Tamil Nadu Film Producers Council (TFPC) led by N Sekar, District Registrar (Admin), released an official notice on Monday night announcing three major changes in the existing film promotion strategies, and to cut down the excessive expenses incurred by producers.
The council has decided not to give any form of gifts or rewards to members of the press attending screenings, audio launches and all film promotional events.
They have also decided to ban mediapersons who post harsh film reviews from attending all film-related events and file legal cases on them if necessary.
A PRO on condition of anonymity said, "The decision has been taken only by selected members of the council. All the producers have to agree to these conditions for them to be implemented. I don't see this happening as there is a lot of difference of opinion within the council."
The PRO feels that this decision will affect small budget films, "The new rules won't affect star vehicles in any way as they will be getting their attention without any extra promotion. But, if it's a small film we have to follow a set of strategies to draw the attention of the media. Restricting us from using these will drastically affect the film's result. The money spent on such promotional events is very insignificant when compared to the loss incurred due to piracy. I really wish they concentrate on the larger problems first."
An official update is awaited from the members of the advisory committee of the TFPC.
(This story originally appeared on cinemaexpress.com)