed to immerse the audience in the movie's narrative even before they stepped into the theater.

It was viral marketing, and when the movie was revealed, a lot of eyes would be on it, and people would be curious to check it out.

Now, I had to convince the others.

"Daniel, we've been over this. Traditional marketing is the way to go. Billboards, trailers, TV spots. Why mess with a proven formula?" Sam asked as I explained my plan to him again.

"Because, Sam, we're not just selling a movie; we're selling an experience. The internet is a wild place right now; we can use this to put a lot of eyes on us," I countered.

"You want to deceive our audience?" Sam asked.

"We weave a narrative so convincing that people start to question what's real and what's not. We blur the lines between reality and fiction, making them believe, even if just for a second, that the events of our movie actually happened."

"And people will be curious and will want to check out the movie, and if they like it, through word of mouth, it will attract even more," I continued.

"You're talking about tricking people. That could backfire," Sam said, still struggling to understand.

"It's not tricking; like I said, we're creating an immersive experience that begins before they even see the movie. By the time they walk into the theater, they're already part of the story. They're invested."

Sam was silent for a minute. "It's been done before but…, Daniel. If it doesn't work…" he trailed off.

"It will, Sam. Trust me on this," I assured.

"Fine Let's try it out," Sam said, finally giving in.