The Secret World of Tinder

The Secret World of Tinder – “This eye-opening documentary reveals how smartphone apps have revolutionised dating” (4oD, 2016) This documentary is a particularly helpful one for helping me understand the subject matter and form I will be tackling. When watching the documentary, I made some key notes about the style I noticed:

• Focus on the deeper questions when interviewing participants

• Shallow focus/close ups during interviews.

• Introduction about new documentary participants.

• Lots of emotional scenes due to subject matter

• Ends on an ending thought to leave a memory with the viewer.

• Filler music used often

• Humour used often

I will be looking to implement these key points within my documentary to allow my project to have more of a professional feel to it.

When looking at the biographies of the two main participants they have for their documentary we can see these:

“Self-confessed sex addict John, 42, turned to various dating apps when his marriage ended after just 20 months, and he claims to have had over 200 dates thanks to the technical revolution. Half of those dates appear to have been a success as he also insists he’s slept with over 100 females because of such applications, and boasts he once slept with NINE women in one week.”

“Pete, 38, who is into animal role-play, specifically puppy-play. He meets up with men who he can play animal-style games such as fetch, roll over, and have belly rubs with. While his partner of 16 years, Mirza, DOESN’T share his puppy love, he doesn’t object to Pete sniffing around others with similar tastes.” (Leyfield, 2015)

These biographies focus on the extraordinary, they show the crazy stories about the individuals. They try and show the unique points of the documentary they are creating. I will apply the same style for my production and highlight the fact I am providing more of a grounded piece of material that focuses on real situations that happen every day that you don’t get to see.

References

4oD. (2016) The Secret World Of Tinder [online] available from <http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-secret-world-of-tinder/on-demand&gt; [30 March 2016]

Leyfield, J. (2015) The Secret World Of Tinder: Meet Puppy Play Enthusiast And Sex Addict[online] available from <http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/secret-world-tinder-documentary-explores-5698502&gt; [30 March 2016]

Distribution and outreach plans; Project Management and Audience Research

Whilst in the post production process, I have looked further into how I am going to distribute my film. I need to look into how I can meet the requirements of different festivals through different factors such as film length and other technical and physical requirements. I have set myself a few ideas of how to work towards furthering myself and my project through the distribution process:

• Build up an interested audience through the social media outlets I have created to create a buzz around the film.
• Use the film as a personal portfolio piece to show my prestige as a documentary film maker.
• Get some form of involvement in a festival to help give my film and myself a coup.
• Get some of the money back that I have invested in the project/make a profit from the production so I can reinvest in making new and exciting projects.

When looking at the film festivals survey in 2013, there were currently around 3,000 active film festivals. (Follows, 2013) This number is likely to have risen even more in recent years. This statistic shows that it clear that film festivals are very much a viable and smart option to distribute your film. However, with the popularity incurs a significant cost, as I will have to pay to enter any film festival with any level of prestige. As I am working with a very low budget, allocating money for distribution is something that will be taking up a large part of my budget. However, festival entry will be imperative in helping achieving my aims of being successful in this project so I must scrutinise the choices I make to make the right decision in terms of cash allocation and matching my project to the right festival.

 

A lot of acclaimed festivals are not in the United Kingdom, for example Sundance is in the United States, Venice Film Festival (Italy), the Cannes Film Festival (France), the Toronto Film Festival (Canada). Whilst it would be incredible and prestigious to be involved in any of these, it isn’t financially viable for me to be travelling out of the UK. So, I must narrow my vision to those based locally. Sadly, only 5.5% of film festivals are based in the United Kingdom, as represented in the graph below.

(Follows, 2013)

The three main festivals I am targeting to enter are Sheffield Doc Fest, London International Documentary Festival and Open City Documentary Festival. These 3 festivals meet the criteria of being local, all being based in the UK, and of being in the documentary format.

Creating an online presence for my project is a free option of marketing my project, and with the use of Google adsense, (Google, 2016) I could potentially make money from the use of adverts that get placed before my documentary. This could be a very helpful tool in helping regain some of my investment in the project. A short 15 minute lesson created by YouTube themselves details how you can make money from your content. (YouTube, 2016). They go into detail of how successful this money making technique can be, giving relevant examples, and this has assured me that this is a worthwhile marketing route to go down. However, they say that the more popular the video gets, the more high value your adverts will become. So whilst it is important to focus on maximising your revenue via this platform, I need to raise interest elsewhere to get more viewership visiting my project. So I have signed up to this service so I can maximise my earnings on both YouTube and Vimeo from my documentary. Whilst this is a good idea in terms of revenue, it may hinder my entry into film festivals as 28% do not accept films that are available online. (Follows, 2013) So I must way up the pros and cons of this move before deciding.

As my documentary offers a topic which is prevalent in popular culture at the moment, I can look at reach out to groups that already exist and ask them to spread my documentary out to their audience. Twitter and Facebook groups on Tinder are numerous and I will be reaching out to the ones I deem to be professional enough so their sharing will be beneficial to my cause. After being aware of my audience that I will be distributing to even further, I feel confident that my editing style will match the intended distribution audience.

