Short filmmakers today have so many opportunities to get themselves noticed through having an online presence. A thirty second animation or short film can boom in less than no time! Networks such as Vimeo, Youtube, aniboom, and of course filmannex, are crucial to put your films out there, bringing in potential commissions and the exposure you have been waiting for. I'ts the key to success and basically free advertising for yourself... What are you waiting for? It’s FREE!... Did I mention that it’s free?
It’s not only about marketing yourself, but being 'easily exposed' so that others can seek you out, potentially or even accidentally. Seriously, it's like Where's Wally out there!
Social Media Websites are a comprehensive resource that online marketers can use to identify the best of the web for their clients. If your films are not out there, then how are these potential customers going to stumble across you?
As social media rises, the opportunities for effective advertising become more attractive to companies in search of customers to connect with. To grow a network companies need to build a network… and it’s the same for you. To gain a wider audience for your particular field, you need a growing network. I'ts one big connecting chart really with an ever-growing mass of information. But remember Companies are looking for you, and you are looking for them! So all you need to do is make yourself easily exposed, using these totally free social media websites.
Filmmakers in particular have a wide source of online canvas to exhibit their work, and alongside that, social networks such as facebook and twitter are great tools for sharing that work. Building a following and as many ‘likes’ as possible will get you places.
Involve your audience. Explain your methods, your inspirations, where you write your scripts, and why, let them into your secret tips. This engages conversation, attracting a wider range of followers, and more interest into how you produce your work from initial ideas to finalized projects. ‘The making of’ is just as fun as the finished piece! This also provides employers with information about the way you work, your personal step-by-step techniques to reach the finish line. I once drove over a piece of artwork with my car to create a print! This aroused much more interest towards the finished piece and created a more understandable approach to my methods. (I don’t make a habit of driving over everything I produce, just a one off, but you get the point).
TIPS:
- Target your audience
- Make yourself stand out
- Keep it simple
- Make it interesting
- Share the hell out of it!
