Even the most money-centric filmmaker doesn't give marketing too much thought until the movie is made. The auteur-type filmmakers give marketing the least amount of attention possible, hoping some other entity will handle that unpleasant business for them. It's understandable why film makers often don't consider marketing an important part of the overall movie and just the way to get it sold or make money. This is the way it's done in Hollywood and we tend to copy them.

Marketing is just the communication of information to others, this information happens to be about a movie. You want to tell them about it and want to convey to them the value it holds in the hopes they will be compelled to part with money to own or experience it.

This could all be made much simpler if the movie is something worth talking about. You can simplify marketing significantly if you made your movie remarkable, great is some way, extraordinary in some aspect. A true event. If you do this, then others will market the movie for you.

Fans Make More Fans

Fans that already have discovered your work will be inspired by it. They will ponder the story and characters even when the show is over. It will consume a good portion of their day and they won't be able to help but discuss it with others. The enthusiasm will be transferred to these people they speak with and you will get more people to sample your work. Among those that sample your work from the words of this fan you will create more fans, but you also might get something else.

People Will Want To Work With You

Great collaborative works of art tend to draw artists. Filmmaking never has to end like a painting does when it dries, more stuff can always be made. When editors, photographers, illustrators, and other artists find out about your work and love it, they will want to contribute. It's up to you to make ways for these people to interact. When they do interact, they won't keep this fact to themselves. Few people make art for it to gather dust alone; they will tell everybody they know about it. So they will be promoting themselves and their collaborative work done in conjunction with your film. This way you might get more fans or more artists wanting to play. You may also get other kinds of people's attention.

Media Will Want To Write About You

There are organizations out there with the purpose of telling people about interesting things that are happening. When one of these people finds out about you and your remarkable film, they will naturally want to be the one to expose you to more people. They like being taste makers and seen as having their finger on the pulse of the new and exciting, so if you meet that criteria they will spread the word for you. A funny thing happens when one journalist writes about you. Others follow suit. There are so many things to write about; your cast, the characters they play, the story of the production, your crew... the list is only as long as you make it.

A smart filmmaker will work on marketing at the very beginning. There won't be discussions of adding more nudity or violence, it won't be arguments over which star they should woo. It will be a struggle to make the film something remarkable, a movie that people will want to tell others about. If you haven't seen a movie like this, find one and learn from it. If you don't want to take the time to make yours that great, good luck. True artists want to make great things anyway, so should you.