How we’re trying to help creatives during the COVID-19 pandemic

Category: News

How we’re trying to help creatives during the COVID-19…

May 5, 2020May 15, 2020
by Snoovies Team

Film and theatre makers are especially affected during the current crisis. Not only is the work of making film and theatre particularly challenging to do from home, we’re also unable to showcase our work in physical theatres or during film or theatre festivals. It is expected that theatres and cinemas will be the last places to open once lock-down measures start to be lifted, so it might still be quite awhile before creatives can earn a living with what they do best.

Snoovies has always been focused on supporting independent artists in getting exposure and growing their audience. We’ve now decided to improve our platform even further to help creatives cope and earn income.

Hello Theatre!

We love theatre. We’re missing the magic of being able to come together in a theatre space and suspend disbelief as a shared experience.

So from today, theatre makers are invited to submit their recorded shows for inclusion in the Snoovies app. We’re happy to accept any length of work, as we want to support as many theatre makers as we can.

Put your viewers in the middle of the action

From late May, Snoovies will support immersive 360 video content. Viewers can move their phone/tablet around or drag their screen to explore the entire content space in 360 degrees. Take viewers around with you on a journey or area exploration, or create a theatre show with the viewers in the middle of the action! The possibilities are endless.

Have a look at how The Lion King immersed audiences in their live show via 360 on YouTube. If you’re viewing the link using the YouTube app on your phone or tablet you can move your device around to explore the stage, or use your mouse on a desktop or laptop computer:

Socially Distant Shoots

Because 360 videos really only require 1 camera and minimal crew (if the camera captures everything around it, there wouldn’t be many places for crew to hide ;))

Check out this link for advice on how to get started. For content creators in the Los Angeles area, we can offer affordable professional equipment rental that allows you to shoot 8K 360 material. Contact us for further information.

Make money with your short film or theatre piece

Although Snoovies has always focused on exposure, with the advent of lockdown, desperate measures require bold moves.

People are used to paying to attend short film screenings or fringe plays, and they also understand that film and theatre makers will be struggling even more to produce content on low budgets. We really believe the majority of film and theatre lovers will gladly pay a small amount to support your work.

Snoovies has always allowed content creators to raise funds using our “behind-the-scenes” feature, where audiences can read more about the cast and crew and what they’re up to now. Not only that, You could easily link to the crowdfunding platforms or any website you would like that support payment. Raising funds with this feature allows you to keep 100% of any proceeds.

Drumroll… Premium Content!!!

From the end of May, we will offer another method to raise funds and make it even easier to earn money with your work. You can simply set a price for your piece so people can pay, using their Apple or Google account, to view or download the content:

Snoovies will give you 50% of all money raised. Ideally we’d given you a bigger cut, but sadly the cost of charging using in-app billing plus what we’d need to spend to wire the proceeds to content creators worldwide only allow us to provide this service on a 50/50 split. We still hope that this will help you stay afloat in these crazy times, by having a platform that allows you to showcase your work to audiences world-wide, without having to manage your own billing.

We hope the Snoovies platform can help you make the most of your creative energy. Do submit any work you think deserves a wider audience, and let us know if and how you would like to raise funds. We’re here for you!

Films

Snoovies favorite UNSKIN temporarily available to view online

April 24, 2020May 15, 2020
by Snoovies Team

You may have come across P I R A N H A by Elcid Asaei in the Snoovies App. This talented filmmaker has created another film called UNSKIN, that has some surprise references to P I R A N H A. Since this film is still doing the Film Festival circuit, we cannot fully feature it on Snoovies yet, but Elcid has made it temporarily available to watch on Vimeo during the depressing COVID-19 days. Make use of this opportunity while you can and watch it now!

Life

Success doesn’t equal worth

March 1, 2020May 15, 2020
by Snoovies Team

When you are active in the film, media and tech industry, you constantly feel pressure to prove you’re worthwhile. We are inundated with stories of success: we see filmmakers that win prize after prize with their amazing film, we see actors being cast in the next big thing because of their amazing skill, entrepreneurs being featured in a wealth of publications on how their idea will change the world. All the while plugging our own work as actors, filmmakers, entrepreneurs or whatever area you are trying to succeed in and starting to feel like you’re lagging behind the ‘winners’. It can sometimes be disheartening to feel as if everyone around you is ‘winning’, while nobody seems to notice the work you’re doing. It can be detrimental to your mental health.