References

Follows, S. (2013) Film Festivals Pt 1: The Truths Behind Film Festivals [online] available from <http://stephenfollows.com/film-festivals-pt1-the-truths-behind-film-festivals/&gt; [26 April 2016]

Google. (2016) Make Money Online Through Website Monetization | Google Adsense – Google[online] available from <https://www.google.com/adsense/start/#?modal_active=none&gt; [30 April 2016]

YouTube (2016) Make Money With Youtube [online] available from <https://youtube.com/creatoracademy/page/lesson/revenue-basics&gt; [30 April 2016]

 

EPK Evaluation

My electronic press kit has now been produced and is available on my website, here it is:

ModernMobileDatingEPK

In a previous post, I spoke of the things in which I wanted to add to my EPK after doing research of other similar press kits. I did adapt and include all these ideas that can be seen on the post, such as an FAQ, behind the scenes photographs and a synopsis. In terms of adapting my work, I wanted it to be designed in a way that matched my genre and target audience, conveying the subject matter was dating and doing it in a sleek, modern way to attract the younger target audience. I feel this was achieved through the use of the graphics, colour scheme and font that I used.

I reinforced this theme by having the tinder logo as the page marker on each page and a range of logos from the app as a stylistic choice at the header of each page also. I kept it sleek through the light and simple silver background as well as the use of simple and stylish font and colour. Despite doing all this, I still tried to mimic the spacing and structure of other popular EPKs to keep it professional. I also paid particular focus to the FAQ section as this is a section I feel added an extra something to the EPKs I saw and made you have a connection to the production.

However, during my production, I neglected the need to get behind the scenes pictures, getting a very minimal amount of them. If I had taken more time to think about it, I could have perhaps created more images that could be of a high interest to the audience by planning and executing this aspect more effectively. I should have made it a higher priority and realised the importance of evidencing your production as you’re creating it.

However, I feel this experience has been beneficial as a whole and I have created an EPK that focuses well on the main selling points of my documentary and offers a varied look at various aspects of the production. I will take all of these experiences forward to improve myself professionally and creatively.

Online Communities of Practice

Sites such as Facebook and Twitter have millions of users and “using social media can greatly increase the amount of attention you receive, though these should not be your main online profile.” (Smallbusiness.com, 2016) As we can see, social media profiles are very helpful in increasing your online network. Whilst it is helpful to be involved in social websites like Twitter and Facebook, it is clear that these aren’t enough by themselves. Using websites like LinkedIn whose sole purpose is for networking in a business type environment are the most useful. When reading an article by Makealiving, LinkedIn is a very important self-promotion network for members of the film industry due to the following reasons: (Makealivingwriting.com, 2011)

Key words in your profile. Employers can and will be able to easily track down potential employees through key words. For example, I have been adding words such as “editor, filmmaker, technician”  into my profile so it will immediately show up in searches when employers are looking for an editor. It also helps in if I search for someone who I want to network with in the same profession.

“Who’s viewed my profile?” There is a feature on LinkedIn which shows you who has recently been on your profile. Therefore, you can judge and view who is interested in your profile and get in contact with them if you want to.

The blog tool. You are able to add your blog into your profile. This allows a simple way to demonstrate your work on the platform.

The jobs. For a fee, employers can advertise jobs on the platform. Therefore, the jobs are always more high end as they will have to be taking it seriously to spend money on the process.

In-person networking. There is a section which you can find events where you can meet up with other likeminded individuals in person. You can also set them up.

The groups. There are groups on the virtual platform where you can network with other professionals in your chosen field. For example I have targeted the group Post Production Professionals as it is within the editing field and has over 75,000 members, allowing me the space to connect with others. (LinkedIn.com, 2016)

There are also a lot of communities that exist online just for post production crew , media production professionals and video editors. By using networks such as these I am able to expedite the process of narrowing down my groups to just include relevant individuals, as they all will be so. For example, CreativeCow is a network I have become a part of, it is a peer to peer support network for media production professionals. (Creativecow.net, 2016) Joining this network allows me to meet individuals and further my development.

Another filmmaking community is One Day on Earth. They are a network of filmmakers and “has the world largest and most diverse network of collaborating professional filmmakers.”. (Onedayonearth.org, 2016). By joining this community I now have the ability to try and network with individuals who might be able to give me work in a similar industry to I. As I am a post production worker, speaking to these individuals means I can offer them skills they don’t necessarily possess and almost always need. Thus, this is giving me a greater opportunity to gain employment.

Another network I am a part of now is CastingCallPro. (Castingcallpro.com, 2016) This website allows you to search jobs in the creative entertainment industry. I feel this will be another important network for me as it allows me to search out editing jobs and expedite them and choose which is the most suitable for me, building up contacts as I go.

Joining these networks will be vital in furthering my chances to be a professional in the industry. But, if I am working as a freelance, it is very important to remember that ‘self-discipline is key to taking your freelancing gig from an interesting hobby to a viable business. (Poe, 2005) So, I have to be hard on myself to ensure I network and work hard enough to make it viable.

References

Creativecow.net, (2016) Creative COW – Creative Communities Of The World [online] available from <https://www.creativecow.net/&gt; [12 April 2016]

LinkedIn.com, (2016) Linkedin Groups | Linkedin [online] available from <https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1815733/profile&gt; [12 April 2016]

Makealivingwriting.com, (2011) 10 Ways Writers Can Use Linkedin To Find Freelance Gigs[online] available from <http://www.makealivingwriting.com/ways-writers-find-gigs-linkedin/&gt; [12 April 2016]

Onedayonearth.org, (2016) Home [online] available from <http://www.onedayonearth.org/&gt; [12 April 2016]

Poe, A. (2005) How To Freelance Your Expertise [online] available from <https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/79088&gt; [12 April 2016]

Smallbusiness.com, (2016) How To Create A Powerful Web Presence [online] available from <http://smallbusiness.chron.com/create-powerful-presence-26416.html&gt; [10 March 2016]

 

New Participant Shoot Process and Evaluation

After evaluating my first shoot, I took forward what I learnt from that to my latter participants to improve my shooting style and ensure my end product is more professional and well organised. As I was shooting in a very similar circumstance as I was prior, I was able to apply these lessons directly to improve myself and my product.

