DIY Liveblog :: When the Audience Takes Control

// July 27th, 2008 // LA

The future of independent film is not in content aggregation, which is quickly becoming commoditized, but in audience aggregation. Sustainability for filmmakers lies directly in the hands of the audience. Direct to audience models have shaken the core of the music industry. But the power of Kevin Kelly’s “1,000 true fans” seems good in theory but where do you start? What are the steps to building an audience around your work and most importantly how do you keep the conversation going?

Discussion Leader: Saskia Wilson-Brown (Current TV)
- Arin Crumley (Four Eyed Monsters)
- Miki Krimmel (expert in social media and online community)
- Alex Johnson (digital media strategist / filmmaker)
- Lance Weiler (The Last Broadcast, Head Trauma)

• audience aggregation, positioning your film to bring people together, fans swarming around your film
• get people’s information while they’re swarming around your film (or give them your info)
• look at the conversation between movies and audiences and find ways to keep the conversation going
• profile your core audience and build experiences around them
• look at the habits of the audience
• you don’t need to be everywhere you need to find out where its best to be, where your people are
• you don’t build a community, you serve a community.
• give people a reason to return, make a two sided thing, its a conversation.
• Give the audience some empowerment on your site. People want to contribute, they ust need easy guidelines to do so.
• When you do it effectively people will want to share the experience
• ask what you would want people to be saying to you
• get people involved really early, before production, not after. Engage people from the very beginning.
• the most popular social tools are usually the best because they’re so popular (users, search ranking)
• put your assets (publicity, reviews, links, etc) in one place online so you always have easy access for your next project (impressing actors, investors) and for creating a history for your current project
• spend time thinking about what your brand is (what words people use to describe you) and what communities fit your brand
• be honest, but be prepared that not everyone in your audience is going to agree with you (gain a think skin, sometimes they’ll revolt)
• if the tools are there, then there’s no reason why we [filmmakers] can’t cross-pollinate our audiences. That’s why the studios are so popular because they have a catalogue of movies.
• the tools are easy, the maintenance and value upkeep of audiences is hard
• sustainability can come from filmmakers helping each other rather than competing with each other