Open Forum

Looking for feedback from the Hive Mind.  One of our Board members is hot to make a "new" introductory film to replace the old one.  The consensus among staff is that nobody watched the old one, so why do a new one?  Will it bring more people in?  I don't believe so.  What we are wanting to propose is a bold plan to develop an "experience" film in 4D.  This fits with our rebranding and strategic planning goals of getting out of the Founders' Rut.  This type of production "could" attract new and return visitors.

Honestly, how much time do your visitors spend watching your film, should you have one?  In my past experience, people would rather tout the museum and learn about it that way.  I have walked into our theaters and found them empty, after having had groups go in so we could start the film.

And 4D: how many of you have such a film?  I have seen (experienced?) some really good ones.

------------------------------
David Beard
Executive Director
USS KIDD Veterans Memorial Museum
Baton Rouge LA
------------------------------

Hi David,
When I work with museums to assess and produce film content, these are some of the questions we ask:
What is the film's purpose and audience take-away?

Is it to provide a separate overall experience, provide context and background, point visitors to specific highlights within the exhibit, set a mood?

Do you intend to use it on-site only, or on the museum's website and in social media?

Have you considered a series of films throughout the exhibition space that could immerse and connect visitors more strongly to the history, objects, and content in stages? This can help create a narrative through the space or simply an enhanced experience.

What is the budget? 4D is expensive and may not actually accomplish the goals you have for your museum and visitors. There may be other ways to create an effective Intro video that meets your needs.

Happy to discuss further.

Best regards,

Maggie Burnette Stogner
President
Blue Bear Films
www.bluebearfilms.com



------------------------------
Maggie Stogner
Blue Bear Films
Annapolis, MD
maggiestogner@me.com
571-331-8007
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-02-2018 02:10 PM
From: David Beard
Subject: Short Introductory Films

Looking for feedback from the Hive Mind.  One of our Board members is hot to make a "new" introductory film to replace the old one.  The consensus among staff is that nobody watched the old one, so why do a new one?  Will it bring more people in?  I don't believe so.  What we are wanting to propose is a bold plan to develop an "experience" film in 4D.  This fits with our rebranding and strategic planning goals of getting out of the Founders' Rut.  This type of production "could" attract new and return visitors.

Honestly, how much time do your visitors spend watching your film, should you have one?  In my past experience, people would rather tout the museum and learn about it that way.  I have walked into our theaters and found them empty, after having had groups go in so we could start the film.

And 4D: how many of you have such a film?  I have seen (experienced?) some really good ones.

------------------------------
David Beard
Executive Director
USS KIDD Veterans Memorial Museum
Baton Rouge LA
------------------------------

Maggie:
As envisioned by the person pushing for it, the film would be an introduction to the ship and museum, hopefully with an introduction by a famous person whose name we cannot mention!  You are spot-on about having more AV throughout the exhibitions and that is part of the strategic planning.  As to the 4D, it would put the visitors in the middle of the battle off Okinawa on April 11, 1945 when the USS KIDD was struck by a single Kamikaze plane.  We are really just in the "How about this idea?" phase as we move toward plans for a larger, more modern museum facility.  

It is my feeling - and that of many of my professional peers - that the "traditional" introductory film should go the way of the Dodo and be replaced with more modern formats.  That is the reason for my query.  I realize that many museums still rely on these types of films and that they work in SOME environments.  I just feel that it is not what is needed here.

------------------------------
David Beard
Executive Director
USS KIDD Veterans Memorial Museum
Baton Rouge LA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-03-2018 09:51 AM
From: Maggie Burnette Stogner
Subject: Short Introductory Films

Hi David,
When I work with museums to assess and produce film content, these are some of the questions we ask:
What is the film's purpose and audience take-away?

Is it to provide a separate overall experience, provide context and background, point visitors to specific highlights within the exhibit, set a mood?

Do you intend to use it on-site only, or on the museum's website and in social media?

Have you considered a series of films throughout the exhibition space that could immerse and connect visitors more strongly to the history, objects, and content in stages? This can help create a narrative through the space or simply an enhanced experience.

What is the budget? 4D is expensive and may not actually accomplish the goals you have for your museum and visitors. There may be other ways to create an effective Intro video that meets your needs.

Happy to discuss further.

