Explorations

Movies play a vital part in the entertainment industry, and in the present time they have had an important advancement in successful marketing. In an attempt to promote latest movies to young movie lovers, a web site meant to meet this purpose will be developed for the smashing company[1][2]. The site will be known as smashing movies. The site will made in comparison to other movie competitors.

Purpose of the Movie Website

Prior to looking into the aspects connected to the movie website and looking into the trend being applied by the competing company, it is vital to take into consideration the main intention of the site[3]. Evidently, for a movie to be successful financially it has to perform well as the box office, and currently most movie goers go to the internet to get movies to watch and purchase tickets. The availability of trailers and video clips assist to involve new comers and motivates them to be aware of show times and purchase tickets over the internet.

The movies are meant to entertain viewers and the movie website is of the same purpose. So as to acquire the visitors’ attention and motivate them to watch a movie, a website has to accord them what they want and offer some form of entertainment concurrently. Presently, movie websites accord the movie viewers an opportunity to watch some trailers prior to making a choice whether to watch it[4]. Due to the reason that is there in movie websites to accord interest and sell tickets, they involve in whole; several videos amongst them trailers for the clients, easy access to the time the movies take place and buy the tickets from the internet and provide bios among other information.

Visitor Expectation

The design, style and composition of a movie website are in whole expected to capture the expectation of the customer[5]. The customer also known as the user or visitor, expects to get something unique and offer entertainment which is more valuable than having access to the website or loading speedily. They look out to be in a position to get to the movie website and know in the shortest time possible if they desire to watch the movie[6]. With this in mind, trailers are necessary aspects of a website: they are very fast to get or start automatically when loading the first page[7]. The design similarly shows the expectation of the visitor and the movie. One is able to know very fast upon accessing the website.

Website Features

In the design of the marketable website, there are some aspects that are of consideration.

1. Flash

The filmmakers stuff website depends highly on flash for flexibility and interactivity feeling. The visitors of the site characteristically anticipate entertainment, so music and sound effects are of consideration and intense application of this trait is allowed similarly in the smashing movie website[8] http://www.hollywood.com/.

This is since it helps to capture the visitors’ interest and the reader will be able to know if he or she wants to watch this movie or not. If so, he will purchase it. For instance http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/underworldriseofthelycans/site/_index.html

Large Background Images

Adding onto the flash, huge graphics or images are applied. They have a significant role in bringing about an eye catching appearance of the movie websites. A number of movie websites apply these mages in the background of their site. For instance: http://www.lastchanceharvey.com/[9]. These images constantly change so as to become more appealing to the visitors, these has the impact of making the visitors get a movie that they are interested in leading to a purchase of a movie. A site that does not offer the use something to go back to instills boredom in the visitor and may have limited views as a result leading to low purchase. This aspect is relevant in the smashing movie website; offering large movie websites that change after a certain period of time, giving the visitor a wide range of options to look at leading to a high possibility of purchasing more than one movie. Additionally, the visitor has a high possibility of coming back again.

Video/Trailers

It is obvious to assume that the movie website will be composed of a video. A number of the websites will have complete trailers, and in other instance contrasting trailers. A number of the websites have the trailers being on the home page, moreover, the site have the trailers being promoted. This is a vital aspect that has to be applied in the smashing movie website, http://www.movieweb.com/[10][11]. This accords the visitor the chance to know what the movie is composed of before purchasing. Most clients want to know what the movie is about before they are able to purchase it so as to not feel shortchanged. Since no one will be there to explain to the visitor what the movie is about, a trailer offers the visitor a brief of what he or she will be watching, hence according reliability that would result to further buying. The smashing website will however not offer a trailer in the home page but offer link to the trailer. This offers the site the ability to place several movies on one page that would be accessible by just clicking on the link. The movies will additionally be categorized on the type of movie starting with the latest movies. This is different from what the competitors have done which is based on most watched movies. The latest movies will allow the users to be up to date with the movies just in. Visitors will be kept abreast of movies making them to constantly visit the site to get what movie is available.

