DigitalDo’sandDon’ts

DigitalDo’sandDon’ts

VIRTUALLYAREALITY:DigitisingYourFilmFestivalMonday,19October2009atRoyalSocietyofArts

LucyHutton–ACEDigitalOpportunitiesResearchProgramme(WithmanythankstoCharlesBeckett)Do Don’t

• Givepeopleopportunitiestotalktoyou,and(whereverpossible)helpout.

• Don’tputuppay‐walls.

• Givepeopleopportunitiestotalktoyou,and(whereverpossible)helpout.

• Don’tclosedowndiscussion/exchange(unlessit’sgenuinelyabusiveorunlawful.

• Dobeflexible–thinkaboutwhatyouraudiencewants,notwhatyouwant.

• Don’tthink‘wesellpaper’or‘weselltickets’or‘we’vealwaysdoneitthisway’orweareafestival,orabookpublisher,oratheatre’

“Whenyouseesomethingthat'stakingadvantageofnewtechnologytogivepeoplesomethingtheywantthattheycouldn'thavebefore,you'reprobablylookingatawinner.Andwhenyouseesomethingthat'smerelyreactingtonewtechnologyinanattempttopreservesomeexistingsourceofrevenue,you'reprobablylookingataloser.”

PaulGraham(www.paulgraham.com) HannahRudman–Digital&EnvironmentalsustainabilitydevelopmentstrategistandLeadConsultantofAmbITionDo Don’t

• Consultdigitalnativesaboutyourdigitaldevelopment‐istherespaceforoneonyourboard?

• Beafacelessorganisationonanysocialnetwork.

• Thinkaboutyour"off‐content"‐whatisinteresting,coulditbedigitised?

• Yellmoretosellmoreonline.Enter/startthedialogue,don'tjustbroadcast,andonlydoitontheplatformsthatactuallysuityou!

• Thinkaboutyourwholeorganisation‐businessmodels,operationsandartisticcontent‐whenconsideringtheimpactsandbenefitsofanydigitaldevelopment.

• Thinkthatyourwebsiteisyourwebpresence.Itisn't‐yourpresenceiseverywhereyourcontentissharedorwherepeopletalkaboutyou!

DigitalDo’sandDon’ts

MirkoWhitfield–SxSWFestival

• Don’tcheckyoure‐mailmorethantwiceaday–forexample,at11amand4pm.• Don’tbecomeenslavedbytechnology‐useittoimproveyourefficiencyorjustdon’tbother.• Domakesureyouhavetheresources(moneyandtime)toimplementtechnologyproperly.

LouisSavy–SciFiLondon

• Considerwhatyoudoonlineasimportantaswhatyoudooffline.• Makesureyouknowabouttheformatsthatarecommonlyusedandthoseemerging,don'trelyon

someoneelsetoguideyoublindly.• Joinitallup.Whetherexhibitingorjustgoingonline,digitaltechnologycansaveyoulotsof

moneyandheadachesifyouapproachittherightway. SaraPollack–Film&AnimationManagerYouTube(US)Do Don’t

• Useasmanydifferentdigitalmediaplatformsasyoucanpossiblyhandle.

• Getboggeddownbywordslike"exclusivity".

• Socialize(buildupfansandaudiences).

• Beterrifiedofpiracy.

• Beauthentic. • Betooslick.

KateTaylor–Director,AbandonNormalDevicesDo Don’t

• Shareandsharealike. • Underestimatethecapacityoftheinternetasasiteforhighqualityandseriouswork.

• Mixitupwithahealthydoseofanalogue. • Assumethatsomethingthatusesnew

mediaisautomaticallyengagingwiththemedium.

• Backupeverythingdigitalregularly. • Forgettobackup.

Kate’sUsefulDigitalToolsDelicious–asagroupprogrammingtool–usingcollectiveknowledge.Dopplr–fortheirannualtravelreports–exampleofinformationsharingwithaudiences.Basecamp/Wetpaint/Tumblr–collaborativeworkingatdistance.

DigitalDo’sandDon’ts

RachelMillward–Birds’EyeViewFestivalDo Don’t

• Thinkcreatively–there’sawholeworldofnewideaswaitingtobeenvisaged.

• Panic

• Keepitsimple–lessismore&communicationshouldbeclearandaccessibletonon‐geeks.

• Beover‐ambitious/over‐complicate

• Besupersystematic,andcheckthewholeprocessworksbeforeyoubegin.

• DisappearintoGeekTowers

Rachel’sUsefulDigitalToolsIt’sgoodtohavefunwithallthingsdigitalandthemostinnovativelyplayfulpeepsaroundareHide&Seekwww.hideandseekfest.co.uk

IanFrancis–7InchCinema/FlatpackFestivalDo

• Talklikeahumanbeing.• Givepeopleagoodreasontoleavethehouse.• Makevisiblewhat,withoutyou,mightneverhavebeenseen.

LizHarkman–Director,EncountersFilmFestivalDo Don’t

• Establishlinkswithexistingfiletransferpartnersratherthanrecreatethewheelandbuildaportalyourself.

• Overestimatefilm‐makersunderstandingofdigitaltechnologyortheiracceptanceandwilltouseit.

• Ensurethecommunicationwithfilmmakersisclearforformatsofdigitalfilesandmethodofdelivery.

• Bescaredofembracingtheinternetforprogrammingtoaglobalonlinecommunity,itwon'taffectyouraudiencefigures.

• Alwaysofferanalternativeandmoretraditionalsubmissionmethod.

• Forgetdigitaltoolscanbeusedthroughouttheyeartoenhanceyourbrand(blogging,twitteretcetc).

TonyJones–Director,CambridgeFilmFestival

Aimforhighestpossiblestandards‐explorenewtechnologybuttonotacceptbasicDVDaspublicpresentationformat.HomepresentationisnowvastlysuperiortoDVDthroughbasicboardroomprojector.Ourbesteventthoughwasa70mmoutdoorscreeningof2001lastyearinthegroundsoftheInstituteofAstronomywithapristine70mmcopyandin6tracksound,trulymindblowing‐wellworthmanhandlingthe2tonsofequipment!

DigitalDo’sandDon’ts

MarkCosgrove–HeadofProgramme,Watershed,CreativeDirectorEncountersFilmFestivalDo Don’t

• Haveagoodtechnicaldepartment.

• Worry.

• Haveafastconnection.

• Believedigitalisthesolution.

• Havefun. • Needaweathermantoknowwhichwaythewindblows.