• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Film
  • DVD
  • Editorial
  • About ScreenFish

ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • News
  • OtherFish
  • Podcast
  • Give

Missing link

Elevation Pictures Lowers Prices in Response to Pandemic

March 17, 2020 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

In response to the vast number of those under self-isolation, our friends at Elevation Pictures have generously taken the bold move to lower the cost of some of their most popular films on iTunes. Check out the information below.

HUSTLERS – Buy for $9.99 

 Best Actress, Golden Globe Nominee
Synopsis: Inspired by the viral New York Magazine article, Hustlers follows a crew of savvy former strip club employees who band together to turn the tables on their Wall Street clients.

SHAUN THE SHEEP: THE MOVIE – Buy for 4.99

Best Animated Feature, Academy Award Nominee
Synopsis: When Shaun decides to take the day off and have some fun, he gets a little more action than he bargained for. A mix up with the Farmer, a caravan and a very steep hill lead them all to the Big City and it’s up to Shaun and the flock to return everyone safely to the green grass of home.

MISSING LINK – buy for 4.99

Best Animated Feature, Golden Globe Winner
Synopsis: Mr. Link recruits explorer Sir Lionel Frost to help find his long-lost relatives in the fabled valley of Shangri-La. Along with adventurer Adelina Fortnight, this trio of explorers travel the world to help their new friend.

HACKSAW RIDGE – buy for 4.99

Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Director Acadamy Award Nominee
Synopsis: World War II American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss, who served during the Battle of Okinawa, refuses to kill people, and becomes the first man in American history to receive the Medal of Honor without firing a shot.

IMITATION GAME – buy for 4.99

Best Original Screen Play, Academy Award Winner
Synopsis: During World War II, the English mathematical genius Alan Turing tries to crack the German Enigma code with help from fellow mathematicians.

THE BIG SICK – buy for $4.99

Best Original Screenplay, Academy Award Nominee
Synopsis: Pakistan-born comedian Kumail Nanjiani and grad student Emily Gardner fall in love but struggle as their cultures clash. When Emily contracts a mysterious illness, Kumail finds himself forced to face her feisty parents, his family’s expectations, and his true feelings.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Elevation Pictures, Hacksaw Ridge, Hustlers, Imitation Game, Missing link, Shaun the Sheep, The Big Sick

Missing Link: Searching for What’s Missing

April 12, 2019 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

Tired of living alone, Mr. Link (Zach Galifianakis), an 8-foot tall sasquatch, recruits adventurous (and ego-driven) Sir Lionel Frost (Hugh Jackman) to guide him on a journey to find his long-lost relatives in Himalayas. Along with adventurer Adelina Fortnight (Zoe Saldana), the trio face certain death as they cross the globe searching for the fabled destination of Shangri-La. In the process, they learn that sometimes one can find a family in unexpected places

Sir Lionel Frost (left) voiced by Hugh Jackman and Mr. Link (right) voiced by Zach Galifianakis in director Chris Butler’s MISSING LINK, a Laika Studios Production and Annapurna Pictures release. Credit : Laika Studios / Annapurna Pictures

Tired of living alone, Mr. Link (Zach Galifianakis), an 8-foot tall sasquatch, recruits adventurous (and ego-driven) Sir Lionel Frost (Hugh Jackman) to guide him on a journey to find his long-lost relatives in Himalayas. Along with adventurer Adelina Fortnight (Zoe Saldana), the trio face certain death as they cross the globe searching for the fabled destination of Shangri-La. In the process, they learn that sometimes one can find a family in unexpected places

Written and directed by Chris Butler (Paranorman),Missing Linkcontinues Laika’s streak of well-crafted stories underneath the beauty of stop-motion animation. Though not as well-known a property as Pixar (or even Aardman), Laika has established itself as a company that tells a wide variety of engaging narratives, ranging from the dark edges of Coralineto the whimsical Kubo and the Two Strings. While Missing Linkis far more playful in tone than the aforementioned examples, its story still resonates deeply through its humour and heart. As the arrogant yet likeable Sir Lionel Frost, Jackman effectively pokes fun at the bravado of some of his most beloved characters while Galifianakis’ charm is allowed to run wild as the wonderfully innocent (and extremely literal) Mr. Link.

