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The Importance of Social Media

Social media and the film industry as a whole, are naturally associated with each other for a variety of factors. Both social media and film are audiovisual material and both also encourage individuals to express their opinions and discuss their experiences. When it comes to creating awareness for a film (in terms of marketing), the use of social media is vital for any film campaign to be a success. When specifically analyzing the use of social media for independent documentaries, the use of this marketing tool is used much earlier during the film’s development or pre-production stage (Noschis 2015a). For films that do not have large budgets, or financial support from large studios, social media becomes a vital marketing tool for independent documentaries because it is free to use. The use of multiple free platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and even YouTube create a “low-risk, high-reward” situation for these types of films when it comes to their marketing campaign.

Due to the freedom of separation that independent documentaries have from large studios, it allows for social media to be used differently when compared to a more traditional marketing tactic for traditional films. Independent documentary film campaigns may be able to use social media to post whatever they see fits their goal and creates discussion/interactions amongst followers. For example, during the I am Belmaya campaign, posts varied from cinema posters for the film, to behind-the-scenes photos, personal photos, and many more (a more detailed look into the analysis of the I am Belmaya social media strategy is covered within the thesis). Because of the variety of posts for independent documentary films, followers become attached to specific aspects of the social media marketing, such as “directors, where users expect to build a direct relationship with [them]” (Noschis 2015b). This is why it is important to build a relationship with followers early on, as the discussion of the film has the ability to start before a film’s release date and continue after the release.

The importance of social media is undeniable when it comes to the success of an independent documentary film’s impact on society. The ability to create a relationship with followers for long periods of time encourage the discussion of the topics covered within the film, ultimately having the ability to create long lasting social cohesion and insight (Aufderheide 2007).