What to do with MMM

I’ve got a question for the entire class at the end here, but first a little bit of explanation of where it is I’m coming from.

I’m at a crossroads with what I feel I want to do here on Movie Marketing Madness. The question comes down to the two things that are here on the site: 1) Smaller posts on new trailer, posters and such and 2) Longer columns, including actual MMM columns. The thing about it is sometimes the content for the smaller posts backs up on my and I have to squeeze them in. And keeping up with them eats into the time I have to write the longer columns.

So there are the options I’m considering going forward:

1. Continue with the status quo and do the best I can, accepting the fact that I’m not going to be the first guy to write about a certain trailer or whatever
2. Just write the full campaign review and other longer columns and publish the more newsy stuff to a link blog through my Google Reader account

Keep in mind I love doing both but want to make sure I’m serving my readership the best I can. I’d love to hear people’s opinions on these. I’m just sort of dealing with some stuff and want to make sure I’m producing the best MMM blog I possibly can both for myself and for the site’s readers. I’m going to be thinking about this on my own but would love some input. Leave your comments in the..umm..comments.Thanks,

–Chris

Slightly Longer Quick Takes 6/18/07

• Defamer passes on a link from another blog that thinks the image used on the License to Wed poster looks like – wait for it – the female reproductive system. In this instance Robin Williams’ legs and feet would make up the vagina. There are some moments where I don’t even have to think about what the joke actually is.
• Chris Anderson of The Long Tail says that latent demand for films that don’t get enough distribution lies somewhere in the 60-70 percent range. That means if there were more efficient (read: digital) distribution processes and the corresponding marketing support the movie business would be reaping profits 60-70 percent higher than they are currently.
• Blockbuster Video has put its still not-insignificant distribution weight behind the Blu-ray HD home video format. Right now the chain is renting titles in both Blu-ray and HD-DVD formats but will found the former was accounting fo 70 percent of demand. This gets into arguments like the one Anderson makes frequently that business decisions made because shelf space is limited often wind up disenfranchising significant percentages of consumers.
• Marvel has anointed its first internal executive with the power to greenlight film projects. The company is looking to control more of how its characters get translated onto the big screen and the licensing that goes part and parcel with those projects.
• I’ve been meaning to write this up for a while now but Peter over at /Film was quoted in The New York Times regarding the MPAA and its attitude toward red-band movie trailers, something that’s becoming an increasingly popular marketing tactic as studios look to appeal to adults.
• Congrats to Karina Longworth, who has joined the blogging team at Spout, a social networking site of sorts for film enthusiasts.

LOTD: 6/18/07

• Mashable’s Pete Cashmore has some thoughts on the deal to bring FOX video clips online via Brightcove. (TB)
• In the San Francisco Chronicle, there’s an item about what could amount to an iffy situation with Comcast phone customers, who thought they could stick to a cheaper plan, but are now being notified that “pending regulatory approval” that this would probably change. Considering people’s annoyance with “unlimited” bandwidth advertisements and how that has cropped up from time to time, this could also start a fire under some unsatisfied customers. [via TechMeme] (TB)
• A new lawsuit could decide whether or not anonymous, libelous statements are allowed online. (CT)
• YouTube is warning people who might use its new mobile service frequently to biggie-size their service plans since the bandwidth requirements are sizable. (CT)
• Neville Hobson alerts us to new corporate blogs from GlaxoSmithKline and Johnson & Johnson. (CT)
• Neville’s FIR co-host Shel Holtz says the companion website for the podcasting book the pair have written is now live. (CT)
• This kills me. (CT)
• Speaking of Shel and Neville, the two are stepping back from their day-to-day roles at the crayon agency, but Digitas’ Greg Verdino is coming onboard. (CT)

How is the answer to this not “Yes”?

Should Parents Be Liable For Boozing Teens? – Newsweek: Teen Driver – MSNBC.com

My grandpa used to sneak me a bottle-cap of beer when I was an older kid but that was about it. Parents who help their kids obtain and consume alcohol are doing a disservice to those kids.

Back to the core

WW Philly: Brand New Day – Marvel.com news

Marvel is doing with its Spider-Man titles exactly what I wish it had done a while ago and wish it would do with its X-Men and other titles. At the end of the current story arc, running through all the Spidey books, the only one left standing will be The Amazing Spider-Man, which will be published three times a month.

It always frustrated me that if I wanted to follow Spider-Man I had to buy AMS, Spectacular, Web of and whatever else was out there. And all those stories seemed to be taking Spidey to different places but they were all happening at the same time and all were considered canon, or at least played as large a role in character development as anything else. This makes for a confused and frustrated clientèle and a fragmented universe. Better to bring things all into one core title and publish it more frequently.

That has the increased advantage of allowing ONE title for new buyers – something the comics industry desperately needs – to find and reduces the odds of them turning away cause they feel overwhelmed. Great move by Marvel and I hope it’s not undone in six months when they get greedy.

Revenue up at the major studios – PHEW!

The Motion Picture Association has released its report official confirming all-media revenue at the six major studios was up in 2006, reports The Hollywood Reporter.

The all-media numbers include theatrical box-office, home video and both broadcast and pay television. The combined revenue from all six studios hit $42.6 billion, up eight percent from 2005. U.S. sales grew ten percent to $24.3 billion while international revenue was up just five percent to $18.3 billion. $42.6 billion in revenue is still shy of 2004′s $42.9 billion.

The report only covers revenue from the MPA’s six member companies: Walt Disney Co., Paramount Pictures Corp., Sony Pictures Entertainment, 20th Century Fox Film Corp., Universal City Studios and Warner Bros. Entertainment.