Mr. Link voiced by Zach Galifianakis in director Chris Butler’s MISSING LINK, a Laika Studios Production and Annapurna Pictures release. Credit : Laika Studios / Annapurna Pictures

When we first meet Frost, we recognize that he is a man who yearns deeply to belong (and, even more so, feel relevant). Constantly on a quest to seek out the next miraculous discovery, Frost vows to be accepted by a local social club that prides itself on allowing only “great men” to join. When he hears word of the existence of the mysterious sasquatch, Frost is determined to use this discovery to prove his worth to the group and its judgemental leader, Lord Piggot-Dunceby (Stephen Fry). For Frost, much of his self-worth is tied to whether or not he can be viewed as a ‘great man’ by others he perceives to hold that position. Joining this club is not an exercise of fun, but rather a manner by which to validate himself.

With this in mind, juxtaposed against Frost’s obsession is the journey of Mr. Link (or Susan, as he prefers to be known). Similar to Frost, Link also desires greatly to be accepted by others. However, rather than seek personal glory, Link simply wants to find a family who accepts him for who he is. (After all, the humans aren’t exactly welcoming.) As a result, he desperately wants to find a home amongst the yeti in the Himalayas, whom he refers to as his cousins. While their motivations may differ, both ‘men’ ultimately seek the same sort of validation. To them, a love that sees (and accepts) them for who they are brings life… and they are willing to sacrifice anything to find it.

(L to R) Sir Lionel Frost voiced by Hugh Jackman, Mr. Link voiced by Zach Galifianakis and Adelina Fortnight voiced by Zoe Saldana in director Chris Butler’s MISSING LINK, a Laika Studios Production and Annapurna Pictures release. Credit : Laika Studios / Annapurna Pictures

In the end, Missing Linkis a charming film for all ages with enjoyable characters and genuine laughs. More importantly though, the film speaks to the very human need for a love and acceptance that goes beyond what we do but extends to the very core of who we are.

Missing Link journeys into theatres on Friday, April 12th.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Hugh Jackman, Laika, Missing link, Stephen Fry, Zach Galifianakis, Zoe Saldana

Is Publicity the Missing Link?

October 21, 2015 by J. Alan Sharrer Leave a Comment

The chain No matter how good a motion picture is, its success rises and falls on the shoulders of how well it is publicized.  If you don’t believe that, Fandango and countless other theaters would like to have a word with you concerning the release of the final Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer Monday evening. The demand for opening night tickets was so heavy that many websites simply crashed.  Two months before the film drops, thousands of shows have sold out.

When a film is given the go-ahead by a movie studio, a series of events swing into motion regarding getting the word out.  Press releases are written about the film and the actors in the leading roles, while filming sometimes provides an opportunity for media organizations to have on-set visits.  Trailers are released and advertising begins on TV, radio, print, and social media.  The cast members are interviewed.  Screenings are then offered for the media (and sometimes the general public), who generate reviews of the film. There are world and local premieres of the film (complete with red carpets) Websites like Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic compile the media reviews and assign a score to the film. Then, on opening day, moviegoers pay to see the film and formulate their own opinions, generating positive or negative buzz to keep a film playing as long as possible in a theater.

In the case of the recent film Woodlawn, it received fantastic word of mouth from filmgoers, earning an A+ CinemaScore (this is very difficult to do; only a handful of films in 2015 have earned it [one of these being the Academy Award-nominated Selma]). It opened on 1,553 screens and had over one million Likes on their Facebook page.

Total earnings for week one: $4 million.

How can this be? I think there a few reasons why.

