How A24 took over Hollywood
TLDRA24 started as a film distribution company, buying finished indie films and marketing them virally online to make them buzzy hits. After curating a distinct style and launching careers, they produced their first film Moonlight, cementing their reputation for quality. Now A24 produces its own acclaimed movies and TV shows, supported by merch collaborations and limited edition drops. While not flawless, A24's consistent weirdness and difference help films stand out in a corporate landscape, even if the abstract name has no real meaning beyond an Italian highway.
Takeaways
- 😎 A24 was founded as a distribution company that aimed to give directors creative freedom and market films virally
- 🎥 Their first hit Spring Breakers proved their strategy of marketing artsy, viral films on a small budget
- 🏆 Moonlight, their first self-produced film, showed they could make acclaimed films in addition to buzzy ones
- 🌟 They've launched the careers of many acclaimed young directors like Ari Aster and Bo Burnham
- 🎬 Their brand is defined by artsy, neon-lit films and TV shows with a distinctive style
- 👕 They make cool merch that builds a cult following, similar to fashion brands
- 📈 Despite some misfires, their core strategies produce enough hits to keep growing steadily
- 🕵️♂️ They hide weaker films through streaming deals so the focus stays on their best work
- 🚫 The name A24 has no meaning, just randomly chosen because it sounds mysterious
- ✨ Fans are drawn to A24 films because they offer something weird, offbeat and different from corporate fare
Q & A
What were A24's two basic creative principles when it was founded?
-The two principles were: 1) Give directors unprecedented creative freedom, and 2) Don't rely on traditional marketing, use viral marketing and word-of-mouth instead.
What was innovative about A24's online marketing for the movie Spring Breakers?
-They used viral gifts and memes to create buzz online rather than traditional marketing. This included a Facebook post with guns shaped like bongs that got over 20,000 likes.
How did A24 manage to create such a strong brand identity?
-Through having a distinct sense of taste and curating movies with a specific style and vibe that embodied the A24 brand.
What was significant about Moonlight being the first film A24 produced themselves?
-It showed they weren't just about online hype and buzz, but could also produce high quality, critically acclaimed films that win major awards like Oscars.
Why doesn't the A24 brand stand out as much with a show like Euphoria compared to Beef?
-Euphoria airs on HBO which is a huge existing brand that overshadows the A24 brand, while Beef is on Netflix which has a smaller brand identity.
How does A24 handle films that don't meet their quality standards?
-They have deals to release weaker films directly to streaming platforms like Apple TV rather than theaters, allowing them to quietly fail without damaging their brand.
Why does A24 release way more films per year than other major studios?
-Producing a high volume of films increases their chances of getting breakout hits, while failures can be buried on streaming without hurting their brand.
What sets A24 films apart in the eyes of their fans?
-They are seen as different, less corporate and controlled. Fans know A24 films might be great or terrible but will likely be weird, offbeat and something they haven't seen before.
Where did the name A24 come from?
-It's just a random Italian highway one of the founders was driving on. But the abstract name fits the mysterious nature of many A24 films.
What was A24's initial business model when founded?
-They started out solely as a film distribution company, buying the rights to finished indie films rather than taking the financial risk of producing.
Outlines
🎥 How A24 Became Hollywood's Buzziest Studio
This paragraph discusses the founding of A24 films as a distribution company focused on giving directors creative freedom and using viral marketing to promote indie films with unique artistic visions. It traces A24's rise from a tiny company to making big, weird films and TV shows over the past decade, using the movie Spring Breakers as a case study of their strategy.
👨🎨 Building a Strong Creative Brand
This paragraph examines how A24 built a strong brand identity and taste by launching careers of unique directors like Ari Aster and Robert Eggers. Their skillful marketing created buzz for films like Ex Machina. After early Oscars success distributing other studios' films, A24 produced their first film Moonlight in 2016, cementing their reputation for quality.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡A24
💡distribution
💡production
💡marketing
💡Moonlight
💡vision
💡aesthetic
💡indie films
💡exhibition
💡strategy
Highlights
A24 films have been nominated for over 50 Oscars and have won 16.
A24 was founded as a distribution company that focused on finding great indie movies and buying the distribution rights for them.
Spring Breakers was A24's first hit and proved their strategy of marketing distinct, vibey movies virally while distributing them profitably.
Moonlight was the first film A24 produced themselves and showed they could release acclaimed, Oscar-worthy films.
Films like Uncut Gems and Everything Everywhere All At Once are big, bold brand statements that exemplify the A24 style.
A24 builds a sense of exclusivity around itself with collaborations, limited edition merch drops, and a cultish following.
A24 puts out way more films per year than other studios, which lets them hide their bad films on streaming platforms.
The A24 name has no real meaning, it's just an Italian highway one of the founders was driving on.
A24's marketing for Spring Breakers included gun-shaped bongs for the director and a memeable James Franco speech scene.
Moonlight exemplified A24's strategy of giving unique directors freedom and strong visual style.
A24 fans are drawn in by the studio's consistent difference and offbeat, risk-taking approach.
A24 helped launch or provide debuts for many acclaimed directors like Ari Aster and Bo Burnham.
A24 was respected from early on for knowing how to play the Hollywood game while staying cool.
A24 has a personal, distinctive style and taste that defines its brand.
A24's merchandising and collaborations make them unique among indie studios.
Transcripts
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