Raising Money For Indie Film Via Product Placement

Morgan Spurlock, the filmmaker who changed the way McDonald's did business, is now looking to alter the way indie films are financed.  He just premiered his new film with a strange title "POM Wonderful Presents; The Greatest Movie Ever Sold".  The film is a meta-exercise in product placement with the juice maker POM footing more than half of the film's budget.  Other sponsors include JetBlue and Hyatt Hotels.  McDonalds strangely enough wanted a piece of the action too but they were declined.

In an interesting piece in the Hollywood Reporter, Spurlock talks about his new model for making a profit on his indie film before it is even released.  The film also goes into the increasingly extensive practice of product placement in movies and television, which now starts at the writer level.  Witness the various episodes of 30 ROCK that make fun of their sponsor Snapple while also promoting the brand. Anyway, it's all food for though as indies try and figure out a way to make a buck in the New Media world.