I don't stage my own publicity.
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.
This is what it's all about. From what I could see, you could get a bunch of people together, whip up the press and have some impact.
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?'
Awards sell tickets, and they're a clever publicity stunt.
As soon as you start making a record, things start getting lined up: the promotion, possibly even a tour.
It's always good to promote a film on a larger scale before it's been put to test.
Publicity is absolutely critical. A good PR story is infinitely more effective than a front page ad.
Basically you want as many people as possible to see your movie.
The Paramount executives were so pleased with Sunset Boulevard that they asked me to do a publicity tour.
You never know when the publicity people will feel it is a good time to release the film.
I've planned book tours for myself, whether or not anybody wants to hear what I have to say. I've weighed in on things like what the cover looks like, what the copy looks like, how it's going to be promoted - just every aspect of it.
It means nothing if the movie doesn't get out there.
On some level any appearance on Television can be seen as a product endorsement.
The public relations warriors fought and lost Monte Carlo's Battle of the Magazine Covers.
Whether you work with a small or corporate press, the important thing is to have realistic expectations in terms of sales, promotion, and the work you have to do as an author promoting your novel.
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.
I will say I remember the best thing in terms of publicity was being on the cover of Newsweek.
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.
My petite little platinum blonde beauty of a wife suddenly turned into a public-relations dynamo. "The business is Buzz!" she proclaimed, and indeed so it became.
It's so rare when marketing and press doesn't ruin your movie.
You want your film to be seen by the largest audience and stars help in facilitating that. Star-power does work.
Later as things progressed and I saw the direct correlation between being able to keep making records and having people know about the music, I became more interested in using popular media as a way to get the word out.
Here's an idea: Spend two or three hours a day at least five days a week in front of a bookstore wearing a sandwich board with your bookcover on it while you chase and chat with anyone you can corral and who is willing to talk to you.
No, my publisher has always done the marketing.
