Tag: kristen stewart

crimes of the future – marketing recap

How NEON sold a unique film from a unique filmmaker

[editor’s note: Yeah, this came out last week. I know…]

Crimes of the Future movie poster from NEON
Crimes of the Future movie poster from NEON

Crimes of the Future is the latest film from writer/director David Cronenberg. The movie, in theaters now, stars Viggo Mortensen as Saul Tenser, a man who in the near future has developed the ability to grow vestigial organs inside his body. He and his partner Caprice (Léa Seydoux) remove those organs as part of their performance art while also working with the anti-evolution government. That brings them in contact with an investigator named Timlin (Kristen Stewart).

The story crafted by Cronenberg is one of government surveillance, environmental catastrophe and more. Tanaya Beatty, Scott Speedman and others also star, so let’s take a look at how NEON sold the film.

announcement and casting

Cronenberg has been working on the project for roughly a decade, though nothing ever came of it.

It wasn’t until early 2021 that things seemed to be picking up, with Mortensen saying he was reuniting with the director he’d worked with on three previous films. With it officially underway, Stewart and Seydoux were cast.

Stewart spoke briefly about the movie and its futuristic setting while doing press for Spencer toward the end of 2021.

the marketing campaign

The campaign kicked off with the release of the first trailer (586,000 YouTube views) in mid-April. It’s full of disturbing images of a young boy eating a plastic garbage can, various things being inserted or removed from people’s bodies and so on, all of coming off as extremely off-putting but intriguing.

The poster released at the same time offers little additional context, just showing Tenser in his special bed and just making it clear that this movie comes “From the mind of David Cronenberg”, a statement that should immediately either attract or repel audiences.

It was then that the Cannes Film Festival revealed the movie would make its premiere in competition at the event.

Cronenberg made his first-ever appearance at CinemaCon in 2022 to tout the film and show distributors and others the first trailer.

A week or so later NEON announced an early June release date.

That announcement was accompanied by a new red-band trailer (1.6m YouTube views) that’s even more weird and disturbing than the first. We get a bit more background about how the changes happening in Tenser’s body are a danger to the government, all while seeing the kind of surgeries that take place to unlock these new organs he and others are developing. Then there’s the line that got everyone’s attention, Timlin whispering “Surgery is the new sex.”

The poster that dropped at the same time upped the creepiness factor with an image of a human torso with multiple incisions or other entry points cut into it.

A profile of Seydoux allowed the actor to talk about her experiences at previous Cannes festivals, her career to date and how all of that led her to work with Cronenberg on this film.

How the project took so long to develop, the changes that came about because of shooting during the pandemic and more were covered in an interview with Cronenberg just ahead of Cannes.

A third poster has all three leads shown in three giant slashes that trail down to the bed Tenser uses to manage his pain.

TIFF announced its Bell Lightbox event at the end of May would host the movie’s North American premiere.

A series of clips showing a moment between Tenser and Timlin, a tense conversation between Tensor and Caprice and the much-noted “surgery is the new sex” scene came out in the middle of May. Another shows the bed-aided surgery performance Tenser undergoes.

Those were followed by character posters of Tenser, Caprice and Timlin.

Short promo clips/TV spots/streaming ads came out at that time that offer cutdown versions of the trailers, but without some of the more disconcerting elements.

At this point the cast and crew all assembled in Cannes for the red carpet event, with the subsequent screening generating rapturous applause and a standing ovation from the audience. There were also much-reported walkouts from those apparently disgusted by what they were seeing.

Additional interviews with Cronenberg and Stewart had both of them talking about the themes of the story, working with each other and more.

More commercials kept coming out that chopped up the same handful of clips in various ways.

The TIFF screening included a Q&A with the cast and crew about making the movie and exploring disfigurement and other body-related topics.

Three additional screenings in Los Angeles were scheduled for the week leading up to the movie’s opening to get people buzzing about the film.

Mortensen and Cronenberg talked about the film’s production in a joint interview while the director explained that sometimes the cast didn’t even fully understand what was going on during filming.

There were occasional graphics like this that featured additional imagery accompanied by a positive comment from a critic or fellow high-profile filmmaker.

overall

As stated before, much of the campaign will almost immediately either make people immediately put it on their list of movies they must watch or make sure they avoid anything and everything related to it. The repeated use of “Earman” in much of the campaign in the last few weeks likely only reinforced that.

