Online screening
I am going to research online screening by asking the following the following questions about each site:
- Is there a relationship between the institution exhibiting the short and its producers?
- Who are the audiences?
- What is the submission process?
- What are the benefits to having a film screened on one site as opposed to another?
- What is the implication of shorts being offered alongside features for direct download at sites such as MUBI?
- What have you noticed about the structure/style of the sites and their presentation of the material?
I will then evaluate each site on it’s effectiveness in terms of the exposure they achieve for the films and their markers, and also in terms of their potential audience.
1 = rubbish 2 = ok 3 = better in some ways than others 4 = good 5 = excellent
On the BBC film network the films showcased on the site are predominately shorts. However, they also publicise features showing snippets, previews, interviews and awards shows on the site. They also have a few educational videos and documentaries of directors. The audience for the site is mostly filmmakers or people interested in short film. To submit your work on to the site you have to be a member of the site, once you are a member you have to fill out a submission form and then you have to send a DVD of your film to the company. By placing your film on the site, a filmmaker can allow industry professionals to see their film and as it is linked with the terrestrial TV channel BBC, it is more likely to get prestige as it could be pulled up by the channel itself. The site I feel is well designed in some ways but could be improved. I feel that the buttons which allow navigation around the sites archives are good as they allow you to look at films by their groupings such as letter, ratings or length. However, I feel that the site could be improved by adding a search engine which could allow you to search a specific film with out trawling through the entire film selection.
Exposure for the filmmakers and films = 3/5
Exposure to potential audience = 3/5
The Film Four site exhibits films of all genre and length. The different sections however, are categorised so that it is easier to find the films that you’re looking for, or the style or genre of film that you’re looking for. They have a shorts section which is quite limited as it consists of only 13 films. The sites main focus is on features and interviews and as such the shorts section is not given the same attention on the site. The main focus of features is due to the fact it is from film four who are well known for there production of features in the UK. As such this is how the company prides itself. The audiences for the films differ, but the people who would shorts on this site I would imagine would be quite mainstream, as the features are what would drive a viewer to the site, and as such the audience will become more mainstream due to the features which are publicised. However, there is a chance that some would be viewed by industry professionals as Film Four has prestige in the industry for the films it produces and distributes. You can create an account with Film Four and then submit your work on to the site by uploading it on to your own profile. This is a good way of a filmmaker getting their work seen. By screening your film on a site like Film Four it can be more benefitial as the company has such acumen with in the industry having a film on the site could help boost the filmmakers and the films reputation. However, for a short filmmaker the site is not particularly tailored to help promote their films and there for it would probably be better to upload on a more popular site. I feel that the layout of the site works and all the films are well presented and easy to find. The grouping and categorisation is useful for navigating around the site and making it easier to find what films you’re looking for. But my issue with the site is the content, as the amount of short film is extremely low and so if you were looking for short films you would be much better to use another site with a larger shorts archive.
Exposure for the filmmakers and films = 4/5
Exposure to potential audience = 3/5
Love film predominantly is a online film rental shop, but through this it also allows people to watch films online. Unlike the previous sites though there is a small charge for this. The films on the site are mostly blockbusters and mainstream film although the archive of the titles on the site is extremely large meaning that you are likely to find a film from most genres. In the way of looking for short films you would have to know the name of the short to be able to watch it and it is unlikely that they would have it to watch online, instead you would probably have to order it on DVD. Many people use love film for renting DVD’s as it is cheaper than buying all of the DVD’s you want to watch and it means you can watch online as well. However, in comparison to the other sites you have to pay to watch the films online where the others you can simply watch them and so you are more likely to find people watch on the other sites if you are watching on the internet. The site because of the different purpose to the other sites is slightly differently set up to make it easy to find the exact film you want rather than browsing through a selection. There are a number of buttons allowing to customise your search to make it more and more specific about your choices unlike the other films. The descriptions and information about the film is also slightly more exact because people are having to pay for the service.