After having previous issues with insufficient planning in terms of doing formal test shoots, I made this an absolute priority. As I was shooting stuff that could not be reshot, I had to ensure that all my equipment was set up to a standard which would be acceptable and that I could be happy with. I did a couple of quick test shoots with the new participant and found slight concerns with the audio being too loud. Having this found out early on was a massive help as trying to recover distorted audio would have been a painstaking, almost impossible task to make it sound professional.

As I foresaw in my location recce form, the room had quite an echo to it as well as being quite offset in a strange colour. So, I planned prior to ensure I would be able to deal with this. I made sure I had two microphone options to allow for mistakes. Due to the echos, I brought along a directional mic to not pick up the echos and a clip on mic as a backup. The backup wasn’t needed as the first option came out clearly. However, it was good to have a backup and I felt prepared incase. However, I should have perhaps done a more thorough location visit and tested this beforehand so I didn’t need to bring additional unneeded equipment. In terms of the colouring, I spent extra time white balancing and ensuring that the subject was well lit. The use of the location recce form was invaluable to be throughout this process.

As I have met with these participants and kept close contact with them as we approached the shooting, I am always comfortable with them which leads to a very friendly and open environment in which we can discuss topics freely and get the most out of the shooting situation. A documentary interview tip is to keep the interviewee comfortable. (Desktopdocumentaties.com, 2016) This is something which I never faltered with and went out of my way to achieve.

I am happy with the fact that I wrote up a production schedule with lengthy topics on it and gave it to the participants early on as they were always prepared to answer them when it came to shooting. It is said that two of the key elements to documentary interviews is to “prepare and avoid yes or no answers.” (Desktopdocumentaties.com, 2016) So, by preparing the subjects and myself prior to the interview and giving meaty topics that we can dig our teeth into I could create an environment for the interview to thrive in. However, it’s also said that you should “prepare but be spontaneous“. Whilst I feel I did this by going off topic and leading the conversation down new paths when the opportunity presented itself, the interview could have perhaps been more spontaneous and genuine if the interviewee didn’t know the topics beforehand.

In an effort to be even more prepared, I tended to brief my subject on what questions I was going to be asking. In theory I thought this would help the subject feel calm and confident in what they have to say, which it did. However, like Raindance suggests in their documentary interview tips, you should “never do pre-interviews… your interviewee might tell you an incredible story off camera and when asked to repeat it might be unnatural and forced.” (Raindance, 2015) This is something I had to deal with as often they would try and answer the questions off camera as they would say what they would respond to the question to check its alright and then when on camera it didn’t appear natural. This is something I will improve in the future by not giving them the questions beforehand and to always be rolling when I am speaking about the subject matter so I don’t lose the perfect response.

Overall, I feel I have developed as a director, producer and professional since my first shoot and learnt a lot more in what it means to create a successful environment to thrive in. These latter shoots have been far more successful and has inspired me to be even better in future shoots and take forward what I have learned in a constructive manner to improve myself and my production.

References

Desktopdocumentaties.com. (2016) Top 10 Video Interviewing Tips For Documentary Filmmaking [online] available from <http://www.desktop-documentaries.com/interviewing-tips.html&gt; [15 Apr 2016]

Raindance. (2015) 10 Tips For Shooting A Documentary Interview – Raindance [online] available from <http://www.raindance.org/10-tips-when-shooting-a-documentary-interview/&gt; [15 Apr 2016]

Trailer Research

“Having a killer trailer or work sample may not guarantee your film’s success in the funding lottery or land you that coveted distribution deal, but it does ensure that your film will cause funders, distributors and other decision makers to stand up and take notice.“(International Documentary Association, 2016)

On the back of this advice from the IDA, I knew I had to create a trailer ensures that the people of interest would take notice in my project. To sell my film to the ‘funders, distributors and other decision makers’ . It should also be used to “show all the people who’ve been helping you out a glimpse of what they produced.” (Film Shortage, 2012) As I have been undertaking an IndieGoGo campaign, this process is even more necessary to give back to those who have been supporting me. On reflection, I should have perhaps started this process earlier so I could have provided my audience with a trailer earlier. They also state that trailers are “often not showing the creative depth of a good film“. So, I have to show the creative depth of my production within my trailer. I aim to show all the different aspects of my production within the short time I have.

When looking at the length of the trailer I should be making, I can look at the National Association of Theatre Owners’ (NATO) guidelines on the subject:

teaser trailer = 15-30 seconds, trailer = 1- 1:30, theatrical trailer = 1:30-2 minutes. (Natoonline, 2016)

As I am doing a piece on human interest, I should not give away too much but still give a sense as to what the film is about. So, around the minute mark should be an ideal marker. The MPAA (2013) states that a trailer must be no longer than 2 minutes & 30 seconds, so my trailer will be within this limit easily if I aim for that marker.

Whilst having this in the back of my head, I chose to have a look at some example documentaries that are from successful projects to aid me in creating a professional trailer. I analysed the way in which they are successful in presenting their subject and getting the interest of the audience.

• Quick cuts between scenes that are interesting and display the participants and subject matter in a riveting fashion.
• Music used to set the mood of how you should be feeling about the subject matter.
• Titles used for key information.

• Music to help with the pacing of the trailer
• Relevant graphics used to feed information to the viewer
• Short snippets/quotes to help establish the participants and the subject matter.