But it’s the talent that forms the crux of the marketing’s appeal. Seydoux, Stewart and Mortensen are all major assets here, bringing their own reputations with them. And the marketing shows off their performances to increase whatever attraction the audience might already have.

spencer – marketing recap

How NEON has sold a fantasy character drama set in the world of royalty

Spencer movie poster
Spencer poster

There’s been no shortage of recent projects about not only the British Royal Family as a whole but the late Diana Spencer specifically. The most recent season of “The Crown” on Netflix covered the period including Diana’s tumultuous and abusive courtship by and marriage to Prince Charles, ending with them becoming estranged. Also on Netflix is Diana: The Musical, which covers the same basic time frame but also her untimely demise in 1997.

Into that mix comes Spencer from director Pablo Larraín and writer Steven Knight. Kristen Stewart stars as Diana in a story that, while largely imagined, is based on actual events and set during a 1991 holiday retreat by the Royal Family at a time when the marriage between Diana and Charles was largely a fiction being maintained for the sake of appearances.

Let’s take a look at how it’s been sold.

announcements and casting

The project was announced with Stewart in the starring role in mid-June of 2020. NEON acquired distribution rights shortly after that announcement.

In an interview that was part of her promotion of Happiest Season, Stewart admitted that watching the latest season of Netflix’s “The Crown” made up part of her research into Diana.

A first look at Stewart in character, accompanied by a few comments from the producers and others, came out in January.

In January of this year news came that Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood had signed on to score the film.

the royal marketing campaign

The campaign really kicked off in August with the release of the first trailer (2.4m YouTube views). It’s short but sets the tone by mixing scenes of Royal settings and routines with shots that hint at Diana not quite fitting into that environment.

At the same the first poster was released, taking the bold step of not showing the face of the star. Instead all we see is Diana from the back as she is doubled over, seemingly crying into her massive and expensive-looking white gown. That image is very much designed to indicate what the movie will be like even more than the trailer did.

An interview with Larraín has the director explaining just how much he played around with the real story of what happened, changing them to give Diana more agency and ultimately to give her a better ending on her own terms. Similar ground was covered by screenwriter Steven Knight, who also addressed this not being the only Diana-related project to be released recently.

The movie screened during festival season at the Venice Film Festival, which hosted the world premiere, as well as Telluride and Toronto festivals, each time earning positive reviews as a whole and especially for Stewart’s performance.

While on the festival circuit there were multiple interviews with Stewart where she talked about the physicality of the role, how she empathized with Diana’s emotional openness and earnest nature, what it was like to play (another) real life figure and lots more.

An EW cover story came out around this time with Stewart and Larraín both talking about working together and the responsibility of telling the story of such a beloved figure. Stewart also praised Emma Corrin’s performance in “The Crown” and revealed she used the same dialect coach Corrin did.

Late September brought the release of the final trailer (12m YouTube views). It’s a very unhappy Diana being shown here, one that is desperate for some sort of happiness that’s always denied by the family she’s married into, including the unloving husband who just wants her to perform her duties. It engages in a little of the inevitable foreshadowing of her death, but mostly it’s focused on how Diana manages to get from one moment to the next in life and what toll that struggle takes on her wellbeing.

A series of character posters showing Diana, Charles and others were released at this time.

Stewart and others from the cast attended a screening of the film at the London Film Festival in early October. The movie was then added to the lineup of the Austin Film Festival and Miami Film Festival GEMS.

Short spots and promos started coming out at this point, most of them showing Diana in some sort of conflict with Charles or another member of the Royal Family who doesn’t approve of her.

Costume designer Jacqueline Durran was interviewed about capturing the right look for the period, including sourcing vintage materials and the other tricks she pulled off to recreate royal designs.

The movie was then scheduled to open this year’s Contender’s Film Series at New York’s MoMA.

The red carpet premiere was held in late October with Stewart talking about making the movie in general as well as the similarities she sees between herself and Diana, particularly around how many cameras are constantly following her around and more about how “The Crown” helped prime the pump for this movie.

An interview with Larraín had the director talking about the story, Stewart’s performance and more.

The theatrical poster came out at the end of October showing Diana, clad in a black veil, looking longingly out a window. It’s meant to convey the kind of desperate daydreaming of another life that forms the crux of the drama in the story and does that effectively.

Stewart talked about the movie and her reaction to being asked to star in it when she appeared on “The Tonight Show” recently.

Fandango MovieClips debuted an exclusive clip of Diana getting some unwelcome advice from Charles about how to behave in public.