Quality does not equal quantity

Maybe you didn’t get selected by 10 film festivals. Maybe you’ve only been cast in a single fringe play. Maybe you only have 3 followers on Twitter or Instagram. In today’s world that seems to imply you’re irrelevant. It gives people the right to ignore you and dismiss your work as sub-par. It may make you feel shit about yourself. And that’s where you need to stop and take stock of what really matters. Before starting Snoovies we trained as actors. The principal of the school we went to always warned us against the ‘approval/disapproval syndrome’. People suffer from it in pretty much every walk of life. A constant need for the rest of the world to tell you that you’re good. That you’re worthwhile. While in reality we are all worthwhile, even if the rest of the world hasn’t caught on to that fact yet.

You were worthwhile long before you got your first follower, your first job or your first pat on the back. Just your personal journey from wanting to pursue whatever it is you are passionate about and getting to the point where you are now is probably a massive achievement already. You set your mind to a goal and worked your ass off trying to get there. The journey taught you about yourself, your capabilities and the world. You’ve learned what works and/or what doesn’t work. And that on its own puts you at a massive advantage for whatever pursuit you go onto next. No fame, monetary success or prize can equal the personal growth only you yourself can assess. The real ‘success’ or quality of your endeavour lies in your learning. And you yourself are the only one that can pat yourself on the back for it. So do that. You deserve it.

Your work is appreciated by more people than you know

Sometimes it may seem that your work was a waste of time because those that you perceive to be the ‘judges’ on it didn’t rate it. Your film didn’t get selected into a festival. Your content only has 5 views on YouTube. You get rejected from every application you submit. Your venture didn’t get any traction. But still, it was not a waste of time.

Besides the personal growth we mentioned above, you’d be surprised how many people actually look up to you and think you are amazing for having achieved what you have. Maybe it are your parents, family or friends that can’t believe their own child/relative/buddy had such tenacity in pursuing their dreams. You may think that doesn’t mean anything, but it does.

Maybe it are those you took along on the journey with you that appreciate you for the personal growth they’ve achieved thanks to your vision and example. And maybe, you literally just missed out on that prize or acknowledgment by an inch. Maybe a lot of the people you were trying to impress actually were, but it just wasn’t the right time and place for your venture to shine. It may still in the future.

Think before you respond to others asking your opinion or approval

Beware of the effect you have on other people. You don’t always know what mental state someone else is in. Your remark or lack thereof can be the last in a string of disappointments that may just push them over the edge to something terrible. Treat others as you yourself want to be treated. Never outright dismiss, reject or even worse, ignore others when they ask your approval. It’s really not that hard to say something nice before explaining that it wasn’t right for you. It’s hardly ever better to ignore someone than to just explain you prefer something else. It truly makes a difference.

If you are in a position to judge the work of a large number of people, write a general rejection response that acknowledges that the work was worthwhile but not quite right for you. Encourage those you reject to try again with a different approach or to try with others, as they may very well succeed in the future. Explain that it may be impossible for you to respond to everyone personally, but that you do acknowledge their efforts and thank them for it. And never ever imply that something is worthless. You are not in a position to assess that, no matter how successful and experienced you may be in your field. There’s a lot more underneath the surface that went into the work that you’re not seeing.

If all of us start relying less on people’s approval/disapproval and are kinder to those around us that may not have the same level of ‘superficial’ success of others, we are well underway to improve our collective mental health. Perhaps we can start reducing the many suicides, depressions and other destructive behaviours we’ve been encouraging in this world of ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’. Let’s all do our bit to try and make that happen.

Films

Our favourite short films

February 1, 2020May 15, 2020
by Snoovies Team

We’ve been watching and featuring short films for awhile now. And even though we love every single film we feature, there are a few that hold a special place in our hearts. These are the stories that give you a certain emotional response or make you reconsider your perspectives. They are the ones that just stay with you long after the first view.

All films on this list are available to watch for free on our app, just download in the Apple AppStore or Google Play. You can use the ‘Discover’ tab to find specific films.