Download Options

A number of movie sites have the download option. Visitors are able to download movies and other features; wallpapers and posters. The smashing movie website will however not offer the visitors the opportunity to download movies but will allow them to download wallpapers and posters[12]. This offers the site the opportunity to be free from hackers who would render the site vulnerable to manipulations and viruses. The site will hence lose the reliability of the customers, which it so much needs as well as lead to a decline in the number of visitors.

Show Times and Ticket Information

Taking into consideration that the objective of the movie website is to sell tickets, every movie has a link for the client. So that they may be able to get the time the movie is showing and ticket information for the various places one may be located, http://www.movietickets.com/[13]. This is an aspect of the design which is important and is directly connected to the goal of business through sell of movies, it hence will be applied. The links will be easy to find hence adding onto efforts to meet the satisfaction of the customers.

Competing sites have made the links to the show times and ticket information to be at the bottom after the client has gone through the trailers of the movie. A visitor has just to click on the link and will be able to access the information. They are easy to notice and quite visible. In the smashing movie website design, the ticket information and show times will all be offered at the same page as the trailers and videos. This accords the visitor not much to think about when looking for where to click. Moreover, it accords the visitor all the details at a go for each and every movie.

Splash Pages

In every movie website from other competing sites, there is the presence of a splash page that the visitor views before going into the main website. The splash pages have trailers and of parts that allow country-based movies to be accessed for instance: http://www.sonypictures.com/[14]. The website is sure to be viewed from not only one country but to other countries worldwide. They hence aim to meet the satisfaction of external customers that will visit the site. This feature comes into play in the smashing website where they are attractive and help to capture the visitor’s attention with popular movies, http://www.slashfilm.com/[15]. In addition, the site will have a section on the site that the visitor will enter their country code and access popular movies in their country.

Social Networking

Several movie websites have made available links that connect to social sites like Facebook and Twitter. It has been note that a number of young people who love movies are found in the social sites, http://www.moviefone.com/[16]. As a result of this, the competing sites have links that recommend certain movies or even the site to their friends. This is a form of marketing strategy that has worked in many business industries and similarly been successful in competing movie sites. As seen in http://www.paramount.com/, it is a valuable feature that would work as the business is brought to the youth. Additionally, the websites would have links that make it possible for the surfers to vote on their favorite movies.

Display of Nominations and Awards

When a visitor visits a site, they are few on options on what to watch. They hence are accorded varied ways or means that would help them. A number of competing movie websites has varied ways that try to convince the visitors so that they may not leave the site without purchasing a movie. This marketing strategy is a form of persuasion. This may include awards and famous actors that feature in the movies as seen in http://www.paramount.com/[17]. This feature in the design of the website is useful and would offer an added persuasion as well as convince the visitor that the site acquires movies that are popular and award winning.

Short Page Length

Competing firms have most of their information on the front page. This makes the visitor to scroll so as to read all of the information available on the site. The pages are however too long and one needs to do a lot of vertical scrolling, http://www.movies.com/[18][19]. In the smashing movie site, the page will be short and will have links which if the writer wants him or her to click. A short page length is convenient for the visitor as it makes everything to be in view and only information needed will be accessed by the visitor.

The Smashing Movie Web Design

The web design when opened, it will contain a flash page that will show a set of movies that are hitting the cinemas or are popular. This page will have a section to enter country codes for the country the visitor is from, this will direct the visitor to the site of the country. There is the option to enter the main site which if clicked would direct the visitor to the main site.

The main site is a short page with an automatic trailer, category section of the movie which directs the visitor to choose his or her desired movie category. The movies have sections that give the details of the movie; ticket information, download option and social site links. The pictures have huge background pictures at the back that constantly change. The site will be easy to access for all visitors and aim to accord satisfaction to the visitor.

References

Brinck, Tom et al. Usability for the Web: Designing Web Sites that Work. London: Academic           Press, 2002.

Career View, Design, Career Development and Employment, Issue No 50, July 2009.

Film maker theme, Hamilton Productions, LLC, 2011, Last modified September 13, 2012,             http://www.filmmakertheme.com/

Film Site, written and edited by Tim Dirks, 2012, Last modified September 13, 2012,   http://www.filmsite.org/

Fox Searchlight pictures, 2012, Last modified September 13, 2012,      http://www.foxsearchlight.com/thewrestler/

Garrett, jesse james. The elements of user experience: user-centered design for the web.     Indianapolis, in: new riders publishing, 2003.

