A PAN reader and licensing manager at a international film company is searching for any information on promotional material sent to cinema’s for use in the press leading up to a new release – back before Instagram!
Will, ‘Film poster artwork has an established collector’s market and it’s been the subject of books and academic research, but pressbook or campaign books as they were called sometimes, less so. Produced by the marketing teams of the theatrical distributors, these publications included production notes, cast and crew biographies, but also offered tips and assistance for individual cinema managers to maximise the promotion and box office potential of the films they were booking for release. We have an extensive collection of original marketing assets related to the distribution of British feature films between the 1930s and the 1980s, campaign books are certainly amongst the most interesting assets as they offer an insight into the techniques and often the quirks associated to taking feature films to a silver screen near you in the pre-digital era. In this context tie-in comics strips have always piqued my curiosity; a number of examples are left, but beyond generic details about their availability at the time, I haven’t been able to find much since, which artists or agencies were commissioned to produce them, what happened to the artwork, what was the reception amongst local press and cinema managers at the time etc. If anyone out there is familiar with these or their history, I would love to hear from them.’
If you have any of these press books or general film promo pack please email me at PAN which I will pass on – [email protected]