These are all aspects which I feel would carry over well into my documentary trailer and link well in presenting the subject matter and the participants. But how do I present these styles to the audience? When reading a paper on what makes an effective film trailer, they state that “another main purpose in film trailers is to leave the viewer with a feeling of anticipation and the urge to want to see the film.” (Anon, 2016) This allowed me to believe that I must tease my audience of the main footage but give them them enough so they are left curious and wanting to see more.  So if I use these styles to edit around my subject matter to create this effect on the audience then I should have a successful trailer.

One thing that is apparent is that you need a hook to get the viewers to help stick in the minds of the viewers. You need a ‘memorable one-liner that everyone will tell their friends the next day after seeing your movie.’ (Screenwriting.4filmmaking.com, 2015) So, I will be looking through my clips and finding a few funny/deep moments which help in establishing the the subject matter and the individual whilst also being memorable and attract and audience that want to see more.

To summarise, I want my trailer to be a minute long, establish the participants and the subject matter in a meaningful and entertaining way, provide the audience with a reason to come back and see more by teasing them and use professional techniques that I have learned from other trailers to ensure that it is of a high standard that I can sell to potential gatekeepers.

References

Anon. (2016) What Makes An Effective Film Trailer?. Masters. Greenwich

Film Shortage, (2012) The Art Of The Trailer [online] available from <http://filmshortage.com/the-art-of-the-trailer/; [25 Apr 2016]

International Documentary Association. (2016) Doc U: Making Your Trailer Stand Out [online] available from <http://www.documentary.org/event/doc-u-making-your-trailer-stand-out&gt; [20 April 2016]

Mpaa.org, (2015) available from <http://www.mpaa.org/; [1 May 2016]

Natoonline.org, (2016) [online] available from <http://natoonline.org/; [2 Apr 2016]

Screenwriting.4filmmaking.com, (2015) Finding Story Ideas – Film School Online [online] available from <http://screenwriting.4filmmaking.com/find-ideas.html&gt; [2 Apr 2016]

 

Building a Website

Now that I have created social media presences, and reached a stage of post production, I will now creating a website for my production so I can have a more professional online presence. I will be aiming to transfer audience across from the social media platforms to my new platform whilst also having a platform to market to others, perhaps more professional individuals. Even though I will be creating on a new platform, I will look to stick to the same stylistic choices I chose before to reinforce my brand and retain my audience.

When reading an article on how knowing your audience impacts your website, it said you should try answer the following questions: (Harstein, 2014)

• What do you want to accomplish:  To be able to market my documentary in a professional manner whilst reaching out to my potential audience and other professionals in a meaningful and effective way.
• Who do you need to visit your website for this to happen: Ideally I would have journalists visit my website so they might report about it, festival organisers so that they can see my film in a professional light and members of my audience so they engage further
• What would they care about: They would all want the information to be clear and easy to access and they would want further information about the production, including perhaps behind the scenes footage, extra information and an electronic press kit.
• What do they already know about your project: They will possibly have information through either social networking sites or from festival submissions, but they may have none which means it’s important I cover all the key information.
• Any important/defining demographic information: As my production is targeted towards a young audience, I have to create my website with that in mind whilst also being aware of creating it with the possibility of older journalists/festival organisers seeing it also.
• What’s the reason you give them to visit your site: To gather more information about the documentary.

When taking all this into account, these are some of the key points I will be looking to check off when creating my website:

• Modern design that still keeps true to the genre and isn’t too distracting to the information being presented.
• The site will be very easy to read and be sleek and professional, using modern and professional fonts and pictures etc.
• I will include extra knowledge that isn’t found on social networking sites, for instance videos and the electronic press kit.
• Show basic information about the film, including the logline and synopsis so that new audience members are aware of what the documentary entails.
• Link to the social media pages to reinforce our network

References

Hartstein, D. (2014). The Ways Knowing Your Audience Impacts Your Website. [online] Wired Impact. Available at: http://wiredimpact.com/blog/knowing-audience-impacts-website/[Accessed 15 Apr. 2016].

Making an EPK

Before creating an Electronic Press Kit, I did various research into what is expected from the format and how I could make mine good. To do this, I looked at various examples of Electronic Press Kits online and applied features of them to my own.

What is the use for an EPK

When looking at the Raindance website, ‘A press kit is used to send details of the film to journalists and acquisitions executives.’ (Raindance, 2013) This means that the main purpose of the EPK is to be a readily available resource that I could send to journalists so that they receive the information they require.

The article states that the key steps are these:

Step 1: Create a Folder – these will be useful when you need a copy to hand at events

Step 2: Write a Synopsis – “A synopsis is a summary of the story of your film told in an engaging way that captures the reader’s interest and makes them want to see the film“

Step 3: Write Cast and Crew Bio – “You should include brief biographies of the key people you worked with on your movie”

Step 4: Create Ten FAQs – “Creating hype and publicity for your film means that you have to give precise direction and guidance to the people who hear about your film” This could perhaps include audience members or executives or people in similar gatekeeper positions.

Step 5: Get Publicity Stills  –  Having a good collection of stills can help massively in marketing as it can be used for various promotion methods such as posters, dvd covers, etc. 

Step 6: Include Reviews and Third Party Endorsements – “All commercial enterprise uses third party endorsements.” This will help in creating an air of legitimacy around my production.

Step 7: Create an Electronic Press Kit – “An electronic press kit (EPK) is a set of videos and photos, interviews with the principal cast and crew, duplicated and distributed to appropriate people” So, this covers the format of how I should add all of this information together. This could be in the form of a dropbox, usb stick, etc.

