A24 是家怎样的电影公司

如果你喜欢电影，最近几年片头经常会看到这个徽标‍‍‍‍‍‍‍

这是很多人心目中电影质量的保证。

fans are starting to buy tickets simply because they see A24’s retro logo on a trailer

在刚结束的第95届Oscar 颁奖中A24 拿到了9个奖项。包括 The Whale （一共两个奖项）的最佳男主和 Everything Everywhere All at Once （一共7个奖项）的最佳电影, 最佳导演，最佳女主，和最佳男女配。‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍

创立于2012年，过去几年A24 慢慢从小众圈子里走出来。早期的时候horror movie 会比较多些：Ari Aster’s “Hereditary” and “Midsommar”； 2016年凭借 Moonlight 第一次拿到Oscar （就是和La La Land 乌龙那次），第二次是2018年的Lady Bird。‍

A24 has delivered one cultural thunderclap after another, peaking with “Moonlight,” last year’s surprise winner (especially to the folks of “La La Land”) of the Oscar for best picture.

电视剧有比如 HBO 发行的 Euphoria 和 Hulu 发行的 Ramy。‍‍‍‍

A24 的名字来源是意大利的一条路名。创始人决定开公司的时候刚好在那条路上。‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍

The name "A24" was inspired by the Italian A24 motorway Katz was driving on when he decided to found the company.

A24 发展的背景是传统电影分发渠道的没落，电影公司开始线上的宣传方式。‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍

As the DVD market collapsed, making thin studio profit margins even thinner, film companies became desperate to cut marketing costs (“spray and pray” television campaigns mostly) by going directly to consumers through Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. But most established studios — hindered by hierarchies and allergic to talk of social media algorithms — were struggling to treat tweets and Instagram posts as the spine of a marketing campaign instead of an add-on.

通过大数据等精准投递，让观众感觉是自己发现了宝藏电影，进一步的介绍给周围人。‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍

.... For most theatrical releases, A24 would spend roughly 95 percent of its marketing money online, using data and analytics to stitch films into the social media firmament in ways that prompts movie lovers to feel a sense of discovery and pass the message on organically — persuading fans to persuade one another.

It has not done it alone. One secret weapon has been Operam, a stealth data and marketing start-up that helps studios, including Fox Searchlight, develop algorithms used to target potential ticket buyers on Facebook and other digital platforms. Another sophisticated vendor that has contributed to A24’s success is Watson/DG, a web-focused marketing agency.

因为公司起步的时候比较小，人数不多（到2023年是300人左右，就不算少了），所以公司架构上有点像硅谷的科技创业公司（虽然公司的总部在纽约）。

Insiders say that the A24 culture bears more similarities to Silicon Valley than Hollywood. It’s run like a collective. Nobody has a formal title. Young staff members are empowered to challenge the founders. 

另外一个A24  发展起来的背景是大的电影公司倾向于投资大制作（因为回本会比较大），中小成本电影比较难拿到投资。‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍

At the same time, A24’s founders tapped into a deep unhappiness among young filmmakers about the state of the film business. Across Hollywood, all most executives talk about are franchises and “tent poles,” movies with edges sanded off so they can play to the widest possible global audience. Even most art house companies, struggling to fill seats in the age of Netflix, have become more dependent on stars and marketable concepts. Nothing bums out the auteur set faster.

当然当掌声越来越多，关注越来越多以后，想继续保持黑马姿态时候的口碑还是很有难度的，毕竟期待已经不同了。‍‍‍‍

只是对于观众来说，有好故事可以看，总是幸福的。

BTW，因为‍‍The Whale 和  Everything Everywhere All at Once 等都没有在大的几个线上平台发行，所以到目前还没看过，希望早点能看到。