This week I had an interesting conversation with an ambitious young filmmaker, Karl-Martin Pold, who is working on a documentary about the life of the famous Italian actor Bud Spencer. The movie is in its early stages and has neither secured  financing nor  crew. However, Karl has got consent to do an interview with Bud Spencer, which is the most important ingredient for this project’s success.

Building a website
We talked about movie marketing in times of Social Media and the Internet, and Karl-Martin understands that the realisation of the project depends to a large extent on the community’s support. What he did right away was to set up a website (sorry folks, only in German), where he posted his idea on shooting a Bud Spencer documentary.

AND he installed a button on the website, that asks visitors for support and encouraging them to get involved with the project. And it turned out to be a smart move, because the website had more than 1,500 visits within two days, and many people (and also journalists) e-mailed Karl-Martin offering their help.

Upgrade your website
Once the scriptwriting is finished, Karl-Martin has lots of work to do, for example moving the website to a higher level in terms of topicality and professionalism, and spreading his message via social media channels like Twitter or Facebook. There are thousands of Spencer fans on Facebook and all over the Internet.

Therefore, having a website (or at least a blog) is one of the most important marketing tools for filmmakers, especially for emerging ones like Karl-Martin. Because everytime you post a comment on the web, tweet some news or simply send out e-mails, you can refer back to your website. It will keep your fans up-to-date and once your movie finds distribution you can inform them where to watch, rent or buy it.

Website content
Many moviemakers ask us, what they should post on their website. “Should i comment every single step i make?”
The answer is simple: YES, you should. Because people care, they feel involved, they get to know you and your project better. Tell them about your first casting experience, introduce your crew-members, ask them for help – like Karl-Martin did, recommend other webpages or tell them why you shoot on 35mm, DV, HD or any other format. And of course feed them: with images from the set, maybe show a screening map and most important video material: Karl-Martin posted the link to his YouTube channel, where you can watch the first trailer or some shooting pics. Both with over one thousand visits within a few weeks and many comments. Awesome!

So if you work on a project or have an idea for a movie, set up a website (e.g. by using free tools like wordpress or blogger) and start growing your own community!

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