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Project Overiew
Summer Shorts Online Film Festival is an interactive digital video website for current Art Institute of California - Los Angeles (AiCA-LA) students to showcase their video portfolio pieces for an audience of potential employers, potential students, family and friends.
This online version of the live festival event will feature current (and past) festival winner content (short films created by students in the Digital Filmmaking, Game Art & Design, Animation, Audio Production, Motion Graphics and WDIM majors), festival updates (dates, press releases, entry forms, etc.), festival rules for interested participants, and “channels” or “categories” for different film genres and different lengths of films. The site will be designed to appeal to current students interested in participating and also as a calling card piece for the Art Institute of Los Angeles to appeal to potential students and increase bragging rights.
As designed by the Web Monkeys design team, the Summer Shorts Online Film Festival website will invite the user into an online festival experience using recognizable video player technology, non- cliché branding inspired by audience research, a sense of the “summer” and “Los Angeles” and digital filmmaking. The branding design will, additionally, be timeless, updatable and usable in a variety of merchandising, print and digital avenues. Video site standards will be followed, to a degree, to create a sense of familiarity for the first-time user and organization (navigation and subject divisions) and search keywords will be strictly structured for web usability.
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Project Goals
Client Goals:
- To create a site that is simple to use and easy to understand
- To create an online archive of current and past student video work
- To display current student work for an audience of potential employers and potential students
- To showcase pieces that prove AiCALA is competitive with other digital filmmaking programs
- To have a brand identity and site that increases student festival participation
User Goals:
Current Students:
- To have easy access to festival rules, entry forms and information about the on-ground festival
- To view past winners and “award-worthy” material
- To display their own video work in a professional manner that will appeal to employers
- To view the work of friends or videos they worked on
Potential Students:
- To view the quality of AiCALA student videos to see if the program will provide them with what they desire
- To find information about AiCALA and the Digital Film and Video Production programs.
To view videos created by students for inspiration.
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Audience
Prospective Employers:
- To view student filmmaker biography and video summary information
- To be able to search for videos by name, student name and genre
- To find contact information quickly and easily
- To know why a video is featured (what awards were earned)
All Users:
- To find students they know
- To browse through video titles by length, genre and award category
- To access more information about the site, the program and the technology
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Content
The content of the SUMMER SHORTS ONLINE FILM FESTIVAL will be AiCALA student video submissions that have been reviewed by judges and selected for their award merit. The site will also include information about the on ground festival (dates, photos, etc.), submission rules and guidelines, downloadable entry forms, information about winning videos (student and video biographies) and links to information about the major programs at AiCALA.
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Competive Sites
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Site Map
(click image for detailed view)
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Art Direction
Based on the Audience Research the SUMMER SHORTS brand (and site) must convey these adjectives in order to appeal to the target audience:
- Elegant
- Functional
- Vibrant
- Alive
- Influential
- Inspirational
- Entertaining
- Superficial
- Traditional
- Contemporary
The art direction for the SUMMER SHORTS brand and site will convey “summer breeze,” “Los Angeles,” and inspiration while also feeling light, simple and familiar. The target audience seeks out creative role models, passive entertainment, beauty AND function and an outdoor film festival experience. With these adjectives and the goals in mind, the art direction of the SUMMER SHORTS brand will take the form of a familiar and iconic item – a brand patch. Instead of using the obvious choice of “shorts” the brand takes an aspect, the clothing label (or patch), to effectively label the site.
The patch label is, all at once, contemporary, traditional, superficial (literally) and functional. It’s simple design and typography is elegant. The clothing label itself suggests a certain vibrancy and a sense of being alive and outdoors. Finally, its simplicity and its use of the familiar “Ai” brand in association suggest inspiration, influence and entertainment.
The art direction of the SUMMER SHORTS site will carry this patch theme throughout (which will inspire the navigation and design elements). The “online” festival will be brought to a virtual “outdoors” space with the use of colors, light, texture and imagery. Additionally, the site will feel innovative and expressive in its use of space and shape in order to frame the primary content – the award winning videos
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Moodboards
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Final Identity Design
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Summary
The SUMMER SHORTS ONLINE FILM FESTIVAL website will create positive buzz for the AiCALA students and the school itself by showcasing current information, impressive student work and building a reputation for inspiration. Expansion of the student body and employment opportunities for students is the larger goal. With this site design AiCALA and the students in the programs will be recognized as on par with competitive institutions and colleagues.
What the SUMMER SHORTS site will convey:
- That the Art Institute of Los Angeles is always up to date, current and on the cutting edge.
- That the quality of student work is excellent.
- That the school is competitive.
- That AiCALA should be taken seriously
What will users get out of the site?
- A competition
- An opportunity to show off their work on a well-trafficked site
- Networking opportunities
- Current updates on peer accomplishments
- A “jealously” reaction to incite them to be a part of the competition (or the Art Institute itself)
- Mentorship/Internship opportunities
- Creative inspiration
In short, SUMMER SHORTS ONLINE FILM FESTIVAL will be a database-driven flash video site for AiCALA students working in digital video formats to promote their entertainment design experience and skills by entering a festival competition that appeals to, entertains and inspires the target audiences because of its ease of use, familiar feel and appealing good looks.
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