Sutter Post 2

Part of the problem of being a multi-hyphenate filmmaker is that you feel like you aren't spending enough time on any of the titles you've taken on.  Because my film is sort of a personal documentary it may seem funny to suggest that we didn't take enough photos or video, but we didn't take enough behind the scenes stuff.  I would be nice to have more pictures of myself with my crew or my interview subjects, but it just wasn't meant to be.

Pre-Production (two-four week timeframe)

-Brainstorm creative ideas for film branding, partner with graphic designer and manage production of all branded media/materials going forward. More than even behind the scenes materials, I wish I would have thought more about locking in my branding.  We've gone through a couple different versions of posters or key art, but none of them have really been to the standard I want them at.  Part of this is because of the process of making a documentary forces the film to keep evolving, but part of this is not finding the partnerships necessary to create the right kind of art. 

-Continue  audience research and online listening to “influencers,” bloggers, and grassroots organizations. It has been helpful for me creatively to keep tabs on who are the pioneers in the field of personal documentary filmmaking.  Doug Block and Errol Morris have very complete websites and they have often offered me solutions to the problems I've encountered along the way.  In terms of audience content, I have come to understand that my audience does not spend enough time online to find them in any efficient way.  

-Start the process of website development for the film’s official site-source a web designer and flesh out all elements to be included. & Think about any additional media/merchandising that could be created for  maintaining audience interest/additional revenue streams. I built my website about 6 months into making my film and it has been helpful to keep all the interviews and other primary source materials in one place, where my interview subjects can also watch them. I think this also has been a plac where we have seen what additional media might be worth exploring, based on the traffic tracking. 

Production (six week timeframe)

-Write content for website and digital press kits (bios/about/synopsis/production notes/trailer/blog/email signup/estore). Work with graphic designer to match film branding. Design website/manage website design firm. This is where the problem I wrote about before really comes to the forefront.  While making the movie its hard to also make the behind the scenes stuff.  Keeping my website full of fresh content because we are trying to make the movie at the same time.  We do have sections for bios, about the movie, a synopsis, a rarely updated blog and a place to donate, but constantly maintaining those sections has been exhausting while trying to make a film as the same time.  

-Start researching appropriate festivals. We have been exploring three different tracks for festivals. First we are looking at the festivals that are significant for documentaries (IE Hot Docs, Silver Docs, and The Cleveland Film Festival), but also festivals that have a specific bend toward stories about veterans (The GI Film Festival), and lastly, I have a plan to attend festivals that are in the area of the people in my film.  I figure that this way, the turn out might be better if I can get the people in the film to have their friends come to the screenings. 

-Complete and launch website. Done...ish 

-Start stockpiling material to be used on website/social channels in lead up and throughout release. We have put together a mountain of material, and we are currently working to come up with a release schedule as opposed to the haphazard way we've been dealing with it so far. 

Post Production (4-6 months before release)

-Start utilizing email list with weekly blasts of material relevant/useful to your audience. We have not done weekly emails, but we have kept our core audience aware of where movie is and when they will be able to start seeing it. 

-Devise a content calendar and start releasing content to populate website/online channels. This material should be well spread out to ensure you will have regular content. Again, we are currently working out that schedule.  I hope to have next year planned by around Christmas.  

-Set up social networking sites and start populating. These will need continuous maintenance and responses to feedback from fans. Best to start when you have an idea of the premiere date. Blivits has a facebook page, and it has around 150 fans.  I hope to do some work on that number as we release more content online in the coming year. 

-Coordinate test screenings of the rough cut, collate notes to give to the editor for adjustments. As a part of this program we all have to coordinate test screenings, but my hope is to win some fans while I'm doing it. I plan on doing no less than three screenings over the next 7 months.  I hope to have as wide a cross section as possible for those screenings, and plan to invite some of the veterans in my film as well as all the people that have liked the movies page on facebook. 

Release (6-12 months)

-Plan and coordinate premiere party or event. A part of my plan to raise awareness for my film has to do with the release party.  I would like to do something splashy enough to draw some attention, but I don't want to do anything that might be crass or too commercial.  

-Set up/reply to public screening requests. One of the ideas that we had for marketing the film was to take around the country as a road show and set up a bunch of screenings at VFWs and American Foreign Legions.  

-Set up own digital distribution outlet on website and estore goes live to sell merchandise direct. Manage fulfillment of sales and run special promotions. Because of the built in audience for the film we believe that we would have success creating our distribution system.  However, because of the age and technical prowess of the audience going purely digital doesn't seem like an option.  We will likely have to send out DVDs or blurays, but at least we know that when we finish the movie someone wants to see it.