Hello beautiful people!
Let’s do a junket deep-dive!
That interview took place on what’s called a junket, and if you’ve never experienced one of these, they can be anything from exciting to boring, and from purposeful to painful, but always required per your studio contract, so it’s time to get down with what to expect based on who’s doing the interviewing, who else is being interviewed, the tone of your project, and — quite frankly — your own damn brand!
Below are some great examples of just a few of the myriad ways junket interviews can go. If you feel like it would be beneficial to watch the fictionalized portrayal of junkets for a peek at how extremely odd the whole scenario is (all the way down to the gifting suites that await members of the press who have all but written their “rave reviews” long before they’ve attended the screening, interviewed the stars, and consumed their swag), America’s Sweethearts and Notting Hill both do a decent job of showing the behind-the-scenes of this experience.
Today’s work: Watch each of the below junket examples looking for not only what I’ve singled out here but whatever else you’re able to observe based on the Brandprov research you’ve been doing and the Brandprov experiences you’ve been having in your own life since starting this course. When you see a vid you click with, follow its YouTube link to find it there, then — with “auto play” enabled in the right-hand sidebar — let the YouTubes show you related footage so you can begin to create mastery in your understanding of exactly how these things play out over the course of a long, tediously ON the whole time day. Start thinking about what your on-brand junket style will be and challenge yourself to “do” the interviews along with the stars, testing out and then improving your skill level for this next-tier experience.
Quentin Tarantino loses his shit (Or does he?) when a reporter wants to talk about a filmmaker’s societal responsibility when it comes to creating violence-filled entertainment content.
Alexis Knapp, Ester Dean, and Hana Mae Lee promote Pitch Perfect in this clip that includes a bit of the business going on before cameras are officially rolling.
Megan Fox gets put into a paper bag when a reporter says Johnny Simmons is being distracted by her. When a comedy content-creator is the interviewer, do you ever know for sure what to expect? And do you always go along for the ride? Is your answer different if it’s hour six of the junket?
You know we love it when Mila Kunis takes control of an interview. Here Master Mila is serving it right back to a reporter in Moscow when she questions Justin Timberlake’s hyphenate status. Note in particular Justin’s tactic of holding the earpiece now and then; this is to indicate to all who are watching that he is a step behind — something media trainers teach you to do just like audition coaches teach you to hold sides during prereads even if you’re off-book so your audience knows you’re a work-in-progress just by seeing the pages.
Speaking of controlling an interview, this is not from a junket (and it’s quiet, as it was shot on my phone), but watch Jermaine Dupri take this question exactly where he wants it to go. When you’re great at being in charge, you’ll notice you stop getting challenged to answer a question you clearly aren’t planning to answer. Ever.
Well… you stop getting challenged unless the reporter is dense, stubborn, or incredibly persistent.
To wit, Tommy Lee Jones is having none of it. His legendarily difficult-to-interview persona is, well, legendary. But watching this makes me wonder why producers even put junkets into his contract anymore. Unpleasantness abounds.
Before we leave the land of the uncomfortable, there’s also the situation in which a reporter thinks he could cleverly out-Between Two Ferns the host of Between Two Ferns, Zach Galifianakis. He cannot. How much grace do you show when someone won’t stop trying to lampoon a character you created? And do you behave differently if you’ve been prepped for a junket reporter who’s going to deviate from the norm vs. learning on the spot you’re facing this experience?
On the other end of the spectrum, we’ve got Tina Fey and Amy Poehler surrounded with and supplying so much “yes, and…” that you leave the experience feeling like all these people are super fun.
Finally, check out Christian Bale with Mark Wahlberg as Christian is asked to do something seemingly quite off-brand. Junket experiences like this can convince you to feel quite differently about stars you may have felt a certain kind of way about previously, huh?
If you’re still hankerin’ for more in this area, here’s some extra credit from your fellow ninja, Lily Kerrigan:
In doing junket research, I’ve gotten into a channel called Charisma on Command, which has a lot of videos breaking down celebrity behavior in interviews. If anyone is curious, this video is a good place to start. It analyzes why Robert Downey Jr. reads as cool while Chris Evans reads as likeable. Each video has suggestions for how to use the same techniques that the celebrities do, and there are a TON for all different types of people. For example, if your brand is shy or awkward, he has videos analyzing Aubrey Plaza and Sophie Turner, showing how they’ve used their anxiety and awkwardness to be charming and memorable.
Thanks, Lily!
Have fun with this deep-dive and put on your calendar a regular check-in for new junket footage — especially for projects that your research shows is next-tier slam-dunk territory for you! Stuff your pace car is doing! Stuff people on your list of leaders are doing! Stuff that just tickles your fancy! You name it!
’til tomorrow… stay ninja!
