Films, festivals and heroes: why supporting storytelling is so important to us
Our business is delivering high quality on-line TV. But we also sponsor the awards at the UK Film Festival. So why do we get involved in a festival like this? Because ultimately it doesn’t matter how well we can deliver TV shows and movies – it doesn’t even matter if we can do 4K resolution without any buffering or delays – none of this matters if it isn’t great content to start with.
And that’s what film festivals are all about – giving a platform for the best and most creative writers, directors and actors to show what they can do with this amazing medium. This is our chance to support the creative side of the industry, and that’s what we’re doing with the UK Film Festival this month. Like many other similar events, the UK Film Festival has given a platform to films that have gone on to become Oscar winners such as The Phone Call, The Broken Circle Breakdown and Ida.
This is the second year Edgeware has sponsored the awards and one of the perks and privileges is having a place on the judging panel. We often get involved in awards and competitions – after all, whenever we are selected by a customer we have had to compete to prove we are the best answer for their TV service. But selecting the best short film out of a thousand or more contenders is a very different concern. How do you compare a ten-minute film about the secret dancing escapades of a security guard (Timecode) with a thirty-minute film about male prostitution in Afghanistan (When You Hear the Bells)?
Of course, we still look at the more technical angles – how well was is shot and acted and so on – but ultimately it comes down to one thing – how strong is it as a story.
We all have stories to tell – even companies – and it’s the stories we remember long after we’ve forgotten the technical specifications or features of a product. Our stories are about our customers and how they built their TV services. And like any good story they all have an amazing hero. In our stories that hero is the content. Because however well we deliver it, it’s the content that really matters most. So here’s to supporting film festivals everywhere.
Richard Brandon, CMO of Edgeware and a jury member at the UK Film Festival
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