How important is the internet to Slumdog Millionaire

Due to Slumdog Millionaire being an independent film it had a very small budget, this means that most of the budget was used in the making to the film and the money left over was used for promotion. Usually studios spend an equal amount or more money on the promotion and marketing of a film but for Slumdog Millionaire this was not the case.

Slumdog Millionaire was bought by Warner Independent Pictures which was the Indy branch of Warner Distribution Company. Due to the recession at the time Warner Independent Pictures reduced the money available for the film meaning Slumdog Millionaire was nearly straight to DVD. However Fox Searchlights decided to purchase 50% of the distribution rights meaning the film had enough funding to be marketed, distributed and exhibited globally. The internet was used alongside many other marketing techniques to promote the film such as trailers, music videos and posters. There were many different poser ideas around the world such as the North American poser seemed to target the explorer as it is intense, fast pace and vibrant whereas the British poster targeted the mainstream is it was a feel good film for the mass audience. The internet was a part of the marketing of the film as there was a webpage dedicated to the film as it showed the synopsis of the film along with the trailer and the North American poster to give the audience an indication of the feel of the movie, along with the themes and plot.

Due to the low budget the film it did not have much of an online presence during the run up to release however the official webpage run by Fox Searchlights gives insight into the film which would have been used by many to decide if they wanted to go see the film or not. This also includes a trailer and links to all of Fox Searchlights social media pages. This webpage was also used to draw in audience and show that the film was not just for a niche audience but also for widespread audiences such as the explorer and the mainstream to show the film had a little bit for every audience type in it.

Slumdog Millionaire did not have a large impact on Bollywood and the internet but it did alter movie making in India forever. This film had an unusual subject matter for Indian audiences but the format was very familiar to them. Naturally Indian films are very orthodox and used may reflectors and light but Slumdog Millionaire changed this. One of the major changes were that there was an increase in multiplex cinemas in Indian cities but as for the internet there was not much of a change other than the fact Slumdog Millionaire made Bollywood cinema more known and globalised.

After the film’s release you can purchase merchandise off websites such as Amazon, ebay and iTunes. The film and feature song can both be purchased in iTunes, whereas Amazon and ebay sell the film on DVD and Blu-Rey as well as merchandise such as: tops, posters, mugs and the original book.

As for social media such as Twitter there are only two cast member that can be followed, these are Dev Patel who plays Jamal and Freida Pinto who plays Latika. However there are twitter accounts dedicated to stars that are in the film such as Madhur Mittal who plays Salim and Irrfan Khan who is the police inspector. There is also an official page for the film which includes clips from the film and many images of the film and images while on set, you can also purchase the film of DVD and Blu-Rey from the Facebook page. In addition to this the page also includes information about the cast and crew from then to now. There is also a fan page of Tumblr where you can read a brief synopsis and view images from the making of the film.