Hello Stage32 community!
I am very curious about product placement in films and how to go about getting it. I have heard that it can be a great way to get funding for your film, but I am not sure how to go about getting it. Does anyone have any advice or experience with product placement? How did you get started and what are some tips you can share?
I would love to hear from you all and get some advice on this topic! Thank you in advance!
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I've heard great things about product placement from my director. She had a great experience on her last film and it can be very lucrative. I've found a couple companies that do it. But also you can hit up individual corporations that may love the opportunity to showcase their product in your film. I'm just a writer, not a producer, but that's my experience.
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Hey Logan, We did product placement for our UBCP micro-budget film we shot here in Vancouver. We couldn't get money for it - not enough clout - but we did get free and cleared items to use on set so we saved money and time on that side of things and made the production slightly cheaper and slightly less of a headache.
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Hi Logan Benson - I personally know Deborah Riley Draper from the film scene in Atlanta. She's extremely talented and resourceful. Although this is webinar is geared towards documentaries, the information is transferrable to narratives too!
https://www.stage32.com/webinars/How-You-Can-Partner-With-Brands-To-Make...
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Hi Logan, also here is another webinar that is about product placement for your film-and reach out if I can help direct you to any other education
https://www.stage32.com/webinars/Product-Placement-Friend-or-Foe
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Sadly it's a golden goose that rarely lays an egg. If you're 'Godzilla' perhaps a mega Pepsi deal. For the most part on a reasonable budget film you will get "product" (coke, pepsi, cookies for craft service, props, etc.) There are branding deals and companies but in general the aspirations for product placement "investment" funding is misplaced, sadly. Having said that, if you can convince a brand to invest go for it. Likewise there are agencies that represent brands for product placement. You send the script and they recommend the complimentary craft services potato chips you can get if you include (or don't) them onscreen. We are in a new content age and advertisers are looking for eyeballs so the environment might be changing. The best example was BMW Films. Perhaps we're in for a new era of branding/product placement however elusive to date.
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Spectacular advice, Jack.
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Look into product integration vs placement. There's more interest in that and you'll need a broker to handle it. They're usually interested in projects with stronger budgets, which often spells celebrity actors and wider distribution, so it'll depend on what you're creating.