Best regards,

Maggie Burnette Stogner
President
Blue Bear Films
www.bluebearfilms.com



------------------------------
Maggie Stogner
Blue Bear Films
Annapolis, MD
maggiestogner@me.com
571-331-8007

Original Message:
Sent: 04-02-2018 02:10 PM
From: David Beard
Subject: Short Introductory Films

Looking for feedback from the Hive Mind.  One of our Board members is hot to make a "new" introductory film to replace the old one.  The consensus among staff is that nobody watched the old one, so why do a new one?  Will it bring more people in?  I don't believe so.  What we are wanting to propose is a bold plan to develop an "experience" film in 4D.  This fits with our rebranding and strategic planning goals of getting out of the Founders' Rut.  This type of production "could" attract new and return visitors.

Honestly, how much time do your visitors spend watching your film, should you have one?  In my past experience, people would rather tout the museum and learn about it that way.  I have walked into our theaters and found them empty, after having had groups go in so we could start the film.

And 4D: how many of you have such a film?  I have seen (experienced?) some really good ones.

------------------------------
David Beard
Executive Director
USS KIDD Veterans Memorial Museum
Baton Rouge LA
------------------------------

Hi David,

I think there's a lot of evidence that people are hungry for films and other AV content within an exhibit experience. If visitors are leaving your current intro film before the end, after requesting to see it, that suggests to me that the problem is with the quality of the existing film, rather than a lack of interest in intro films in general. 

I would second Maggie's opinions on a couple of points - I think visitors would be more engaged by experiencing audiovisual content seeded throughout the exhibit, rather than pouring all your funds into a 4D experience and leaving the rest of the exhibit 'dry'. 

The classic role of an intro film is to build baseline knowledge, excitement, and most of all an emotional connection to your story. Film does emotion really really well. It's a common mistake to create intro films that are too factually detailed ("but they have to understand that..."), and then they start to feel like a Powerpoint presentation, and the visitor feels cheated or disappointed. If you have a discrete theater space for your intro film, your visitors are expecting a movie, not an onscreen rote presentation of facts. Graphic panels further into the exhibit are a much better way to 'teach' the story. 

I hope this helps! Please feel free to give a call to discuss further.

Best regards,


------------------------------
Rory Banyard
Executive Producer
North Shore Productions, Inc.
Portland OR
503.225.0919
cell 503.708.4919
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-03-2018 09:51 AM
From: Maggie Burnette Stogner
Subject: Short Introductory Films

Hi David,
When I work with museums to assess and produce film content, these are some of the questions we ask:
What is the film's purpose and audience take-away?

Is it to provide a separate overall experience, provide context and background, point visitors to specific highlights within the exhibit, set a mood?

Do you intend to use it on-site only, or on the museum's website and in social media?

Have you considered a series of films throughout the exhibition space that could immerse and connect visitors more strongly to the history, objects, and content in stages? This can help create a narrative through the space or simply an enhanced experience.

What is the budget? 4D is expensive and may not actually accomplish the goals you have for your museum and visitors. There may be other ways to create an effective Intro video that meets your needs.

Happy to discuss further.

Best regards,

Maggie Burnette Stogner
President
Blue Bear Films
www.bluebearfilms.com



------------------------------
Maggie Stogner
Blue Bear Films
Annapolis, MD
maggiestogner@me.com
571-331-8007

Original Message:
Sent: 04-02-2018 02:10 PM
From: David Beard
Subject: Short Introductory Films

Looking for feedback from the Hive Mind.  One of our Board members is hot to make a "new" introductory film to replace the old one.  The consensus among staff is that nobody watched the old one, so why do a new one?  Will it bring more people in?  I don't believe so.  What we are wanting to propose is a bold plan to develop an "experience" film in 4D.  This fits with our rebranding and strategic planning goals of getting out of the Founders' Rut.  This type of production "could" attract new and return visitors.

Honestly, how much time do your visitors spend watching your film, should you have one?  In my past experience, people would rather tout the museum and learn about it that way.  I have walked into our theaters and found them empty, after having had groups go in so we could start the film.

And 4D: how many of you have such a film?  I have seen (experienced?) some really good ones.

------------------------------
David Beard
Executive Director
USS KIDD Veterans Memorial Museum
Baton Rouge LA
------------------------------