Marketing Materials for Film Distribution with Filmmaker Alexandra Boylan

Alexandra Boylan is a dynamic award-winning filmmaker, writer, producer, and actress who has been trailblazing through Hollywood for nearly two decades. she shares her knowledge with aspiring Christian filmmakers in her book Creating Your Own Career in Hollywood, in her VIP Producers Mentorship Program, and in the following interview!

In the ever-evolving landscape of filmmaking, understanding the key elements that can make or break your movie is essential. We had the privilege to dive deeper into this topic with the talented filmmaker, Alexandra Boylan. Here, we explore the critical aspects of movie distribution, from the importance of a compelling poster to mastering the first ten minutes and the power of expert advice.

“The reason I am where I am today is because everyone who spoke into my films that were experts in their fields– I listened. I didn't say I know better than you . . . All throughout my career, I have listened and I've taken people's advice, and I never say I know better than somebody else. That is why I have eight feature films."

GEOFF: Alexandra taught a workshop for us at the Faith and Family Screenwriting Bootcamp. The workshop was based on her book, Create Your Own Career in Hollywood, and we're going to go into a lot of that information right now.

Alexandra, I'd like to talk about the importance of the first ten minutes and distribution. You talk a lot about the things that are important in order to get distribution. 

ALEXANDRA: Why my book covers so much about distribution is: if you know how to do a good poster, and you have a sellable product– that's key. And I'll tell you, the poster is the most important. I mentor filmmakers all the time, and they'll be like, “Well, I made this movie, and I put $100,000.00 into the film.” And I'm like, “Okay, so what are you doing for the poster?” “Oh, my friend did the poster.” And I'm like, “No, you've got to invest in quality posters that will sell and stand out, because the distribution company– the first thing they're looking at is your poster– unless you have a star name, but you're going to probably have the star on the cover.”

Then once it goes out on the platforms, it's the first thing your audience uses to decide on if they're going to click on it. They get a little thumbnail in two seconds, and you've got to catch their attention with that picture, and it's so important. Don't skimp on it. Hire a company that really knows what they're doing and knows what sells in the marketplace.

Our film, Switched, has a great cover about the two girls with switched bodies, and Vertical got us front shelf space in Walmart with that [poster]. Catching Faith is a boy on a football field kneeling and praying. That was one of our most successful films.

And a lot of it is the poster art. People buying it and connecting– understanding your audience before you even go into making a film. 

Understanding Your Audience 

ALEXANDRA: Who is your audience? It is not everybody. People are like, “Everybody.” No, you don't want your movie to be for everyone. You want to be able to market it to a specific audience.

So if it's horror/thriller, you do that. If it's faith-based/family, you’ve got to make sure you're creating content that's going to sell to that audience. 

Creating the Poster in Pre-Production 

JACLYN: So did you have the poster made before you went into production? I'm asking mostly because of the color scheme. Because the color for the poster for this one and Switched– they're bright colors, but that translates to the movie itself, right? 

ALEXANDRA: When I made Home Sweet Home, I had no idea what I was doing. We just made the movie. Then I happened to meet Bridget and Jen from Dog and Pony Creative at a Women in Film event. They said, “Send us your movie.” I had put Home Sweet Home out to all the film festivals– rejected by everybody. Didn't know what to do with the movie. Then I met these amazing women and they were like, “Hey, you're a horror movie. You're not going to go to film festivals. You need a sales agent. You need to sell your movie.” And I said, “Awesome. How do I do that? How do I get a sales agent?”

So they said, “Let us help you. We're going to watch your movie. Hire us to do a poster. Then you take your poster out and try to get a sales agent.” So they made an incredible poster. If you see our poster– it's so good, and they put it on their website. 

Actually, Ryan Keller was hiring them for another project. Because of our poster, the company said, “Hey, you know what? That movie's not repped by anybody.” And he said, “What? I could sell that movie off the poster alone.” So that's how we got him. 

At the beginning, we did not have a poster. I worked with the girls on a concept idea, and then we made the poster. But then I knew, from then on, I needed to have the poster ready ahead of time. 

Now, what I do on all my films is hire Bridget and Jen in the beginning. I send them the script, and we work together on what the poster is going to look like. Then when we get to set, I have my on-set photographer, a white backdrop, and I put the actors in there on set and shoot them. Because it costs so much money to bring an actor back later. And we had Bill Engvall and Joey Lawrence, and we've had Mena Suvari. So we do that ahead of time. We know exactly what we're shooting for– what posters that we're going to create later.

That can save you a lot of money. That's also in the screenwriting– I know when I'm writing a script what the poster's going to look like. If I don't, then I go to Bridget and Jen to discuss it. We say, “How can we sell this film off of a picture?” Then we'll work on the boards. We do everything on set, and we usually have posters before the movie's even edited.

JACLYN: Fantastic. 

The Significance of the First 10 Minutes 

GEOFF: You've mentioned the importance of the first 10 minutes of your movie. Now, what can you tell our listeners about that? I know it's a significant subject.

ALEXANDRA: Yes. The first 10 minutes are the most important. If you are showing it to a distribution company, it's sometimes the only part of the movie they watch. They will watch the first 10 minutes, and they will decide right there if they want it. Then they might watch the last five minutes to see if there's an ending. Then they've already decided if they're going to buy it, and they send it down to someone else for quality control to watch the whole film.

Also your audience– once you get on Netflix or you get a deal, your audience is going to give you 10 minutes. If you don't hook them right away, then they'll move on to the next thing. So your first ten minutes... 