Stewart was awarded the Spotlight Award for her performance in this film by the Palm Springs International Film Awards.

overall

It’s very interesting that, given the glut of Diana-related projects vying for public attention recently, the decision was made at some point not to try and compete against them but to position this movie as additive to what’s already come out. That seems to be the reason why Stewart and others have been so open about watching “The Crown” and even using similar resources to help get the character of Diana right.

Aside from that, the focus from the outset has been on Stewart and her performance in the title role. That performance has been hailed and praised by just about every critic who’s seen the film and NEON has been sure to amplify that praise at every opportunity. As such, it forms the backbone of the campaign.

Happiest Season – Marketing Recap

How Hulu has sold an updated take on the Christmas movie genre.

In The Happiest Season, out now on Hulu, Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis play girlfriends Harper and Abby respectively, a happy couple who are about to put their relationship through a significant test: the holiday season. Specifically, they plan to visit Abby’s family for Christmas. Taking advantage of the celebration, Harper plans to propose to Abby while there.

Writer/director Clea DuVall’s story, though, adds the complication that unbeknownst to Harper, Abby’s family doesn’t know she’s gay. They believe instead that Abby is bringing her orphaned friend with nowhere else to go. Harper then begins to question much of their relationship, often with the support of her friend John (Dan Levy). The movie also stars Victor Garber, Mary Steenburgen, Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza and others.

Originally planned for a theatrical release by Sony Pictures, in October Hulu announced it had picked up the movie and would release it to streaming in late November. To date, the film has received largely positive reviews, giving it a solid 92% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Posters

Just one poster, which was released barely over a week prior to the film becoming available. The major cast, with Stewart and Davis in the forefront, are assembled in a picture as if they’re all part of the same photograph. How that photo is hanging cockeyed over the fireplace indicates how off-kilter the family – and story – is while festive holiday decorations visible around the frame make the setting of the action clear to the audience. It’s a fine, if innocuous, image but for the fact that all the faces save those of Stewart and Davis are clearly Photoshopped into place.

The Trailers

Released in mid-November, the trailer (6 million views on YouTube) starts by showing how much Abby is looking forward to meeting Harper’s family over Christmas. As they’re on their way, Harper breaks the news that her parents don’t know she’s gay, much less that she’s bringing her girlfriend with her. Instead, she’s told them Abby is an orphan with nowhere to go. Hilarity and awkwardness ensues, especially when Abby’s friend John gets involved.

Online and Social

Advertising and Promotions

The buzz-heavy cast was announced in January as the movie was heading into production. That filming was finished in late February, just before Covid-19-related shutdowns went into effect.

Earlier this month a drive-in premiere for the film was held. The artists contributing to the movie’s soundtrack were also announced.

In the days leading up to release online ads like the one below were placed around the web, using the key art to encourage people to click over to the movie’s page on Hulu.

Short videos like this were produced and used both as organic promotions as well as paid ads.

Media and Press

First look stills accompanied by comments from Stewart, Levy and others were included in EW’s Fall Movie Preview.

Following the release of the trailer there were features on how Duvall worked to offer a twist on the holiday rom-com genre tropes as well as on Steenburgen feels about being a Christmas movie go-to player.

Meanwhile, Levy appeared on “The Tonight Show” to talk about the movie and lots more. Brie did likewise on “Kimmel” as did Stewart. Levy and Stewart showed up together on “The Today Show.”

Themed gift packages of promotional items were sent to select members of the press.

Teegan & Sara appeared on “The Kelly Clarkson” to perform their new song on the film’s soundtrack, with DuVall and much of the cast also appearing on that show.

Appropriately, there was significant coverage of the film in the LGBTQ press, including a cover story with multiple features in The Advocate as well as stories like this in Pride, all of which covered how DuVall and the cast worked to bring something new to the genre.

That same theme was carried over into much of the press, including additional interviews with DuVall as well as Stewart and the rest of the cast. There were also breakout profiles of Stewart, Davis and Brie along with more general holiday hijinks with the cast.

Overall

It’s hard not to be completely charmed by the campaign Hulu has put together in the space of less than a month. Some of the material was likely brought over from whatever Sony had already produced, but generating such significant buzz in so short a period is a testament to not only the strength of what’s presented here but also to the obvious passion of the audience that has been drawn to it in that time.

It benefits greatly from having such talented and outspoken talent like Stewart, DuVall, Davis and others involved, all of whom have reiterated the movie’s core value proposition – that it’s part of the “awkward family Christmas” genre while offering an updated variation on what’s come before – throughout their press activities. That it’s coming to streaming and not theaters allows it to reach more of the audience immediately, which will likely help its prospects for success.

