Sydney Film Festival ‘Short Film winners’ workshop – online video distribution

June 17, 2012 1 Comment

Had the great pleasure of being asked to contribute to some workshops for the finalists of the Sydney Film Festival Short Film Festival, sponsored by Dendy

The workshops discussed the move from Shorts to Long Form, and I was asked to demonstrate online video distribution strategies.

My fellow panel experts included Paper Giants producer Karen Radyzner from Dragonet Films Master & Commander / Happy Feet scriptwriter John Collee and John L Simpson from Titan View, responsible for the innovative distribution strategies for The Jammed and Mens Group.

Over the two hours, we had 3 x 35minute groups sessions with the short film finalists comprising Directors, Producers, Writers and Animators, before being treated to lunch at the Chef’s Gallery and then onto Event Cinema’s to see the shorts.

I put together a brief powerpoint with some examples of online video strategies which you can see below.

Online video distribution for short film

View more PowerPoint from Viocorp

From the panel discussions, the following observations can be made:
1/ A short film maker either goes for the Festival circuit or for online audiences. Genre often dictates this eg comedy works very well online. Festivals exclusivity restricts online distribution.
2/ The Production Company is just as important to brand as is the project. Think how Blue Tongue Films or Warp Films have such a good following.
3/ A new project can instil new life in an old project. Projects can have long tail effect. Chis Kezelos talked about how how his film Zero is still seeing traffic which always increases when he releases new work – see Zero below.
4/ Producers want to sell their shorts direct to their audiences, as well as through channels such as iTunes, but there is not the check and instant technology to do this. DRM, encryption, security plus online payment systems aren’t developed or integrated enough, and often cost more to implement than the short film makers yearly potential revenue. Paypal’s Digital Goods product can help this, and the Dynamo Media Player looks promising.
5/ Revenue generation isn’t a primary goal for the short film maker but any revenue is good revenue.

Dendy Short films:
Laugh-out-loud, surreal, visually inventive and achingly sensual – the finalists in this year’s Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films contain every shade of the cinematic spectrum. The line-up includes three titles selected for the Berlinale (including winners Julian and BINO, two for South by Southwest The Hunter and The Maker and one for Cannes Yardbird. The 10 films are competing for three prizes: the Dendy Live Action Short Award, the Yoram Gross Animation Award and the Rouben Mamoulian Award for Best Director. The ten finalists will screen together on 16 and 17 June and the winners will be announced at Sydney Film Festival’s Closing Night ceremony on 17 June.

Dendy Supporting the SFF short film awards for over 20 years. Proud supporters of the Yoram Gross animation award

ZERO by Chris Kezelos

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Emerging film maker wins SFF Vodka O scholarship

June 14, 2012 Leave a comment

Emerging Sydney film maker Adam Marshal has won the inaugural Sydney Film Festival Vodka O Scholarship award for his short film.

ASM Liquor CEO Tim Szonyi said they had been blown away by Marshal’s entry.

“Not only did it far exceeded our expectation, as a company that started in a tiny garage in Sydney with not much more than a good idea and enthusiasm we recognise the importance of giving people who have talent and bundles of passion that well-earned leg up,” he said. “We believe the number of entries and their level of excellence is testament to the amazing talent in Australia and the status of the Sydney Film Festival. We are delighted to support both and look forward to doing so for many years.”

The winning film screens throughout the 12 day festival as well as on SFF TV at Martin Place. The prize includes $1000 cash, opportunities to network with industry, celebrities and other guests at the opening night and after party including Bruce Davey of Icon Entertainment. Vodka O will also sponsor a private screening party for Marshal and 10 friends..

Shot in and around Sydney the film is a collage showing a group of friends having an original carefree and fun day with music by fellow local Sydney artist Flume (Featuring Anthony from Cleopatra).

Twenty-five year-old Marshall attended film school followed by a Bachelor of Communications while making films on the side. His 2007 film Yesterday was exhibited in festivals around the US and secured him a number of awards in Australia.

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Online viewing boosting long formats says Screen Australia

June 14, 2012 Leave a comment

The number of Australians watching long-form content like movies and TV dramas online is increasing, according to research from Screen Australia.

The group has released the first report looking at Australian’s motivations for their choices of viewing, which it says is good news for TV and cinema, with 57% saying they watched more films, documentaries and dramas in the last year.

While more people are watching online content, most see it as a complimentary entertainment source and prefer to consume their shows on larger screens.

Screen Australia’s chief executive Dr Ruth Harley said: “It is encouraging to learn that long-form narrative is not a lost art in the online space and that online viewing is not limited to the world’s funniest bloopers,”

“In fact, 8.5 million Australians over 14 years old have watched films, drama and documentary online in the last year, with over a third highly engaged on a monthly basis.”

The study shows 70% of people searched actively for a title as opposed to browsing content, with many citing the ever-expanding portfolio of content as the reson for this.

Dr Harley added: “Often a viewer’s first consideration is not the content. It might be socialising at the cinema or unwinding in front of the television after putting the kids to bed.

“These schedule-based platforms provide highly targeted and curated programming to an audience largely ‘leaning back’. But when it comes to on-demand viewing, which is a ‘lean in’ medium, it is a far more active choice.”

Unsurprisingly, social media also plays a large part in influencing people’s decision what to watch, with the report highlighting a group called Connectors who influence these decisions most.

