The mission of this festival is as follows: For years, The New Media Film Festival has led the way in the pursuit of stories worth telling, the exploration of new media technologies, boundary pushing resulting in new distribution models and creating and establishing new methodologies in the global monetization of content. The New Media Film Festival embodies the transformative power of the cinematic arts and it reaches across cultural bridges to wed story and technology for everyone.
The mission statement aligns well with the programming, which is geared toward cutting technology. Some of the categories include apps, web series, digital comics, and more. There is a block dedicated to LGBT films, as well as music videos from almost all genres. Attention is also placed on speakers, with conference panels led by producers, directors, and the like.
Submissions to the festival must be done through their website, which will link you to eventbee.com. There, you will find the categories that you can submit your film into and the payment feature for the entry fee. You can also submit through several other websites including Withoutabox, FilmFreeway, and Click for Festivals.
The website does say that there is a discount for early submissions and students. On September 3, 2015 the price is $65 for the general public, $60 for students. Submission price for November 3, 2015 is $75/70. Submission for February 3, 2016 is $80 for the general public and $75 for students. The last submission deadline is April 20, 2015. With that being said, there is specifically a category for students to submit to.
The festival accepts all media in all lengths from every country, both distributed and non-distributed content. All formats, including an online link, are acceptable for jurying. If accepted into the festival, the screening formats are DCP, h.264, .Mp4, DVD or Blu Ray.
Around 79 films are screened at the festival last year, including music videos, shorts, and pilots. A typical block is either 90 minutes to two hours. They include a discussion panel or a film block. Tickets can be bought for these individual blocks. The amount of media shown during each block differs from what is playing. 6 films play during the documentary block, but 20 episodes play during the TV pilot block. There are typically four speakers in a conference panel.
A VIP All Access Festival Badge is $149. The badge includes red carpet press access, all screenings, Q&A's, and panels. Access to opening and closing programming and the award ceremony is included. Tickets to individual blocks can also be purchased, which range form $15 to $25. You can buy tickets or the badge online.
New Media Film Festival has three levels of sponsorship: bronze, silver, and gold. Their gold sponsor is KessPro Studios. Their silver sponsors are That's So Funny Pictures and Nvidia. The bronze sponsors are Select Services Films, Inc. and Mongo Media. Below are the benefits of each level, provided by the website:
Corporate Gold
- Featured logo placement and “calls to action” directly connecting your brand with NMFF. Customized engagement ideas are welcome.
- Company name & logo on all NMFF programs, press releases, publications, website, newsletters & email messages
- Hotlink on all electronic communications
- Rotating banner on website
- All access passes for the event
- Programming introduction
- Keynote address
- Panel participation
- Gift bag inclusion
- Signage throughout festival
- Presented by title part of PNG on theatre screen
- Dedicated marketing space
- Acknowledged at our VIP soiree
- Inclusion in all media and press
- Social media promotions and marketing
- Solo customized e-blast
Investment: $50,000
Corporate Silver
- Featured logo placement and “calls to action” directly connecting your brand with NMFF. Customized engagement ideas are welcome.
- Rotating banner on website
- All access passes for the event
- Programming introduction
- Panel participation
- Gift bag inclusion
- Signage throughout festival
- Logo part of PNG on theatre screen
- Dedicated marketing space
- Acknowledged at our VIP soiree
- Inclusion in newsletter
- Social media promotions and marketing
Investment: $35,000
Corporate Bronze
- Featured logo placement and “calls to action” directly connecting your brand with NMFF. Customized placement across the website and mobile apps.
- Name and logo on our website in widget section
- Programming introduction
- Gift bag inclusion
- Dedicated marketing space
- Acknowledged at our VIP soiree
- Inclusion in newsletter
- Social media promotions and marketing
After searching the website, I could not find an Indiegogo or Kickstarter page for this film festival. They do, however, have a Tubestart account, which is another crowdfunding website. After looking at the program guides since the 2010 festival, I noticed that one of the biggest improvements of the festival is how they learned to balance the panels with the films. In 2010, they panels were placed first and the films last instead of a nice balance throughout. One of their main non-traditional events is their "3D Opening Night," which is a block dedicated to showing several films in 3D. Ways in which they have expanded the typical film screening event is by including an art exhibit and through holding panels at an expo center. For the most part, this festival holds a typical location layout, watching most films in a dark room.
Response to the Festival's Website:
The layout for the website is fairly easy to navigate, with the most important information as one of the links at the top of the page. The only feature that I think is a bit difficult to navigate is the schedule from the 2015 festival this year. There is, however, a pdf version that makes it easier to follow. The only information that I wasn't able to confirm was whether one could buy tickets the day of the event.
Aesthetically, the video on the homepage catches my eye, letting me know what they create and what they do. I also like their social media links placed in the upper right hand corner. I believe that this helps with ultimate exposure to the public. What doesn't fit in my opinion is the logo. It looks very outdated and confusing. I wouldn't understand that it represented a film festival at all if it wasn't for the title of the site. Whoever is head of the program guides needs to make sure to spell check. Several words were misspelled or grammatically incorrect. It made it seem not as professional with these errors.
The page has a nice balance of white background to text to pictures. It is not too overwhelming, yet doesn't have me asking too many questions. If I had to redesign the website, I would stick to a certain color theme, instead of using a large variety of colors. I think it would add a touch of sophistication to the page. I would also make the name of the website and logo bigger, instead of an afterthought in the left hand corner. The audience should know what sit they are on. I would keep the font type and the amount of white background used. It brings the website a sophisticated air.
Thanks for reading!
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