Week 6 Update

Readings

The first link was unavailable and I couldn't find it when I googled it, so I looked up some other articles on the same topic and read those. 

Here are their links: 

http://www.northeastern.edu/events/downloads/Top%20Ten%20Tips%20for%20Planning%20an%20Event.pdf

http://www.buzzbinpadillacrt.com/ten-tips-for-successful-event-planning/

The second link was the most helpful for me, because it talks about using a twitter handle and creating a hashtag, so that guests can post pictures and tweet about the event which I hadn't thought of before. It's a cool idea because it takes a lot of the pressure off of the visions staff to take pictures and allows our guests to post photos for a reason. I'm also thinking it might be cool to have our instagram pulled up on the screen in the background when no one is singing or we have a break, so our guests can show off their pics! 

The budget reading was intense for me, because budgets are hard for my brain to understand, but the tips at the end were very straightforward. These will be helpful in staving off any "unexpected" costs. 

Weekly Research

I've been doing a lot of research lately about the best platforms for small businesses and how you should decide where to spend money in marketing and where to not spend money. Things that will help me answer the questions: Is it worth it? Do we actually need it? How can we be better? 

Also, I love "the marketing blog" so much!!

Here are the links I've found to be most helpful:

http://themarketingspot.com/2010/11/how-do-i-get-my-name-out-there.html

http://themarketingspot.com/2009/06/complete-thumbnail-guide-choosing-right-media.html

(This one's about Facebook!) http://themarketingspot.com/2010/08/science-art-of-your-facebook-posting-strategy.html

Festival Update

I've emailed and called four more festivals (Brooklyn Film Festival, Tribeca (again), LA Film Festival, and Manhattan Film Festival) and I still have not heard back. I also targeted these four because they have May/June festival dates. I'm not giving up though! 

Meetings

Jack and I met for around four hours on Thursday, spending a lot of time re-working the missions and about statement. Then we met Monday to go over it once more before class after he reworked some of the sentences that we had trouble with. I looked over it and signed off and also showed him the press release I drafted over the weekend and asked him to research some other press releases and see if he had anything to add. He has also been in contact with CAIC to figure out all of the on-campus advertising can take place and how long it would take to set up. I've been in contact with one radio station and have found that Kevin has a contact in radio that we can get in touch with. My number one stress inducer is trying to remember that doing everything isn't as helpful as doing three things the best. I'm trying to narrow down and am hoping that the class will be able to tell me better what they use the most and what advertising stands out to them the most. Putting our eggs in all the baskets isn't going to be as good as putting them in only a few--and cost wise it's impossible to get the word out there to absolutely everyone. 

Week 5 Update and Dirty Dozen

Update

Jack and I met on Thursday during our Departmental meeting time (7-8), and we talked about our different options of publicity on and off campus (our brainstorms are in the folder, which will be uploaded to the manual ASAP). Then we divvied up the on campus and off campus to find out how to contact those sources. We then met on Monday after I had given him instructions about the presentation and I approved his final presentation to share with the class this Tuesday. 

In the director's meeting, we talked about how to be better managers, using Trello, and emailed Natalie to get Pegasaurus passes. And Passion Planners - which are the shit, by the way.

On the Festival Interview, I am still waiting on a reply for Tammie Rosen - who is in charge of press and interviews for Tribeca. I really want to interview the Marketing Director there. I think that she is about to break. But if she doesn't contact me back this week, then I will lose all hope.

Dirty Dozen

1. What is the project supposed to achieve?

Film Freeway is supposed to promote Visions 6 as a professional festival, get the word out in a clear manner about when call for entry dates are, and be an easy way to submit and contact our festival.

2. Who is the customer?

Filmmakers and Scholars who want to submit their films and papers.

3. What are the deliverables of the project?

The deliverables of Film Freeway are a page that intrigues undergraduate filmmakers to submit to Visions.

4. What is the budget?

$0

5. How long will it take?

Setting Up Film Freeway will take about a month.

6. What specific skills are needed?

Ability to research other festival’s FilmFreeway pages. Knowing how to keep a consistent tone throughout. Knowing how to hit on key points that “sell” our page to the filmmaker. Knowing how to work with key creative personnel to achieve a cohesive, clear, nice looking page. 

7. What special resources are needed?

Times and dates for call for entries and an agreed upon mission statement for what Visions truly is will be needed to complete the Film Freeway page.

8. Who is working the project? What is each person's job?

I am in charge of looking over the content on the Film Freeway page. I also work with Kevin (Programming Director) to make sure that all the dates are correct and the vibe of the content meshes with what he believes his audience will be looking for. I work with Michelle (Art Director) who is in charge of the backsplash, logo, and the look of Film Freeway. I work with Shannon (Hospitality Director) to decide on which pictures from past Visions we should use to promote the festival.

9. What is the schedule?

9/22 – Brainstorm verbage with class

9/23 – Meet with Shannon B. about Pictures for Film Freeway

10/5 – Upload Backsplash and Logo from Michelle

10/27 – Film Freeway Up and Running

10. What are the risks? (Small vs. large impact, likely vs. unlikely)

•   Large impact, unlikely: We don’t get enough submissions

•   Large impact, somewhat likely: We get too many submissions

•   Small impact, unlikely: We have confused customers submitting films/papers at the wrong times because the website is confusing.

