Better Mus' Come uses 'new' marketing

Armed with placards, dressed up in Better Mus' Come T-shirts, the soon-to-be released movie's crew hit the streets in the middle of the hustle and bustle of fashion enthusiasts on September 10.

The sight of the group standing as if in protest drew almost as much attention as the competitive prices on offer once per year.

Crowds moved from stores to the 'protesters' as they sought to find out more about what was going on.

According to the film's director, Storm Saulter, the suggestion came from a friend and he gladly accepted the proposal.

Saulter rounded up approximately 15 drama students from the Edna Manley School of the Arts to join the group, but the number quickly grew to about 25-30 people as the night progressed.

"It's an experiment in guerrilla marketing, as the film deals with politics and protest, so we got the chance to mix protesting with promotion. It was a serious reaction, guerrilla marketing at its best. People thought it was a protest against fashion, but soon they realised it was a promotion," said Saulter.

"It was interesting, to say the least, because the people thought different things about it."

As the night progressed, even the police on hand to deal with crowds associated with the occasion got involved.

"They moved to us when they saw the commotion, but when they came closer and realised it was a promotion they were shocked. They felt a bit uneasy, because even though they left us they still kept an eye on us to make sure everything was OK," explained Saulter.

Fans who want to see the drama as it unfolded may log on to the official Better Mus' Come Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BetterMusCome.com

• Young film-maker has high hopes

New life has been pumped into the staggering Jamaican movie industry with the release of some good productions from Jamaican film-makers, who have opted to move away from the typical gangster-based storylines and get into the reality of things.

Storm Saulter, one of Jamaica's new, young film directors, gave his insight on the 'rebirth' of the industry.

"A lot of Jamaican films that come out are gangster-based, it's all about like being cool to be a killer and making it seem like that's how you live, just roll around and 'shoot man fi fun' and 'man a gangster', kind of like how dancehall music makes it sound," said Saulter.

Saulter also said these movies do not bring across or educate the nation about the problems that exist in our society, and also that the latest crop of movies being produced move away from the stereotype and are not about celebrating the gangster, but about showing the cause and effect of violence.

"It's more about putting a face to the faceless, explaining some of the reasons why criminals behave the way they do, and changing this whole perception that Jamaicans are just violent intrinsically, because they are not," he explained.

With the recent crop of movies being produced currently, hope is in sight for the industry to make major moves and possibly gain large-scale recognition in the overseas market.

"We have Better Mus' Come coming out now, Candy Shop, Rise Up and Ghett'a Life. There's the New Caribbean Cinema, a group comprising eight directors doing eight different short films. So yes, finally, there's enough activity going on that we can say it's not every five or 10 years we're going to put out a movie. We can say every year we're going to put out at least one or two. So yes, the Jamaican film industry, it's not being born but reborn in a sense," explained Saulter.

Some of the reasons behind the rebirth, Saulter said, are technology and the new moviemakers and acting talent who have made their entry into the industry.

"Many things have led to this, such as technology, getting to the point where we can use high-definition cameras. It's very difficult to shoot on film here, we cannot process or develop film in Jamaica, we used to be able to but we don't anymore. Now it's as easy as going on your laptop and doing some editing."

"The next element is that it's a whole new generation of film-makers. It's not the same old guys who were just fighting among each other and not uniting to work. There's definitely a unity among the young generation," he added.

Saulter also credited the actors for their work. "There's also an amazing group of young actors who are dealing with film acting in the way it should be dealt with. It's not a big, over-the-top thing but they understand subtlety."

CAPTIONS:

Viewers and Volier Johnson (left) willl have to wait anxiously to know what actor Sheldon 'Ricky' Sheperd (right) is looking at. This still from the movie 'Better Mus' Come' is a dramatic telling of the Green Bay massacre of January 1978. The highly anticipated movie opens in cinemas on Wednesday, October 13.

People watch as the crew from 'Better Mus' Come' march the streets of Half-Way Tree in mock protest on September 10. - Contributed photo