NEW YORK Paramount Pictures is diving into consumer-generated media with a mash-up campaign that lets users create their own movie trailers for the upcoming thriller The Shooter.
The studio is providing 20 brief film clips, music and sound effects to help consumers craft their own promos. Users can embed the trailers in their MySpace profiles, blogs or Web sites and share them with friends via e-mail or mobile phone.
Amy Powell, svp, interactive marketing at Paramount, said the studio would use mash-up campaigns for other films, including Disturbia, a thriller set for release in April.
"We're hoping Shooter's launching a new way for us to market our movies," she said.
Advertisers are starting to follow the lead of consumers who increasingly use simple digital tools to create mash-ups online.
Examples abound. The NBA's site allows fans to remix game highlights. As part of its Air Force 25 campaign, Nike provided users with scenes from a commercial shoot to create their own versions. And Sprite is wrapping up a LeBron James campaign where users mix their own "theme song" for the NBA star. It received more than 2,500 entries.
Paramount is leaning on startup firm EyeSpot to provide the video editing tools for the promotion, which will award the best trailer creator an Xbox 360 system.
The firm is hosting the contest, which is promoted on The Shooter's official Web site. EyeSpot is also powering the NBA's remix site.
Shooter, starring Mark Wahlberg as a former sniper framed by the government, premieres March 23. The trailer mash-up contest runs until March 26.