(Raindance, 2013)

By using these headers, I should have a fairly concise idea of what to put into the content of my Press Kit, should I apply all the ideas to the correct areas of my production.

Examples

When accounting for these factors, I decided it best to look at a few examples so I can break down how they have interpreted what their content should be.

 Bag It – EPK – A documentary environmental waste. Useful example due to the documentary format.

• I liked the colour scheme and design they used for their pages. The light blue and grey really matched the theme of the documentary and wasn’t too distracting away from the information on the page.
• The question and answer section was particularly effective. I feel adding a different twist on the FAQ section definitely helped in making the EPK seem more personal.
• The length of the EPK was a good one. It went into enough features and with each feature it told what it needed to with clear and concise detail. This makes it particularly easy for the audience to clearly manage the information they are being fed.
• I feel the layout perhaps is a bit too clustered however. The pictures and words are perhaps too close together which makes the information look a bit intimidating. Larger spacing would help deal with this issue.

Adult Life Skills EPK (Tribeca Festival, 2016) – A film about a woman’s coming of age. Useful example as it follows a person’s emotional journey.

• The layout of this EPK is very inventive which I like. They have really tried to capture the genre of the film within the layout and have done it effectively. However, despite admiring the creativity, I feel the execution is lacking and I would like to show my genre more subtly so it does not take too much attention away from the information I’m presenting
• The information was short and sweet. They sold the film and presented their ideas without being overbearing by writing too much and oversaturating.
• They definitely invest you in the concept by making it seem very personal which is definitely a good thing. However, they overdo the unique style which becomes frustrating and overwhelming to read all the little notes they make on the page.

When taking all these points into consideration, I am going to to ensure I create an EPK that isn’t overly saturated containing useless information, that gives clear and concise information and is formatted in a way which the person reading it will be interested in the information i’m presenting. I will include the following information:

• A brief synopsis of the idea.
• Technical information on the production process.
• Participants/Crew information.
• Promotional Poster
• A slightly longer synopsis.
• Behind the scenes shots
• Director’s notes.
• Contact details
• Biographies
• Stills from the production
• Third party comments

Creation

To put together my EPK, I will be using the PDF software in which I can edit together all of my information. PDF has been the format in which next to all of the EPKs I discovered are formatted in and I want to maintain my project to the industry standard.

I will be stylising my EPK around the subject of love and mystery by using imagery that they use on Tinder such as the hearts and the like and dislike symbols. Furthermore, I will be downloading the custom font that they use for Tinder to further enforce this branding. Colour ‘creates meaning and influences behaviour’ (Arnhheim, 1974) So I will be using reds and other homely/romantic colours to show my documentary’s format.

References

Arnheim, R. (1974). Art and visual perception. Berkeley: University of California Press.

BagitMovie, (2015). Bag it Movie Press Kit. [online] Available at:http://www.bagitmovie.com/press_kit/PressKit_11.17.11.pdf [Accessed 13 Apr. 2016].

Tribeca Festival. (2016) Adult Life Skills EPK [online] available from <https://s3.amazonaws.com/tribeca_cms_production/uploads/document/document/56fc08b1a270e591ea000004/ADULT_LIFE_SKILLS_Press_Notes.pdf&gt; [13 April 2016]

Raindance, (2013). 7 Essentials For A Press Kit – Raindance. [online] Available at:http://www.raindance.org/7-essentials-for-a-press-kit/ [Accessed 3 Apr. 2016].

What Are Employers Looking For?

I decided that to determine what professional skills and traits I needed to possess, I should research what professionals are looking for in someone of my role. From this I have looked at some job vacancies that are within my area of work that I want to go in perhaps:

I have taken the following examples from the job recruitment site Indeed. (Indeed.co.uk, 2016)

“We are looking to take on a Video Editor with experience of working to tight deadlines without compromising on creativity. As Editor, you will be responsible for liaising with the Producers and Head of Film to understand projects and requirements. You will be assembling raw footage, reviewing footage and discussing layout or editing approach of all projects. You’ll need to be professional, assertive, well organized and a massive team player with a huge sense of humour!” – Video editor for Meridian Business Support

“The ideal candidate will be a talented video editor with an eye for great design and an uncompromising desire to create outstanding videos and motion graphic experiences.” – Video Editor for A1 People

“The role will require you to edit projects, set up and operate all editing systems and to provide support to all members of the video team.As Editor you will be responsible for liaising with the Producers and Head of Film to understand projects and requirements. You will be assembling raw footage, reviewing footage and discussing layout or editing approach of all projects. We are looking for a team player who can actively help to maintain quality and technical standards for the video team whilst simultaneously contributing towards the creative environment at Juice.” – Video Editor at Juice

All of these adverts go on to list technical skills and experience that you should have which include very specific skills such as knowing certain technical craft such as knowing how adobe software works and having certain attributes such as being able to work closely with others.

These adverts have highlighted the importance of experience which I am hoping to acquire through being a freelance video editor. I have noticed that the majority of these jobs are full time positions and require me to be in that role full time, which is something I didn’t completely expect and thought it would be more project to project. I have also noticed that most of the jobs advertised are in London. Infact, “London has 13% of the UK’s population but 55% of the UK’s film companies.” (Stephenfollows.com, 2015) This shows just how large London is with regards to the film industry and my employability options being being larger if I make myself available to this region.

