The Final Evaluation

Well that’s it. The last 3 years have come and gone and have led me to this position of completing my FMP. If you had given me the option of actually completing uni and told me I would feel the way I do today I would of bitten your hand off, and probably laughed. It’s been a tough ride, and I have doubted myself A LOT over the last 3 years but I now feel that I am in a position where I am so glad I stuck with it and now feel confident that I can call myself a professional.

Looking back at the 3 years I can safely say there have been modules where I have excelled (Short Film, Formats) and others where I have not done so well (Creative Activism). I say not done so well, I still received a 2:1 but I see that as a failure in my own eyes. When I joined the course I set myself a target; “Be the best you can be, don’t dick around, gain trust, nurture friendships, obtain experience  avoid conflict and most of all, succeed”. I probably set the bar too high looking back, but it’s how I have lived my life and I intend to continue on in that frame of mind.

Everything that I had learnt over the last 3 years and in my own experiences would be put royally to the test for my FMP. It’s the one thing that can sum up you as a media student and goes a long way towards your final degree mark, so I made it my duty to do well.

When you join the course, you always know that one day the time for your FMP will come. 3 years is a long time to keep ideas fresh but it’s something that I did with my original idea , Zero Ties. I wanted to create a story that was unique, visually please and have a depth that no other FMP would have, however, this was way too ambitious. As time went on I realised that this was more then a story to be made as a University project. It’s a story that has to be nourished into a much bigger piece, and that’s why I took the decision to scrap the idea as my FMP.

This is where I joined Gailene on her idea called Instability, an experimental documentary focussing on the issues of mental health. The film was a unique idea as instead of looking at facts and figures and telling it in the standard narrative form, Instability told the story through a contributors eyes who went through the illness herself.

Production of the film was a different experience to what I have done in the past but also a big experience. As previously discussed, I feel we stepped in too quickly to record the visuals. We didn’t use an type of camera movement in the film which I feel was a mistake, however saying this the visuals are not the most important part of the film. We ran into other problems too, such as one of the camera-operators not being able to make it but I feel that this allowed us to become stronger as a team. As we used the contributor not only via audio but through the visuals too, it was tough to keep her emotions intact as the story she has is truly upsetting. In hindsight, we perhaps should of used an actress but it does give the film a bit more depth. We also had to keep her identity a secret throughout filming and this complicated things as we had to use different angles for shots. The team worked superbly on the shoot given all the technicalities and true nature of the story. They gave the contributor the upmost respect which was asked of them and I couldn’t think of a much better crew to have on this film.

Editing and sound design soon followed and it was only then when I could truly see a major piece of film coming together. It’s been a hard experience especially for our director Gailene as the story is close to her hear. This was something that slightly tore us apart as a group, as Gailene would often walk out of the room or leave without notice. It left me and the editor Sean is a strange state, as Gailene was the creative mind behind the project and her input is key. The project took a small hiatus at this point and this is when we sat down as a production group to discuss the issues. Gailene explained the situation and I realised at this point that we needed to be patient and take things slow through this stage. As we continued with the edit, we went through 3/4 critical stages, gaining feedback which was crucial in producing the final film. I found it really tough at this point as I was getting attached to the contributors story and was having issues watching the film over and over again. Issues that arose from feedback were already problems that we found, so this shows that we were fully focused on what needed to be done to make the film a mesmerising and captivating experience. After many meetings with my personal tutor with Gailene gaining feedback, we came to a stage where we are 100% confident in the film. This in truth thanks to our editor Sean, having him on board with his talent and experience made the editing phase quite a memorable experience.

The final stage in our production was the marketing and distribution. I have lots of experience in both these fields so this is where my producing skills come right to the table. I worked closely with G at this point to create marketing materials such as a website, business cards, flyers, posters and our pride and joy the press pack. Distribution has been something that we are still unsure of what to do, this is mainly down to the music used in the film. As we are using copyrighted material; “Come On Eileen” by Dexys Midnight Runners we have to gain the license to be able to send the film into festivals or show online. As of writing this post, we still dont have the rights after 4 weeks of constant calls and emails between 4 different companies. It’s proving to be rather difficult, however, we have made sure we have the necessary precautions in place and have therefore made the executive decision of creating two extra edits; one that uses a cover version of the song and one without the song completely. This would be a shame not to use the song in the final piece as it gives the film a natural ending and makes you realise that people with mental illnesses also have the other side of them rather then being all doom and gloom.