11. How will you communicate with your team?

I am communicating to make sure that each department is getting the message out that they want and communicating that in the right way, dealing with audience, age appropriate research. I have each of the director’s numbers and can Facebook message with them directly. For Art we have a weekly meeting together, as well as a group chat. Since I’m mainly dealing with directors on this project the two weekly director meetings will be helpful in getting across important messages.

12. How will you determine if the project is successful?

We will determine if our project is successful by the number of submissions, but also looking at the quality of submissions that we receive. If we receive submissions that we believe are not well done, then we may have targeted the wrong audience.

Week 3 Reflection

Departmental Meeting (Thursday, 7-8:05 PM)

This week Jack and I brainstormed for taglines to go with the Festival theme - Space. At our departmental meeting Jack and I brainstormed together throwing out every idea that popped into our head and I created a Google Doc so we could refer back to it over the weekend to think more about it.  We talked more about our social media plan and I told him to keep researching festivals that he liked and what their posts on Facebook looked like and I will do the same. We then met with Michelle and Tyler and talked about tones of writing that we thought went with their overall theme. We brought up five words that we hoped to go over with other directors and the class as a whole: Resilient, Witty, Savvy, Creative, and Resourceful. We thought these words matched the feel of a Millennial's mindset (which Jack and I researched and shared).

Director's Meeting (Friday, 10-11 AM)

Michelle, Adrienne, Shannon Silva and I were at this weeks director's meeting. We talked about the schedule for the next two months and gave tasks out for each department to distribute. Until October 27th (the day of the launch party), we will all be busy publicizing the event and launch for the call for entries. My main tasks are coordinating with the press, keeping track of dates, and making sure content is cohesive and matches in tone across all departments. Kevin, Michelle, and I have set up a meeting after class on Tuesday to talk about Film Freeway.

Assignment 1 Progress

As of yet no Festival Director will contact me back. I've emailed several film festivals. I am specifically targeting New York.  I have been in direct contact with Tammie Rosen the press coordinator for Tribeca and she seems very willing to help but says all of the Festival Directors are in Toronto. If I cannot get an interview eventually I hope next year a director might contact her more in advance. She said if they had known sooner they would have been better prepared to say yes to a short interview especially to aid in education. 

Manual and Job Description Readings 

The Job description for the Art/PR department was a lot to take in, but also very helpful. I can see better now my goal and how I fit in with the rest of the departments. It was also very helpful to read the other job descriptions because they filled in key elements that I did not know needed to happen - as in important dates and events that I need to be aware of. It's also good to realize how much work others have so that you realize you're not in this alone, and you can't fall down on your job, because everyone else has their own stuff to deal with. 

Assignment 1, Part 1 for the Sacramento International Film Festival

1. What time is your interview scheduled and who will you be talking with when you call/skype? 

Martin Anaya is not responding. 

2. Who started it and who runs it? 

Kenneth Knoll started the Sacramento’s Festival of Cinema in 1995. He then gave control to Executive Director, Ron Cooper, and Managing Festival Director, Martin Anaya. Martin Anaya gained full control of the Sacramento International Film Festival in 2004.

3. What is the mission of the festival/conference? (copy and paste the first paragraph) 

The Sacramento Film Society affirms the visionary spirit of the world’s cinematic geniuses who use the film arts to enlighten, educate, entertain and enrich the audiences of the world.

4. How does this compare with their actual programming choices from the past two years? Be specific in describing what they program (mode, categories within mode, niche, Political? Global? Local? Gender? Sexuality? Race? Any themes that you see? etc...) 

This past year they programmed films that dealt with local issues and talent, sports documentaries, and global documentaries. The overarching themes that this festival tends to lean towards are universal emotions or subjects, films that everyone is able to relate to. This works with their mission, because they want to focus on educating the world. It also works with their history, however, because the festival started out being a local festival concerned with local issues. 

5. Where is the event? 

The events are held at Tower Theater, Crest Theater, The Delta King, and the Esquire Theater. 

6. When is the event? (Give dates from last year if not current)

This year was April 25 – May 3, 2015.  

7. How do you submit? Snail mail, online, withoutabox, through their site, etc... 

You can submit on FilmFreeway or Withoutabox. Links to both websites are included on their home page. 

8. When are the deadlines to enter? Early? Reg? Late? 

Early deadline is July 15, 2015. Regular Deadline is September 15, 2015. Late deadline is October 15, 2015.

9. How much does it cost to enter? 

 Each category an early, regular, late deadline fee, final deadline fee, and extended deadline fee. ($25, $30, $35, $50, $65),  

10. Who’s eligible, what are the guidelines to enter? 

There are three main categories: short form (under 20 minutes total running time), long form (20 minutes to an hour total running time), and features (over an hour total running time). There are also special Showcases, which include: Latino Filmmaker’s Showcase, Environmental Visions, Urban Films Showcase, Animated Film Showcase, Future Visionaries: Youth Showcase, Nor Cal All Stars, American Screenplay Challenge (Comedy, Dramatic, Short), Cine Asia, Fashion on Film. Everyone is eligible to enter unless they are employees, volunteers, interns, or board members.  

