During the week I spent at the Clermont-Ferrand Market, I was able to attend the conference by Sam Morril, programming director of Vimeo, about the advantages of being part of the Staff Picks channel, where approximately 1,000 short films are selected each year.
Since I published the post about the online promotion of Sidewalk by Celia Bullwinkel (it reached 3 million views on Vimeo alone), I have become more aware of the importance of developing a free online publication strategy that complements festival distribution.
The figures that Vimeo handles are impressive; a short film that manages to be selected for Staff Picks can achieve more than 200,000 views. The impact of these views has significant value, as there are producers, festival programmers, and even buyers who consider this channel one of their references.
I increasingly encounter directors and producers whose goal is to be selected by Staff Picks and have their short film available for free viewing on Vimeo.
One of the most important qualities that differentiate it from other portals, such as YouTube, is its human character. Unlike the recommendation algorithms of Google or Netflix, at Vimeo there is a programming team with names and surnames, composed of people who select the best videos that are part of the categories, the recommendations of Vimeo On Demand, and the Staff Picks label.
This recommendation strategy is completed with a series of seals or labels. One of the most recent has been Staff Picks Premiere, launched in October 2016. These are exclusive online premieres, which are supported by the Vimeo team in both promotion and marketing, through blogs and social media campaigns.
Each month the best short film is selected under the Best of Month label, and among all of them, the Best of the Year is selected annually. If the mere fact of being part of Staff Picks can increase views and recognition, being selected as the best of the month or year can be very important for a filmmaker’s career, even more so than some festival awards.
It seems that we increasingly need to take seriously proper planning for the online premiere of short films and have no reservations about exhibiting it freely and openly; the rewards can come in various ways.
But… What do we do? Do we publish it on VOD platforms in exchange for remuneration (which is usually small), or do we develop an online strategy to be selected for Staff Picks and have thousands of views?
I would love to know your opinion and if you have had experiences in both directions. You can comment below.