Same with a screenplay, you know, your first ten pages. You better know who the hero is, and send them on their journey. That was some really good advice we got from Ryan Keller when we made our first horror movie, Home Sweet Home. He watched it, and he said, “You need to cut two minutes out of the first ten minutes. She has to get to the house in the first 10 minutes, otherwise, no one's gonna stick around. It takes too long to get her to the house.”

So that was so valuable, and we always listen to all the experts. We do everything that they say. We cut two minutes out of the first 10, and we sold that movie– it's so important. A lot of times people say, “Oh, I went to a film festival, and after the first 10 minutes like half the audience left. What happened?” I bet it was distribution companies that knew in that 10 minutes whether they were gonna buy the movie or not, and they're out to go look at the next movie in the next 10 minutes. 

I've heard people say, “You know, I reshot the opening of my movie. It's not as good quality as the rest of the movie…” and I'm like, “Well, that's a problem. It has to be the best quality.” You can't have those first 10 minutes not be top notch quality. You have to send your hero on the journey, and the audience has to know who they're following, why, and where they're going in those 10 minutes. 

Listening to the Experts 

GEOFF: One of the things you said there a minute ago was very significant. And that was, “We always listen to the experts.” 

ALEXANDRA: Yes. 

GEOFF: And we do what they tell us. That's difficult for a lot of people, from screenwriters, probably right through to people who are directing and producing their own material. But it's so important to understand that when somebody, who knows what they're talking about, tells you something, even though it may feel like it's your baby, and you may feel you know better– you’ve got to learn to listen.

ALEXANDRA: Yeah. The reason I am where I am today is because everyone who spoke into my films that were experts in their fields– I listened. I didn't say I know better than you– especially in the beginning as I was learning. Same with the distribution company– the distribution company changed the Greatest Inheritance poster, and at first I was so disappointed. Then I realized why they did it, and they were right. They want to sell the movie. 

And I'll tell you, our biggest thing that happened in my career was on my first film, Catching Faith. It was originally The Elijah Project. That was the name of the movie. That was on the call sheet every day. That's what we were calling it. Then we went into the poster work in post production, and my sales agent and my poster company said, “This name is terrible.” And we were like, “No, it's The Elijah Project. We know.” And our poster company said, “We have no idea how to make a poster that tells your story in an image. Your title tells your story. Your image tells a story.” 

Finally we all said, “Okay, fine.” Then they came up with Catching Faith with a football player kneeling on a football field. And I was like, Imagine, had I not listened to them. Catching Faith has been so successful. Elijah Project would not have been successful. 

So I really love that you say that because I feel like you have to discern when people give you advice. If you've decided to work with someone, then hopefully you respect their opinion. And your sales agent– they want to sell your movie. Your distribution company wants– these people want to make money off you. This is all about money. You know, you're the only artist there. Everyone else is in it to make money, so you've got to trust that they are making decisions that they are going to sell it better or get your audience. All throughout my career, I have listened and I've taken people's advice, and I never say I know better than somebody else. That is why I have eight feature films. 

GEOFF: Yeah. 

ALEXANDRA: Because if I hadn't, I wouldn't be where I am today. 

GEOFF: I've heard that story over and over actually, where people have been in that situation and looking back have said, “And they were right. And they were right!” 

ALEXANDRA: And they were right. They're usually right! 

GEOFF: That's why they're still in business.  

ALEXANDRA: Exactly, yeah. You know, you nailed it with the 10 minutes concept. I mean, I always say your poster, your trailer, and your first 10 minutes– that is how you're selling your movies. 

And how do you sell your movie in a trailer? You have to know how to sell a movie in a trailer. And we've now learned that we hire trailer editors because they understand how to watch a movie and tell the audience why they want to buy it.

GEOFF: You trust it to the people who know what they're doing. 

ALEXANDRA: Exactly. We used to have the director do the trailer. If you see the director's trailer versus Vertical Entertainment's trailer for Home Sweet Home, it'll blow you away– how much they knew, what they were doing, and how to hook your audience in.

And it's just really fun, too, that I've been so lucky to get to work on our films throughout the process with the distribution company. I am always trying to learn and glean from what they're doing, and going, Okay, why did they make that decision? Because I need to make that next time.

You're always learning. You learn, make a mistake, you move on, and you take that mistake and just don't make it the next time. My editor always says, “You're trying to fix a problem we can't fix on this.” But we will remember this for the next movie, and we won't do it again. You just have to know you're gonna do the best you can with what you have at that moment, send it off, move on to the next one.

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The journey of a filmmaker is filled with creative challenges and decisions. Alexandra Boylan's insights remind us that understanding the market, investing in quality promotional materials, and heeding expert advice are essential to success. From eye-catching posters to captivating the audience in the first ten minutes, mastering these elements can significantly enhance your film's potential. By learning and adapting, independent filmmakers can navigate the complex industry landscape and find pathways to success. We hope these insights will serve as valuable guidance for aspiring filmmakers aiming to leave their mark in the industry.

Alexandra has teamed up with Jaclyn Whitt of the Faith and Family Filmmakers Association to create a film mentorship program for aspiring Christian filmmakers. The online VIP Producers Mentorship Program has on-demand course modules, one-on-one mentorship calls, and a supportive community of aspiring film producers working towards a career in Christian filmmaking. It also includes a 12 month FAFF Association Pro Membership.

This interview was originally published as an audio interview on February 20, 2024

on the Faith and Family Filmmakers Podcast, produced by Geoffrey Whitt and Jaclyn Whitt

Editor: Chelsea Reeves  © Faith and Family Filmmakers Association