TIFF 2023: Lights, Camera, Innovation in the Digital Spotlight.
It is that time of the year again- TIFF week is here! As one of the world most prestigious film festival kicks off on the 7 and continues through to 17 September 2023, it will feature the latest lineup of exciting movies and have some of your favorites A- list celebrities such as Lil Nas X, Nicholas Cage, Neve Campbell, Spike Lee, Sylvester Stallone and others stroll the red carpets.
The focus is not just on the big screen; it also includes their creative use of digital and web mediums. Let’s explore the innovative approaches being used by the Toronto International Film Festival and the amazing advancements they can make in the digital space.
TIFF’s Online Presence: A Digital Journey.
A tremendously difficult period for the arts and entertainment occurred from 2020 to 2022, when the COVID-19 pandemic kept everyone indoors and many art organizations and festivals, like TIFF, suffered.
However, there was a significant audience shift to the digital arena around that time, and a lot of innovation was done for a smooth user experience. As a result, digital companies like Netflix and ZOOM all saw a surge in the value of their stock due to the massive increase in numbers of their subscribers.
TIFF was among the numerous Arts organizations and festivals of the time that significantly rely on their online presence to engage with their audience. Aside the amazing premieres and start studded red carpets at TIFF’2023, they have also mastered the art of captivating audiences through digital and online channels.
Here is the list of what I think they are doing brilliantly:
1. User friendly Website:
TIFF’s website is not just made of a series of web pages, it is a digital delights. User-friendly navigation, you can effortlessly explore the movie schedules, buy tickets and access wealth of information about the festival in just one space. The Digital TIFF Bell Lightbox is an amazing website of its own that makes it possible for you to watch films in the comfort of your home and I must say it gives a Netflix feel which I enjoy so much.
2. Social Media Prodigy:
As TIFF’s week unfolds, their social media mastery shines brighter than ever. From live tweeting red carpet moments to sharing movies trailers and behind the scenes glimpses, they use the power of popular social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to engage and excite their audience worldwide.
3. Intriguing E-newsletters:
TIFF never goes to sleep, whether it is festival week, or not they keep engaging their audience. As an active subscriber of TIFF e-newsletters it feels like I have a golden ticket to the exclusive cinema world, beyond festival updates they offer exclusive contents such as news around the film industry worldwide, filmmaker interviews and festival highlights that keep the subscribers engaged.
Does that mean the Toronto International Film Festival has everything working perfectly? Of course not, there is room for improvement and I will be listing what I think they should improve on to take their online game to the next level.
1. Enhanced Virtual Engagement:
TIFF need to improve their virtual engagement by incorporating live Q&A sessions with filmmakers, facilitating interactive discussion and enabling real time audience interaction during online screening, workshops and all other industry sessions and events.
2. Expanding Accesibility:
To ensure more inclusivity and diversity in TIFF programming and delivery they need to invest in enhancing accessibility features such as audio description and language options would make their digital content more accessible and reach a more diverse audience
3. Personalized Content:
TIFF films and events curation and programming should be more personalized to their audience taste, they should harnessed the use of data analytics if they are not already doing so to generate a new audience and also use the AI driven recommendation tool, where TIFF can suggest films and events that aligned with peoples’ preference, creating more personalized and engaging festival.
Having said all the great things the Toronto International Film Festival are doing well and what they should improve on I still the believe that TIFF approach to digital space ensure that the show must go on not just red carpet, but online, with their continued commitment to pushing boundaries of digital engagement, the future promises even more exciting digital innovation for film lovers worldwide.
Stay tuned for more exciting piece like this and do not forget to attend the 2023 edition of TIFF.
Click here for more
FOLLOW ME
