By Susie Tullett (Unit Publicist on Easy Virtue, The Illusionist, Peter and the Wolf etc..)

An EPK (Electronic Press Kit) is part of the essential Film Makers handbook. It’s something you need to do when filming, featuring all your key actors, directors and film crew- and it needs to be good since it will be used with any distribution you may have, or wish to have. This means your PR team have something to work with!

Essentially an EPK is a press kit produced in a Digital Format. The most basic EPKs consist of a collection of interviews with key cast and crew members, and some behind the scenes footage, plus in some cases a selection of final film clips, and possibly the theatrical trailer.

Content

A good EPK will generally contain a selection of ‘B’ roll – e.g. filmed activity behind the scenes.  This would ideally contain shots of the director behind the camera, the set up of a stunt (if appropriate), footage of a willing actor in make-up, or anything else that represents the ‘colour’ and the atmosphere and making-of the film.

Interviews with the main actors and key crew will also be done to camera.  The questions should be written once the script has been read, and the interviewer has a grasp of the subject matter and plot.  These questions should be fairly in-depth and the artist should be encouraged to talk about their role, and their interaction with other characters.  They should also be encouraged to talk about the costumes, any stunts they might have to do, and any special make up, so that clips from the film can later be inserted to illustrate a particular scene.

Formats of EPKs

Increasingly the term electronic press kit is being used to describe a DVD (or some other digitally recorded output) or website.  EPKs can be in a number of formats:

• Video, DVD or web format.  For use in broadcast the materials are often produced in Beta format and the standard of the material you produce must be of sufficient quality, with good lighting and decent production values to be shown on television.
• A simple EPK can be produced to go online, and therefore press should be directed to your website.  One Fat Cigar will also be offering an exclusive service for the press to access EPK’s you have produced online, and there’s no reason not to report on the making of the EPK either (another PR opportunity!).

EPKs are produced and edited by a small number of highly specialist companies who employ Director/Producers (D/Ps) to write and edit each production. Some Unit photographers now have DV cameras as well as still cameras, and will alternate between shooting stills and B-roll.  This can be a cheaper option than one of the dedicated EPK ‘houses’.  A competent Unit Publicist, in association with the producer will identify the optimum EPK days from the shooting schedule.

Conclusion

My advice is to do the best you can in producing a decent EPK, whether you hire a DV camera for a few key days during your shoot and do it yourself, or whether your budget stretches to a specialist EPK production outfit.  They are useful tools which can be handed over to broadcast companies to promote your film, posted on your website (and therefore linked to..) and provide some of the ‘Extras’ on the DVD.   For examples of EPKs, have a look at www.specialtreats.com.uk

and www.closeup-productions.com

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