Savage County a small indie horror that tells the tale of a group of teens who have a terrifying run-in with the mysterious Hardell family, will air on a mainstream network (MTV 2) on October 7th.
How did such a small film get such a big break? According to Mashable, the deal was this: If 100,000 people “demanded” to see the film (via the Eventful’s “Demand It!” feature) it would air on MTV. If not, the film was formatted to function either as feature or in chapters, so it would have merely appeared on digital channels with less reach.
According to David Gale, executive vice president of MTV’s new media division, the network therefore focused on creating a dynamic fan base for the film in advance, and getting the word out to them at a low cost. And, judging by the 100,000 people – and counting – who want to see the film, Gale and MTV have succeeded. This is a fascinating addendum to my current fave idea: 1000 Fans – how you find ’em, how you keep ’em, and how you get them to pay for your work. More on this from me soon.
This is only the beginning of the campaign for Savage County….. As well as MTV 2, it will appear on MTV.com, Comcast VOD, and many other places like Playstation Network, Xbox, iTunes, DVD and Amazon. Today, MTV also launches a digital comic book, which will function as a prequel to the film, on Comic Book Resources. They also commissioned NYC artist Vincent Castiglia to create a painting for the film (in his own blood… shudder) and will give 10 prints away as prizes via horror news site Bloody Disgusting. There are additionally five trailers for the flickin circulation — as well as a transmedia project called The Savage Country Gazette, which is basically a newspaper from the town featured in the film’s title…. Cool stuff, and something I am increasingly convinced that all indie filmmakers need to consider when marketing their films.