‘Clipped’ rewrite goes viral

Extreme death pic draws 900 fans to Facebook page

By CHARLES NEWBERY

Argentine producer-scribe Jose Levy is drumming up buzz for a film project and fine-tuning its script with a low-cost social marketing campaign.

He has sent out more than 1,400 copies of the script for "Clipeado" (Clipped) via Facebook (facebook.com/clipeado) and is fielding hundreds of responses, some of which have led him to rewrite dialogue and add new ideas.

This is Argentina, where low-budget auteur films dominate production and state financing, leaving commercial projects like "Clipped" with less coin and heavy competition that can deter investors. "Clipped" will be geared to 17- to 30-year-olds, a key target for Hollywood movies that dominate 80% of B.O. in Argentina.

To gain an edge over those odds, Levy's building word of mouth in the most grassroots way for the release of "Clipped" in 2011.

The thriller is about a washed-up producer who launches a TV program featuring homevideos of extreme deaths. When a big prize is announced, ratings surge as the making of death videos takes off, some faked and others done to win.

Shooting is set for the middle of next year, with Gustavo Adrian Garzon ("Volverte a ver") to direct. Leonardo Sbaraglia ("Night Runner"), Dolores Fonzi ("Salamander") and Mariano Martinez of hit TV series "Valientes" will star.

After 400 fans signed on to the Facebook page, the script began going viral, with people requesting a copy via email and posts on the page. Now more than 900 fans are signed up.

"I am no longer pushing the script," he says.

The effort has helped prove that the script has an audience and material that captures readers from the outset and keeps them hooked until the end, he said.

And it's all been done at a cost that is minimal compared with using script doctors or waiting for criticism from private screenings because any gross rewrites have already been made, he said.

Fans are asking to read the rewrites, helping creating loyalty.

"There are people who have read the script and not only want to see the film at the cinema but they are going to tell all their friends to go see it," he says.

The effort, too, is providing promotional fodder. If tactics don't work now, he won't use them to promote the film. "I am going to find out where it is best to put the money," he says.