Internet Based Research: Part 5 - Online Screening

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As part of an online screening investigation, I viewed a range of short films from the following sites:
www.bbc.co.uk/dna/filmnetwork
www.film4.com/videos/film4-shorts
www.triggerstreet.com/gbase/trigger/homepage
www.atom.com
www.virginmediashorts.co.uk
www.vimeo.com
www.youtube.com

What sorts of films are exhibited at these sites?
There are a variety of short films on the aforementioned sites that have been submitted by their viewing audiences, which include a wide range of styles and genres. The main categories for the shorts in question are: musicals, comedies, dramas, animated and documentaries. However each website has a different way of presenting these for example Trigger Street encourages the viewer to submit feedback for the viewed shorts. It has a punchy tagline that says ‘Help yourself, Help others and feedback. The reviews then can be view by all audiences. Whereas, BBC film just say ‘Add comment’, to add your review.

Who is the audience?
The audience would be internet based, and for those who have an interest or enjoy a particular genre of short film. However, because of the different layout and advertising strategies on each website they do each seem to have a target audience. From a personal point of view The BBC and film 4 website have a more professional media layout, maybe to attract more professionals from within the industry to view the successful displayed short films, also the BBC will hold a short for up to five years on its site. Although Film 4 gives a strong professional feel to its site, it is hard to access shorts. Websites such as Trigger Street and Atom display a light and easy approach to accessing films and are targeting a main stream audience, which I personally feel teenagers or people with limited media knowledge would be drawn to.

What is the submission process?
BBC.co.uk – To be able to submit a film, you will first have to be a member of the BBC Film network. Once a member, you will need to complete a submission form and submit it with a hard copy of your film either on VHS or DVD .The film in its entirety will be viewed by a judging panel and if the film is appropriate and of good quality, it will be added to their website.

Film 4 – I was unable to find an online way of submitting material, however there is a page on their site that will allow you to ask a question and Film 4 will email you back the answer, maybe this is the route they prefer to go down, so that they are only contacted by serious artists.

Trigger Street – The submission process is fairly straight forward and convenient. Firstly, you will need to create an account, log in and upload your short that should comply to the sites several digital requirements. However, you must review a certain amount of other material first. This is to ensure that all material submitted has a guaranteed source of feedback, which is the whole point of the website.

Atom – This site offers an easy way to process a short film and is similar to the Trigger Street Site and be a member.

Virgin Media – There is a simple, but long winded process to submitting your short film. Firstly, your short can be no longer than two minutes and twenty seconds and that is to include the top and end credits. Submission is done online, by uploading your film to their website and it is viewed by a panel of judges. If your short is successful and long listed Virgin will contact you and request that the master copy is sent to them either on tape or digitally along with rights forms to progress to the next stage. If again successful, the film will be shown on their site, but only twelve films will be transferred to 35mm print and shown on 214 cinema screen across the UK.

Vimeo - This is a non commercial site that has a philosophical approach. Before you can simply upload your short you must become a member. The site is basically a showcase for others to watch your piece and for you to receive constructed feedback.

Youtube – The submission process is very similar to Vimeo and once you have created an account, you can upload your short and receive feedback.

What are the benefits of having a film screened on one of these sites as opposed to another?
The benefit of having your film screened on one of the aforementioned sites is that it is showcased for potential viewers.

Vimeo and Youtube have a very similar submission process and viewers can easily comment and give you feedback for future improvements. However many comments that you are likely to receive will not really be that constructive, because the target audience that view these sites are likely to be children, teenagers and your people who have limited experience within the film industry. For students, such as myself, the websites Atom and Trigger Street provide a young, but yet professional view with limited constructive feedback. Virgin Media offer a great opportunity for the recognition of new talent from within the industry itself, but the BBC will dedicate a page to you with links to your profile, crew and cast. Constructive comments will be received from other film members and yours film would firstly of been view by a professional panel from within the industry itself.

What have you noticed about the structure/style of the sites and their presentation of the material?
The presentation of each of the websites is quite similar, although Film4, BBC and Virgin are more professional in appearance. This may because they are the influence of the film industry within UK and they are the more profitable organisations. These particular websites are viewed by more professionals, as only the best shorts after being judged by the various panels within the industry are shown. These sites show sophistication and have been constructed to highlight its media content. However, websites like Atom are targeted towards young people with its clear bright and extremely colourful home page. The site itself has a clear structure for easy navigation and would be attractive to most viewing audiences.

Evaluate their effectiveness in terms of the exposure they achieve for the films and their makers, and also in terms of their potential audience.
Each website in its own unique and individual way, has achieved an overall effectiveness in terms of exposure for the films and their makers. As discussed above they vary with respect to potential audiences. Trigger Street, Atom and Virgin Media have created and implemented several projects that involve elements of competition that not only attract the would-be-filmmaker, but a viewing potential audience. However, the website Youtube is widely known and offers an easy accessible website for a viewing audience and an easy film submission for those wishing to showcase their short film. The BBC, Film 4 and Virgin Media have a good advertising exposure with television, radio, bill boards, magazines and newspapers and they are regularly placing and updating adverts to attract audiences and support different film festivals from around the world.

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