Lights, Camera, Action- 3 tips to bring out the magic in your next film campaign

No comments

Going to the movies is fun. Escaping to the movie theater has always been one of my favorite things to do. In my opinion, life would be boring without witnessing the work of producers, directors, writers, actors, and actresses.

In a March 2007 Ted Talk, J.J. Abrams; a well-known producer and writer, spoke about what inspires him when writing and producing. He says, “There’s an amazing sense of opportunity out there. And when I think of the filmmakers who exist out there now who would have been silenced, you know—who have been silenced in the past—it’s very exciting thing.”

In his talk, J.J. Abrams premise is based on a mystery magic box. He bought the box from a magic store decades ago and never opened it.  The box cost $15 with $50 worth of magic in it.

The magic box represents Mr. Abram beloved grandfather, infinite possibility, hope, and potential. Mystery, as it relates to fiction, is a genre involving something mysterious such as death or a crime to be solved. Each character plays a credible role in making the story move along and keeps the audience engaged. J.J. Abrams says that mystery is more important than knowledge and that it’s a catalyst for imagination. He goes on to say that, “I realize that [that] blank page is a magic box, you know? It needs to be filled with something fantastic.” Overall, he’s suggesting that stories are mystery boxes.

J.J. Abrams is the best at mastering excitement around his work. He has an excellent way of reinforcing brand loyalty by giving followers teasers by revealing the names of characters and presenting teaser trailers. Mr. Abrams is revealing some of the mystery to get a reaction and get people engaging. The trailer for Star Wars broke a record number of 88 million views within 24 hours.

I wholeheartedly believe there’s magic in every story regardless of the genre. As quoted above, there’s always a sense of opportunity. Having the talent to tell a story on a grander scale is attainable provided that there’s some magic in characters and words. Character building is an art form in writers, rather on a larger or smaller scale. What makes the difference is having the ability to carry the story forward in a way that makes the audience excited and want more.

Watch the J.J. Abrams’ Ted Talk here: 

J.J. Abrams Ted Talk

Drawing inspiration from J.J. Abrams, I’d like to offer the following 3 marketing tips:

  1. Create an immersive experience by combining social media with storytelling.
  2. Create audience participation by giving them a say in storyline outcomes.
  3. Give selective releases of information about the characters and story.


[Source: The Art of Immersion:  How the digital generation is remaking Hollywood, Madison Avenue, and the way we tell stories, Chapter 7, The Hive and the Mystery Box, Frank Rose]


Leave a Reply


You are commenting using your account. Log Out /  Change )

Google photo


Twitter picture


Facebook photo


Connecting to %s