Picking Up The Spare

Another interview with Stewart had her talking about what made her sign on to this project. 

Costar Mary Holland also got a profile all her own. There have also been a number of interviews like this with DuVall about reaction to the ending, the potential for a sequel and more. That ending was also covered by Plaza when she appeared on “The Late Show.” 

Nice little behind-the-scenes featurette from Hulu.

Details here on a new partnership between the movie and GLAAD and Outfest for a holiday season PSA. 

A couple new featurettes have come out along with a lyric video for Tegan And Sara’s “Make You Mine This Season.” There was also a short blooper reel that’s just great.

Underwater – Marketing Recap

You can read my full recap of the marketing recap for Underwater at The Hollywood Reporter.

Online and Social

Not much of an official website, just the bare minimum of marketing materials laid out in the standard Fox site template.

Media and Press

A first still from the film was released just before the first trailer came out in August, 2019.

What’s been surprising is the almost complete lack of pre-release press activity on the film’s behalf. Stewart has been especially absent, though she did the circuit just recently for Seberg, which was positioned as a labor of love for her and so dominated her attention and time. Oh, and there was also the Charlie’s Angels campaign.

The studio livestreamed a Q&A with the cast earlier this week. It also shared a goofy – and tonally off-brand – video of Stewart guessing items in a fish tank mystery box.

At the movie’s premiere Stewart and the rest of the cast and crew talked about the pressure of working in such a high-stress and sometimes dangerous environment.

Overall

Picking Up the Spare

More online ads like the one below popped up as the movie was hitting theaters.

Underwater online ad

Seberg – Marketing Recap

How Amazon Studios is selling a movie of stardom, paranoia and surveillance.

seberg posterJean Seberg helped usher in the French New Wave of cinema when she starred in 1960’s Breathless, written by Francois Truffaut and directed by Jean-Luc Godard. In this week’s new release Seberg, the actress is portrayed by Kristen Stewart. With the stardom that comes from her breakout performance in Godard’s innovative masterpiece, Seberg wants to challenge herself as a performer and do something important with the profile she’s gained.

To that end she gets involved in the American civil rights movement of the 1960s, eventually becoming romantically involved with Hakim Jamal (Anthony Mackie), a leader in the movement. Her actions, though, put her on the radar of J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI, who believes such groups are anti-American and dangerous. She becomes paranoid she’s always being listened to and followed, which sometimes she is.

In marketing the film, Amazon Studios has focused on how the story highlights the dangers of putting yourself out there for a cause and the impact it can have on your career and personal life.

The Posters

Stewart as Seberg is shown on the poster looking very much the early-60s manic pixie dream girl with her tom-boy haircut and short, colorful dress. It’s a simple image but one that highlights the movie’s key selling point, which is Stewart’s take on the subject. Her persona is communicated in the three adjectives shown under the title: “Actress. Activist. Adversary.” .

The Trailers

November brought the release of the first trailer (629,000 views on YouTube). It sells a story steeped in themes of identity and paranoia as we see Jean go from merely uncomfortable with the public image that’s been crafted for her to one who wants to define her own persona more completely. We’re shown how she starts off as chafing under the spotlight and refusing to be something she doesn’t want to be to someone who wants to enact real change in the world. Doing so threatens not only her marriage thanks to the affair she begins but also her safety as her work with civil rights groups gets the attention of law enforcement who wants to shut those movements down. It’s a powerful combination of messages, one that certainly resonates in the modern day.

Online and Social

There is an official website for the movie but it only has the most basic of information. It’s only received limited support on Amazon’s social channels.

Advertising and Promotions

seberg online adThe 2019 Venice Film Festival was slated to be the venue for the movie’s premiere. Shortly after that it screened at the Toronto Film Festival and was later slated to appear out of competition at the London Film Festival.

Stewart received the Golden Eye Award when the movie was scheduled for the Zurich Film Festival. It also played at the San Sebastian Film Festival.

Online ads used the title treatment and other images from the poster art to drive visitors to the official site to learn more.

Media and Press

A first-look photo was released at the same time as the news it would be screening at Venice. There was a profile of Stewart back in August where she talked about this movie and her career to date.

An interview during Venice had Stewart talking about how she worked to honor the subject she was playing and more. During Toronto she spoke about similar topics while at the same time making it clear artists have the right and responsibility to speak out on social issues that are important to them, both within and outside of their work. She and Mackie talked about how fame has changed in the age of social media.

