I was interviewed yesterday by Dr. Simon Davey on behalf of the Media Trust New Media Thinktank and the ICT hub for an article to be published in their forthcoming newsletter.
The subject was “best practice” in building websites and online tools for voluntary sector, and he wanted to use the recently launched First Light Movies website as a case study.
Here’s the article, which will be published next month.
Sharing the Web – Mouse, Camera, Action
Websites represent fantastic tools for collaborative working and sharing ideas and experiences. At their best, they involve all ages, support creativity and opportunity and go beyond what’s feasible in the offline world.
First Light Movies are the leading organisation working with children and film. They distribute National Lottery money to support filmmakers aged between 5 and 18 years old and promote media literacy through a number of activities including Film Street (www.filmstreet.co.uk) and a new website featuring the ‘Lightbox’.
The original First Light Movies website was static and uninspiring. The organisation knew things needed to change and were looking for a site which put young people at the centre and would be young, fresh and up to date with new technology.
Key to the website experience was to involve the users – the young people and organisations that facilitate the filmmaking process. The outcome of this was the decision to build a community rather than use the website purely for marketing and information. First Light Movies created a brief around these aims and started working with 3form.net
3form believe that thinking always comes from the users point of view. In this case, does the website meet the needs of young people and their activities?
The website needed to engage and to become two-way (between young filmmaker and organisation) communication. This first prompted the idea of the Lightbox to support the process of making a film. Based on the concept of collaborative web-based applications (such as 37signals.com), the Lightbox is an interactive zone where young people can blog their thoughts on the process of filmmaking, share ideas, upload their storyboards and scripts, and update the site with films still in development. Finished films can then be screened from within the main website. Lightbox also enables First Light to be more involved in the process and to share in the development experience.
The key aims were to build a community feel, create a wider network and inspire others through film. 3form adopted a dual development model in building the website. The main website, although simple and straightforward, needed a specific plan to bring together detailed content and structure. The more interactive elements were based on a rapid development process – do quickly, test and adjust. This worked well with Lightbox and the young people appreciated the opportunity to contribute and get involved in the process.
The prototype Lightbox will be piloted with young people making a First Light film in early Spring 2007. It will help First Light strengthen their brand with young people and make the task of documenting their projects much more fun.
The difference it makes
The project has had significant impacts already. First Light were expanding rapidly and the new website has supported that process and made people’s jobs easier. It has provided a way of engaging more effectively with the young people and getting involved in developments. Films can be published easily on the new website and changed frequently offering wider exposure to greater numbers of young filmmakers. The website is also helping to build a history of film developments and communicating that to the wider world.
There have been a number of lessons learned in the development. The project took a long time and a lot of commitment and First Light acknowledged they underestimated the size of the project when they took it on. However, it was well worth the effort and the involvement of the young people was critical to its success.
First Light are also involved in a separate site www.filmstreet.co.uk which is aimed at engaging primary aged children with film. The site is full of interactive activities that teach children different film techniques and introduce the language of film. There are also downloadable lesson plans for teachers mapped to the curriculum and exercises for children to do away from the computer.
Find out more at www.firstlightmovies.com