Filmbasen's goal was to create an easy solution for handling applications for project support in a transparent way. They also wanted to create a platform where young filmmakers in Stockholm could find people who share their interests and help them communicate with each other. In addition, they also needed a tool for communicating with their different audiences.
The solution was a web site built with Drupal, containing both an information section and a community section, where the film makers can showcase themselves and their film projects, communicate with each other, and apply for project funding.
Filmmakers and projects
In the community section of the site the members can create a profile where they present themselves and their filmmaking talents. They can also add video clips and create project pages for the film projects they're working on.
Project pages are used to present the ideas and the team behind a planned film, and also to allow the producer to apply for project support. With just a couple of mouse clicks a formal application is sent to Filmbasen, and the producer can follow how the application is being processed right on the project page. When setting up a project team, one can invite team members who aren't already on Filmbasen via email.
On each filmmaker's profile page there are lists of all the projects she or he is working on, all the filmmakers she or he is cooperating with, and all of the video clips that she or he has added to the site. Anywhere a film project or a filmmaker is listed on the site, they are linked to the corresponding project or profile page, which adds to the dynamic characteristics of the community section.
Community intelligence
Filmmakers can communicate with each other in several different ways:
- On the so called bulletin board they can write short messages which they can target against different types of filmmakers, such as script writers or photographers. They can also follow up on each other's messages with a discussion.
- In the project log the filmmakers can write about how the project comes along and discuss it with other Filmbasen members.
- Each filmmaker also has a guest book that other members can post to.
Communicating with the outside world
Filmbasen continuously uses the web site's news and newsletter features to announce upcoming events at Filmbasen and in the world of filmmaking in general. The site is also used to promote Filmbasen's courses, workshops and other events. Filmmakers can sign up to these events right on the web site.
Behind the scenes
Filmbasen employees have their own section on the web site where they can process applications, filmmakers and projects, as well as communicate directly with filmmakers applying for support. They can also access information like the status of project applications and the average age and gender distribution of project teams.
Implementation
For technical platform we used Drupal 6. The community focus, and the complex and flexible data structure that this project demanded, made Drupal a perfect fit. The foundation of the site is all built with standard Drupal building blocks, which have then been glued together and extended with some project specific code.
One feature that we missed in the supply of available Drupal modules at the time was a good solution for converting uploaded video content to a format suitable for web display. We ended up developing the module FFmpeg Converter, which is now shared with the Drupal community and lives on drupal.org.