When looking at the National Careers Service, they list the following qualities which are desirable in a video editor:

• a mixture of creative and practical skills
• a good sense of timing and visual awareness
• a high level of attention to detail
• excellent communication skills
• the ability to work as part of a team
• willingness to work long hours when necessary
• the ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines
• patience and concentration
• good computer skills (Nationalcareerservice.direct.gov.uk, 2016)

So, I should be able to demonstrate these skills in all aspects of the employment process, in my CV, portfolio and interview. To do this I should be able to state that I can do these things and have relevant examples to back up the fact I can do these/am are these things. For example, “you can demonstrate your communication skills in the interview, in the application, and through experiences. Have your ideas and any necessary information ready in your mind.” (Jobs.ac.uk, 2016) This is applicable to all other skills and traits and I should be prepared in being able to demonstrate any skill or trait I claim to possess.

Conclusion

The research I have undertaken into what what employers are looking for are going to shape how I approach my own personal development, knowing what to focus on, and increasing the likelihood of being able to present myself in a manner which will be pleasing to potential employers. It has helped me know I am on the right track and with the proper development and formatting, I can reflect myself in a way which can be advantageous.

 

References

Indeed.co.uk, (2016) Video Editor Jobs, Vacancies In Oxford|Indeed.Co.Uk [online] available from <http://www.indeed.co.uk/jobs?q=video+editor&l=Oxford&gt; [11 March 2016]

Jobs.ac.uk, (2016) What Are Employers Looking For? Skills And Qualifications – Careers Advice – Jobs.Ac.Uk [online] available from <http://www.jobs.ac.uk/careers-advice/interview-tips/1337/what-are-employers-looking-for-skills-and-qualifications&gt; [11 April 2016]

Nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk, (2016) Video Editor Job Information | National Careers Service [online] available from <https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/advice/planning/jobprofiles/Pages/videoeditor.aspx&gt; [1 May 2016]

Stephenfollows.com, (2015) How Much Of The UK Film Industry Is Based In London? [online] available from <https://stephenfollows.com/how-much-of-uk-film-industry-is-london-based/&gt; [2 May 2016]

 

 

 

Hot Topics With Tinder

To break up the main segments about the four participants, I had decided I will do street interviews with people about Tinder’s more sensitive subjects and see if the majority agree or disagree that these issues are perceived as such.

To start off the interview, I should ask a lighter question to ease the participant into the process. In an article by Bloomberg, they state that Tinder is “The fastest-growing dating app in America is a tale of corporate romance”. (Summers, 2016). But how many people do or have used it? I will be questioning this with my initial query will be whether they have.

For my second and third question, I will be prying slightly deeper into the subject matter and asking about the perceived romanticism with causal relationships the application is said to promote. In the article entitled “Tinder And Humanitarian Hook-Ups: The Erotics Of Social Media Racism” (Mason, 2016), they speak in vast context about the causal relationships that are formed and how it is based on a type of social media racism where you treat individuals as sexual objects. They speak further about how this type of new age way of thinking is throwing out old ideals of dating. So for question 2 and 3 I will be asking whether they think that Tinder promotes an unhealthy way of dating that involves treating others superficially and whether Tinder upholds old ideals of dating.

For my final question, I will questioning the security of the mobile dating app. It is often reported the dangers of releasing your personal information online. The article named “Dressing Up Tinderella: Interrogating Authenticity Claims On The Mobile Dating App Tinder” discusses various security and privacy concerns involved including not using your own identity, passing on too much of your own information and not knowing/consenting to the ways in which your information is being shared. All of these ideas are reinforced in the paper labeled ‘The Security of Tinder’(Feltz, 2015). With the author adding a real honest and scathing view on the lack of security the application offers with your personal information and how willingly we give it up. So my final question will be is if they are aware/think there are any security and privacy issues with using tinder and if so what.

References

Duguay, S. (2016) “Dressing Up Tinderella: Interrogating Authenticity Claims On The Mobile Dating App Tinder”. Information, Communication & Society 1-17

Feltz, M. (2015) The Security Of Tinder [online] available from <http://www.cs.tufts.edu/comp/116/archive/fall2015/mfeltz.pdf&gt; [30 March 2016]

Mason, C. (2016) “Tinder And Humanitarian Hook-Ups: The Erotics Of Social Media Racism”. Feminist Media Studies 1-16

Summers, N. (2016) Dating App Tinder Catches Fire [online] available from <http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-09-05/dating-app-tinder-catches-fire&gt; [6 May 2016]

Contributor Release Form

For legal purposes, I knew it was imperative to create a contributor release form that I would get everyone to sign whose image I was using to ensure I had myself legally covered and so my contributors were aware of what they were agreeing to. I looked at a couple of examples online:

Whilst this first one is a very nice template, it doesn’t quite cover all of the legal basis’ I want it to. However, I found one from ScreenHi which very much does so. (Anon, 2016) So, I combined both of these templates to make my own which works well for my production. I have had all of the contributors sign this release form to ensure mine and their safety.

References

Anon. (2016) Consent [online] available from <http://screenhi.co.uk/production/consent&gt; [4 May 2016]

Location Recce Forms

I checked with a few examples online in terms of what to include in the location recce forms and this is the best example I could find in terms of it being useful for my type of shooting and form:

Location recce from EDPRICE93

Location Recce from elliekaye

 

So, I altered the questions to fit my production and locations and created this template:

Here is an example of a filled out form after visiting one of one of the locations of one of the subjects:

Communities of Practice

In my previous posts, I looked at being a part of communities online and how that can impact my career, however there are many physical communities of practice which I can also be involved with and that I should be considering. When considering the job of a post production worker, it is quite a lonely profession in the way which you will be often working by yourself for the most part. So, having physical communities in this respect is very important in order to not become too unattached and to keep up to date with everything.

