Evatt Carrodus

Jennifer Rodrick

English 115

October 6 2017 Social Filmmaking

The Story of the Kelly Gang, made in 1906, is the first feature-length narrative film.

Since its creation, the film industry has grown and thrived, establishing a strong presence in the

U.S.A and globally. Its influence has rapidly grown with the introduction of social media within

the last decade. Beginning with Facebook, the introduction of each new platform whether it be

Instagram or Twitter, has created another way for filmmakers and others in the industry, to share

and branch out. With the introduction of social media, filmmakers and those in the industry have

changed too, taking advantage of the opportunities that have been made available. I myself have

witnessed and taken advantage of what social media has enabled filmmakers to do. Social media

is beneficial to filmmakers because it enables quicker and more effective networking with fans

and peers while also providing a space for filmmakers to create an online portfolio, which pushes

filmmakers to be more and more outgoing.

Viewers attention spans are changing the film industry and the creators behind it. Social

media has been a leading factor in the rise of shorter content. This is primarily due to the viewers

and that the willingness to watch shorter content is increasing. Although some individuals

critique the younger generation, like David Burnham, a writer for Brock Press, who said that the

younger generations have a shorter attention span. Burnham, in his critique, states, the more and

more we try to minimize our content, the more we will lose sight of the bigger picture(Burnham

7) . Essentially he is saying that as content is being minimized, the shortened attention span of

viewers is hurting their intake of content. I can understand why a high number of small videos
will slowly shorten the attention span of viewers but the content filmmakers are producing is

pushing creativity forward. Media is becoming more concise and filmmaking is following this

path. Creators are condensing their ideas in this renaissance of the digital age. Technology has

created this new identity in film making and it propelled by the viewers and their intake of

content.

The consumption of art is a lot faster in this modern age with online portfolios enabling

agencies, companies, and everyday viewers to quickly access someones body of work, whether it

be photography, acting, filmmaking, or art. Author, Benjamin Lindsay, looked into the

importance of an online portfolio in this modern digital age in one of his articles, finding that

executives want to able to make quick assessments on someone based off of their social media

profile. Lindsey interviewed Benton Whitley, a backstage executive who deals with actors, who

stated that when an actor comes across my plate and Ive never heard of them, the first thing I

do is Google them(Lindsay 2). Whitleys approach to hiring along with many other executives

for theater and film is that an artist's social media will best represent how they market themselves

along with whatever skills they may contain.. This importance of social media isnt only

changing the industry but it is changing those who wish to get into it since filmmakers are

changing their style to cater to those they wish to be hired by. Business is extremely efficient

when one can simply go to someone's social media profile to see their portfolio and artists

including myself see social media as the template for our work. It is essential for artists to use

social media and develop a new identity that will push them ahead in the industry.

Social media's wide popularity has changed the face of advertising, which directly effects

film making. When scrolling through facebook, twitter, instagram, or any other social media

platform, one will tend to find many advertisements. Of these ads, some will turn out to be
trailers for films. These trailers more often than not range from five seconds to around fifteen

seconds, which is enough to draw any viewer in. With wide audiences using social media,

getting ones movie ad to play on for instance, Instagram, will definitely create a lot of buzz

around their project. Researchers have looked into this phenomenon, such as Keith M. Johnson,

an English scholar, who conducted a study on film trailers and how they are constructed,

mentioning that movies trailers can generate as much buzz as the films themselves(Johnson

57). Johnson is referring to the fact that a trailer for the next Star Wars film gets millions of

views on youtube and gets close to 200,000 retweets on twitter. Advertising can make or break a

movie which is why marketers are noticing the trailers need to create buzz around the film.

Especially with non franchise films, marketers need to incorporate fast paced action, cinematic

cuts, and dialogue from the actual movie, something not seen in trailers from decades ago such

as the 1950s film, The Philadelphia Story. The trailer focuses more on the A-list celebrities,

showing brief drama, but mainly text and the casts faces. Trailers like this are a perfect example

of how far trailers have come when compared to the new Star Wars trailer, a perfectly exemplify

how social media changes the identity that the film industry has.

The success of a film can seriously depend on the buzz and discussion that occurs over it.

