you might think of their directors like Spielberg, Hitchcock, Peele

你可能會想到這些導演，如史蒂芬·史匹柏、亞佛烈德·希區考克或喬登·皮爾，

or actors like Meryl Streep, Viola Davis, Morgan Freeman.

或像梅莉·史翠普、薇拉·戴維絲、摩根·費里曼這樣的演員。

But recently, there's a new name in the mix and it's not a person but a studio.

最近，又有個新名字出現，但它不是個人，而是工作室。

A24.

A24

A24 movies have been nominated for over 50 Oscars and have won 16.

A24 的電影已獲 50 多項奧斯卡提名，並贏得 16 項大獎。

They've taken over Halloween and maybe your closet.

A24 遍佈各萬聖節主題，也許還入侵你的衣櫥。

And the reason why you know their name is part of their strategy.

你知道他們名字的原因，也是其策略的一部分。

A strategy that's helped take A24 from a tiny distribution company

這一策略幫助 A24 從小小發行公司

to making some of the biggest and weirdest movies and TV shows of the past ten years.

發展成過去十年中，一些最賣座、最怪異電影及電視節目的製片商。

I've maybe seen more A24 films than the people who work at A24.

我看過的 A24 電影可能比它內部人員看過的都還多。

My name is Nate Jones.

我叫內特·瓊斯。

I'm a senior writer for Vulture in New York Magazine.

紐約雜誌《Vulture》的資深作家。

Last August, 8/24, I ranked all of them from worst to best.

去年 8月 24，我對所有 A24 出品電影做了排名，由最差到最好。

The company was founded on two sort of basic creative principles.

該公司建立在兩種基本創意原則之上。

The first was that they were going to give directors an almost unprecedented creative freedom

其一，他們給了導演們空前絕無的創作自由。

and then to pay for that, because that is, you know, creatively risky.

畢竟作為投資方，此舉極具風險。

They basically decided they weren't going to be spending money on traditional forms of marketing.

基本上，A24 決定不花錢在傳統行銷模式上。

They were going to try and use viral marketing and word of mouth.

他們那時打算嘗試病毒式及口耳相傳式行銷。

These cheaper ways of bringing attention to their movies.

用開支更少的方式宣傳其電影。

So the first half of their existence, they only bought.

在 A24 創立的前半段時間，他們只購買版權，

They didn't make any of the films.

不製作任何電影。

In other words, A24 was founded as a distribution company.

換句話說，A24 是作為一家發行公司成立的。

And as your resident film nerd,

而作為大家的常駐電影專家，

I have to give you a quick lesson on the moviemaking pipeline for this all to make sense.

容我快速為您解說電影製作流程，以便理解。

So bear with me for a second.

所以，請先耐心聽我道來。

First, there's production, where the movie gets made.

首先是製作，電影產出的階段。

Then there's distribution,

然後是發行，

where a company buys the rights to finished film and takes on the work of marketing it

也就是公司購下電影版權，加以宣傳

and making deals to connect it to companies that can show it to audiences.

並與播放端進行交易，將作品展示給觀眾。

That's the third part, known as exhibition,

也就是第三部分，放映。

where companies like movie theaters and streaming services show movies for the general public.

在這階段，電影院和串流媒體公司會向公眾放映電影。

The studios you're likely familiar with generally take on both production and distribution.

大家熟悉的工作室通常都會自己執行製作及宣傳兩部分。

So something like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is produced by Disney.

所以像《印第安納瓊斯之命運鐘盤》這樣的作品就是由迪士尼製作，

And then Disney also makes the trailers, posters, and deals with with exhibitors like AMC and Regal

迪斯尼也兼製預告片、海報並與 AMC 和 Regal 等放映商合作，

to get that movie shown in theaters.

讓電影在影院上映。

But smaller, independently produced films often go to film festivals like Sundance or Tribeca

但規模較小、獨立製作的電影通常會參加日舞影展或翠貝卡電影節等，

in hopes of getting the attention of a distributor,

藉此引起發行商注意。

who will buy the rights to the film and will help them make those connections.

希望有發行商購下該片版權，幫助他們建立商業連結。

In the beginning,

起初，

A24's sole focus was to find great indie movies and buy the distribution rights for them.

A24 只著重在尋找優秀獨立電影，並購買其發行權。

It's just easier that way. You don't need as much money.

這樣做更簡單，不需要花那麼多錢。

You know, it takes a lot of cash to produce a film.

製作一部電影需要大量資金。

Doesn't take as much to just buy a film that's already made.

但買已經制完成的電影就不用花那麼多錢。

Let's use Spring Breakers, their first hit,

以該公司第一部賣座片《放浪青春》為例，

as a case study to show how all their strategies come together.