One community I have been involved with for many years, and hope to still have involvement with in some capacity, is Source TV. (CUSU.org, 2016) They provide me with opportunities where I can flex my creative muscles whilst interacting with other aspiring film industry professionals. It is a free to join society it has provided me with contacts for whilst also helping me develop as a media producer in technical skills and networking abilities. This experience has been imperative in advancing as a media professional.

Another network I have begun to be a part of is PostProductionPro, it is a “destination for film and tv post production professionals.”  (Postproductionpro.com, 2016) Whilst this community is available to access online, it has a very big physical presence where you can meet up with individuals in certain locations regularly. As this is a very popular company, I know I will be able to meet even more professional individuals who can teach me things that I don’t know and can help in furthering my career prospects. This is a community that I have only just joined but I have attended one event and met some individuals from it who I believe to be very useful and friendly. This is definitely an option I will be exploring further.

When looking at what professionals think , I researched some advice given by PRfuel on how networking in communities can further your own career and how to analyse whether a network is valuable:

• “Determine if the networking event is aligned with your business goals  Why do you attend networking events? What specifically are you looking to accomplish? Are you looking for business partners? Trying to connect directly with your customers? Recruiting new employees? Your goals will determine which events you should attend. So, if you haven’t figured out what your specific goals are, you need to do that before doing anything else.
• Set aside an amount of time each month for attending networking events — You can’t spend all of your time attending networking events. Sure, these events can offer a lot, but you have to make sure they don’t become a way for you to avoid doing more important tasks. Again, time is money. So, allot an amount of time to spend at networking events each month, and try to stick to that number.
• Ask your colleagues about events you’ve never attended — If you come across a new networking group that you’ve never dealt with before, speak to your colleagues to see if they’ve ever attended any of the group’s events. If it’s an event worth attending, there’s a decent chance that someone you know will have attended it before and will be able to provide you with some useful insight.
• Search online to see if there’s any buzz for the event in question — See an event coming up that you’re thinking about attending? Search the web to see if there’s any buzz building up for the event. Search on Twitter for mentions of the event, or search Google to see if there’s a website for the networking group. If you’re having a hard time finding much information on the web, that’s a sign that the event is probably pretty small and not well organized. Might be best to skip it.
• Look back at your results — Have you been attending the same networking events over and over with nothing to show for it? That should tell you something. Either the group that you’re networking with isn’t the right fit for you or you’re just not doing a good job at getting the most from the events you’re attending.”

(Ereleases.com, 2012)

So, in the future when looking at networks, I will use these criteria to assess whether it is worthwhile of my time and will it fit me personally and my future career advancement.

When assessing my experience in regards to post production work, it is very advantageous to be part of these communities as you can utilise the other individuals within that community to progress your own career whilst also simultaneously helping them and creating a valuable contact. Thanks to doing this research, I now value these networks more and plan to keep within the ones which I am involved in and sign up for more if they are the correct fit. This is because I see the value of them in furthering both myself as a professional and my career prospects.

References

CUSU.org, (2016) Source Media [online] available from <http://www.cusu.org/source/&gt; [12 April 2016]

Ereleases.com, (2012) How To Determine If That Networking Event Is Worth Attending [online] available from <http://www.ereleases.com/prfuel/how-to-determine-if-that-networking-event-is-worth-attending/&gt; [12 April 2016]

Postproductionpro.com, (2016) Postproductionpro.Com [online] available from <http://postproductionpro.com/&gt; [12 April 2016]

 

 

Using Social Networking For Marketing

Marketing via social networks

When thinking of the promotion of my project, I tried to go from my past experience of how I have promoted my projects in the past, which has been largely through social networks. Due to the fact I am doing a crowdfunding campaign, this step needs to be treated with a large importance. So, I did research into what makes a campaign like mine successful.

When researching similar documentaries who undertake crowdfunding campaigns, I came across two documentaries, Saving Capitalism and Barney’s Wall, which I will use as an example. I have used both of their Facebook’s to break down how they have marketed themselves. (Saving Captilism Facebook, 2016) (Barney’s Wall Facebook, 2016). Both of these examples will be very helpful, Barney’s Wall has 390 likes and Saving Capitalism has 2917 likes. So whilst  Saving capitalism will show me what a heavily successful project will do, Barney’s Wall can show me more of a grounded view of how a lower audience production gains more of a following.

Barney’s Wall mixes up posts about popular film culture to gain a greater audience as well as behind the scenes pictures/footage and updates about the fundraising campaign.

Saving Capitalism’s Facebook page is very similar and is constantly updating their audience with news on the indiegogo campaign, how the project is coming along in general and other relevant news if they think it may be applicable to show to their audience.

When reading a book on social media marketing, it claims that “Social media marketing plans, like any marketing plan, must target the audience in a meaningful and relevant manner”  (Tuten and Solomon, 2013). This is something that both of these facebook pages do in abundance. They both are always speaking about their campaign, which is something the backers will want to know if they are investing their time and money into the project, and they both speak about relevant topics that their audience will be interested in, such as film, television and current events which are applicable to their project.

As I do not have a marketing budget, I need to consider social media marketing as a matter of paramount importance as it allows me to reach a large audience for free. “With a minimal promotional budget, Raceway’s leadership recognizes the value of incorporating social media into its communications program“. (Tuten and Solomon, 2013) By this, we can see how top companies are resorting to social media marketing due to low budgets. So, this is definitely something that is worthwhile that I should be exploring.

