The legal exposure risks in film marketing are plentiful. Yet filmmakers and television producers don’t always consider the lawsuit risks that come with highly successful marketing campaigns.
Think back to last year, when you saw the first official trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
The moment those block letters—STAR WARS—popped on the screen alongside John Williams’ iconic score, did you feel a sense of excitement and nostalgia?
With the rise of viral marketing and digital consumption of content, film marketing is even more visible than the movies themselves.
That means, if your film is heavily marketed, it will encounter close scrutiny.
With closer inspection and audience chatter on social networks comes heightened risk of legal exposure. Before we dive into specifics, it’s important to understand the magnitude of film marketing in the digital age.
Film marketing legal risks: the Deadpool example.
The Deadpool Marketing Team
The Deadpool movie stewed in production limbo for over a decade.
The Deadpool character is not for young audiences, and studios were concerned that an R-rated superhero film would result in dismal box office numbers.
As of late March, the film has grossed $733,960,346. Despite the rating setback and relatively low production budget, the film shattered box office records.
The film’s marketing team deserves much of the credit for this achievement.
The film’s star Ryan Reynolds even posted a photo with the marketing department to show his appreciation for the film’s critical and financial success.
What does this mean from a legal point of view?
In an interview with Movie Pilot, president of 20th Century Fox’s marketing team, states:
“We had a fantastic superhero movie on one end and a hilarious comedy on the other and we knew if we did our job right we could bring in both audiences. This reaffirmed my faith in social media.
There’s a lot of debate as to whether or not social media can really open a movie… and this proves it can.”
In summation, this film was born on the Internet—through digital marketing efforts—and that means a whole new world of legal exposure for filmmakers.
With the nation’s eyes fixed on profitable marketing techniques, it’s important that your advertising goes through the same rigorous clearance process.
As your project’s trailers, posters, and digital marketing are an integral part of your film or television series, your E & O insurance carrier will require attorney approval on more than the script and footage.
The Clearance Lab exists to satisfy your E & O insurance carrier and distribution requirements, so that you are able to produce, distribute, and market your film with legal protection to back you up.
If your marketing generates buzz and creates profits, then it’s vital to get clearance.
The legal team at The Clearance Lab is here to help you market your film or television project, obtain E & O insurance, and protect yourself from legal exposure . Give us a call at 1-800-713-8504 or email us at info@theclearancelab.com.