一起來看看該公司的策略是如何成功運作的。

Spring Breakers was the first A24 film I saw.

《放浪青春》是我看的第一部 A24 電影。

It was the first A24 film most people saw.

也是大多數人看的第一部 A24 的電影。

I think it was a very good introduction to the A24 style.

這個例子很好的解釋了 A24 的風格。

The film has an extremely strong artistic vision from director Harmony Korine,

該片極大地體現出了其導演，赫蒙利·柯尼納的藝術色彩。

who A24 courted by making bespoke gun-shaped bongs.

A24 是利用定製槍形菸斗擄獲到這位導演芳心的。

The movie had striking visual choices,

這部電影有十分吸睛的視覺畫面，

like this rain that almost looks like blood

像畫面中，這個幾乎看起來像血的雨，

and a neon color palette that has become a staple of A24 films.

還有已成為 A24 電影主打視覺效果的霓虹色調。

It had a clear hook.

它有明確的吸睛點。

You have these sort of Disney starlets like Selena Gomez

這部片有像席琳娜·戈梅茲這樣的迪士尼出身演員，

and they're, you know, getting up to no good and doing drugs.

他們在片中做壞事、吸毒。

And if you were a young person who'd grown up on the Disney Channel,

看迪士尼頻道長大的觀眾，

suddenly all these people you'd seen in this very squeaky clean entertainment

突然間看到這些形象「純潔」的演員

were getting very rough and grimy.

在片中變得既粗魯又骯髒。

And on top of that, it had supremely memeable sequences.

除此之外，這部片還有很多可以做成梗圖的情節。

James Franco has..

詹姆斯·法蘭科有…

you know, the first of many A24 scenes that would just become this sort of perfect little tidbit.

在 A24 眾多電影中，首個將電影畫面變成這種完美小片段的先例。

He has this speech.

他有這種台詞。

Look at my shit.

你看我的東西。

I got short. Every fucking color.

我有短褲，X 的每種顏色都有。

Scarface on repeat.

《疤面煞星》看到吐。

It was just this weird sort of thing that really had just caught on.

正是這種奇怪的橋段讓電影片段迅速竄紅。

Their innovative online marketing strategy leveraged gifs and memes to make the movie buzzy.

他們使用創新網路行銷策略，利用動圖跟迷因提升電影知名度。

Like this one that amassed over 20,000 thumbs up on Facebook,

就像這則貼文在臉書上有超過兩萬讚，

which, you know, doesn't sound like a lot now.

這在現在聽起來不是很多。

But you got to remember, this was 2013 back when the LA Times was calling likes thumbs ups.

但要知道，那時候是 2013 年，當時《洛杉磯時報》還將讚稱作「豎起大拇指」。

Anyways, the marketing worked.

不管怎麼說，這種行銷策略很成功。

The movie ended up setting per screen attendance records for its opening weekend

該片最終創下開幕首週末影廳滿席率紀錄新高，

as well as clocking the biggest premiere of the movie in limited release that year.

成為當年有限上映電影中首映成績最好的作品。

The second weekend...

到了第二個週末…

everybody talked a lot about how they hated the movie,

每個人都在說他們多討厭這部電影，

but their first weekend was incredible.

但首週末的紀錄仍十分不可思議。

That movie was a huge word-of-mouth hit.

該電影通過口耳相傳大獲成功。

If you look at how much money it made compared to other films,

如果與其他電影的收益相比，

you know, it doesn't really stand out.

其收益沒有很突出。

But if you look at how much money it makes compared to other, you know, independent films

但如果與其他獨立電影相比，

from that era, like, it was a huge hit.

這部片的成就簡直無可比擬。

And crucially, it proved that the A24 method worked.

關鍵的是，它證明了 A24 的方法真的有用。

If they could keep curating distinct, vibey movies,

如果能繼續策劃出獨特、獨具魅力的電影

marketing them online for less money and more virality

並花更少的錢在網路上進行病毒式行銷，

and distributing them in a way where the box office can rival the budget,

並以與票房相當的預算發行，

then they were in business.

那麼這樣的模式就穩了。

And, oh boy, were they in business.

他們簡直勝券在握。

They were able to create such a strong brand.

A24 創造出了強大的聲譽。

You knew in your head kind of what an A24 film was.

觀眾自然而然就知道 A24 電影是什麼樣子。

And I think that's down to their sense of taste.

我認為這跟他們的品味有關。

I don't know of any other studio that has such an almost like a personal style in that way.

就我所知，沒有其他工作室擁有如此鮮明的個人風格。

They helped launch careers for Ari Aster, the Daniels, and Robert Eggers.

艾瑞·艾斯特、丹尼爾雙人組和羅柏·艾格斯皆是在 A24 幫助下開啟職業生涯。

And afforded directorial debuts to Greta Gerwig, Jonah Hill, and Bo Burnham.

