On Demand Weekly

Interesting concept with the news about the proposal for box office futures trading from the Cantor Exchange. Will the Script Evaluation ever help films that are produced for Video On Demand and/or independent filmmakers? tbd...

PRESS RELEASE

Ipsos OTX Launches Script Evaluation Division To Assess Playability And Marketability Of Feature Films

New Division will Provide a Detailed Assessment of a Film’s Potential Aimed at Informing Development Decisions

The Worldwide Motion Picture Group at Ipsos OTX MediaCT has launched the highly anticipated Script Evaluation Division to assess the potential playability and marketability of films at the script stage. This service, designed to inform key decisions at the most nascent stages of a movie, benefits from the group’s extensive background in screenings, creative testing and tracking, as well as access to the largest sample of nationally representative moviegoers available and the proprietary normative data culled from it.

The new division will evaluate a script’s potential for success by implementing a multistage review and analysis including Evaluation, Playability, Marketability, and Quantitative Validation.

During the Evaluation process, a genre and/or sub-genre is identified for a film’s script, historical elements from successful films within the genre are noted, demographic target audiences are assessed, and a box-office range for comparable films is provided. Importantly, this stage is adaptable to any client’s particular need by delivering the best analysis and recommendations within the context of their goals.

“There is a difference between a film that one wants to make at a price, financed through foreign sales and planned for a platform release that involves very little risk versus a movie that would need a strong P&A commitment to recoup its negative cost. We understand this and take the context of the request into account with each project,” said Vincent Bruzzese, President, Worldwide Motion Picture Group at Ipsos OTX.

The script is then analyzed for its Playability, where elements contained within it are compared to those in similar-genre films with the team drawing on their unparalleled experience at evaluating an audience’s reaction. Recommendations are made to address any contradictions and confusion, and an appraisal is given for the potential impact that specific scenes and subplots will have on the core audience. For example, a Science Fiction film containing elements of Romance and Horror may cause genre confusion, alienate the target audiences for each rather than broadening its appeal, and negatively impact the movie’s potential playability.

In the Marketability stage, the team will hone in on the assets and liabilities of the script, including the themes the core audience historically responds to within the selected genre. Strategies to effectively position and communicate the film’s message are provided as well as any missing elements critical to implementing a successful campaign for that type of film.

The final stage is Quantitative Validation where the script is summarized to the equivalent of a “pitch” and tested among 1,500 nationally representative moviegoers to gauge their interest in it being released theatrically. This stage is critically important because the results of the concept test are then compared to Ipsos OTX’s normative data that is comprised of hundreds of concept tests conducted each year providing marketplace context to the information.

“I think this is long overdue. Having worked with Vinny and the OTX team on this type of early stage analysis many times before, I can tell you that the information is extremely useful in not only helping to choose which film to make, but also for avoiding the ones you shouldn’t make. Vinny’s advice and counsel through the years has been invaluable and I believe the industry will benefit greatly from OTX’s experience in this area,” said Bill Block, CEO of QED.

Bruzzese further explains, “One of the most important questions this multistage process answers is ‘Should We Make This Movie?’ Over the years we have been asked to evaluate scripts from a large number of theatrical clients and our resulting track record convinced me to finally centralize this service for the industry.”

“If OTX can provide a service to filmmakers that gives them access to information directly from audiences, that’s a valuable tool,” said Peter Adee, President of Worldwide Marketing, Overture Films. “Anytime we can receive direct feedback from potential moviegoers about what they like and how best to reach them, it’s good for the studio.”

Ultimately, a detailed report outlining the Ipsos OTX Script Evaluation Division’s analytics and recommendations is generated answering key questions early in the process about a script’s potential reception from moviegoers from both a marketing and production perspective.

For more information on this news release and Ipsos travel research, please contact:

Tom Harbeck
SVP Strategy & Marketing
Ipsos OTX MediaCT
212-525-8231
tharbeck@otxresearch.com

About The Worldwide Motion Picture Group at Ipsos OTX MediaCT

The Worldwide Motion Picture Group offers a wide spectrum of research services covering all aspects of a film’s lifecycle – from pre-production through theatrical release and beyond. With an experienced staff and a holistic approach to the movie consumer, it provides a suite of products both domestically and internationally. The Worldwide Motion Picture Group is part of Ipsos OTX MediaCT – a division of Ipsos focused on today’s digitally-driven consumer in the fast moving media, content and technology space www.ipsos-na.com/media.

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