1. Sketch -A check list A check list for making better films and leaving your audience refreshed, entertained and informed

2. Contents

About Sketch

How we work

Where are we today?

The audience

What does this mean?

How to be audience led

What are you filming and why?

The check list

Common mistakes

The wish list x10

A brief summary

3. About Sketch

Sketch producesfilm contentfor companies, charities and NGOs

Our clients include:British Council, Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, The London Library, Romsey Mill, Penguin UK, Safestore, Kind Consumer, Reprieve, Open Cinema and The Boston Consulting Group

We make documentaries forChannel 4andCurrent TV

We recently wonthe Britdoc Co-operative Its good to know award

We work with award winning documentary makers

Focused on anorganic investigative documentaryapproach

Our aim is to make a film that responds to the brief and draws in a captive or fresh audience

We areflexible and passionateabout films potential across new media

4. How we work

We talk to clients as early as possible

We clarify budget and resources available

We pinpoint the visual content of the film and the tone required

We encourage clients not to use scripts

We let the event or people or company speak for itself

We urge clients to resist heavily branding their film

By letting contributors speak for themselves in a natural style - we create transparency and build trust

We encourage a two way conversation with the audience- generating comments, calls to action, ratings, sharing

5. Trends in online content 6. Where are we today?

How we consume content is rapidly changing - we have to ensure that the films we produce catch up

The collective personalised voice is gaining strength - we listen to our friends and like-minded people more and more - rather than searching through media

The medias power is decreasing/changing - they are being cut out of the loop e.g. UK election

People who share similar interests are able to find each other far more easily than before

Your audience should be able to find or discover more about your organisation or event very quickly

Twitter- the pulse of the planet or a just a fashion

Facebook- about to make the web very social with the ubiquitousfacebook likebutton and the Open Graph project

7. The audiences attention span is very short 8. What does this mean?

The context in which people are introduced to media (facebook, twitter, email) is alsmot more important than the source itself.CONTEXT is now king

There is a huge amount of content online - your shared audience acts as your first filter and your first referee

People dont like to be lectured or told what to think

Look at us and what we dois no longer enough

You need to surprise and move people -only connect

The audience is smart and you need to earn their trust

9. How to be audience led

Keep a film short. If you make a long film - cut it down and release the film as a series

Ensure that the film can be shared and rated (where appropriate)

Make it easy for the viewer to find out more through related content

Produce text and comment to accompany the film

Package the film in the right category - dont push everything into one folder and assume that your audience is interested in everything

Tag your film

Use multiple platforms e.g. vimeo, youtube. Ensure that all content on these channels is relevant and fresh.

Link to the film on your own blogs

10. The Filming Process 11. What are you filming and why?

Ask yourself a series of questions:

What are you filming and why?

How will people react to being filmed?

Is it visual?

Is this unusual and why?

Will something happen/develop over time?

Where is it happening? Any implications for filming?

Who is involved?

Are the people likely to be changed by their experience?

Are there any stakeholder issues? Who has final cut?

Who is the target audience? How do they consume media?

How will this film be distributed online?

12. The check list

A film needs to beVISUAL

Pinpoint theACTION

• Think about when the exciting things will happen and make sure that we are there to filmthem

Choose carefullyWHOwe will focus on and select only a few contributors

• Big Brother type casting vs. dull but safe casting

Allow contributors to beNATURALandHONEST(with gentle prodding)

• Keep the camera crew small and give contributors cameras to film or do video diaries

Create the structure for aJOURNEY

• Think of it as stops along a tube line - at each stop something is going to change

PREPARE PEOPLE- let everyone know that a film crew will be present

SHOWthe action, dont report it or TELL us what just happened

THINK FIRSTabout distributionask yourself why the audience will watch, why the film will generate positive word of mouth

What would the headline of a review of the film be? Think about linking print to the film and generating media coverage

Overt branding is not important

13. Common mistakes

Planning late

Poor communications with partners and people on the ground

Looking inwards -pleasing the boss but not the audience

Not knowing whom to please (Who is the boss? Who is the audience?)

Going over budget - by not knowing what you want before you start

Uploading content online simply to have something up there

Not promoting your filmsonline with text and tags

A series of people talking at camera telling uswhat they have just done

Overly obvious enthusiasm - Everything is great is a bit boring

Filming events that are greatLIVEbut not so great on screen as you had to be there

Letting people get nervous and stilted on camera

14. The wish list x 10

Define your objective

Define your audience

Segment the audience (different films/channels for each audience)

Prepare and plan

Know what you want - develop aresult orientated strategy

Let people know what you are doing and what you are trying to do

Communicate constantly with us

Show human relationships at work or human stories/journeys

Refine your film - get feedback from outsiders and make changes

Get a high impact still image and ensure the film has clean sound

15. A quick summary

Prepare and Plan

Audience, Audience, Audience

Surprise people- dont use the same old, same old approach

Do something different this time

Make it snappy, make it simple

Allocate resources sensibly

Commission investigative films rather than event coverage

Think about distribution first

Obtain objective feedback

16.

7 Denmark Street

London WC2H 8LZ

Tel: +44 207 240 0457

Mob: +44 778 213 2146

Email: jeremy@sketchfilms.co.uk

Web: www.sketchfilms.co.uk

Questions? If you want to meet to discuss any filming requirements you may have please get in touch.Thank you.