Week Six: Visions 5

Our weekly meeting was very productive.  We were able to discuss our plans for the website and our social media/marketing campaigns more in depth because we have not locked down a theme (hooray for superheroes!) Most of our time was just spent discussing ideas for the website, how we can find a proper logo, and what we can start teasing for social media. 

"Event Budgets…" "Top Ten Event Management Tips" Response

I think that the “event budgets” reading was very helpful, simple and straight to the point.  I’ve only ever had to manage a small budget for each committee or officer position that I have held, but even then, we put our budgets together like this.  All possible costs, all possible profit, all possible income, etc. 

I could not find the "top ten event management tips," however, Hillary found an article that was in replacement to that one! I have had experience with major event planning, so these steps weren't a big surprise.  I think it is really important to follow every tip that they have given to hold a successful event.  There are many facets that you don't even think of that you really need. 

Week Five: Visions 5

This week we were able to accomplish a lot of different things, especially gearing up to present our ideas to the class.  I spent a lot of time before the weekly meeting on Thursday getting ideas organized for goals for social media, including themes, polls, and random discussion topics that we could use on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  I spent a lot of time trying to find out what film communities we are already engaged with on each outlet (however, I could not find specifics on Facebook without login information).  I was able to make a solid 12 step list for this semesters social media (which I have posted).  We spent more time discussing findings and coming up with more ideas during the weekly meeting. We started an outline of what we are going to be talking about in class and presenting.  We met again Monday night to go over our talking points.

12 Steps for Success: Social Media Efforts

12 Steps for Success: Social Media Efforts

1.     Objectives

.        To build a stronger following base on all social media outlets; to involve followers in conversation along with providing them with informational tid-bits throughout the festival process.

2.     Customers

.        Visions staff, visions goers, students, filmmakers, scholars

3.     Results

.        Create a small online community for film conversations

.        Create a larger following base

4.     Budget

.        n/a: social media should not require money to be spent

5.     How Long

.        All semester

6.     Skills

.        The obvious tech. savvy

.        Ability to be concise

.        Communication

.        Interpersonal (even if we are reaching people behind a computer)

7.     Needed Resources

.        Computers

.        Media website logins

8.     Team

.        Rika: Managing all outlets

.        Hillary/Luqi: giving Rika updates and ideas

9.     Schedule

.        Start posting teasers until the theme is announced (after week 5)

.        Post 3 times a week, every week, and possibly more leading up to and during the festival

10. Risks

.        No one wants to communicate on the new outlets and on the discussions

11. Communication

.        Meetings, phones, social media, email

12. Success

.        More followers, more attendees and more communication on the outlets

Research Assignment 1: Festival and Conference Management Styles (PART II)

1. How many entries did they get this year? For films make sure to ask them to distinguish between features and shorts.

We are mid-process right now, almost halfway and we have about 1800 entries. We anticipate over three thousand. 

2. How many films do they aim to screen each year? How many papers/presentations do they accept?

We screen about 280 films; we consolidate all our presentations.  We are expanding frames, so about 11 papers and presentations.

3. What is their pre-screening process?

We have a series of people who will pre-screen for round one, and they look for films in the ballpark for the program.  We have a standardized form of rating and comments.  Then for the second round, we only have about one or two people working on the same form. They look at the work more critically.  Then the narrowed down pieces go to the screening committee of about nine people who work every night to review the work.  The program director manages the whole project, looks at all the comments and feedback and makes sure to decide what to bring the final decision.  Most final decisions are the same as the committee. 

4. How many pre-screeners do they have each year?

About 50 people.

5. Who is typically chosen as a pre-screener?

We make sure that people are familiar with the festival, have attended at least 2 to 3 years, to screen at the first level.  They are expected to make a commitment to review at least 3 “cases” of 40 films each. 

6. How do they score entries? Do they use a scoring template/rubric? Are there scoring guidelines?

Scored by a definitely, yes, maybe, no, definitely not selection. Then there are comments.  Then a rating of 1-10 on originality and concept, technical quality and merit, artistic value and merit, compelling and engaging, and then another section of comments.  Then questions: what is what film trying to do? How well does it work? And a yes, no vote.

7. Do you have a jury after the pre-screening process has ended?

We being in three judges every year who sit and watch all of the competition screenings and also material that didn’t get programmed.

8. How far in advance do they send out their call for entries? How do entries typically roll in? Early? Late? In waves?

About a week before the first early deadline.

9. How many paid employees do they have each year? How many volunteers?

Three full time employees year round, 18 contract employees with varying degrees of responsibility and up to 100 volunteers. 

10. Do you use specific programming, trafficking, budgeting software? Do you like it?

We use filemaker pro-custom databases for screening tracking and filmmaker databases.  We use quickbooks for accounting and google spreadsheet for budgeting.  They work!

11. What community outreach do you do outside of your festival season to keep your event on the public's radar and/or to raise funds? (Workshops, mini-festivals, fundraiser dinners, etc.)

One of the primary areas that we spend time and energy on during events is rebuilding membership.  We have a touring program, so we will have a tour kick-off party that is open to the public.  We have a DVD series.  We have a partnership with the local college radio station.  We do movie nights and DVD release parties with the college as well.  A local dentist is also a major sponsor, and we work together with them.  We go in a few weeks before the festival and have a Q&A with the patients and the staff.  The touring program is also a big outreach branch because it goes around nationally and internationally. 

12. Do you give out swag bags to visiting filmmakers? Presenters? Guests? If so, what type of items do you include in those bags?

