do filmmakers control the marketing of their films? (was: Photo Tampering Throughout History)

On a related note, an excerpt from my interview with Steve Taylor after 
his film The Second Chance came out on DVD:

-

http://filmchatblog.blogspot.com/2006/07/steve-taylor-second-chance-interview.html

PTC: So it's safe to call this a "Christian film", then?

ST: Well, the only reason I haven't called it that is because it puts me 
in such bad company. It's like it makes people think of end-times dramas 
and their sequels.

PTC: At least one of which, by the way, is advertised on the DVD that your 
film is on.

ST: Well that's another thing. I went in with so many-- Since I was 
funding a third of the movie myself, I had final cut and total creative 
latitude, and then Sony buys the movie and I'm not worried about it 
because I've got final cut, but then what happens to the DVD, I have 
virtually nothing to do with. There were commentaries that they insisted 
be deleted, and they were concerned I was being too self-critical and 
things like that, and I was like, "Y'know, what do you care?" So there 
were aspects to the DVD release that were a little bit frustrating for me. 
Anyway, they're selling a ton of DVDs, so I guess I shouldn't complain too 
much.

PTC: Did the studio give you a copy of the DVD or did you have to go and 
buy it?

ST: No, I still don't have a copy of the DVD. I'm anxious to find out-- I 
mean, it was frustrating. I was going, "Send me a copy so I can at least 
tell if you got it right or not." It's like, I would never make a record 
and not check a master disc, right? And Sony says, "Oh, well, we don't do 
that." It's like, what? Well who's supposed to know if this is right or 
not?

PTC: It wouldn't have occurred to me to even ask that question if it 
weren't for the fact that-- Do you know Hoodwinked, the cartoon?

ST: Hoodwinked, yeah right. I like those guys a lot.

PTC: Cory Edwards has a blog, and when Hoodwinked came out, he posted 
something about going down to Tower Records to buy his movie --

ST: (laughs) Right.

PTC: -- because the studio just didn't give him a copy.

ST: No, I haven't gotten a copy, I don't even know what it looks like yet! 
I mean, I shouldn't act too disingenuous. I saw the cover, and I told them 
I hate it, and they ignored me. I like the movie poster a lot, but I 
thought the cover was really cheesy. And I saw the-- They let me know that 
they weren't going to be putting a lot of the stuff on the DVD that I 
wanted to put on, and I complained bitterly and they ignored it, and so I 
guess that's how these big studios work.

PTC: Wow. So is it a bit of a comedown from when you used to run your own 
label and used to be in charge of all those things? Do you miss the 
control?

ST: Well, part of the frustration has been-- I started a record label just 
because I was so tired of having to deal with things like that, and as a 
recording artist myself, I have to say I had always been given an 
extraordinary amount of creative freedom and leeway, but I was really 
shocked at how many artists didn't get that. And so, at Squint, obviously 
all our artists were very involved with everything to do with their 
project, and I just figured that that's the way it should be. But I 
learned of course that that's not typical.

And so making the movie was a great experience, and for better or for 
worse, the movie that you see is the movie that that was the best I could 
do, I can't blame anyone for any mistakes, they were all my mistakes, and 
that's what I was wanting the opportunity to have. But when it came time 
for the DVD, as far as the extras go and everything like that, I guess 
that's just something that I forgot to ask for on the contract.

-

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 14 Feb 2011 14:52:06 -0800 (PST)
From: Peter T. Chattaway <petert-LOVM4QxV+tDq6eQxt3vRmLDks+cytr/[email protected]>
Reply-To: "DADL (off topic)" <[email protected]>
To: "DADL (off topic)" <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [DADL-OT] Photo Tampering Throughout History

On Mon, 14 Feb 2011, Lance McLain wrote:
> But do filmmakers usually review and approve posters, trailers, etc. 
> before they go out?  Would they see them at all?  Would they be able to 
> object?

Depends on how much clout they have.  Tom Cruise is a notorious 
micro-manager and has long had it written into his contract that he gets 
final approval of the posters for his films, etc.  But someone like, oh, I 
dunno, Philip Seymour Hoffman might not get that kind of say.

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