Stewart continued to talking about celebrity privacy and related matters during the festival and then about the relationship between actor and director while in San Sebastian. She spoke more about the process of filming the movie here.

A profile of Mackie focused on how this was one of a few recent roles to take him back into more dramatic territory as compared to his super hero film work.

Overall

While the campaign itself is decent enough, it just hasn’t received the same amount of attention from Amazon Studios that other recent releases have. So everything here has been fairly muted and restrained, without a lot of additional context or background given to reinforce the story’s message that just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean someone isn’t actually out to get you.

What’s doubly disappointing is that Stewart is the perfect star for a movie like this, given how her privacy has been invaded by the public and media for so long and so pervasively. While she spoke about those issues in interviews, there’s nothing in the marketing itself to hammer that point home, which is a missed opportunity.

Charlie’s Angels – Marketing Recap

You can read my full recap of the marketing campaign for Charlie’s Angels at The Hollywood Reporter.

Online and Social

In addition to the standard marketing materials, the movie’s official website has (of course) a link to buy or stream the soundtrack. It’s a bit better than most recent movie sites, including a link to find out how to get a sponsored Snapchat lens

Entertainment Weekly offered exclusive movie-themed lenses for Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram as well.

Media and Press

Well in advance of the movie coming out – indeed before production had really started – Stewart was out there talking about how Banks was approaching the material and how no one was interested in just ripping off earlier versions. Lucy Lui, who starred in the movies from the early 2000s, gave her blessing to the project. And Stewart commented on the attitude of the movie while promoting other projects last year.

While promoting J.T. Leroy earlier in the year Stewart spoke briefly about the movie, explaining how Banks and the other filmmakers told a relevant story using a slightly anachronistic concept, promising plenty of humor as well. Banks also mentioned the movie while she was promoting Brightburn and other projects.

There was a profile of Stewart back in August where she talked about this movie and her career to date.

Del Rey was interviewed about how her musical collaboration with others got started.

In September the whole cast and Banks appeared on “Kimmel” to talk about working together and offer some footage to the TV and studio audiences. Banks spoke about her directing career to date and why she wanted to take on this movie in particular in a feature interview. Another interview had her talking about her love of the original series and more.

Stewart hosted an episode of “Saturday Night Live” in late October as part of a promotional push that included a stop at “The Tonight Show” as well. The topic of showing off hardworking women came up when Banks appeared on “The Late Show” while Scott’s time on “The Tonight Show” was more fun.

That was also the focus of a behind the scenes profile that included comments from Banks and the rest of the cast. She talked about how the film was meant to celebrate working women when she did a Q&A at a recent Fast Company-hosted event. A later interview had her putting the pressure on studios to hire more women filmmakers.

Overall

Picking Up the Spare

Balinska was interviewed about the production, including her training regiment to get in shape for the physical stonework.

Banks brought the thunder when asked why a reboot of the franchise was necessary at this point in time.

These Actresses Have Made the Leap to Director

The last month has seen three movies released, each the first directorial effort by a well-established actor. Bradley Cooper’s A Star Is Born, Jonah Hill’s Mid90s and Paul Dano’s Wildlife each gained additional exposure and awareness by virtue of the fact that they were directed by well-known actors stepping behind the camera for the first time.

This year, as well as next, will also see a good number of actresses directing their first feature films. Just a couple weeks ago news broke a couple weeks ago that Maggie Gyllenhaal would be making her directorial debut with the upcoming The Last Daughter. The decision seems, at least in part, to be one made in an effort to seize some measure of creative control over their careers and tell stories important to them.

Judy Greer – A Happening of Monumental Proportions (2018)

Greer has established a long and successful career playing the best friend of the lead character, working with just about everyone in Hollywood. She called on a lot of the talent she’s connected with for this movie, featuring an ensemble cast in a story of one very bad day on a number of fronts in a public school.

Olivia Wilde – Booksmart (2019)

This upcoming story of best friends who, as they are about to graduate high school, decide they spent too much time studying and not enough time partying. Seeking to rectify that they try and sow all their wild oats in a single night to ridiculous results. The movie stars Billie Lourd and Kaitlyn Dever.

Kristen Stewart – The Chronology of Water (2019)

Just announced earlier this year, the movie’s story is still largely unknown, though while she’s been promoting other projects Stewart has talked about the kind of tone the story will take, including that it’s unabashed in its focus on female sexuality.

