iFeatures
iFeatures is an exciting feature film initiative running in Bristol from Nov 2010 to end of 2012. Chris Moll at South West Screen is the architect of the scheme who raised funds for three films to be made for £300,000 which had some connection to the city or area of Bristol. In a nutshell the scheme developed six projects from a brief pitch to full shooting script of which three have been green lit. The final slate is Of the Dark Half, 8 Minutes Idle and Flying blind.
The research is focusing on the digital marketing and distribution of these films to investiage if new digital technologies can offer a level playing field for filmmakers and allow them to find their audiences. This builds on research carried out by the UK Film Council in 2009 that showed that 47% of features fail to get a theatrical release and never recoup their investment. The three films will employ different strategies to build awareness using social media. So far a competition has been run for novice composers to create the soundtrack of a key scene in 8 minutes idle and a social game for smart phones is being planned for Of the dark half.
The research aims to answer three questions:
- How can low budget feature filmmakers use digital marketing and distribution strategies to engage audiences in the absence of large marketing budgets?
- How to production teams negotiate any conflict between their cultural and commercial aspirations for the projects in the way that the films are marketed?
- Can iFeatures production and distribution models offer a sustainable framework for regional filmmaking in the UK?
The research is in the initial phase but has identified some areas for further development:
- How traditional media such as feature films can utilise new media platforms and digital technologies.
- The what is relationship between social capital, the attention economy and marketing strategies.
- Whether traditional business models need to adapt.