1. The Candidate

The Candidate was one of our favourites long before one of its actors became the Duchess of Sussex. We have to admit: Meghan Markle did catch our eye when we first saw ‘The Candidate’, and we wouldn’t be surprised if it was her performance in this film that secured her the role of Rachel Zane in Suits. But outside of the strong acting performances, the main reason this is one of our favourites is the combination of a strong script, interesting storyline twist and its excellent cinematography. This film sets the bar of what a short film can be: completely engaging and tense, with production values that could match an original Netflix production. A jealous sales executive receives an intriguing visitor from a mysterious organisation. Could there be a solution to his frustration?

2. P I R A N H A

This is one of our latest additions. Yet it instantly made this list. The film won ‘The Best Postmodern Film’ award at the Calcutta International Cult Film Festival. It was inspired by the global financial crisis, and the London riots that followed shortly after. The writer/director Elcid Asaei was looking at the similarities and contradictions of how both events were treated by the mainstream media, in which the rioters were vilified and the bankers were let off the hook. This film makes a statement about this phenomenon, and a wider assessment of the detrimental side-effects that the neo-liberal global economic order has had on our world.

3. Above the Waist

This is the very first short we ever featured. We went to an event in London for young up- and coming filmmakers and were shown this touching story. Initially the film feels like a light comedy about two friends fooling around shooting an online dating profile video. But as the film progresses, you feel that something isn’t quite ‘right’. The filmmakers brilliantly maintain a level of suspense until the great reveal. Every single person we’ve shown ‘Above the Waist’ was moved by this story, and how it showcases the importance of real friendship.

4. Sevilla

This Dutch Snoovie turned out to be one of our highest rated shorts. Many people that try our app end up mentioning this film as one of the standouts. The film does a lot in just 11 minutes. Every minute keeps you captivated. There’s an unease from the first couple of moments, but you don’t fully understand why. They use flashbacks between the ‘present’ and the ‘past’ brilliantly, and while we kept trying to guess what happened in between the two periods, we could have never predicted the actual climax. Follow this group of twenty-somethings on their road trip to Sevilla and discover why the trip was made twice. Among other festivals, this film was screened at the International Short Film Festival Clermont-Ferrano.

5. Mentiroso

Mentiroso brought a smile to our faces the first time we saw it. It’s a story driven by teenagers discovered through a small talent agency in Mexico. They did an amazing job, you can sense the genuine ‘teen experience’, and there is something quite touching about the reason why a young boy would willingly let him self be branded the ‘town liar’.

6. Eight

8 Brilliantly shows the futility of war. And it does so without employing a single word of dialogue. Quite a feat. It won the ‘Best Short Film’ award at the 8th edition of the Montfilmfest Giochi di Cinema de Casalborgone. It employs a very original way of storytelling that resonates with any audience in any language. It doesn’t need any words or subtitles. You just ‘get’ it.

7. Jet

Jet is an unfortunate man whose best-laid plans are foiled by a little girl. It combines high paced action with dark comedy. Thematically, it looks at irresponsible gun use in the United States. It is extremely well filmed and acted and you should definitely give it a watch.

We could go on and on listing the many films we love, but this article would become way too long. So we decided to stop at number 7. There are many more films to discover through our app.

If you are a filmmaker with a great short film yourself, do submit to us so we can add it to the lineup. Snoovies is free for both filmmakers and viewers, we’re purely in it for the love of film.

Film Business

Building an audience for your short film

January 1, 2020May 15, 2020
by Snoovies Team

After countless hours of screenwriting, storyboarding, shooting and editing it is done! You now have your own mini movie that you’re super proud of. Maybe it got screened at a couple of film festivals, or maybe you’re not really the festival type and just want it to be seen by as many people as possible. So you put it up on YouTube. And on Vimeo. And then you wait for the thousands of views that will inevitably appear. And a month later, you’re still at 10 views. Now what??

Well sadly there are millions of videos competing for those eyeballs. Just being on the two main video sites is not enough. You somehow need to drive traffic from other websites to your video.

Step 1 is keywords. What have you put in your description and title? Try to find out what searches are trending on YouTube and then see if any are in some way related to your story. That will already help the likelihood of someone discovering your film. Beware of ‘keyword-stuffing’ though. Only use the words that truly relate to your film and use them in a way that they still make up a normal and concise title and description. You can use the ‘tag’ field to add additional keywords that are suitable for your content.

Step 2 is imagery. Does your cover art resonate when it comes up in a long list of other videos? Try to use imagery that would make someone want to see more, just a title with a nice font won’t cut it. Ideally it would be a shot of a climactic moment in the film, or one of your actors showing a strong emotion.