Hollywood, 2012, Last modified September 13, 2012, http://www.hollywood.com/

Krug, Steve. Don’t Make Me Think! A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability. 2nd Edition.    Indianapolis, IN: New Riders Publishing, 2005.

Last Chance Harvey, Overture films, 2008, Last modified September 13, 2012,             http://www.lastchanceharvey.com/

Movies, 2012, Last modified September 13, 2012, http://www.movies.com/

Movie fone, AOL, 2012, Last modified September 13, 2012, http://www.moviefone.com/

Movie tickets, 2012, Last modified September 13, 2012, http://www.movietickets.com/

Movie web, 2012, Last modified September 13, 2012, http://www.movieweb.com/

Olsen, George. “Personal Creation and Usage Toolkit.” In Interaction by Design [website],

            www.interactionbydesign.com/presentations/olsen_persona_toolkit.pdf.

Paramount Pictures, 2010, Last modified September 13, 2012, http://www.paramount.com/

Slash film, 2012, Last modified September 13, 2012, http://www.slashfilm.com/

Snell, S. Movie Website Designs: Examples And Current Practices, 2009, Last modified      September 13, 2012, http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/02/09/movie-website-designs-examples-and-current-practices/

Sony pictures, Underworld Rise of the Lycans, 2008, Last modified September 13, 2012,             http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/underworldriseofthelycans/site/_index.html

Sony Pictures, Sony Pictures Digital, 2012, Last modified September 13, 2012,            http://www.sonypictures.com/

Tittel, E. and C. Burmeister, M.HTML 4 For Dummies 5TH Edition. Indiana: Wiley publishing,           2005.

[1] Olsen, George. “Personal Creation and Usage Toolkit.” In Interaction by Design [website],

                www.interactionbydesign.com/presentations/olsen_persona_toolkit.pdf.

[2] Snell, S. Movie Website Designs: Examples And Current Practices, 2009, Last modified September 13, 2012, http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/02/09/movie-website-designs-examples-and-current-practices/

[3] Career View, Design, Career Development and Employment, Issue No 50, July 2009.

[4] Film maker theme, Hamilton Productions, LLC, 2011, Last modified September 13, 2012, http://www.filmmakertheme.com/

[5] Steve Krug. Don’t Make Me Think! A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability. 2nd Edition.    Indianapolis, IN: New Riders Publishing, 2005.

[6] Tom Brinck, et al. Usability for the Web: Designing Web Sites that Work. London: Academic Press, 2002.

[7] Tittel, E. and C. Burmeister, M.HTML 4 For Dummies 5TH Edition. Indiana: Wiley publishing,        2005.

[8] Hollywood, 2012, Last modified September 13, 2012, http://www.hollywood.com/

[9] Last Chance Harvey, Overture films, 2008, Last modified September 13, 2012, http://www.lastchanceharvey.com/

[10] Fox Searchlight pictures, 2012, Last modified September 13, 2012, http://www.foxsearchlight.com/thewrestler/

[11] Movie web, 2012, Last modified September 13, 2012, http://www.movieweb.com/

[12] Garrett, Jesse James. The Elements of User Experience: User-Centered Design for the Web. Indianapolis, IN: New Riders Publishing, 2003.

[13] Movie tickets, 2012, Last modified September 13, 2012, http://www.movietickets.com/

[14] Sony pictures, Underworld Rise of the Lycans, 2008, Last modified September 13, 2012, http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/underworldriseofthelycans/site/_index.html

[15] Slash film, 2012, Last modified September 13, 2012, http://www.slashfilm.com/

[16] Movie fone, AOL, 2012, Last modified September 13, 2012, http://www.moviefone.com/

[17] Paramount Pictures, 2010, Last modified September 13, 2012, http://www.paramount.com/

[18] Film Site, written and edited by Tim Dirks, 2012, Last modified September 13, 2012, http://www.filmsite.org/

[19] Movies, 2012, Last modified September 13, 2012, http://www.movies.com/