Twitter can allow any person to instantly tweet about a film wherever, whenever; something not

available 10 years ago. Jordan Crucchiola, for Wired Magazine, in an article discussed that when

Stars Wars: The Force Awakens trailer was released during the super bowl, there were 17,000

tweets per minute relating to the trailer. Social media discussion like this is what lead to its

worldwide box office sales being upwards of 2 billion. The television show Empire is a perfect

example of film producers changing tactics to rake in more viewers. Before an episode of Empire

airs, the shows twitter page encourages fan to tweet them questions. It is fan interaction like this
which creates lasting viewers who will stick with the show throughout the season. Many shows

and even films will likely follow this tactic of addressing fans whether they have questions or

concerns for the content. Social media has enabled a new form of receiving feedback and artists

a like have an opportunity to shape their own identity with their audience..

When I seriously started filmmaking during my junior year of high school, I wasnt

aware of the connections I could make through social media. I started off creating films with my

close friends and I was completely oblivious to the abundance of close filmmakers located in my

city, San Francisco. I slowly began to find more and more filmmakers on Instagram, some even

went to my school. I suddenly realized the power of social media as far as my future was

concerned. I had access to filmmakers all around the world, who were sharing content and

looking to network. With social media, I was able to learn about teen events pertaining to film in

San Francisco. On multiple occasions I went to the San Francisco Art Institute to watch Stanley

Kubrick films, which was open to other teens. Social media changed the way I approached

filmmaking. It has helped me discover other filmmakers who share similar interests as far as my

career path goes.

When Kevin Systrom created Instagram, I would have never guessed that filmmakers

around the world would shape their identity and character in the industry around an account on

his app. Social Media is a leading characteristic that backs many aspiring filmmakers and already

successful ones. Films get more exposure when they are marketed correctly. Filmmakers have a

space where they can socialize with other filmmakers while also sharing their own content in a

safe and organized manner. Social media also gives voices to the audience, allowing viewers to

discuss, ask questions, and critique movies and tv shows. When viewers feel like they have a say

in the direction of something, they will be a committed viewer. Film makers are constantly
working to fit the needs of the changing industry. Social media impact on the identity of those in

the film industry has created a bigger and better film experience overall.

*Video - Philapehlida Story Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCfuPPR7wnQ

Bhojani, Anjali . Study: How FOX's Empire Harnessed TV Earned Audiences on Twitter.
Twitter, 20 Oct. 2015, https://blog.twitter.com/official/en_us/a/2015/study-how-fox-s-empire-
harnessed-tv-earned-audiences-on-twitter.html. Accessed Sept. 25, 2017.

Burnham, David. Social Media and the Death of the Attention Span. UniversityWire, 2014, pp.
University Wire, Mar 25, 2014.
https://search.proquest.com/docview/1509801212?accountid=7285&rfr_id=info%3Axri%2Fsid%3Aprim
o. Accessed Sept. 24, 2017.
Chitwood, Adam. 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Has Finally Ended Its Theatrical Run.
Collider.com, Complex, 7 June 2016, collider.com/star-wars-the-force-awakens-box-office-final/.

Crucchiola, Jordan. The Internet Totally Freaked Out Over the Star Wars Trailer. Wired,
Conde Nast, 20 Oct. 2015, www.wired.com/2015/10/star-wars-force-awakens-online-reaction/.
Accessed October 15, 2017.

Johnson, Keith, et al. Watching the Trailer: Researching the Film Trailer Audience. Participations,vol.
13, no. 2, 2016, pp. 5685.
https://cache.1science.com/1e/be/1ebe79c1d2e32fcf593c5e094f11c35eef361768.pdf. Accessed Sept. 24,
2017.

Lindsay, Benjamin. Do Actors Need Social Media? Back Stage, vol. 58, no. 30, 2017, pp. 1617,
https://csun-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-
explore/fulldisplay?docid=TN_proquest1928321839&context=PC&vid=01CALS_UNO&lang=en_US&s
earch_scope=EVERYTHING&adaptor=primo_central_multiple_fe. Accessed Sept. 23, 2017.

Lucasfilm. Star Wars: The Force Awakens Trailer (Official). YouTube, YouTube, 19 Oct.
2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGbxmsDFVnE. Accessed October 16, 2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCfuPPR7wnQ