Introduction
With the release of every movie comes a marketing push; many times whether a movie lives or dies in the box office is predicated on the success of its marketing. At Otherlands, we work closely with both the team behind the latest movies and series, as well as the respective streaming services to be able to market these movies in the form of featurettes. In this case study, we’ll explore the different types of featurettes we release, as well as the thought process and execution behind them.
The Three Categories of Featurettes
When it comes to marketing featurettes, the content we produce generally falls into three major categories: the Behind the Scenes (BTS), the Electronic Press Kit (EPK), and Marketing & Social content. We’ll delve further into these categories below.
Section 2: Behind The Scenes
Behind every successful movie or series lies a story. While in front of the camera we see the cast delving deep into their characters, behind the camera there is always a crew working tirelessly to make the vision of the director into a reality. Behind every meticulously crafted story lies a whole host of technical considerations that the team has to consider. Our job is to tell these behind the scenes stories.
When we first get contracted by Netflix or Prime, we are generally given a brief of what sort of shots to focus on. Oftentimes, we enter a discussion with the respective marketing heads to ideate different featurette ideas. Afterwards, we look through the main schedule and select which days are important for us to attend, and whether some days require more than one camera.
Afterwards, it's off to production, where we send a team of a producer and one or two cameramen to be on the ground. The BTS producer’s job is to coordinate with the main shoot’s production to be able to set up different spots for interviews, as well as weekly reports and stringouts for the streaming service that hired us. It’s key for the producer to be able to establish rapport with the main production so that they may give us access to more exclusive content that they may be hesitant to share otherwise.
The cameraman's job is to be able to get content that shows the technical aspects behind stunts and specific camera movements, while also being able to show the working process behind the shows’ team. Every production house works differently, and it’s our job to be able to capture the intricacies and drama behind each production.
Section 3: Electronic Press Kit
After a shoot is done, our team moves forward to the EPK phase. Here, we usually book a studio and create a set reminiscent of one of the shows’ locations. Afterwards, we interview the cast and Head of Departments of the shoot. Here, the marketing team of Netflix or Prime comes up with different questions and talking points to ask the interviewees. From there, we compile the best, most interesting answers, and come up with different featurette ideas.
Combining these interviews with the main footage, as well as our BTS footage, we are able to create videos that focus on different aspects of the shoots. For example, the featurettes we did on Netflix’s The Big 4 range from focusing on the action set pieces and stunts, to focusing on the storytelling aspect of being in a family. In essence, we use these videos to tell the stories behind the creation process, and all the work it takes to create a cohesive film/series.
Section 4: Marketing & Social Content
In addition to Behind the Scenes and EPK, which are more intertwined with each other, Marketing and Social content is a whole different beast. To further clarify, Marketing content includes photoshoots for the splash/poster art, as well as glam shoots we can post on socials. These also include billboard videos (one we did for Ali & Ratu-Ratu Queens had screentime in Times Square), release date reveal videos shot in the style of the main show, and more glamorous short videos featuring the cast posing in fashionable outfits.
Social content includes videos that are posted on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, and range from simple TikTok trends, to whole dramatic set pieces and improvisation skits featuring the cast in character. An example of the latter would be for Prime Video’s Rencana Besar, where we have Dwi Sasono, in character as the hard-headed PI Makarim, interrogating the other talents in ways to make them laugh.
The reason I bundle them together is because we usually rent a studio for a day or two and shoot both content simultaneously. And when I say simultaneously, I mean that literally. Given that these are shot after the main production, we have to build our schedule around the talent’s availability. This generally means we have very little time to get a lot of content, especially when some talents need to leave earlier than others. Therefore, many times we have multiple sets built across different studios, with multiple teams running different shoots concurrently.
Conclusion
We believe that without a solid marketing push, a film cannot succeed. At Otherlands, we take pride in working closely with these Over the Top Streaming Services to create auxiliary content that helps these films attain success. We also take pride in being able to connect with these big players in the film and TV industries through our work in helping push their film’s success.