Exposure for the filmmakers and films = 3/5
Exposure to potential audience = 4/5
On the MUBI site the films which are exhibited range through genre, length, nationality and style. Because of this the site offers an extremely wide and diverse archive of film. The site contains both features mainstream and niche, and shorts. However, the site does ask for a subscription or charge for the films that you watch. Some are free but this is a rarity. The site is an international site and is known around the world, however, in contrast to the sites before it offers far more niche audience films and less of the blockbusters or mainstream film. As such it is not as well known as the others, it is also not connected to a large brand name like the BBC or Channel Four and there for does not receive publicity through that. Whilst it does supply film to PSP or Sony meaning that it can receive some publicity there. Because of the site being slightly lesser known the films and as such the audience is slightly more specialised and more intellectual in film language. The films cannot be submitted by the filmmakers themselves but if a film was already known and on the internet it can be suggested to be placed n the site in future and then MUBI may place it with in its archive of films. MUBI because of its international status but especially in Europe could help a film to achieve more acumen in other parts of the world other than just the UK. Whilst all sites do this in part as they are accessible from all over the world, the MUBI site is a particular international site and so should create more interest around the world. It is also a more niche audience of film watchers and so you could receive a different audience through this site than one that is more mainstream. By placing the shorts among the features it can draw in a larger audience and make people who would normally not watch shorts able to as there is somewhere obvious for them to see them. I think the layout of the site is one of the better that I have looked at so far as whilst it has buttons like all of the other sites it also has a category in which you can see the films in order of their running times. As I am looking for shorts this is particularly useful.
Exposure for the filmmakers and films = 3/5
Exposure to potential audience = 2/5
The BFI screen online works more as an interactive guide to film than it does as a true video hosting or streaming site. The layout enables you to read about the history of the films and their directors, as well as seeing the actual film and small films about the making of them. The accessibility to the various media clips and films are only available as a member of the BFI, but the written information is available to anyone. There is a large section tailored for shorts and information about shorts film production. The BFI has an extremely high reputation as it is the National archive of film for Britain and it is a chartered company. As such its resources are vast enabling the amount of films that they can offer extremely wide. Any one can watch the films through the BFI site as long as you are registered, but registering is free to any one in education or working with in libraries. However, because of the registration process, the largest viewers of the film on the site are students, industry professionals, educators of film or media and of course those with a large passion for film. But the majority of the audience for the Screen Online have a good understanding of film language and as such the BFI can offer more variety through both mainstream and niche, old and new films. You can’t submit films on to the site but again like with MUBI if a film was to be put on another site or entered in to a festival it is likely to be picked up by the BFI and put on to the Screen Online. If a film was placed on this site, it would become extremely prestigious due to the reputation of the BFI and the films that they host. I think that the site works well. I like the fact that it gives you more than just the film it all so gives you information about it. However, if you were simply looking to watch a film I do not feel that you would want to watch a film through this site as it would take a very long time to find and then be able to watch. This is a site more for those studying film or with in the industry, not for a general audience.
Exposure for the filmmakers and films = 4/5
Exposure to potential audience = 3/5
The future shorts is the largest short film network in the world. They are attempting to bring short film to the masses and thus achieve its commercial potential. It is doing this by allowing filmmakers to submit there work to the site and then showing it on their youtube channel, at their festivals and then distributing the films internationally. The site is quite an unknown site but it is getting more and more prestige as it develops. By using other networking and hosting sites such as Facebook, Twitter and You Tube the site is slowly becoming more popular. The people that watch on this site are mostly lovers of short film, and industry professionals the general public are less likely to watch on this site as at the current state there is not much awareness of short film and as such people do not search for it on the internet, instead they will only be broadened to it if they are to stumble across it. Which is why I think it is clever that this site have decided to use popular networking sites as it will raise there profile and get a new audience interested in short film. To submit your work on to the site you have to upload your film to a site called withoutabox at a cost of $20 (the cost is to upload forever, not a one of.) Once you have uploaded your film to the site Future shorts will decide whether to put it on their site, enter it in to their festival and/or distribute it. If you were to have your film screened on future films it would be good as an upcoming filmmaker as you could potentially be given distribution of your film and your film would be on a site specific for your type of film meaning that people are more likely to see it. However, it does not have the same prestige as some of the other sites and so the number of industry professionals who see your film may be fewer making it harder to make the next film. I think the site as a whole works well and is easy to navigate round. However the way that the videos presented I do not think gives enough accreditation to each individual film instead they are all messed together and I feel that this is not as respectful of the filmmaker or the films themselves as some of the other sites. It also makes it harder to find individual films as you have to trawl through the entire archive to find the one you want.
Exposure for the filmmakers and films = 3/5
Exposure to potential audience = 2/5
Categories:
Internet Based Research