The film itself I think is very strong, and by creating something different to a linear narrative, it gives it that unique ness. Having an interview form of audio, rather then standard narration was also a good touch, it makes you get the connection between the film-maker and the contributor. The spoken word is also very strong and from feedback, it makes the audience asks questions. It makes the audience think “hang on why do I feel for this girl?” or “Why am I emotionally attached?” Human beings are attracted to emotions, it’s in our nature and thats what we are trying to explore with Instability. The film has to ask questions, and it does; in a very unique way. As a crew we should be very proud of what we have achieved. It’s been a tough couple of months but it has been worth it, 100%.

It’s a strange feeling now I am at the end. University was never in my life goals or ambitions. I always thought that I wasn’t built mentally for the University life. It was only till I worked for large companies such Barclays and HMV that I realised I had to do something different, something that I am good at and something that I could enjoy doing. Media production is that something, and University has given me to the tools and experiences to allow me to fulfil my potential. Am I proud? Immensely. Do I regret certain things? Yes, a few actually but that is what makes us better as a person, to allow us to take the bad experiences and turn them into good ones in the future. The evidence for that lies on the screen. It lies in Instability.

And I leave you with this, a song that I can relate to in many ways; from the one, the only; the legend. Frank Sinatra.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF-rtkrcQRg]

Meeting with Creative Futures

Today I had my first meeting with Creative Futures. This service is their for level 2 and above students who are looking to gain support in areas such as CVs, portfolios, freelancing and future careers.

However, my first meeting with them was to talk about the issues I was having in regards to copyright and licenses for our film.

I spoke to Dr Tim Francis, who earlier on in the day took a lecture regarding IP (intellectual property) and copyrights. I popped into a 1-2-1 open session with him in the afternoon to discuss the problems in regards to the song “Come On Eileen” by Dexy’s Midnight Runners and whether the fair usage policy covered us using the song in our degree show. I went through the fact that EMI hold the master rights but Universal are challenging this saying that they hold the rights along with a 3rd party company. I also told him that I was told another license called the PPL was needed, but he felt like myself that this was more for businesses playing music in public rather then the individual and that the University would cover that license automatically.

Unfortunately, Tim didn’t have the right information on him at the time to help me with the issue, but was keen to help and asked me to collate all the information into an email to him and he would look into it as a priority. I sent him an email and he replied within an hour noting he received it and would get back to me asap.

I also asked Tim about my future plans and whether he could advise me on a future business idea that I had and whether the University would help me. He told me that the bets thing as this point was to book an appointment with the creative futures team who would sit down with me and discuss it in more detail, which I have now done.

I’m happy I went and talked to Tim, and was pleased with the advice that he gave me. I’m now looking forward to another meeting next week to go into my future plans in more detail.

Gaining Press Attention

Gaining press attention is absolutely vital for Instability. We are dealing with a very strong subject, and something that a lot of people have campaigned and cared about over recent years, so we have to use the press to gain as much publicity in our film as possible.

This is where our press release comes in. The press release is directed at members of the news media for them to make the judgement on whether they will announce something that they feel is newsworthy.

This is the Instability press release;

Annacitric Productions announces “INSTABILITY”, an unconventional film focusing on an emotional true story.

Annacitric productions has today announced a new unconventional film using an experimental process which looks at the life of a young girl who became mentally unstable and how she fought a battle of emotions to try and escape life.

Coventry, United Kingdom – March 8^th, 2013 – “INSTABILITY” is a new unconventional and expressive film from Annacitric Productions. Directed by Gailene Pierre and Produced by Dean Atkinson, INSTABILITY is the shocking true story and the awakening of a girl who became mentally unstable and describes how, with numerous mental illness, fought a battle of emotions and how her devastating actions became a normal part of trying to escape life. From waking up in a hospital and wishing she hadn’t woken up at all, to treasuring her life and looking to the future, INSTABILITY brings this compelling heart felt story to life.

Gailene Pierre, director of INSTABILITY says “It is not only a special story because it is personal to me, but because the participant has agreed to be involved not just vocally, but visually and collaboratively throughout the creative process, which makes sharing this story in detail with many others for the very first time, that bit deeper“. Dean Atkinson, producer, adds, “The story that we got from our contributor is so compelling, it’s one that people have to hear. Mental illness is a very important issue worldwide and the opportunity to use this story to perhaps help others was something that I felt needed to be done”.