並支持葛莉塔·潔薇、喬納·希爾和柏·本漢推出其導演處女作。

They would find these up and coming directors and be like,

他們會找到這些新興導演，並表示

we are going to sort of usher you to the next level.

他們會引領其更上一層樓。

Ex Machina showed their shrewdness in marketing

《機械姬》讓大家看到了他們行銷的精明之處。

as they created a Tinder account for Alicia Vikander's lead character,

他們為艾莉西亞·薇坎德的角色創建了 Tinder 帳號，

inviting men to watch the movie.

邀請男性前去觀影。

And films like Room became big hits at the Oscars.

而像《房間》這樣的電影則大受奧斯卡歡迎。

They won their first Oscars in 2016.

A24 在 2016 年贏得了第一個奧斯卡獎項。

They won best actress for Brie Larson in Room.

布麗·拉森以《房間》奪下最佳女主角獎。

They won best visual effects for Ex Machina.

《機械姬》則贏得了最佳視覺效果獎。

And they won Best Documentary for Amy.

《艾美懷絲》更獲得了最佳紀錄片獎項。

So they had been on the scene, they had been respected.

自那之後他們便一直活躍於螢幕前，也一直受到尊重。

They had sort of known how to play the industry game.

他們對業界瞭若指掌。

You know, they weren't too cool for it.

他們沒有態度冷淡，

They weren't holding their heads above it.

也沒有高高在上。

And four years in,

過了四年，

after curating a strong brand off of other people's movies,

用別人製作的電影創造出強大的品牌形象後，

they decided to produce one on their own.

他們決定開始自己製作。

So Moonlight was the first film that they made themselves.

《月光下的藍色男孩》是 A24 的第一部自製電影。

There was a bet on Barry Jenkins,

他們在貝瑞·傑金斯身上賭了一把，

who had made only one other feature in eight years before this point,

此前八年間，他只拍過一部作品，

and they basically said, like,

基本上，A24 像是對他說，

we will let you do totally whatever you want. We will support you.

我們會讓你做任何你想做的，我們會支持你的。

Visually, it does look a lot like other A24 films.

視覺風格上，這部片與其他 A24 電影確實很像。

You know, you have that neon, you have that very subjective lighting.

一樣有霓虹元素，還有那種非常主觀的照明。

Moonlight — that was when they get the reputation, I think,

我認為《月光下的藍色男孩》正是他們建立口碑的作品。

for like, oh, you know, it's not just online hype.

讓大家知道 A24 不僅僅只是會網路炒作。

They're not just like buzzy.

不是只有名氣。

They are going to release some great, great films.

他們會發行一些非常厲害的電影。

If you look at the films they have produced since Moonlight,

如果看看他們從《月光下的藍色男孩》以來製作的電影，

it's a lot of the movies we think of as like very-A24:

有很多很有 A24 色彩的電影，像是

Uncut Gems,

《原鑽》

Everything Everywhere All At Once.

《媽的多重宇宙》

You know, it's these movies that are these big, bold brand statements.

這些電影就像 A24 宏大、大膽的品牌宣言。

In 2017, they expanded to TV.

2017 年，他們擴展到了電視圈。

When you talk to people who watch Euphoria,

如果問看過《高校十八禁》的人，

a lot of them don't know that it's an A24 series

他們很多都不知道它是 A24 出的，

because Euphoria airs on HBO,

因為《高校十八禁》在 HBO 播出，

which is a very strong brand, a very big brand.

HBO 是個很大的品牌。

And that kind of crowds out the A24 of it all.

它有點擠掉了 A24 的位置。

But Beef airs on Netflix, which has a much smaller brand.

但《怒嗆人生》在 Netflix 播出，其品牌名聲沒那麼大。

And, you know, suddenly that allows the A24 of it all to kind of jump out.

突然間，這就讓 A24 得以脫穎而出。

And as a cherry on top...

錦上添花的是…

they make merch for themselves, not just for the films.

除了出電影，他們還有出自己的商品。

You know, they will sell A24 T-shirts and A24 hoodies with that little logo on it.

他們有賣上面有 A24 小標的 T 恤和帽踢。

And that sort of helps build that sort of cult around this, you know, editorial sensibility that they have.

這有助於建立那種品牌崇拜，你知道，他們擁有的感性。

And they employ a lot of the techniques that the fashion industry has too.

而且他們也採用了很多時尚界使用的技巧。

You know, they will do collaborations with, you know, online ceramics.

他們會出聯名，跟 online ceramics 這種品牌。

They will do with limited edition drops,

他們會出限量版，

where you've got to get your hands on something now.

