IFC Entertainment, the
film distribution company owned by AMC Networks, launched its new
website.
The company tapped Big
Spaceship to design and build the new site, with the aim to create a
modernized online destination for its content.
The company’s first
redesign in seven years, the new responsive site features improved navigation
and a more streamlined user experience, creating a more intuitive platform for
visitors to find out how to view the movies they are interested in across the
company’s three major distribution labels: IFC Films, Sundance Selects and IFC Midnight. The site
strategy was created with three major goals in mind, all designed to promote
discovery on the IFC Films site.
Knowing that the two
most trafficked templates on IFCFilms.com were the film template and the home
page, Big Spaceship optimized the user experience to help users find information
faster. The site acts as a resource for film enthusiasts, theaters, film
festivals and press alike - providing all the information and assets needed to
screen, promote and view the films.
In the redesign, IFC Films and Big
Spaceship chose to highlight the company’s marquee content – putting premier
releases front and center with the addition of full-screen trailers that
dominate the homepage. The new homepage uniquely displays trailers for five
featured films that will rotate out over time, as new releases are available.
“We’re excited to launch
the new IFCFilms.com and give users a visually striking, experiential
destination to engage with our film labels and explore our extensive catalog,”
said Shani Ankori, senior vice president of marketing for IFC Films/Sundance
Selects. “Fans, press and partners across the creative community will be able
to easily learn about our current releases, discover various titles from our
library through uniquely themed categories, and find ways to watch any of our
films.”
“We knew trailers were
the strongest promotional tool IFC Films had for their titles. Along the path
of finding the films they are interested in, users should be encouraged to play
trailers at every step of the way. We designed the site with this in mind -
there should always be an element of the page in motion,” said Big Spaceship
Group Design Director, Dave Chau. “We wanted the site to feel alive and
continue to move with you as you explore.”
Big Spaceship
and IFC Films also worked together to migrate and catalog content on the
backend – designed to facilitate the findability and discovery of all titles in
the company’s catalog. The new website allows the user to watch or queue films
via GoWatchIt. The widget easily
allows the films to be purchased on iTunes, streamed on Netflix, and viewed on
all other platforms on which the films are currently featured.