Instability, recorded in full 1080P high definition, is shot in a way that keeps the contributors identity undisclosed but tells the full heart felt story through a series of audio interviews. It is purposely made this way so that personal information is not revealed, however, the complete story is told in an exciting way where the visuals may not always match the audio.

Annacitric Productions, based in the United Kingdom are an exciting new production company focussing on films that relate to real life. Whether it’s drama focussing on hard-hitting true stories, or documentaries that will compel the viewer, Annacitric Productions aims to bring the stories that matter to the attention of many.

###

Press Contacts:

Dean Atkinson

deanoaka [at] gmail.com

(+44) 78** 91* 91*

I feel that this gives lots of information about the film, the production group and the history behind the film which is absolutely key for the press to get interested in the product.

Before making the press release, I felt that it was important to look at some press releases for other products, not just films and see the type of information and the layout that they use;

Sony Pictures announces, Skyfall.

Apple introduces the iPhone 5 

As with all press releases it’s vitally important that you get the most relevant information into the press’ hands so that they can use as much of it to help sell your product. It’s in their interest to get your product sold, as if they have the right information and publish it correctly, they will sell themselves, be it in a digital form, or even in a paper based form.

The raindance festival website also gives really good advice on what to include, and more importantly how to lay it out correctly. It’s important to look professional and that your press release is taken seriously when received.

To go along with our press release, we have devised a press kit which has all the information needed in order to sell our film;

The pack includes;

• Press release.
• EPK.
• Instability poster.
• 2 High quality, thought provoking production stills.

Again, this will show professionalism, and that we want the film to be taken seriously. We see this more then just a student film.

We have now started to target certain press points that we feel will help in market out film;

Our starting point was the University Press area, who were looking to promote the work of the students in the art & design sector. This was their response.

We have also sent off information to other relevant media outlets, such as The Coventry Telegraph, Bucksfree Press, The Coventry Observer, The Metro, OneInFour, Youngsmind, Rethink, Vertigo Magazine, Electric Sheep and BFI.

This is just the start in our march to push Instability through as many media outlets as possible.

The “Social Media” Age

Over the past 15 years, the digital age has overtaken the way that we receive information. Likened to the industrial revelation, the shift from the traditional methods of information from a paper or physical base, to the new “online” method has completely overtaken the world.

With this has come the worldwide phenomenon for social media. But what is social media?

The means of interactions among people in which they create, share, and exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks.

Social media has been the biggest thing to come out of the digital age. According to the Nielsen report in 2012, users in the USA amounted to

121 billion minutes on social media sites in July 2012 alone. That’s 388 minutes; or 6 & 1/2 hours per person (if every person in the U.S. used social media). All together, that’s 230,060 years (Nielsen Report, 2012).

As the population of the world inhabiting the USA is only 4.46% (WorldOrganisation Stats, 2011) this can lead to a HUGE are to market in. Roughly, 20% of our time is spent surfing social media on the times of computers, mobiles, tablets, televisions and even fridges! Bear in mind, not everyone has access to social media, or even perhaps uses it at all.

The film industry is using social media to it’s maximum potential. 99% of films released or in production will have some kind of online presence to maximise interest and to provide a low costing and successful marketing strategy. The days of billboards and print ads are now fading in the movie industry. Social media campaigns are becoming the new and best marketing strategy for the film industry. Social media drastically cuts the cost of advertising and helps the production company keep in constant communication with potential viewers.

These social media spaces are a way for the production company to gain a huge amount of interest in their films. For instance, The Hunger Games has promoted a new competition to “share” a picture for a chance to be in the credits of the sequel being released at the end of the year. By doing this, they are able to gain further interest from people who perhaps didn’t know about the film, but now are aware by their friends “sharing” the online space.

The Hunger Games also ran one of the biggest social media campaigns in recent history. They built an entire campaign around fan-based communication through social media channels including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. The production group behind the film, Lionsgate ran the campaign as they felt forming personal connections with their fans would have a huge pay off and it did. They created a virtual world mimicking the city in the film “TheCapitol” which gave fans and identity in the world of The Hunger Games. In addition, they kept up a constant barrage of engagement by using twitter hashtags, online events and by releasing an iOS game the day before the movie opened. The movie series has now set-up a solid foundation though social media with its fans for the next two movies.

The key with using social media is being creative. Users love new ways of connecting with a product, in this case a film. In the past, we have had things such as Pokemon cards, now we have the “online reality” world in which people can use their “avatars” to connect with each other. It’s a rapid change.

Social media works wonders in this environment because of it’s large reach, easy accessibility, easy to update and keep frequent, it’s usability and how it is a permanent space.