There will be a map or Ann Arbor, information for the filmmakers and about special events in the bag/folder.  There could also be discount for local businesses and buttons. 

13. Do presenter/filmmaker pay registration to attend?

Filmmakers who have a film being screened to not have to pay to attend, just as the presenters.

14. Are you able to provide presenters/filmmakers with funds to cover travel or lodging?

We try to offer housing for filmmakers; people in Ann Arbor volunteer to host filmmakers.  We plan their stay and they pay for the plane ticket. 

15. What "perks" do your filmmakers/scholars enjoy at your festival/conference? What else do you encourage them to do while they're in town? m(Free dinners, tours, exclusive activities…in Wilm, we'd try to take them to the beach, Screen Gems tour, etc.)

Last year it was a last minute mad dash to local restaurants, a local record store that gives us a discount, a comic book store, a greenroom.  We usually have a filmmaker happy hour, a filmmaker lounge at a downtown deli, restaurant or coffee shop.  There is a special filmmaker dinner hosted by a restaurant that has been there since 1963 (a big supporter of the festival).

16. Do you have special donor perks during the event? Or how do you thank them?

            Donors get passes; depending on the levels they donate at, they are invited to special events, special private parties and allowed for programs to be named after them.

17. What do they wish they had done differently or better when they were first starting out? What do you wish you knew then that you know now?

I wish we had a general background in non-profit management; the three staff are artist and we bring in interns from art and film school; we have started to look into arts management interns. 

18. If it’s a festival or conference that no longer is in existence…why did it end?

19. Any other ideas or advice that we haven’t thought to ask about?

One thing that distinguishes this festival from others is the commitment to the avant-garde, especially in the last decade.  So much success came from our supporters, it could have taken a turn towards a different area of focus; it says a lot to have maintained it’s identity through the years. 

Week Three: Visions 5

There wasn't much new this week for the Pr/Art Department.  We continued discussing possible ideas for social media and a few new ideas we have for the website.  We have been working very hard in the last two meetings; therefore, there wasn't much more for us to discuss during last weeks meeting.

Research Assignment 1: Festival and Conference Management Styles (PART I)

Festival/Conference basics (from Withoutabox, event website and news articles):

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

            I will be speaking with the executive director of the Ann Arbor Film Festival at 3:00PM on Wednesday, September 9^th via Skype.

2. Who started it and who runs it?

The festival was started by a professor of the University of Michigan, George Manupelli, in 1963. It is currently run by Leslie Raymond and David Dinnell. 

           

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

            To support bold, visionary filmmakers, advance the art form of film and new media, and engage communities with remarkable cinematic experiences.

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…)

The choices featured during their festival very much follow the mission statement.  There are a wide variety of films to watch ranging from features to shorts, music videos, student films, multicultural, as well as short discussion and paper/presentation blocks.  I don’t see any themes; they show many different things. 

5. Where is the event?

The event is held in Ann Arbor, Michigan. 

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

The event will take place from March 24^th thru March 29^th.

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

You can submit through a link and extensive form on their website, or through Withoutabox.

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

The early deadline was August 15^th, the official deadline in October 1^st, and the late deadline is November 1^st.

9. How much does it cost to enter?

The cost for the early deadline is $30 for shorts and $40 features; for each subsequent deadline the fee increases by $10.

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

There are no explicit guidelines for entry.

11. Is there a Student category?

Yes.

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

They accept DVD, Blu-Ray, Internet Links and 16mm copies for submissions.

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

The exhibition copy must be 16mm, 35mm, s8mm, Digital File, digibeta or BetaSP.

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

There were 222 films (that I can count on the website) screened last year.

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

Typical blocks seem to be 2 to 2.5 hours long.

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

There are about 10-15 films per block.  A presentation is normally in it’s own block.

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

Tickets for individual screenings for the public and for AAFF members or students are $9 and $7 respectively.  The opening night reception is $35 and $25. The full festival pass is $95 and $80. The weekend pass is $55 and $45.

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 are a various number of sponsors listed on the website, many of them are local; few of them are well known such as The Academy of Motion Picture and Arts, Google, and Yelp.

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

There was no information regarding this matter. 

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

$50 – Name recognition on the AAFF website

$150 – Plus, name printed in AAFF Program Guide

$500 – Plus, 10 tickets for AAFF Main Theater screenings

$1,000 – Plus, a special AAFF swag bag full of memorabilia and surprise gifts

$3,000 – Plus, Sponsorship of one festival program with on stage accknowledgement

$5,000 – Plus, a private AAFF hosted event of your choosing

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

There are filmmaker retrospectives, gallery intalations, panel discussions, historic and thematic surveys and contemporary artist programs along with their screenings during the festival. 

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?           

The festival has been around for over 50 years; there is a tour that happens every year that travels nationally to bring more attention and create a following base for the festival. 

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?

            The website is fairly simple to navigate; the layout is simple (tabs for about, festival, tour, contribute, and archive).  When each is clicked, new categories in each subcategory appear on that page. 

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

            It is not difficult to navigate.

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

            Yes; it is very easy to find information.

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

            It isn’t very aesthetically pleasing (not too many colors).  There are no complicated designs, it is very simple. 

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

            Nothing looks bad; the theme of the website is very simple, so it looks like everything fits well.

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

            Though it is simple, all of the information you need is there, or there is a link to it on the home page.

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

            There is a sufficient amount of information on the page.

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

            I would add more color to it, just to make it pleasing to the eye.  There are many dark blues, hues of gray/black and brown.

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

            I would keep the simplicity of the website; links, layout, etc.