Forget audio...look at teasers first

Shoot a film, cut a trailer and release it just before the film's release. It was the way the film industry worked for a major part of early last decade. But the scenario has undergone a sea change.

With the public preferring to watch films leisurely at their own pace much after the hullabaloo surrounding a big film's release subsides and the market's demands have made filmmakers break the old norms of campaigning.

In order to grab the attention of audience and rake in big bucks during the first few days, the strategy of releasing first looks of the films/stars and teasers of the films have come to the fore and boy, are they paying rich dividends to the producer! The trend of releasing the teaser of a big ticket flick six months prior to its intended release was rampant in Hollywood.

It also helped raise the expectations on the movie. This has caught up with the Indian film industry, thanks to new-age Indian filmmakers who started to think-out-of-box. However, Tollywood has gone a notch ahead by releasing first looks or teasers midway during the film's progress.

For instance, NTR-starrer 'Baadshah's first teaser was out in September last year. The film was just half-way through during that period. But the intentions that filmmakers tried to pitch in with their first campaigns paid off with positive results.

It is scheduled to arrive at the cinema halls this Friday, nearly six months after the first teaser's release. Occasions like the lead stars' birthdays leave a producer no other option but to release the first looks or teasers ' even if he hadn't factored it in the first place ' just to meet the fans' demands.

Producer Dil Raju, a pioneer in doing so, says, 'If I'm releasing 'Yevadu' teaser, it's a Ram Charan film all the way regardless of who is behind the film. Add on factors include the director and the production house.'

Raju insists that the importance of first look and teaser holds mighty significance compared to other promotional measures. 'It's almost like a celebration to the film's crew and for the fans because you have to match up to the curiosity levels while raising the expectations on your product.

You have to tell with the teaser whether your flick is an action film, family entertainer or a love story. When it comes to the first look of the film, the designs should be able speak about the pattern of the film.

The impact a trailer leaves results in how many people throng to the cinema halls for the first week which is paramount for a big film these days,' adds Raju on the aspects that are taken into consideration before unveiling first look and teasers.

Filmmaker Madhura Sreedhar who promoted his film 'Back Bench Student' innovatively, believes that filmmakers these days have to find ways and means to tell about their product and first look and teaser exemplify it.

However, Sreedhar says that the kind of curiosity that first look and teaser raise for big films is not the same for small films. 'For small movies you have to create hype by telling the story in the look and the teaser itself. It in the process prepares audience for the film.'

Overall, whether it is to pacify diehard fans who can't wait to see their star's film getting delayed or to score a point over a recent film's massive release or first look, first looks and teasers have grown manifold and if anything to go by, the trend is going to continue big time with other films in the pipeline.