Writing Straight to DVD Movies
occurs but where costs are also highest. And costs for television advertising can be astronomical. The cost for a Super Bowl ad is at the million dollar level. Given such a scenario, it’s easy to see how a prime-time television show with good market reach could mean an ad spot cost of three hundred thousand dollars or more.
The straight-to-DVD film can spend on advertising, but it’s not especially typical. In most cases the main form of advertising for a straight-to-DVD movie is its box cover. The DVD box cover sits on a shelf in a video franchise store, customers walk past, see the DVD box, make some form of a choice about the film, and make a purchase or not. This is why having a name actor can be critical to a straight-to-DVD’s commercial success: the name actor serves as a selling point, and will be always featured prominently on the DVD box cover. This
