A 30-second teaser of a simple love story Kaadhal Kann Kattuthe has crossed seven lakh hits on YouTube. The team at Montage Media Productions, S. Savitha, Sumee Baskaran and S. Kamalakannan, who released the teaser, are thrilled with the response. “We wanted to reach the youngsters, our target audience. And, the strategy was to create a buzz on the social media,” says Savitha, the business head.
The production company specialises in promotion and film distribution to ensure that good cinema reaches a larger audience. The team knows that everything has to go viral in order to become a hit. “A lot of memes were created from our teaser,” says Kamal with some pride. He says their strategies help the makers of well-made small budget films. These films struggle to have a theatrical release as they have to compete with big films.
Baskaran mentions that three new films release every week end and in a year over 300 films are released in Tamil. “We want to ensure that good films made on small budgets reach the big screen. But, the film should inspire us,” says Kamal. Montage Production’s first film was Madhubaanakadai. They made it and distributed it as well. They say it was a great learning experience in production, promotion and distribution. “The film won critical acclaim and we managed to run it for 20 days in movie halls in Coimbatore which is as good as a 100-day run,” says Savitha.
Kaadhal Kann Katthuthe and Onbathu Kuzhi Sampath impressed Kamalakannan who says he watched over 60 films before he selected these two to promote.
He says that with technology anyone can make films, it is the release and distribution that pose a problem. “But a theatrical release is mandatory to make revenue as the business of movie making depends entirely on this,” he explains.
“Most small budget films require a minimum budget running to over 50 lakhs. The only way to break even is by releasing the film in theatres. And it is also the best way to understand how their films have been received by the audience,” says Savitha. She explains how most newcomers invest money they have got from crowd funding or from family and friends.
Kaadhal Kan Kattuthe , they say, is an engaging film on love, an urban romance shot entirely in Coimbatore, Pollachi and Ooty. They have planned a ‘fortune card campaign’ to reach out to over four lakh students in colleges of Tamil Nadu. A student can read his fortune, take a selfie, whatsapp it and win goodies. “We become a community and that is how we planned a direct promotion campaign that is personal,” Kamal explains. Baskaran says each film requires a unique approach. For example, for Onbathu Kuzhi Sampath , which is a story set in a village near Tiruchi, they are looking at physical promotion with flexboards and posters.
Kamal gives the example of the recent Telugu film Pellichoopulu and how pitching the film to a target audience worked for it . Made by newcomers, the film made several crores in the U.S. market. “It was released at limited theatres in India and publicity drew in the crowds. One of the recent Tamil films Udumban didn’t do well in multiplexes. But, at Rohini theatre near Koyambedu bus station it ran successfully because it is basically a film made for the B & C segments. What’s the point in promoting it at the multiplexes?” asks Kamalakannan.
He recollects his childhood days in Erode when he would wait for days to catch a Jackie Chan film at theatres. “After running to packed halls in Coimbatore, it would reach Erode. And, people from the neighbouring Mettur and Salem thronged the theatres. It built a craze for movies. Now, we have mass releases. We are working to ensure that good films don’t miss the race,” explains Kamal.
He regrets many good films have failed to reach a bigger audience. “Films like Ayynoorum Ayynthum (500&5) that is about the travel of a Rs.500 note along with five other stories won accolades at a Kerala film festival but failed to make it to the theatres. It was released on YouTube and it didn’t make any revenue. Even a film like Kutram Kadithal that won a National award released in theatres only after a year.”
Kamal says he has visited every single theatre in Tamil Nadu in order to gauge the kinds of audience. “In Tamil Nadu, we have 1000 theatres which translate to 950 movie screens. We also release advertisements in movie theatres. We make corporate videos and move around with that crowd as well. We know the audience as we are with them.”
Says Savitha, “We have seen the way the crowd connects with the larger than life image on the big screen. When the hall is packed with people, there is amazing energy. We want to ensure the same kind of adulation and response to small budget films.”
To know more, call: contact: 99944-67864/ baskar@themontage.in
