Executive Summary

 This will be a site all about films and the world of cinema as a whole. Donald Waters, the founder, wants readers to know that the target audience for these articles are as follows: people looking to gain a new perspective and insights on events in the film industry. Professionals may also want to read for a comprehensive summary of the circumstances covered. General filmgoers will get an easy to understand guide of current events. The ideal audience member is a person who goes to the theater very often, and has a good grasp of the current film landscape. A vast knowledge of film history may be helpful as well. They should have a general understanding of the material being presented, but they do not have to be an expert of the topic at hand. They should be following other film journalists/podcasts pretty closely as conversations with professionals will be included in these articles, and background information on the professionals may be required. While the articles give the reader general information on the person being interviewed, the entire context of the professionals’ careers may help readers gain a better understanding on why their insight is important for the article. Audio snippets of these interviews or introductions to the article will be included as well. The target audience should be very invested and passionate about all types of media.

There will be ten stories in total on the site. Access to the professionals’ time so they can be interviewed in a conversational manner for the site is essential. Access to the films being discussed and information regarding the stories is required. A microphone and webcam are needed for the interviews and audio snippets in the article. A cell phone (preferably an iPhone) may be used to record audio as well. Other resources that are needed to make a site of this nature work are as follows: a computer with internet access, time to heavily analyze and read film journals, and time to keep up to date with review sites and current cinema/television. Additionally, necessary products include every streaming service and access to a movie theater that plays all types of current movies. The “Blogger” blog-creation platform will also be in use to produce the website itself.

This summary will explain what the website for this class will be about and the types of content that can be expected from it. It’s a site about film and film culture. Interviews with professionals (film critics, producers, journalists, etc) will be included in the articles. The articles will also include audio snippets from the interviews. The audio snippet may be an introduction to the topic, depending on the professional being interviewed. A multitude of items will be needed for the website. Those include a webcam, microphone, an audio recorder, the “Blogger” website, and time for the founder to analyze the topics at hand. The target audience is people who have a lot of time for film analysis and follow it closely and want a new perspective, as well as people who want an easy to digest article of current events surrounding the entertainment industry. Readers should know that these articles will not be film reviews but rather analyses on the industry. They should also be aware of other film podcasts/journalists, as the full context of the talking head’s career may be useful in understanding the reason for their inclusion in the article.

Based on the previous paragraphs, the site should be called “WatersWams”. “Waters” is a slight nod to Roger Ebert’s writing, as his site was called “Ebert.” It’s the founder’s last name, just as Ebert’s site was his last name. “Wams” is short for “writing and media studies”. This site was originally created for a freelance journalism WAMS class Donald had in college. The site consists of media studies as an aspect of the topics covered, so it fits perfectly. It’s also a fun alliteration.

There are a few things readers should take away from this summary. Audiences should know that the site will not be movie reviews, but analyses on the industry as a whole. This will be a film/television oriented site, and current events will be extensively researched and covered in an easy to digest format. Interviews with professionals will be conducted and included in the articles as well. However, these will not be interviews in the traditional sense. They will instead be conversations about the topic with the professionals in question. In regards to the target audience, it should be someone who is passionate about media and someone who has a lot of free time to consume it. Readers need to understand the basic context of the topics presented. There will be ten stories in total on the site and audio snippets of the interviews or an audio introduction to the topic will be included in every article.