Page 15 - Fujifilm Exposure_28 Michael Winner_ok

“I guess that was the case with Die Another Day, which was a major deal for us,” he continues. “We got involved early, had an editor in their cutting rooms at Pinewood and we ended up doing the US trailer as well, because they preferred our stuff to what they had. That was a very suc- cessful campaign.”
Of course, ‘campaign’ is the key word, because although it sounds like a typical post-production house, with its editing machines, graphic design- ers and sound mixers, PPC is really a kind of advertising agency.
“We’re effectively a creative agency backed by a large production and post-production facility,” says Creative Director Toby James. “You can walk in here with an idea and leave with a finished product. From concept-driven specially-shot Teaser Trailers to UK and International ad campaigns for clients like Omega, Budweiser and John Frieda, our work
shows that when it comes to a com- plete in-house service we can deliver.”
They are keen advocates of Fujifilm, using the film stock on a recent commercial shoot for John Frieda’s Sheer Blonde range, an ad which has driven up sales by over 20% in the UK and Germany. Fuji tape stock also figures largely, having been used for all the press junkets that they shot at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, including Walter Salles’ The Motorcycle Diaries.
But how have things changed, in this era of aggressive movie mar- keting? Trailers have now become big events, pivotal to the success of a blockbuster and even more so on low-budget films. Is there now much more interference from the distributors who are keen to build awareness and secure that huge opening weekend?
“Actually, having briefed us, they often leave us pretty much alone,”
says Bensted. “I mean, marketing is incredibly important now, but if peo- ple come here, then hopefully they trust us enough to know that they are going to get the benefit of our experi- ence and skill. However, you do find that even trailers are tested before a focus group now.”
You mean there are screenings for a bunch of people in a Midwestern mall just to watch trailers?
“Well, you hear about people who just went into the cinemas to watch the trailer to The Phantom Menace. We just worked on the cam- paign for The Chronicles Of Riddick, which is the follow-up to Pitch Black, starring Vin Diesel.
“The US has a trailer which is very much about the mythology of the story and they thought for the interna- tional campaign to focus on the fact that this was a Pitch Black sequel, because that gained a cult following. So we cut a trailer that gave it that.”
With advertising and awareness an ever-expanding area of movie-mak- ing, Bensted better get used to that. And with David Willing keen to branch out, Picture Production Company better get used to a heavy workload both in London and Los Angeles. As their work speaks for itself, it’s unlikely they or their clients will be complaining. ■ BEN FALK
Fuji Motion Picture And Professional Video • Exposure • 13
“We like to think that we are a creative wheel in the system.”