As with any marketing campaign, it has to be managed. This can be done by following the “honeycomb” formulae of social media, completed by Ian McCarthy,

This image, from “Allmand LAW” show’s how much the digital age, and more importantly social media is helping and being managed by the film industry;

For Instability, an “indie documentary” it is absolutely vital that we use the world of social media to our advantage. We can’t afford huge advertisements in the normal means via billboards and tv adverts, so social media becomes an even bigger focus because it is FREE.

We have set up both a Facebook page and Twitter page for our production group which we are using to promote Instability as much as possible;

Over the last few months we have been keeping “fans” updated with the stages of production and pictures of what’s happening. For instance, when we were creating the poster, we uploaded a picture of myself designing it on photoshop. We are also trying to gain interest by constantly sharing the trailer and running a competition to win a poster signed by the production team. We still have way more to do in creating a social media presence for Instability, and we have to think of more creative and unique ways though to share the film.

It’s safe to say that social media has become the “go to” thing in terms of marketing, and it’s one that we have to use to it’s full advantage.

The EPK

The EPK is another vital tool for any filmmaker. The job of the EPK is to give the press and public some insight into the film and how it was produced. This is turn will help sell the product as a whole and make the success of the film even better. A well produced press kit can pay dividends in the future.

Here is an extract from the Raindance Producers Lab book which show’s how important the press kit is to market your film;

You cannot sell a film. You can only sell a movie. You turn a film into a movie by using publicity to create a buzz, or hype for your film. Additionally, publicity will attract acquisition executives to your movie.

There are vital things and information that you need to include in an EPK;

• Synopsis
• Production Stills
• Cast & Crew Bios
• Essential Contact
• FAQ
• Social Media/Interactive
• Reviews/Endorsements

Over the last few weeks we have collated this information and built it into an iBook. By building an iBook, we can publicise the film even more on the likes of iTunes for people to download it to their iPhone, iPod’s and iPads and give them easy access to information on our film. We are also planning on getting it professionally printed. However, that does cost quite a considerable amount of money and may be something that we need to re-visit. Here are a few screenshots of what we have produced;

Again, we have tried to keep the styling the same as all our other promotional materials. The crew pictures work really well with the writing next to it, and it breaks up the whole booklet. It’s definitely looks more creative then a standard black on white background and the feedback we received was that it held the right amount on information, and that it looks  professionally produced. This will be key when we market our film; we want to be taken seriously as filmmakers and more importantly, we want Instability to be taken seriously as a film.

We have also made the EPK available as a PDF on our website, which you can find on http://www.InstabilityFilm.com or download from here.

Marketing Materials

As with any product, the marketing strategy is absolutely vital in gaining attention. And Instability is no different. We have to let people know that this film exists and encourage them to watch it. The way that this is achieved can play a vital part in whether Instability is successful or not.

We have come up with a trailer and poster, but we also have the idea of having business cards and flyers to hand out at networking events, to the public and to send to the press to try and drum up interest in the film.

These are the designs that we have come up with;

• Business Cards

• Flyers

Again, as was the case with the poster and DVD cover, we have kept the theme the same amongst all of our marketing materials. The font is exactly the same, as we used the same colour palette and the same theme of secrecy is common.

The aim of the business card was to keep it simple. It needed minimal amount of information, but enough to intrigue the person who has the card to visit the website, or to email either myself or the director for more information.

The flyer is an idea that I had in mind even since I went to the ‘London Raindance’ festival in 2012. A lot of productions handed out small leaflets of information about the film, but nothing about the production, websites and social media. I decided to do this for instability, and incorporate the poster onto the front of it. As the poster is instantly recognisable, I hope that this leaflet is something that the public will pick up and then learn more about the film and the crew behind it.

The designs have been finalised, and sent off for print and will be something that we will be pushing in the lead up to the degree shows and the festivals we are hoping to enter.

Music and Copyright Issues

The music in Instability plays a huge part in the overall “experience” of the film.

We originally didn’t plan to have any music in the film, mainly as we thought it would take away the hard hitting audio from the interview that the film gets its narrative from. More often or not, when there is a strong score of music, you don’t tend to remember the spoken word. For instance, when the mission impossible theme tune plays, you remember the song, but you don’t tend to remember what was actually said during the sequence.

This was something we didn’t want to happen. However, as we went through the edit, we immediately decided it needed some kind of backing track, as the silence behind the voice just didn’t work. The song we needed to choose had to match the mood of the film. It had to be dark, it had to be moody and most of all, it had to add to the piece as a whole.