11. Is there a Student category? 

There’s a student category for filmmakers 7^th to 12^th grade. 

12. What formats do they except for jurying? DVD, Vimeo, Flash drives? 

You can submit a preview copy on Film Freeway online or you can submit a DVD with the completed application. DVDs must be NTSC standard (no PAL tapes or other formats).

13. What formats do they except for exhibition/screening? 

Exhibition and screening formats must be on an HD online copy (vimeo/youtube), a 35mm, DVD or Blu Ray. 

14. How many films screened at the festival last year? 

56 films screened last year.

15. How long is a typical shorts block or paper presentation block at their event? 

A typical shorts block is two hours long. 

16. How many films or papers do they program per block? 

They program around 6-9 films per block. 

17. How do people register to attend? Is there a cost to attend as a guest? 

It costs $150 for an all access general pass and $120 for students. You can call and get tickets or you can order tickets from Brown Paper Tickets located on the schedule on the website. 

18. Look at sponsorship page and see what businesses. Grants and private entities give money to the event. Figure out how many of each kind and note any leads that might be useful to us. 

There is no page dedicated to sponsorship, but the sponsors for the California Film Foundation are listed at the bottom of every page: The Studio Center, CalMediaSolutions.com, Withoutabox, The Delta King, SAG-AFTRA, Sacremento365 Event page, SacLatino Magazine, The Crest Theater, Brown Paper Tickets, Reading Theaters, IP Narrow Cast Digital Signage.  

19. What are their sponsorship levels and incentives for each level? 

Not applicable to this Festival. 

20. Did they have a kickstarter or indiegogo? What incentives did they have for each level of donor? 

I could not find a Kickstarter or Indiegogo campaign. 

21. What kind of non­traditional film/video events have they had before? Things like Installations, 'Visual Soundwalls,' VJing etc.

-They have incorporated a 48 hour film event called “48 Hours Sacramento.” Each year has a different theme. This year the theme was “SUPER-MODELS” (Super-sexy heroines). They also have an after party equipped with DJs and stars. 

22. Are there ways in which they have expanded the typical film screening event? How have they branched out from sitting in a dark room in front of a screen? 

They hold one of their film blocks on The Delta King, a boat much like the Henrietta in Wilmington. They held a workshop called the Digital Odyssey Conference in which you meet creators of film, games, music and online distribution and then you are able to build your own transmedia project at the festival. 

Our website is our virtual face. Every day our site has incoming traffic, nationally and internationally. It's important that visitors are able to find the information that they need without being sent on a wild goose chase through our pages. We want visiting our site to be easy and painless, and for our visitors to have as good of an experience virtually as they would actually attending the event. Our goal is for the Visions site to be easy to navigate, to be aesthetically pleasing, and to easily deliver the information our audience is looking for without overwhelming them. The following exercise will help you see how important all of these things are to a first time (and hopefully a future repeat) visiting our site.

Answer the following questions about your experience with your assigned festival’s/conference’s website:

23. Is the layout easy to navigate? What makes it easy?

No. The layout is very difficult to navigate. The only things that were easy were the submitting links to Withoutabox and FilmFreeway. 

24. Is the layout difficult to navigate? What makes it difficult?

Yes. It’s very difficult. It’s confusing and I’m not sure what is what or where I can find the festival page. The buttons at the top that link to parts of the page don’t even link to information about the festival and the link at the top of the page to the “festival’s page” takes you to the same exact site you were on. 

25. Can you find the information you are looking for on the homepage or via a link on the homepage? 

No. I had to look on Google, Facebook, and dig into their website, and even then I couldn’t find some of the information about the festival. 

26. Aesthetically, what catches your eye? What's cool about it?

I do like that they have a community of filmmakers on their website that can have their resumes and connect. I also like d that they had the upcoming events so readily available on the homepage.

27. Aesthetically, what doesn't fit in? What makes it look bad?

It’s very messy, and the cover photo for the homepage looks like it was from smart art on Word. None of the fonts match and the links to important information on the side look like their sponsor links, so they are confusing and camouflaged to people who aren’t looking carefully. None of it seems very cohesive and I have to work to find some sort of theme for this festival. 

28. Should there be more information? Is the page too bare?

No. Putting more information on the page would be overwhelming. 

29. Should there be less information? Is the page too busy?

There needs to be less information on each page and more tabs on the top of the site full of organized, thorough information.

30. What would you do differently if you were to redesign this website?

I would give the website a cohesive theme and make all of the colors and fonts match. I would also reorganize everything and perhaps make two separate pages that link together: one for the California Film Foundation specifically and one for the Sacramento International Film Festival. 

31. What would you keep the same if you were to redesign this website?

I would keep the added element of the community of filmmakers on the website connected in a Facebook-like atmosphere.