The study shows more than a third of Twitter users will seek out online reviews from peers before opting to watch something, and 50% will post their thoughts on content afterwards.

“You can’t control word of mouth but you may be able to influence it by communicating with the right tools to the most engaged audiences,” said Dy Harley.

“The challenge is clear. Creative, dynamic efforts are needed to ensure audiences continue to stay with Australian stories in an increasingly competitive multi-screen world.”

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Temper Trap live stream from Vivid Sydney

June 3, 2012 1 Comment

Temper Trap was the biggest live stream we did at Vivid this year – over 80,000 uniques watched the stream around the world. I know Sweet Disposition and had come across a few other tracks over the years and generally found them rather predictable and safe. Here’s hoping to be proved wrong!

The gig showcased their new album Trembling Hands and was the first time they had played in Australia for a few years I believe. If soaring stadium anthems are your thing, then Temper Trap dont disappoint. Very tight, with some intriguing tangents, a beautifully unique voice from the lead singer, delivering crowd friendly sing a long choruses, this is a band that really could go all the way. They are supporting Coldplay on their World Tour soon – which says it all really. They will sell bucketloads but a tad too middle of the road for me.

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Amon Tobin Front Row

June 2, 2012 1 Comment

The final live stream we did for Vivid this year was the one I anticipated the most. Amon Tobin‘s ISAM show has toured the world for a few years now (see my blog post). Video mapping is used on a series of cubes to display vibrant, futuristic visuals.

I’m not a massive fan of Tobin’s music – undoubtedly talented, but the lack of melody and harmony renders his electronic squelching landscapes somewhat cold for me. However, the way he immerses the music with the visuals creates an impressive synergy and I was blown away with the sheer audacity of what he presented last night.

Below are a number of screen shots taken via Google’s Front Row system, designed by Make Agency at Mark. Viocorp provided the live video streaming, and its been a pleasure to work on this world first project.

Via FRONTROW, you control the camera. Pan, zoom, and take your shot. Then edit and share with your friends.

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Deloitte State of Media Democracy 2012 report

June 2, 2012 Leave a comment

Deloitte’s State of Media Democracy report for 2012 points to the continuation of platform convergence and the challenges of achieving a consistent brand or product experience across platforms and devices. Don’t give up on free-to-air TV just yet, but we’d like to watch our Internet content on out TV sets as well.

Read the full report here

Deloitte | State of Media Democracy 2012
http://www.deloitte.com

How are consumer habits evolving in when it comes to media and technology in Australia?

The first edition of the Australian State of the Media Democracy Survey provides a reality check on how consumers between the ages of 14 and 75 are interacting with media, entertainment and information.

This survey reveals a number of key themes, including:

The continuing importance of live TV, notwithstanding the growing importance of ‘my time, my choice’ viewing
The continuation of platform convergence and the challenges of achieving a consistent brand or product experience across platforms and devices
The importance of anticipating consumer preferences to curate the ‘right’ content for consumers
The rise of the tablet and the early signs that is it displacing laptop usage in certain circumstances.
The survey is part of a Deloitte research project which was conducted across the globe, covering Australia, France, Germany, India, Japan, Spain, United Kingdom and United States. The Australian report also contains selective international commentary.

Downloads

State of the Media Democracy Report

Interactive version (50 pages: 4mb). For optimum use on iPad/iPhone, download in iBooks.
(If file fails to download, please click hyperlink again)

Full report PDF (44 pages: 4mb) (If file fails to upload, please click hyperlink again)

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The world’s first spoken-word trending engine at TEDx Sydney

June 2, 2012 Leave a comment

Viocorp have been a supporter of TEDx Sydney for many years now, streaming the sessions to the ABC and YouTube channel. This year though we were asked to be involved with something just a little bit different!

Below is the copy from the press release that appeared in Ad News.

Clemenger BDDO Sydney took to the recent TEDx ideas festival, rolling out a giant real-time, Twitter-based technological installation.
The agency described it as “the world’s first spoken-word trending engine”.

Dubbed ‘Mimeisthai‘, the installation aimed to dramatise the event’s theme of ‘Real.Live.Now‘ and visualised the flow of ideas around the room in real time, instantaneously feeding them back to the audience.

The installation required an array of directional and parabolic microphones to be strategically placed throughout the theatre, each connected to a unique speak-to-text engine. Snippets of conversation were then fed through the microphones as data, with their tone, location and intensity each analysed. The phrases were then broadcast onto the main screen as graphic art.

The result? A compelling and engaging look inside the minds of hundreds of forward-thinking creatives, encompassing obscure fleeting thoughts to profound statements.

Clemenger BBDO Sydney digital creative director, James Theophane, said the installation was inspired by the technological advances particularly in the gaming industry, and the knowledge that Wi-Fi has essentially “set us free”.

“Flapping arms and wiggling bums have fast replaced controllers and remotes in the gaming industry. As technologies governing social media advance, this too will experience an influx of invisible technology.

“In the not-so-distant future, idea exchange forums such as TEDx Sydney will contain spaces like Mimeisthai for people to share ideas, thoughts and conversations instantly across multiple channels, without the use of smartphones, laptops and other barriers. The wires, and controllers become invisible.”

Clemenger BBDO Sydney executive creative director, Paul Nagy, added: “Watching live conversations and ideas flock around a room is truly a thing of beauty.”

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