The Web As Your Permanent Screen

GGG: How is an official website important when you have your film done.

DMP: A website can never replace the work of the Sale representative who will decide of the promotion strategies. The best I could recommend is firstly to try to have an agent who will decide how to best conduct the film distribution to festival and then on, to other screens. But, if you cannot count with an agent, an official website is of great help especially for filmmakers from my region. Where would have we gone 10 years ago, before the web became accessible? On which door would we have to knock with a Vietnamese film like that? In term of communication, an official website is a Golden opportunity it allows you to make something much more rich than a brochure. It can work as a platform where the production places: text, images, trailers and, receives feedback from the people who visit the website. In term of investment it means a bit of time, but not much money. This is democracy.

GGG: At what stage of the production would you recommend to start working on an Official Website?

DMP: We knew that we would have a website from the early stage of the production. Now, when you think in terms of web promotion for a film, there a few thing that you need to keep in mind. The people who may come to visit your website will probably look for two kind of information. At first they will look at the awards that the film may have received and then, at which festival the film was invited. It is very important as soon as you start publishing on your Official Website to announce at what stage of the production or, the postproduction the film is. When you are approaching to the end of the production and to festival invitations, you announce the latest development.

I would say that six month before the film premiere is a good time frame to launch an Official website. And then you keep it updated. Here is a short list of what the visitors need to find:

At what stage of the production is the film currently?

When will it be completed?

If you are going to have a premier you announce it.

What are the festivals where the film will be shown?

You announce every official selection.

Later, it is very important to put the links to all the film reviews.

GGG: Who shall lead the web design for an Official Website?

DMP: I would not recommend the film director to deal with the design of the Official Website. As film director you know the film so well, and have a so many thing to say about it. But, you don't have enough distance to know what is the more powerful and the strongest point of your film. There is a big risk that as a writer you will make it too long. As for the picture, if you have to select pictures for your website, you will probably not select the picture that tells the best; because your choice will be associated to private memories during the shooting, or during the production.

GGG: Can you point out some specific results of having your own Official website?

DMP: After we got the invitation from Rotterdam we had the chance to have our official website linked to the IFFR website. From then on, much more people visited us. Other festival organizers wanted to see the film, they first went to visit the “BRIDE OF SILENCE” website and then they have eventually invited us to other festivals.

GGG: Your press kit is very well done. Do you have any advise?

DMP: We kept in mind that people don't spend a lot of time on a website. There for, we have organized each section of the website to be short but speaking. For the press kits we have a zip file where the visitors will find: the synopsis, reviews in taglines, director’s notes, cast, biography, filmography and of course, posters and pictures to download.