Distribution Practices

    

If my coming-of-age film opening were a real movie, I would want it to be produced by the film studio A24. A24 is an independent film studio that has produced several coming-of-age films (Eight Grade, Lady Bird, Mid 90s) which have met critical acclaim and commercial success. I wanted to research the studios distribution practices and explore how my film would be distributed if it were real.

    A24 is known for its unique approach to marketing that helps create curiosity and interest its films. They use eye-catching social media campaigns that encourage audience discussion. The studio also targets the niche audience that their its films are created for. For example, to market their film The End of The Tour, they published a series of articles that centered around David Foster Wallace, the writer who the film was based on. This niche form of marketing targeted the literary fanatics who are the main audience of the film and the most likely to enjoy it. By doing this, the studio is able to build strong followings for each of their films individually. 

    When releasing their films, A24 also picks specific dates that are far apart from other releases to create less competition with bigger studios. they also nominate their films for a lot of major film festivals (Sundance, Cannes, Toronto) to get them on people's radar and generate buzz. If people hear that a film is doing well critically, they will be more likely to watch it. Winning awards for their films also helps A24 stay relevant in the public eye.

    A24 also distributed their films digitally, putting their content on streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu to make it more accessible to a larger audience.

    If my film were distributed by A24, I would want to do a social media campaign to build anticipation for my movie, and I would want to create apparel in collaboration with some fashion brands like Unif and Uniqlo. I think collaborating with trendy brands would attract the adolescent audience that I am looking for.

Citations

Yellowbrick. (2023, September 9). A24 Film Distribution: Strategies For Success. Yellowbrick. https://www.yellowbrick.co/blog/entertainment/a24-film-distribution-strategies-for-success

Koss, H. (n.d.). 5 marketing lessons from Indie Film Company A24. Built In. https://builtin.com/marketing/lessons-A24-marketing