University of Maryland Zachary Berman

Department of Communication June 24, 2014

COMM386: Experimental Learning Summer 2014

POINT PAPER SCHEDULING/BOOKING SCREENINGS

Subject. Allied schedules advance film screenings to be played at movie theatres in
the weeks leading to an official release. They are used as tools to generate publicity
by inviting local press to watch and publish opinions, in addition to serving as
promotional tools to screen to a target demographic in which members expectedly
spread word of the film.

Background. Publicists are responsible for planning screenings based on studio
directives. They must consider many factors when booking dates and locations
including proximity to target audience, press willing to commute to theatre and
other competing Allied films.
Studio indicates how many screenings for each film and what type: Word of
mouth (general public), Tastemaker (Relevant VIPs), Promo (press).
Publicists only want press at screenings the week of film release because
publicity is useless if too early (some films require press embargos that
prohibit press from publishing opinions before certain date).
Book screening either through theatre and receive confirmation or through
studio booker who communicates directly with theatre (varies by studio).
For word-of-mouth screenings, distribute passes based on number of seats in
theatre house (want to overbook to ensure seats are filled). Allied may also
form partnerships with radio/TV for contests giving out tickets to winners.
For promo screenings, publicist sends out invitation to press list and keeps
track of RSVPs.

Discussion. I strategized with the publicist about when to schedule the screenings. I
also shadowed her draft the email inviting press to the screening. I eventually
worked one of the screenings we planned and compiled a report summarizing
audience demographics and reactions.
Scheduling is challenging because there are many factors to consider: theatre
located near target demographic, theatre located near tastemakers or where
they are hosting a related event, time/location of screening that press are
more likely to attend, conflicts with other major films that have screenings or
are being released that week, not booking too many screenings in one place.
With my assistance, the publicist successfully booked the desired number of
screenings at the anticipated theatres.
Bookings (i.e. events or interviews) are an important aspect of entertainment
PR. The internship initially interested me because I wanted experience
executing events in the entertainment industry, so this will be useful to my
professional pursuits.
This task was a highlight of my internship. It was exciting to have a role in
determining when screenings would take place. I would not have had this
experience if I never reached out to any employees about my interest.
I had worked many screenings before, but this experience informed me of the
reasons for why screenings are essential. I also learned how to better take
many factors into consideration, which was a bit overwhelming at first.

Recommendation.
Much of our strategizing was improvised and not recorded. I recommend
developing a pro/con chart because there are many factors to weigh and
issues that arise during the scheduling process.