As we trawled through the Internet’s heap of free music sites, we were surprised at how much awful music there is to use. Most of the compositions we came across added nothing to the piece. It was becoming a hopeless task.

Our editor Sean then picked out a few tracks from well known artists which we could base our next searches on. This is where we came across a track by Jamie, from the band “The XX” called Hot Like Fire.

 

This is a complete remix of an original track from the artist Aaliyah who originally recorded the song in 1997. The XX then covered the track in 2010.

I was originally concerned about using this track for the film because of the copyright issues that would be found, however, after a bit of investigation, the track is covered under the creative commons license via soundcloud and is available for use as long as long as we credit the remix, the original performer and link to the track somewhere in the credits.

The next issue we have is for our ending credits track. At the end of the interview, our contributor talks about her favorite song being “Come on Eileen” by Dexys Midnight runners, and she starts to sing it. Our idea is to use the full track over the top which will give a nice coherent and light ending to quite a heavy film. However, I knew we were going to get the rights to the song before we could even think of using the film in Festivals and for public consumption.

After much investigation  I have found that we need both the master rights and writers rights before we can use the song in the film. This is where it has become tricky because both Universal Music and EMI records hold the license to these respectively. I have been in contact with both these companies, and I am currently in negotiation to gain these rights;

We have also looked at the implications of using these songs for our module hand-in will be. After much research I have found that we can use up to 10% (maximum of 30 secs) of the song for educational and assessment purposes. This is covered under a fair usage policy.

Any work, save printed music for performance, may be copied for the purposes of setting and answering questions for an examination or equivalent assessed work. An appropriate acknowledgement of the material copied must be included unless this is impractical, e.g. the student is required to identify the source of the material.

We do need to acknowledge this in our film and therefore will add this in the opening titles;

Certain materials are included under the fair use exemption and have been used according to the multimedia fair use guidelines.

We also need to acknowledge the songs and the owners at the end of the film;

“Come On Eileen”

Performed by “Dexy’s Midnight Runners”

Written by “Adams/Paterson/Rowland”

Mercury Music/EMI Publishing

–

“Hot Like Fire (Jamie XX Remix – ztrbx)”

Originally performed by “Aaliyah”

Written by “Mosley/Elliott”

Virgin Records/Atlantic Records

Song used under a creative commons license. Available on Soundcloud.

I’m still a tad conscious about using these songs in our film, but we have covered the regulations as much as we can. I am still trying to negotiate the rights for the track, and once that is achieved, the film can then be sent to festivals and pushed into distribution.

The DVD

Over the last few days I have been looking at the designs for our DVD cover and DVD labelling. Before I can do this however, I need to look at what makes a good DVD.

• The Colour

Colour draws the eye and makes something stand out. Set the tone to your content. Bold colours are better to make it dramatic, but if not, use black and white to your advantage.

• Imagery

Use something from the movie on the cover. People are drawn to something that resembles the movie. Consumers are more likely to buy products with other humans on, rather then a place/object. The consumer NEEDS to relate to what they are buying.

• Concept

Embody the themes of the film in the design, and use them to your advantage. Don’t give too much away. Include key quotes/words/synopsis on both the front and back, use exciting imagery! Set the tone early for the demographic. Is the film sexy? Comedic? Tragedy? etc.

• Professional

Bad photoshop work will cancel out the concept and good idea. Execution is EVERYTHING. Use professional help, ideas and templates unless talented at graphic design. Use the official logos, such as rating, DVD, PAL. A quote from a film professional also goes a long way. The font needs the professional look, use one that symbolises the film.

With this in mind, I then looked at some of the best covers over the last few years for DVD’s;

 

With all this information in mind, This is the concept that I have come up with;

As Instability is a dark and intense film, I decided to go with a simple black and white design. I also used the teddy bear picture to keep everything similar in regards to all the marketing materials. This helps the audience gain a sense of security and as the teddy is a vital part of the film, it links well.

I chose two other production stills which are are again a link to the film, but mainly because they stand out and are visually stunning. This will entice somebody into the DVD. The logos are of standard on DVD covers, along with the credits and placement of those items. One major decision we did take was not to have a synopsis or any information to what the film is about on the cover. We want people to be intrigued by the few quotes we have on the cover and by the images to be able to ask questions about what the film is about. The whole DVD shouldn’t give too much away, but just give enough. I feel that this cover does that well.