Lea Thompson – The Year of Spectacular Men (2018)

When Thompson, who’s been acting in Hollywood for decades, decided to make her first movie she turned to family for support, enlisting daughters Madelyn and Zoey Deutch to play sisters. Izzy (Madelyn) is having a bit of a crisis involving relationships and so sets out to spend time with her family for support.

Heather Graham – Half Magic (2018)

Another actress that has spent decades earning accolades in supporting roles, Graham finally opted to tell a story herself, writing and starring in this release from earlier this year. The story was certainly timely, focusing on a group of women who have had enough with being mistreated by men and so bond together to reclaim their power and their personality.

Lizzie – Marketing Recap

The marketing campaign for LIZZIE, about the Lizzie Borden murder case, sells a tragic romance at the end of the 19th century.

lizzie posterThe story of Lizzie Borden is one that’s captivated the American psyche for well over 100 years now, commonly being referred to as the first “celebrity” killers in the country’s history. This week’s new movie Lizzie tells her story, or at least a version of it.

Chloë Sevigny plays Lizzie, a woman well past the common marrying age for the time who still lives with her father and stepmother. One day a new housekeeper named Bridget (Kristen Stewart) comes to work at the house and eventually becomes both emotionally and physically involved with Lizzie. The older Bordon’s oppressive and abusive behavior becomes too much for the two women and, in some way, he and his wife end up dead, leading to rumor and speculation in the small Massachusetts town where they live.

The Posters

The two women stand close together on the first poster against a white background, with the light from behind them creating an ax-shaped shadow on the ground. That’s a bit on-the-nose, but it’s actually nicely countered by the positive critics’ quotes that fill the rest of the white space.

The Trailers

Lizzie’s father is not a good man, we see in the first trailer, assaulting the new housemaid almost as soon as she arrives. Bridget’s fear of him and the growing connection – which we see becomes a physical and romantic attraction – between her and Lizzie is soon found out by him and so, with all that happening, Lizzie takes violent matters into her own hands.

It’s a relatively short, or at least moderately-paced, trailer that shows off the period tone and dark story of the movie. The chemistry between Sevigny and Stewart is not only seen but praised through the appearance of quotes from early screenings that are displayed over the footage. Sparse, melancholic music plays to heighten the tension and sense of dread.

Online and Social

There’s not much happening on the official website, which just features the trailer, a synopsis and links to the Instagram, Facebook and Twitter profiles.

Advertising and Cross-Promotions

A doomed and tragic romance that ends in murder is the story sold in the first TV spot, debuting in late August. Much of the story framing from the trailer is removed in favor of pulse-pounding quick cuts and shots of desperate conversations being had. A “digital spot” a short while later kept the focus on the tension while hinting at the friendship (and more) between Lizzie and Bridget.

Media and Publicity

A first look still from the film was shared at the same time it was announced it would premiere at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, with the movie being cited as one many critics were anxious to see there. While there the cast talked quite a bit about the film, with Sevigny commenting on the nudity at the core of one its centerpiece scenes and how this version of the story ties into the #metoo movement by being female-driven about about women reclaiming their power from men.

The buzz around the film led to a bidding war that eventually ended when Saban Films picked it up. Shortly after that Stewart addressed the timely themes of the movie as well as the realities that needed to be represented regarding how long it took for women in that period to take their clothes off and what constituted a good reason to do so.

A clip featuring a pivotal moment from the story was released just a couple days before the movie hit theaters.

Overall

The focus of the campaign is less on the murders themselves as it is on the relationship between Lizzie and Bridget. That’s what is driving the drama forward here, with the murders that someone commits being a result of that, not something separate from it. You see that in the trailer as well as in the publicity efforts.

It’s the star power of the actors involved that has the most potential to get people’s attention. My guess is the Lizzie Borden case isn’t as well known now as it was several years ago, so it’s on Stewart and Sevigny to bring out the public that has come see them in other things.

PICKING UP THE SPARE

Sevigny received a substantial profile here that talked about how the movie plays into her long-term career aspirations and affinity for challenging roles.

 

Chloe Sevigny talks here about how she’s wanted to make the movie for years, largely as a way to create the kind of role she’s been looking for. She also says the legends of the real people being portrayed were prominent on set.

 

Both Sevigny and Stewart talk about the production of he movie and the kind of story they were trying to tell.
A couple additional TV spots came out just as the movie was released, one that focused on the “40 whacks” Borden allegedly gave her father and one on the relationship between Lizzie and the family’s new housekeeper.