As my documentary is about dating through a social network of sorts, marketing through social networks makes sense. Also, I have themed my page around dating, love and tinder in a modern way to help show my genre and target my young audience. I will make stylistic decisions with this in mind, reinforcing my genre and target audience.

When you sign up to Tinder “you simply log in through Facebook” (Bilton, 2014). Which shows quite how synonymous the two companies are, as everyone who has a Tinder profile, has a Facebook. So, marketing through Facebook will be very beneficial in reaching the right audience.

 (Modern Mobile Dating Facebook, 2016)

As well as my Facebook page, I have created a Twitter account for my production. This is so I can engage with my audience and other professionals/productions that would be helpful for the advancement of my project.

(Modern Mobile Dating Twitter, 2016)

In order to keep my audience updated, I will be constantly updating both my Twitter and Facebook pages with information regarding the indiegogo campaign, the project development, sharing relevant information and engaging with professionals and projects.

References

Barney’s Wall Facebook. (2016) Barney’s Wall Facebook [online] available from <https://www.facebook.com/barneyswall/?fref=ts&gt; [2 April 2016]

Bilton, N. (2014) Tinder, The Fast-Growing Dating App, Taps An Age-Old Truth [online] available from <http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/30/fashion/tinder-the-fast-growing-dating-app-taps-an-age-old-truth.html?_r=0&gt; [2 April 2016]

Modern Mobile Dating Facebook. (2016) Modern Mobile Dating Facebook [online] available from <https://www.facebook.com/Modern-Mobile-Dating-1066647800063127/&gt; [3 April 2016]

Modern Mobile Dating Twitter. (2016) Modern Mobile Dating Twitter [online] available from <https://www.twitter.com/ModernMobileDating/&gt; [3 April 2016]

Saving Capitalism Facebook. (2016) Saving Capitalism Facebook [online] available from <https://www.facebook.com/SavingCapitalism/?fref=ts&gt; [30 March 2016]

Tuten, T. and Solomon, M. (2013) Social Media Marketing. Boston: Pearson

 

Documentary Ethics

As my film can cause emotional distress in people due to it’s sensitive nature and perhaps put people into physical danger due to speaking to strangers, it is a project that is of a medium to high risk. This is assessed using the ethics guidelines provided by Coventry University. (Ethics.coventry.ac.uk, 2016) With regards to ethics in the documentary format, there isn’t an official set of rules to abide by. However, the IDA talk of a need to ‘protect the well-being of both film subjects and actual viewers’ (International Documentary Association, 2015). being the primary guideline. They go further into the meaning  behind this and say you should “do nothing that would violate the humanity of your subject and nothing that would compromise the trust of your audience.” As these guidelines are quite vague and don’t go into specifically what it means to avoid these actions, it made me question in what ways these ideas can be applicable to my project. So, I did research into how other documentaries have abided to these guidelines whilst also creating an entertaining piece. 

When looking at the silent documentary film Nanook of the North, (Robert Flaherty, 1922) it shows a lot of stereotypes of a culture and has been criticised for that. However, I wish to do very differently in my documentary. Whilst stereotypes often show the extreme for entertainment, I wish to show the grounded view and make an informative piece on what an actual opinions on Tinder, both through new users, old users, and through recording real events as they happen, thus not perpetuating the stereotypes. Although I appreciate that at the time Nanook of the North will have been incredibly insightful, I want to be able to create something that goes beyond stereotypes and offers new information to my audience. People may just live up to the stereotypes within my documentary, but it is of paramount importance that I am there to record the truth and not take away from what is the reality of the situation and delve as deep into the situation as possible.

 

When looking at the film Born Into Brothels (Zana Briski, Ross Kaufman, 2004) we can see how the producers form a relationship with their subjects as they have a large ethical responsibilities for the safety of their subjects and through the intervention they have allowed the children to be able to express themselves in the best and safest way possible.

In terms of my documentary, I will be taking numerous aspects from Born Into Brothels into my own production work. They had to cater their camera crew to encourage the subjects to act in a certain way. So, I will be doing the same and having a very small crew, often just myself, so I can connect personally with the individual to extract the most personal details possible. Also, by being very close to the subjects, whilst definitely being able to pass on my creative vision, I can ensure that I “do nothing that would violate the humanity of your subject”. However, by taking such an involved role, I must ensure that I do not “compromise the trust” of my audience by pushing my vision on the subjects too much and instead just guiding them to a safe and entertaining outcome without making it structured reality and having it still capture the truth.

 

Can Tinder Be a Sensitive Subject?

As Tinder is an application where you are speaking to strangers and deals with dating, a subject that can be very emotionally affective to people, it can be a very sensitive subject. In the media, it is often shown only through very negative circumstances. Therefore, people are often very passionate against the use of the application. So, I must respect this and protect the people who are passionate against Tinder through methods to keep them anonymous if they wish to be so.

References

Born into Brothels. (2004). [film] India: Zana Briski, Ross Kaufman.

Ethics.coventry.ac.uk, (2016). Low Risk Ethics Checklist. [online] Available at:https://ethics.coventry.ac.uk/about/Low-Risk-Ethics-Checklist.aspx [Accessed 4 Mar. 2016].

International Documentary Association, (2015). What to Do About Documentary Distortion? Toward a Code of Ethics. [online] Available at: http://www.documentary.org/content/what-do-about-documentary-distortion-toward-code-ethics-0 [Accessed 4 Mar. 2016].

Nanook of the North. (1922). [film] Artic Circle: Robert Flaherty.