UX/UI Designer & Web Developer
Research & Design:
2 Weeks (July, 2021).
Web Design & Bug fixes:
6 weeks (Jul - Aug 2021).
Interactive website, and End-to-end execution: Research, Design and Development of Website using CMS and custom Javascript code.
Adobe Creative Suite (Content Creation), CMS (For Website Development), Javascript
The director’s initial preference was to create a PowerPoint presentation for the film pitch. However, the limitations of PowerPoint quickly became apparent: aside from the lack of interactivity, the file could also be problematic when shared with others due to missing fonts, potential formatting changes, and other technical issues. More importantly, PowerPoint wasn’t engaging enough to stand out in a competitive industry.
The challenge was to present the film pitch in a way that felt modern, engaging, and seamless. This required solving the issue of integrating background music, which is a key part of storytelling, into the presentation in a way that played continuously without interruption. A website presented itself as the ideal solution to these issues, allowing the content to be shared universally without worrying about formatting or software incompatibilities.
Create a Compelling Pitch Experience
How can we ensure the film pitch is engaging, memorable, and leaves a strong impression on the producers?
Eliminate PowerPoint Issues
Can we create a more stable and professional solution by eliminating the formatting problems and font issues commonly associated with PowerPoint presentations?
Integrate Interactive Elements
Can we incorporate interactive features that allow the producers to engage with the content more deeply, increasing their investment in the project?
Ensure Seamless Music Integration
How can we ensure the background music plays seamlessly without being interrupted, creating a more immersive and professional pitch experience?
I started by conducting UX research to understand the director's vision for the pitch. Based on this, I created wireframes and high-fidelity mockups that featured an interactive, cinematic design. The design aimed to enhance the pitch's storytelling through visual elements while ensuring seamless music integration.
After finalizing the design, I developed the website using a CMS for easy management and integrated custom JavaScript to handle animations, interactions, and the background music seamlessly. I also ensured that the site was fully responsive, providing a smooth experience on both desktop and mobile devices.
The website was designed to provide a dynamic and engaging experience. The journey started with a cinematic, spy-themed UI. A key interactive feature was a plane-shaped button that, when clicked, would reveal the full content of the pitch while simultaneously triggering the background music. This added a layer of immersion that would be impossible with a PowerPoint presentation.
To complement the interactive website, I also designed several graphic elements including spy-themed backgrounds, an animated title card, and promotional posters. These designs contributed to the immersive experience and reinforced the storytelling aspect of the pitch.
Media Content Created for the Site:
The website was password-protected to ensure only authorized individuals could access it. When the user logged in, the page initially appeared dark with minimal design elements. The plane-shaped button, which symbolized the project’s theme, was the trigger for revealing the full content. Upon clicking, the music played seamlessly while the content unfolded, offering a polished and immersive pitch experience.
Secured Producer's Involvement
While I wasn’t directly involved in contract negotiations, the meetings did go forward as planned and the website was presented to positive effect.
Successful Solution Implementation
The solution was economically and technologically feasible, and impactful. The director was pleased with how I had used modern tools to elevate the pitch beyond a PowerPoint presentation.
Long-Term Collaboration
This project led to a successful 3-year collaboration with the director and their writing team on various movie projects and pitch decks.
The goal of this project was to make a digital pitch deck that, while solving for the limitations of a traditional pitch deck, was also innovative and technically sound.
A pitch deck website was a unique solution but with innovation comes new problems - here, it was the autoplay limitation on browsers. However, this problem was creatively bypassed using interactive elements that fit thematically.
Key Takeaway: UX for Creative Industries
A Pitch deck is primarily a business presentation document, and incorporating a non-traditional format allows for UX to be used in Creative industries such as Film and Advertising.
Key Takeaway: Understanding real-world technical limitations
Product solutions always seem feasible when doing research, but an understanding of the existing software/hardware limitations might help design a Product that works in the real world.