Step 3 is all about sharing your film on as many platforms and blogs out there. There are dozens of websites and apps out there that have already put in the work to build the audience you’re looking for. You’ll likely be competing with a lot less other films on their platforms compared to YouTube and Vimeo.

We at Snoovies focus solely on quality short films, and you’d benefit from the fact that outside of featuring your film we would also dedicate a full section to you: the filmmaker. We give you a platform to share the process behind the film and any other projects you would like to promote. And we do all this non-exclusively, free of charge. You can submit your film to us here.

If you’re looking for exposure outside of mobile devices, a platform you could consider to promote your work on desktops and laptops is shortoftheweek.com. Similar to Snoovies, they focus solely on short films and have additional editorial around the film makers.

Sometimes it might take a while for views to take off. But the magic of short films is that they never really ‘expire’. Just leave them up online, keep plugging and slowly but surely the views will grow. Success favours the determined. Those that know they have a great product and stand behind it long before the rest of the world picks up on it. We’ve got your back.

Film Production

5 Tips on writing your first screenplay

December 1, 2019May 15, 2020
by Snoovies Team

You’ve decided to make your first short film. Congratulations! You are embarking on an exciting journey and your life will never be the same ;). We salute you! To get you started, here are some tips to make sure your new venture is a success:

Less is More

When you first start writing, a common mistake is to end up with a script having dozens of pages. You’re letting out all that creative energy. It’s good to just let everything out that comes to mind, but when it comes down to the product you actually want to film, it is best to keep it short. We’d recommend no more than 10 minutes. Why?

First of all, viewers can easily disconnect if they feel the story isn’t progressing. In comparison to feature films, your viewers will give you a very limited concentration span.

Second, some festivals are less likely to include you in their line-up if your film is longer, as it will take up a bigger slot in their programming.

Prefer Visuals over Text

Have you ever heard the term ‘exposition’? Exposition is a literary device used to introduce background information about events, settings, characters, or other elements of a work to the audience. For instance: a character explains that they’re sad because they had a bad childhood. First time writers often try to explain all their ideas in dialogue between the actors. It is however a lot more powerful to try to explain events and ideas visually, that’s the true power of film.

Try to evoke the response you want in cinematography: sometimes an image of a leaf blowing in the wind is more powerful than any heartfelt monologue.

Keep it Practical

You might have a brilliant idea of an epic fantasy battle in the vein of Game of Thrones. We get it. We would absolutely LOVE to feature a short like that on Snoovies app. Do however keep in mind that Game of Thrones was shot with an average budget of 15 million per episode. Creating 6 Minutes of Game of Thrones will cost you 1 million.

It is important to keep practicalities in mind. How easy will it be to shoot the scene you have in mind? Will it require permits, stunts, CGI, costumes? A simple dialogue with two people in a park can already take hours to get ‘right’, so don’t make things too difficult for yourself when you’re just getting started.

Nothing is more important than the Story

At Snoovies we often get submissions from filmmakers that have a strong track record in visual effects and/or cinematography. Yet we’ve rejected some of the most beautiful works we’ve ever seen. Why?

As we said above, good filmmakers prefer visuals over text. However, some take it too far and end up with 15 minutes of beautiful shots, while nothing is actually happening. That is something you don’t want.

Every story requires a clear beginning, middle and end. There has to be an obstacle, a climax that fundamentally changes the protagonist’s life in the 10 minutes you are working with. You’ll see that even with suboptimal cinematography, a strong story that moves audiences will always win hearts.

Learn from the work of others

Everything great came from great things that preceded it. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. In order to make a good short film, it is important that you watch a lot of short films. Learn what works and what doesn’t from viewing as many shorts as you can.

Browse through the different ‘moods’ in our app, and make sure you tap ‘learn more about the filmmakers’ on every short you watch. See the obstacles other filmmakers faced, and how they got to where they are. Many filmmakers even share their social media information in our app, and wouldn’t mind at all being reached out to for tips and tricks on how to make a great film.

Concluding

So there you have it. You now have all you need to smash it. You’ll be great. We can’t wait to see the outcome. Once you’ve finished your film and done your festival rounds, make sure you submit it to us. We’d probably love to feature it alongside the other great mini movies we have. Good luck!