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Wearing a Sandwich Board to Promote Your Movie: Tips from Bernard and Huey Director Dan Mirvish
There are two types of filmmakers: those who will stand on a street corner wearing a sandwich board to promote their movies, and those who will not. Dan Mirvish is fearlessly in the former category, as evidenced by this video, which finds the Bernard and Huey writer, director and Slamdance co-founder outside the Laemmle Monica hustling passersby to come and see his movie this weekend (and also be passersby in a video about promoting via a sandwich board).
Writes Mirvish in an email about promoting via sandwich board:
It has some historical context: 22 years ago, I wore a similar sandwich board in front of the same theater to promote my Slamdance-cofounding feature, Omaha (The Movie), which I was self-distributing at the time. The sandwich board was such a success, the film held at Laemmle’s for 11 weeks!
In my book, I actually talk about how filmmakers need to have the gumption to strap on a sandwich board — either a literal one like mine, or a virtual one in social media — if they’re going to succeed in either self-distribution, or even in this case, where I actually have a legit distributor but still do much of my own legwork.
Ingredients for a successful sandwichboard?
• 2 posters
• 2 pieces of posterboard
• tape
• ribbon
• Swiss Army Knife
• 2 10-year-old GirlScouts to help with assembly (optional)For a more longevity, instead of posterboard, use pegboard, and instead of ribbon, use speaker wire. It’s much heavier, but will last longer (shoulder pads, strongly recommended).
Bernard and Huey opens this Friday at the following theaters:
Village East Cinema – New York, NY
Laemmle Monica Film Center – Santa Monica, CA
AMC Hoffman Center 22 – Alexandria, VA
4-Star Theatre – San Francisco, CA
Arizona Mills 25 – Tempe, AZ
Northfield 18 – Denver, CO
Emagine Lakeville 21 – Lakeville, MN
AMC Studio 30 – Houston, TX
Atlas Diamond Centre Cinema 16 – Mentor, OH
AMC Sunset Palace 24 – South Miami, FL
It will also be available on most digital platforms, including iTunes and Google Play.
