Jeff Baena Quotes

It didn't happen every time for every movie. Ruthless People was a good movie, but we didn't get a good release or marketing. They completely blew the opening.

You should not do everything in your power to make reviewers cranky before - right before they see your movie.

You need stars to create the buzz and bring audiences to the cinemas.

Films that score very high with test audiences generally tend to not be so great. But, there's a lot of money involved in making movies, and it's a way for people to reassure themselves, who have spent money, and it's also a way to work out how to market a movie.

The many many imponderables come together when a film opens and for all sorts of reasons it may or may not succeed.

It would be real nice to have some kind of bell or whistle attached to this film - it would give it a longer life. People seem to need that validation to go to a film these days.

I don't believe that you can judge the worth of a movie in the atmosphere in which it comes out the first time. There's just so many reasons why some pictures don't catch on.

A film cannot make it into the culture without the support of critics.

People come to Cannes just to advertise their films, not with a particular message. But the advantage is that if you go to the festival, you get so much press coverage in three days that it advertises the film for the rest of the year.

As a filmmaker, I wish we didn't have to do trailers at all, quite honestly. I wish we didn't have to do posters. I wish didn't have to give anything away. I wish people could just come in the movie blind. But as an audience member, I respect that you have to tell an audience that this is worth your time.

I've done movies I'm very proud of, but there's always a sense of: 'Come see this shiny new car!' The question I hate the most is: 'Why should people see it?'

I wonder if that's hurt me at the box office. Maybe audiences these days want to know exactly what to expect when they go into a movie, and my movies are hard to explain in just one way.

We have to promote a movie. It's just extraordinary that everybody I'm talkin' to loves this movie.

And the insidious thing is that people will either see a movie because it did well last weekend or won't see it because it didn't do well.

When you're promoting a film it's really interesting trying to gauge what people think about it.

You know, it's not the people in Hollywood who go to see movies that will make a movie successful; it's the people all around the country; it's word-of-mouth.

I will say I remember the best thing in terms of publicity was being on the cover of Newsweek.

I never knew how much you had to do to promote a movie, and I can't imagine what it would be like if you didn't like the movie you were promoting.

When Balaji decides to release a film, all you will see and hear will be concerning the film - we go all out! Promotions are a big part of our banner - we believe in marketing... in letting audiences know what they are in for.

I just stick to my job, which is acting. Things like posters, publicity material, and promotions are entirely the film-maker's prerogative. I don't get into all of that.

You want your film to be seen by the largest audience and stars help in facilitating that. Star-power does work.

The translation of social media buzz does not really happen. Films do well through word of mouth.

It's unfortunate that it's not realistic that you can get people to come to a movie theater not knowing anything about the movie.

Even though you might believe you have the best product on the market or the best film in a really long time, not everyone will agree. The film may be the best thing since sliced bread, but you have to have great publicity to back it up.

I don't think you can name a good picture where the production or the possible promotion isn't "cast-contingent." That means the film needs not just star power but star box office power.