Lights, camera… pitch!

Hooking onto films is a tricky business. If a forthcoming movie is set, or was shot, at or near your client’s property or in your client’s region, then there are several important things to establish…

Firstly, and most critically: will the film be a big deal? Sometimes this is reasonably obvious from the get-go — the latest instalments of Indiana Jones and Mission: Impossible, high-profile, high-grossing series, are good examples. If not, it might be a case of waiting and seeing — monitoring buzz and hoping for those delicious two words: “Oscar contender”.

(Ultimately, you see, a hook is always stronger when more readers will be invested in it. Thus the notoriety of a film is central to its strength as a hook.)

Secondly: how much of the film was shot in the relevant place or region — and is that place or region likely to be prominent in the eventual movie? Think about James Bond films: they always utilise tens of locations (as well as indoor studios), yet only certain scenes are truly memorable. Bond pursuing a baddie across Siena’s Palio horse race in Quantum of Solace. Or meeting a conch-hunting Honey Ryder on a Jamaican beach during Dr No.

What you want, then, is a significant scene, the majority or all of the movie to be filmed in the place you’re championing.

Obviously it can be challenging to determine the visibility of one location among many before the film’s release. But there are ways to play detective. How long did they shoot there? Anything over a week suggests prominence. Was the lead star there? That’s key. And is it visible in the early, shorter trailers that tend to arise?

Adding to the complexity is the fact that any feature about your location, hooked onto the film, will need to be published right as the picture is released — meaning much advance preparation at a time when information is scarce. Do your best by trying to speak to the movie’s UK publicity company (some googling tends to reveal these), suggesting that precious free promotion might ensue. That usually encourages them.