I work for a small but venerable (est. 1904) UK-based monthly newspaper which often prints reviews of books and films (usually 2 to 4 per issue). Book publishers tend to send us a lot of free review copies in the mail, which is nice; we always have more books than we could possibly review. However, I don’t recall us ever receiving free movie tickets or invitations to preview screenings. How does one go about getting into preview screenings? Is it the same as requesting review copies of books (i.e., check the publisher’s catalogue for announcements of upcoming titles and write a letter requesting a review copy)? If so, to whom does one write? To the production studio, or to the distributor, or to the cinema? Will we eventually get on some sort of list, as we do with various publishers, and end up getting tickets and invitations completely unsolicited?
Where are you located? Movie screenings are usually held in only a few cities. In the US, they’re generally always in New York City or Los Angeles. In the UK, I’d imagine they’d be in London.
Our head office is in London, and we have correspondents all over the UK, so getting to a screening in another city is probably not a problem. We just need the tickets or invitation or whatever is required.
Do you mean preview screenings or premieres?
If you mean premieres you need to contact the local branch of the movie studio. Getting passes isn’t hard if you have a valid reason (press pass to review the movie).
Once they have the contact name and stuff they’ll start sending them along for all movie premieres.
Little Nemo writes:
> Where are you located? Movie screenings are usually held in only a few cities.
> In the US, they’re generally always in New York City or Los Angeles. In the UK,
> I’d imagine they’d be in London.
Not true. The premiere of a movie is usually just in one city (often N.Y. or L.A., or in London if it’s a British film). That’s different from the critic screenings, though. Every large city in the U.S. has critic screenings. (I’m not sure how large a city has to be to have critic screenings.) I know that I’ve gotten into critic screenings in Washington, D.C. They invite all the local newspaper critics, the TV critics, etc. The theater is filled out with other invited groups. Each film distributor has a working relationship with a local PR firm. The PR firms are who actually runs the screenings. I presume it’s done the same way in the U.K. You need to find out who runs the critic screenings in London.
I have been to one preview screening. I went to a movie with my wife (I think it was before we were married) and when we entered the theater one of the employees asked if we wanted to go to a free preview about 3 or 4 days later. We decided to go. All we had to do was hand over the tickets we were given and got in for free. The movie was several months from release and we had to fill out a questionaire afterwards. The movie wasn’t completely finished and the score was not the same as when it was released. The movie was the one with Jennifer Aniston and Jay Mohr. I think it was called Picture Perfect when it came out. We weren’t told the name.
We were in suburban New Jersey and it seemed to be random. I’m sure they did this several places in the country. I don’t remember how they changed it before release but I don’t think it was drastic.
I mean preview screenings, where the film is shown in advance of its release so that critics from the press can write their reviews and have them ready to be published on or near the release date.
OK, so how would I go about doing that? Would the cinemas know, or do I have to start phoning distributors?
Simple solution: Find another critic in your city, call the newpaper/publication he or she works for, ask to speak to said person. Then ask them.
In Edinburgh years ago they were always on the same day of the week, usually at the same time in the morning. The place I worked used to advertise with the two main cinemas and we were allowed to turn up at anything we fancied. Sometimes I’d turn up and only find out what was on when the credits rolled! Or sometimes there were press packs of info waiting to be picked up. Security was very lax and one or two people turned up regularly although they had no legitimate reason at all to see a preview at all. (I was borderline, sometimes!)
Security’s now a lot better and most regular legitimate preview watchers are known to the cinema staff and a door is unlocked for them. Anyone with a press pass or a legitimate reason to see the film early can probably phone (or visit) the relevant cinema a couple of days beforehand, speak to the manager, to check times, etc. and they should be able to get in. Take a couple of copies of your magazine as evidence you’re serious.
Not sure how you’d check which cinemas were the ones that showed previews - you might have to contact the film distributors, but there’s usually only one or two cinemas in a given area that’ll run any previews.
Sometimes there are special open previews for people who phone in for tickets, win competitions, etc. but there’s a separate press screening as well, anyway.
It’s years since I’ve been to any, so my info may be a bit rusty.