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Kurt knows how to tell a story

Posted via web from Wanderful

Posted via web from Wanderful

Posted via web from Wanderful

Posted via web from Wanderful

Posted via email from Wanderful

Posted via web from Wanderful

Posted via web from Wanderful

Posted via web from Wanderful

Introduction: Ted Hope, The Six Pillars of Cinema, and four eyed monsters.

This is Ted Hope’s excellent keynote addressing the current state of cinema and tv, and suggesting his ’six pillars’ theory. What is interesting is that he stops short of suggesting a definitive solution as there is none out there yet.

This video is a case study by foureyedmonsters, who created and distributed a successful feature film (including a series of episodic podcasts) online.

The foureyedmonsters creators were quirky emo kids with no charm. They were addictive because they drew you in with a strange deception. What was real and what wasn’t in their relationship and more importantly in the way they told their story? It was scary and brilliant. It was difficult to stop watching their webisodes because I wanted to know what would happen…

They by no means solved the problem of online marketing and distribution. (Arin Crumley went on to form the From Here to Awesome festival and continues to explore the area). Their use of the technology available at the time (a case study) is interesting, as is the narrative they presented during the course of making their movie- was it all a lie??? Or a beautiful truth we wouldn’t see anywhere else than alone in our rooms, privately watching on our computer screens….all the while anticipating the full feature film in the local cinema…

The more niche and the quirkier it is the better it works. Other great examples of episodic content online used in film are:

M Dot Strange (We Are the Strange)

Lance Weiler (Workbook Project)

I should say that in my opinion, online series fail if they exist only on their own. They have to be part of a whole story- the story is online as part of series but may also appear elsewhere- on a cinema screen, or a tv, or in emails…Lance Weiler presents social media for storytellers here…

I can see the need to lean in the direction of social media marketing and engagement- I see it as vital as the production in the creative and commercial process now. The thing is (and this comes up all the time), the technology can be as much of a hindrance as a help. Particularly when we’re looking at the internet and the infinite possibilities there for creation and experimentation. The image I have for when someone tunnels too far down into researching and understanding the tools of technology is of lemmings jumping off a cliff. It distracts from the human and the creative side.

Here’s what the traditional production process looks like, roughly speaking, and its what most film producers are familiar with:

Pre-production->Production->Post-production->Marketing and Distribution.

If we look at that process energetically this is what you get:

READ ON….click the “Read More” link below for the rest of the article…

What you sometimes get with film producers and those familiar with the tradional production process is that the marketing and distribution stuff is way down the tunnel. It’s at the far end of the telescope and takes a financial and energetic percentage equivalent to that. You’re talking around 10% of the budget if you’re lucky, and probably half of that energetically. The marketing and distribution through social media needs to run in parallel. It should all work together, in perfect harmony, right the way through.

I wrote an article here (50% of the budget for marketing and distribution!!?) about this subject, taking foureyedmonsters as a case study, a couple of years ago- although a lot of it is still relevant.

Instead of getting into a trance when they look at all that’s possible to do on the internet (which happens some times), it would be great if the film producers were able to embrace all the possibilities out there for telling their stories and were able to come up with some creative ideas for new approaches. You can’t prescribe a model, you can just show how to take a snapshot of what’s available and ways to follow through. It would be fantastic if as a result of their efforts they were able to create a new model for online content distribution and promotion of their movies that hasn’t been tried before.

I like that social media isn’t just online. It can mean outside engagement too, using the tools freely available online to use to create communities and solidarity around stories and characters in real life. If that side of things is pushed, I think people get excited because it is more human- its about using a medium to tell a story and ultimately, yes, creating an audience, building a following, selling loads of seats, making money…

Ted Hope has a lot of interesting things to say about a new film culture. I don’t want to forget that he leaves the whole thing open for producers to play with:
“Cinema is supported by six pillars and until now creators truly only participated in two of them: content and production….Marketing and narrative each influence each other. Each can be used together to effectively shape our perception and knowledge of the events we intend to consume….If we stop being cynical about the ‘marketing’ aspects and use them to shape our narratives – and make sure that the narrative also shapes those points of impact we call marketing – our stories will have more influence, depth and resonance, by the sheer fact that they are now more complete…We have to erase the division between content and marketing, between art and commerce, between creation, presentation, and appreciation…I know there is no template for creation, no template for production, nor for any of the six pillars. Yet although there may be no template, there are ‘best practices’. I hope I have given some fuel to the thought of what those may be.” – Ted Hope at the Power to the Pixel conference 2009.

Traditional media production processes are under review. Good case studies (when we can find them) are extremely useful to traditional broadcasters who are struggling with digital media. In particular those producers and broadcasters who are overwhelmed by the possibilities presented by online digital technology. As their revenue from advertisers dwindles because of the migration to online advertising, broadcasters and producers need to find new ways to produce content and get paid. Yet we’re asking them to use their imagination to approach the problem as part of the whole creative process of production. Its a tough demand. The really good ones will embrace the challenge. Some may even be so radical as to look at marketing and distribution as 50% of the artistic production.

The whole process of creating a story for cinema and then marketing/distributing that story everywhere should be harmonious, enjoyable and exciting. The first step is to do it.