讓你覺得非得到不可的東西。

They build this sense of exclusivity around it,

創造出一種絕無僅有，別的地方找不到的感覺。

where it becomes, you know, there're A24 merch heads, you know, who are really hoping to get the latest stuff.

A24 甚至有死忠粉絲，總是想搶到他們的最新產品。

It's something that no other indie studio has quite managed to pull off.

這是其他獨立工作室無法做到的。

When you look at their trajectory in retrospect,

當你回過頭看他們的發展軌跡，

it's easy to be dazzled into thinking that they've got the Midas touch.

很容易誤認為他們已有點石成金的本領。

And in some ways they do. But...

某方面而言，確實如此，但…

You know, we don't need to build them up too much.

不必把 A24 想得太好。

Like any studio, they make bad films too.

像任何工作室一樣，他們也會拍出糟糕的電影。

You just might not notice it

你可能只是沒有注意到它。

because A24 puts out a ton of movies every year as compared to other studios,

A24 每年都推出大量電影，數量超過其他電影公司，

both big and small.

無論公司大小。

In 2022, the studio put out 20 films.

2022 年，A24 就發行了 20 部電影。

That's 2 more than Paramount,

比派拉蒙影業多出兩部，

a studio that's way larger than they are.

派拉蒙影業的規模可比他們大得多。

But they have a unique way of hiding their bad films and making them go away.

但他們有種獨特方法可以將他們的爛電影藏起來。

They had a deal with DirecTV.

過去，他們與 DirecTV 達成協議。

They now have a deal with Apple TV,

現在則是與 Apple TV 有協議，

where, you know, movies that maybe they don't think are quite pass muster,

他們認為不太合格的電影，

they'll just go straight there.

就會直接放到 Apple TV 平台。

You know, those ones won't play at the metrograph.

那些電影上不了 Metrograph 的螢幕，

Those ones won't be playing at, you know, your cool indie theater.

也不會在那種很酷的獨立電影影廳播映。

They will kind of be quietly shuffled off to, you know, DirectTV.

它們會悄悄地被塞到 DirectTV。

Maybe people will find them,

也許有人會看到，

but if people don't find them, you know, maybe that's okay, too.

但如果沒人看到，也沒關係。

You look at the list of A24 films,

A24 出品的電影名單中，

there's dozens of them that you have never heard of, that nobody has ever heard of.

從來沒聽過的就有幾十部之多，沒人知道它們。

The Adderall Diaries

《阿德拉爾日記》

The Kill Team

《殺戮部隊》

Revenge of the Green Dragons

《青龍幫的復仇》

These are movies that truly do not exist.

這些電影跟沒存在過一樣。

But their missteps don't seem to matter much

但這些「失誤」似乎也不太重要，

when they're tried and true strategies create such big wins.

因為他們不斷試驗淬煉出來的作品大獲成功。

When I talk to the fans last year,

去年，我訪問他們的影迷，

some of them readily admitted, oh yeah, like I'm in the cult, I'm deep in the cult.

有些人欣然承認，「哦，沒錯，我是 A24 教狂徒，深陷其中。」

And when I ask like, I asked them why,

而我問他們為什麼時，

the key thing was difference.

他們說關鍵在於其與眾不同。

There's so much these days that feels sort of the same,

近來，有影視作品給人的感覺都有些雷同，

feels very corporate, very controlled.

感覺非常企業、制式化。

Now, that was kind of the one thing that they all kind of agreed on is that like,

這是他們的共同感想，

when they go see an A24 film, you know, it might be good.

看一部 A24 電影之前，你就知道它可能好看，

There's a chance, it might be terrible,

也可能很糟，

but, you know, they know it's going to be just like a little weirder, a little more offbeat.

但你知道那肯定是部比一般作品更特殊、離經叛道的電影。

Ideally, it's going to be something they haven't seen before.

理想情況下，那會是觀眾以前從沒看過的東西。

The name means nothing.

A24 這個名字毫無意義。

The name is... there's no symbolism.

沒有任何象徵意義。

The name is an Italian highway that leads out of Rome that I think Katz was driving on.

A24 是意大利一條出羅馬的高速公路，應該是丹尼爾·卡茨那時正在那條路上。

And he was like, oh, that would be a good name for a company.

然後想「哦，這名字很適合當公司名字誒。」

But it sort of fits, right?

是挺適合的，不是嗎？

Because it's abstract.

它很抽象。

It's sort of mysterious,

有些神祕。

and you're like, oh, there must be a hidden meaning there, you know?

你會覺得其中肯定有什麼意涵，是吧？

Often like some of the films, you know,

就像有些電影一樣，

you're like, you know, there must be something there.

你會覺得背後肯定有什麼深層涵義。

It sparks of curiosity, in a way.

某種程度上，激發了人們的好奇心。