Back in January, rumors surrounding films like “Black Widow” and “Top Gun: Maverick” began to spread through the grapevine that they would be pushed back again, forcing Paramount Pictures to official its statement, denying any plans to further delay the sequel to “Top Gun”, or move it to Paramount+, the studio’s newest streaming service.
“We have no plans to move our theatrical release of Top Gun,” Paramount President Chris Aronson told The Hollywood Reporter. “I think the next two months are critical, and whether the new administration can implement a robust vaccination plan. If Biden’s 100 million vaccines in 100 days works, then I think we’ll be in good shape.”
Like Paramount, other studios are also hoping for things to return back to normal, while Warner Bros. made the decision to move its entire 2021 slate of films to HBO Max, including its theatrical releases.
But when it comes to some of the industry’s more anticipated films, like “007: No Time to Die” and “Coming 2 America,” brands and advertisers are concerned that the existing contracts in place no longer matter.
“Some of those things were the very latest models back when they started filming” a source close to the film told The Sun, “but by the time the movie comes out now, it will look like Daniel Craig and all of the other cast members are carrying something that has been out for ages. That isn’t really the point of these deals.”
Although the film will reportedly feature Omega watches, Bollinger champagne, and Adidas footwear, it seems likely that HMD Global’s Nokia phones are at risk of dating most quickly. HMD Global announced last year that the film would include its Nokia 8.3 5G from last year, and TechRadar reports that the film is also set to include the Nokia 7.2, which was first released in 2019.
Hollywood product placement executive Lorenzo Rusin has been front-and-center discussing how brand integration is so essential today, especially when it comes to placing high-end luxury items and tech.
“There have been many frustrations with our infrastructure since the Internet came to be, but the world is much smaller than it used to be,” Rusin explained to Luxe Beat Magazine. “And why? It’s unified. Everything that is happening now, is happening all over the world. I always tell people that if every country had their own production company and local talent, they wouldn’t branch out. Now, they do. The majority of music and movie consumption is very similar today, thanks to companies like Apple, Google, and Samsung.”
Rusin, 53, has worked in the industry for more than 25+ years, placing high-end luxury brands into films and TV shows like “The Irishman,” “Beverly Hills Cop 4,” “The Bucket List,” “Terminator: Dark Fate,” and “Bad Boys For Life.” Rusin frequently works with internet attorney and Hollywood media consultant, Andrew Rossow, in helping to evaluate what brands (and talent) seem to fit for particular placements.
“When you place a product in a movie or TV show, you have to be tasteful,” Rusin emphasizes. “You can’t just put a brand in. Two months ago, for example. I saw a movie, and it was a nightmare. I saw this product placement, which was terrible, because it was a salami or cold cut company, where the two individuals were sitting on the couch talking–but next to them, was this plastic container of salami next to them on the couch, which doesn’t make any sense. Sometimes, you have placements that at times, aren’t tasteful. You have to be realistic.”
Rossow, the President and CEO of AR Media, regularly works with industry talent, including, but not limited to Jesslee of NBC’s “The Voice”, CMA and ACM nominated country radio personality, Rick Daniels (“Big Rick In The Morning”), Wilfred’s Jason Gann, country music artist Billy Ray Cyrus, Taylor Hicks, David McElroy, Gareth Emery, 13 Reasons Why and Supernatural actor, Mark Pellegrino, among countless others.
“As a Millennial who grew up with the digitization of music on platforms like Napster, Bearshare, Limewire, Rhapsody, iTunes, and now Spotify, it’s essential that industry figures understand the power branding has on both our personal and professional lives,” Rossow says. “We’ve learned alot about the effect branding has with works like 007 and the Bond franchise. Any Bond fan knows the power product placement has, with novels first introducing brands like Gordon’s Gin, Moreland Cigarettes, and Bentley. For my generation, it was the placement of the Aston Martin Vanquish in film. Bond and brands are inseparable, with all the new gadgets and gizmos, which is what makes the ongoing delays surrounding “007: No Time to Die” just painful for these product lines.”
But behind every placement, lies a contract, which Rossow, who is also a practicing attorney, describes as convoluted. “Rusin isn’t a traditional film agent. Rather, the majority of work he does with all the traveling and visits to the set is behind-the-scenes, negotiating the relationships between the production studios and the brands (clients) himself. This can change instantly.”
Traditionally, the producers/writers would send you the script through snail mail, Rusin added. “Once we receive the script, it is immediately delivered to my team so they can read it and break it down into parts/segments for product and service identification.” This leads to Rusin’s team reading and breaking down the script.
“When reading and breaking down the script, we are identifying segments which could be associated with a particular brand(s). In a situation where we are identifying scenes with clear placement opportunities, but are not associated with a client I represent, I will then reach out to my network to offer them a potential placement opportunity.”
Rusin, like many execs, hope that this pandemic will be over soon, and that the Biden Administration will do what it said it will do in getting these vaccinations distributed within the 100-day window.
As for the future of films like 007, the stars need to have the new-and-upcoming products to help promote and sell to fans. This, unfortunately, requires many scenes to be carefully edited, reshot, and contracts renegotiated. A major concern for the industry that we can hopefully soon put behind us.