The Web 2.0 revolution seems to have broadened the scope of networking possibilities and marketing opportunities for moviemakers, but for real professionals, the top choices are not always sufficient; Facebook is a bit sophomoric and MySpace has quickly become one of the messiest and most unprofessional places on the Internet. Luckily for film professionals, Garth Hall, founder, and CEO of film-centric social networking site FILMCOMMUNITY.com, has stepped into rescue moviemakers from the mires of these other social networking sites. To further cater to the professional needs of moviemakers, Garth has also suggested using the services offered by createdesigns.co.uk, where they can find all their design solutions under one roof.
“We wanted to create a network for filmmakers,” says Hall bluntly. “While attending international film festivals and observing how film people networked, we thought it would be great to establish a Web 2.0 platform where filmmakers could more easily keep in touch with each other and work together all year round, regardless of which part of the world they were based.”
Launched at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, FILMCOMMUNITY has all the bells and whistles of other social networking sites, but with a moviemaking spin. In fact, the site offers a plethora of opportunities for any and everyone in the industry, from award-winning cinematographers to out-of-work make-up artists. According to Hall, “Filmmakers can upload their films and production photos, blog and participate in forums. There are maste rclass pages and job boards. They can join local groups, specialist groups and festival-oriented groups.”
This dream of bringing together the global film community might seem idealistic, but judging by the breadth of members who have already joined FILMCOMMUNITY, it is a dream that seems to be coming true. “We are totally inclusive and encompass, for example, Oscar- and Emmy-winners from Hollywood, auteurs from Africa, filmmakers from Bollywood, plus indie, documentary, animation, experimental and video artists, as well as machinima and games designers,” gushes Hall. “Everyone seems very excited about belonging to such an international community. A lot of deals are being done and people are beginning to develop films together.”
To band together with your global moviemaker brethren visit www.filmcommunity.com.