Now we have to get them printed to a high standard, so that we can start sending them out to festivals and press when we feel the time is right.

Research; Experimental Narrative Conference

As we are now coming towards the end of the project, I felt that it would be good practice to start comparing our work to others in the experimental genre. To do this, I went along to a experimental screen and Q&A session held in the Herbert Art Gallery.

The talk and screening was taken by experimental artists Louise and Jane Wilson, who discussed their work, such as ‘Unfolding the Aryan Papers’, a research film into the untold stories around the Chernobyl disaster and gaining unlimited access to Stanley Kubrick’s archives.

“Unfolding The Aryan Papers”

Co-owned by Arts Council Collection, Southbank Centre, London; Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Coventry and Wolverhampton Art Gallery. Purchased with the assistance of the Art Fund, Heritage Lottery Fund Collecting Cultures and facilitated and supported by the Contemporary Art Society. Commissioned by Animate Projects and the BFI, London.’

[vimeo https://vimeo.com/17082638]

The film is made using images and footage originally intended for Stanley Kubrick to make his film ‘Aryan Papers’; which was an adaptation of the holocaust novel ‘Wartime Lies’. Kubrick decided against making the film which was mainly down to too many painful memories of his family from times during the holocaust. Kubrick finally concluded “that an accurate Holocaust film was beyond the capacity of cinema and returned his attention to the A.I. Artificial Intelligence film project.” (The wolf at the door: Stanley Kubrick, history & the Holocaust, 2004).

The artist took to re-creating the piece one step further by using parts of the original script and locating the original actress, Johanna Ter Steege to play the lead role who was cast by Kubrick himself. ‘Ter Steege was also told by Kubrick that she wasn’t allowed to accept any other film roles during the pre-production stage, only then to be told that the film had ceased production.

To make the film, the Wilson’s broke down the original film adaptation and fragmented it, putting it back together in order to make a completely new piece. They used parts from the original audio interviews and test shots from when Johanna Ter Steege was a young girl.

The film was then exhibited via an installation containing a black gauze box with mirror either side of the screen which is set to “intensify” the experience.

It was interesting to hear how the film was made, and as it turns out it links to our film in several ways. For example, there are lots of repeated shots when the actress walks into a room, or is staring out of a window. We are doing the same sort of thing in Instability, in regards to the wine glass or teddy bear. We have had a lot of feedback in regards to our film using repeated images, however after seeing how this film represents and uses them I feel more confident in our film. The main reason that we wanted to use the repetition is to give the representation of the actions, thoughts and feelings that someone who is mentally unstable may go through. It’s made me think more about experimental film in general, as there seems to be no right or wrong, or any particular rule in producing one of this nature.

I was also intrigued by some of the artwork that was produced from this piece;

This artwork was again produced the same artist, taking the original story to a new direction. It made me realise then you can experiment even further from a standard piece of work, which I do have some ideas to do the same with Instability.

Overall the talk was very informative and helped me make some vital decisions in the making of our film.

Animate Projects – Unfolding The Aryan Papers

www.InstabilityFilm.com

 

For any business, the website is a vital tool. Every film that is released has some kind of web presence and Instability is no exception. As previously discussed in my own portfolio website, it is one of the best ways to market your product.

Advertising is a very important part of any business to either communicate to your existing customers or to entice new ones to buy your products or services and with the recent recession and current economic climate many businesses are having to fight extra hard to make money and to compete against their competitors. A good advertising and marketing tool is your web site and a good online presence is vital.

(Net-Digital – “Importance of Internet Marketing”, 2010)

Our main aim across all our work has to keep it consistent and along the same themes, which is what we have done with the website. It matches everything else we have created in terms of marketing and branding, even including the same fonts in the actual film itself. The website is easy to navigate, holds the right amount of text and more importantly, uses a simple but relaxed design. The site is intriguing, right from the moment you log on. The site was created on iWeb and then uploaded to a web hosting service.

We want Instability to be a success. We want the film to go worldwide and help raise awareness for mental health. The website will go someway to achieving that. It holds vital information such as the trailer, press information, synopsis, contact details and showing dates for the film.

In terms of making the site better, I would perhaps make it a bit more exciting, make it fresh but most of all make it look smart. The website in its current state does that job to an extent, but it could be a lot better. This is where we could look at bringing in someone from the outside to make the site better, and will be something we will 100% look at if we take the film further into distribution.

The website is a great marketing tool to have at this stage of production and will no doubt help us in making the film a success,