During last month’s Independent Film Week, we met with many filmmakers – both new and experienced – who wanted to know:  “What can I do now [in pre-pro or during production] to help market my film when it’s done?”

Given that this question came up so often, we thought it might be helpful to share some thoughts on the topic for this month’s post.

You’ve probably heard marketing experts in the film industry talk about the “core” audience for a film.   We’re no different.  We believe in starting the marketing process with your “core.”  But who is that?  How do you know who they are?   At CrowdStarter, in all of our proposals to prospective clients, we describe the core as those people “who will be attracted to the film unaided.”  In other words, they are just like an apple core, the innermost circle, closest to the seeds (you’re the seeds, by the way).  They don’t need to know much about your feature or documentary to know that they want to see it.  And that can be for any reason:  they are engaged in the topic of your film, they are huge fans of an actor in your film, they are devoted to the band on your soundtrack, you filmed in their backyard, their cousin is in the crowd scene, they are related to you, they are married to you.  ANY reason.

So, everyone who read your script, everyone who gave you money, everyone who loaned you something or some place so you could audition actors, or shoot scenes, or make copies, or buy pizza for the crew, all of those people are the beginning of your “core.”  And in this age of social networking, every one of those people represents not only themselves, but all of their Facebook friends or their Twitter followers.  That number starts getting pretty big when you think about all the people you know and who you encountered while making your film, and then all of your cast and crew and all the people they know and all the people they encountered while making the film.

You don’t have to be an expert in database management to make sure you keep track of who all those people are and how to reach them.  Sure, in an ideal world, you have a database and the ability to capture names on your website which you created WAY before you even started production.  But who are we kidding, right?  If you’re not that buttoned up, then start by making an Excel spreadsheet that has everyone’s name, their affiliation with the film and their email address.  If you, or one of your interns, are diligent about adding names in every day, you’ll be amazed at how big that list is by the time you wrap production.

Ok, now add to that all of the companies and organizations and clubs and towns and groups you encountered during the pre-pro and production process – make sure you know how to reach them later because you will need them.  Keep them posted on the progress of the film.  There are dozens of email blast programs available that are cheap or free (MailChimp comes to mind) – put out a little e-newsletter every two weeks or so.  Doesn’t have to be fancy, but make sure that all those “core” audience people are up to date so that when you really need their help, they feel like they’re engaged.

If you do nothing else in the way of marketing prep while you’re making your film, create this “core” list.  Later on, when your film is finished, you can put that list to work.  Ask the people on your list to watch your trailer on the website of a festival where you’re playing (get that trailer onto a “most watched” list!), ask them to share your photos and trailer on their Facebook pages, blogs and websites.  If you can gain some momentum, that “core” could very quickly turn into the whole big giant apple!