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Optimizing Your Film’s Website Part 2: Management

July 22, 2009 by John Dugan 

film-website-cms

Manage Your Film’s Content Effectively

From adding trailers to reviews, a film website requires you to make constant updates.  The most efficient way to do this is through a content management system (CMS).  A content management system allows you and others to easily create, publish and manage content for your website.  The two basic types of content management systems are closed source and open source.  Closed source refers to a system where the code is locked, thus requiring modifications to be made by the vendor.  Open source refers to a system where the code is open to modification by the public (think Linux vs. Windows).  As a filmmaker, I advise you to choose an open source CMS for a few reasons:

  1. Open Sources Is Cheaper
    Notice I do not say free – while you will incur no licensing fee, it is likely that you will incur some cost of development.

  2. Broad Support Community
    If you have a question you can harness the collective knowledge of all the CMS’s users through many different forums and blogs.

  3. Premium Templates & Add-ons
    Because designs and add-ons are produced in bulk, you get website customization at a fraction of the cost.

Once you make the decision to employ an open source CMS, the next step is deciding which one to use.  I would focus on two systems, WordPress and Joomla.  Though (many will gripe) WordPress is not a full-scale CMS, it is more than adequate for a film website and it’s ease of use provides a key advantage over Joomla.  Although, along with Joomla’s steeper learning curve comes more functionality.  Since every film website has different requirements, it is important that filmmakers weigh the pros and cons between the two.  This article is a good place to start.

Bottom line: You need to make it as easy as possible to create content, because great content engages users and engaged users spread your content.  This means more viewers for your film and more money for your pockets.

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Comments

  • http://www.sceneclips.com John Dugan

    Just implemented the Disqus comment system. Hope there are no kinks! …Also, hope everyone gets some good use out of the Optimizing Your Film's Websites posts :)

  • http://www.sceneclips.com John Dugan

    Just implemented the Disqus comment system. Hope there are no kinks! …Also, hope everyone gets some good use out of the Optimizing Your Film's Website posts :)

  • FilmProposals

    Really excited about Sceneclips and looking forward to seeing you succeed! While you haven't endorsed a specific content system, there is one out there that is, hands down, the best! It's called SBI (Site Build It) and is so easy to use (literally, for dummies), with every possible functionality you can imagine built in, and 24/7 technical support. I think it's really important Film Makers spend their time learning their craft and making their film. It can be a huge waste of time to use an open source program, which most always means no support and spending hours or days reading other web blogs without knowing who is credible. I recommend SBI to all my customers for Marketing their film. It costs less than $300/year and will keep you focused on your film, not your website. If you look at the features and functionality on FilmProposals, you can see how amazing the program is, and we still know nothing about websites or technology.

  • http://www.sceneclips.com John Dugan

    Thanks for weighing in. While I appreciate your opinion, I have to respectfully disagree – completely.

    I don't know how you can say that one cms is hands down the best. Filmmakers have a variety of different goals and needs from their websites.

    I can imagine quite a few different functionalities that sbi does not likely have “built in”, and I know many programmers that make a living writing custom plugins to extend the functionality of cms's. As a side, the technical support from most of these companies flat out sucks.

    Also, I am in fact recommending specific cms's: WordPress and Joomla. Both are open source, both are free. I rather a filmmaker allocate $300 more toward the crafts services than waste it on a cms. Open source offers a community of hundreds of thousands that contribute their support and expertise to improve infrastructure and the extend the functionality of software.

    Lastly, claiming to know nothing about technology, then endorsing a web content management platform doesn't give me much confidence. The recommendation falls on deaf ears.

    Don't mean to come off as brash. Just want to save filmmakers some frustration and dough.

  • FilmProposals

    I guess we'll have to respectfully disagree.

    However, I would ask you actually evaluate the product before you “disagree – completely” and make up something such as “I can imagine quite a few different functionalities that sbi does not likely have “built in.”

    Leave the imagination for filmmaking and keep technology recommendations to the facts.

    How can you say, “open source is free” and then follow with, “I know many programmers that make a living writing custom plugins to extend the functionality of cms's.”

    Doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of free?

    Not knowing a lot about technology in no way correlates to a good movie website. The built in functionality SBI offers is far more comprehensive than any other platform, free or paid, and I move quickly and efficiently without digging around on every open source discussion board and blog. I have 24/7 365 unbelievable tech support, but the same access to other successful websites who are always there to jump in and assist when needed. I have never waited more than 4 hours for a solution to an issue.

    As a successful website owner, I still stand 110% behind my platform as the premiere way to build ANY website, as do 40,000 other successful website owners worldwide. As I write this, FilmProposals website Alexa rank is 545K and your Blog is 2.9M. How do you judge success?

    I have looked at the systems you mentioned, and my own. Since you haven't tried mine, I suggest you evaluate for yourself before you decide, “The recommendation falls on deaf ears.”

    I hope, in spite of your technology choices for SceneClips, you are successful in your endeavors as I understand the intent (CMS recommendation aside) is to help Independent Film Makers and it is a worthy mission.

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