"Of Shark and Man" - Get Involved!!

Yes. It has a logo now!

Happy New Year!!

The blogs were less frequent at the back end of 2012 for the simple reason I was just so damn busy, primarily launching Scarlet View Media, trying to earn a living and making preparations for when the first draft edit for "Of Shark and Man" is finished. The first draft running order for the film is now half done and looking good so I need to start looking seriously at the marketing and promotion of the film to get it to as wide an audience as possible and to make it as financially successful as I can, the latter point being key to the development of "From the Office to the Ocean" as a genuine, long lasting series of films.

My trusty right hand man on the graphic and website design side of things, Kris, has been sweating over a hot computer, redesigning the OfficetoOcean website and it's not far off completion. It's simpler, quicker to navigate and it looks better and I am very much looking forward to its launch, especially because it will not only mean a new website, but because it will also see the release of the first, official teaser trailer for "Of Shark and Man."

I like teaser trailers, I think they're pretty cool things, in the old days, trailers used to show practically the entire film, observe this, the trailer for the original JAWS which seems to go on forever, in comparison, nowadays we have things like this, the teaser for the new Superman movie, "Man of Steel," which to be quite frank, looks cool as fudge. It gives you just enough to let you know something cool is on the way, you might have a bit of a wait, but it'll be worth it.

Of course, this first teaser for "Of Shark and Man" will be followed by others as 2013 progresses, showing more detail and more of the film, but this first one will hopefully set the tone and give you an idea of what you're in for. Don't expect what you're used to either, this is not your average shark film...

Help spread the word

When I was in Nerve Engine, one of the most valuable things I spent time doing was putting together a "Street Team." For those who aren't aware what that means, a street team is basically, in the traditional sense anyway, a group of people based in different parts of the country/world who really like a band, and who go out and flyer the streets, promoting upcoming shows by whichever band they're street teaming for. In return, they get free entry into shows, discounted merchandise, credits on sleeve notes, all that kind of groovy stuff.

In the modern age of social media, it seems Street Teams have fallen by the wayside which is a shame as I always thought it a great way to bring bands and their fan base closer together. What has all this got to do with my film you ask...

As a one man team, I simply cannot do everything myself and I am at a massive disadvantage because of that, there just isn't enough time and I don't have the resources to promote "Of Shark and Man" properly on my own, I am also making all this up as I go along as well having never promoted a film before so I thought, "why not put a street team together?!"

So, what would a "From the Office to the Ocean" Street Teamer be asked to do?

It's simple really, promote "Of Shark and Man" regularly on your social media pages, post updates from here, the website and press, share trailers and media and maybe even some outdoorsy stuff as well, like plastering stickers and any other promo materials all over your neighbourhood, upsetting your local council/town hall/police department etc whilst knowing that you're being super awesome in the process.

In return you get a thank you credit in the film itself and also discounts and first dibs on future merchandise and stuff. It's not massively labour intensive but it is enormously helpful and in keeping with the grassroots, "in it together" approach this film has had since day one, it's also a brilliant way to maintain the most important relationship of all, that of the film-maker and audience.

 

Obviously, one would assume that anyone interested in sharks and their proper representation in the media would be keen to climb aboard but it's a competitive world out there so anyone signing up is going to be a big asset to the film's growth in the face of apathy and the competitive elbowing for market share in the 21st century shark related media community, they sure as hell won't help us so we just have to do it ourselves right?

For example, when the new site is launched, you'll be emailed with details and asked to share on your Facebook pages and groups, email subscribers, mailing lists, newsletters, Twitter etc, encouraging people to get involved, become interested in the project and want to be a part of all this with us. You can also feel free to suggest promotional and marketing ideas, organise screenings when the film is finished, get actively involved on the Facebook page, stuff like that. It is essentially the odd couple of hours a week but even that minimal level of help will increase the chances of this film reaching the kind of audience it deserves.

Worth pointing out as well, simply posting a link isn't really enough, we've all seen the same turbo posting people on Facebook who seem to spend all day just plastering links to things that all blur into one to the point you just switch off and block them out of your mind, I don't want people like that. I want people who want to discuss, debate, enthuse and promote, people who actually give a shit about what they're sharing, people who believe in what it is we are doing!

If you want to sign up all you need to do is email me at david@officetoocean.com with the title of the email as "Street Team" and provide basic details, your name, location, Facebook pages etc, that's it, we can then go from there. You may already help with things like this but please, if you do, still email me to be involved in the Street Team so I can keep a record of everyone involved!

I can't wait to get this started with you!

Just to finish this blog off, check out this short film I made about Autumn and the change as Winter approaches. I did it primarily to get out of the house as I was going stir crazy and the odd few hours of solitude in nature here and there really helped!

In Amber - A Very British Autumn from Scarlet View Media on Vimeo.

I will do the final part of the help blog for aspiring film-makers soon as well.

Brad has been on the telly as well, check that out here

2013 is already shaping up positively, not only will Of Shark and Man be completed but Brad and Bea are having a little person (I can say that now he announced it on TV), Hamish is getting married and two of my very closest friends, Mark and Fran, announced their engagement yesterday! Great stuff :)