Film screeningOne is that, being a Christian-based film, publicity is done a little differently. Following The Passion of the Christ’s lead, most of the interest is generated through grassroots efforts—mainly in the form of screening the film to faith-based organizations and church congregations, and significant influencers. This way, there’s a willing audience that’s ready to pass on the message they’ve seen to their friends and family.  The media eventually gets hold of the film, reviews it, and posts their thoughts.Secondly, in the case of Woodlawn, Rotten Tomatoes was showing no score on the day of its release. Their site requires five reviews to earn a score, and the reviews have to come from significant influencing organizations (we at ScreenFish aren’t there yet, but we’re working on it).  Currently, Woodlawn has a 100% rating, but from only a handful of reviews.  The more buzz, the better—but only if people know about the buzz.

A third, often untalked-about reason often revolves around money. As anyone who has a business can testify, it costs money to get people interested in their offerings.  People have to design graphics, do radio spots, tape commercials/videos for YouTube, and more.  All of these cost money in some way, shape, or form. When a faith-based film is being shot for a miniscule budget, it means people have to come up with creative ways to get the word out that are financially responsible.  The world of social media provides a fantastic place to talk about the film, link to relevant articles, and generate a certain level of interest. Of course, Facebook and Twitter are rapidly becoming ‘pay to play’ sites, so the role of free publicity is becoming less and less an option.

Video shootSo the question then becomes whether or not faith-based films can be publicized well considering their inherent limitations.  I believe the answer is yes—if some things change:

  • Movie studios and PR firms have to stop relying on social media exclusively to generate buzz – people have to see the film and generate that buzz for themselves.
  • Movie studios and directors have to get their film in the hands of the influencers early on—they can’t wait for buzz to build, because that can take too much time and potentially be overshadowed by other films. In addition, there has to be a focus on finding–or creating/building up–reviewers that meet the publishing qualifications of sites like Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes.
  • Movie trailers have to go out to the masses – and become viral as much as possible.
  • Publicity methods must be able to create and sustain interest outside the church walls. Of course, it’s okay to promote inside, but caution should be exercised because promotion methods can possibly be seen as advertising and/or endorsement by the leaders of a congregation.
  • Be even more creative in promotion – try something outside the box and see if it works.  But if it does work, it’s important not to keep going back to that method again and again.  The film industry likes to copy success and what may have worked can soon become trite and cliché.
  • As I mentioned in a previous editorial, the film has to be designed so that it’s good enough to play to both sides of the audience; otherwise, you’re looking at about a $65M cap on box office revenue.
  • The biggest thing is perhaps the most simple: No matter how good the publicity is, a film will rise or fall due to how good it actually is.  As directors make better films, people will want to support what they see.

    It’s time for film publicity for faith-based films to take a major step forward and bring about lasting change that will impact not only the bottom line, but countless lives along the way for the Kingdom of God.  It’s a sacred trust that deserves to be treated that way, with all links in the process working together for something bigger than they can on their own.

Filed Under: Editorial, Featured, Film Tagged With: directors, Fandango, Missing link, PR, publicity, Social Media, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Woodlawn

Primary Sidebar

THE SF NEWS

Get a special look, just for you.

sf podcast

Hot Off the Press

  • Arctic: Our Frozen World – Baby, It’s Cold Outside
  • Dear Edward: Sitting in Sadness, but Never Alone
  • 80 for Brady: Silly & Sweet and an Absolute Score
  • Erin’s Guide to Kissing Girls: Fresh Take, Same Quest
  • Knock at the Cabin: Knocking on Heaven’s Door
Find tickets and showtimes on Fandango.

where faith and film are intertwined

film and television carry stories which remind us of the stories God has woven since the beginning of time. come with us on a journey to see where faith and film are intertwined.

Footer

ScreenFish Articles

Arctic: Our Frozen World – Baby, It’s Cold Outside

Dear Edward: Sitting in Sadness, but Never Alone

  • About ScreenFish
  • Privacy Policy

© 2023 · ScreenFish.net · Built by Aaron Lee

 

Loading Comments...