FILM LOCATION MARKETING: MULTIMEDIA IMAGING SYSTEM INVENTORY MANAGEMENT OF RURAL LOCATION ASSETS

RURAL COMMUNITIES CAN INCREASE THE TOTAL VOLUME OF COMMERCE AND NUMBER OF JOBS BY SHARING IN THE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES CREATED BY THE LOCATION MOTION FILM INDUSTRY. THIS SBIR WILL UTILIZE AN EXISTING ELECTRONIC ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TOOL KNOWN AS IMAGENET TO ENABLE A COMMUNITY BASED EFFORT IN RURAL AREAS TO INVENTORY, PACKAGE, AND MARKET THEIR VISUAL ASSETS TO THE MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY. THE SPECIFIC TECHNICAL PROBLEM IS HOW TO INVENTORY, PACKAGE, AND MARKET RURAL LOCATIONS AS PROSPECTIVE FILMING LOCATIONS. OUR RESEARCH INDICATES THAT IDENTIFYING AND MARKETING FILM LOCATIONS IN RURAL AREAS IS HINDERED BY THE ABSENCE OF A COMPREHENSIVE VISUAL IMAGE INVENTORY AND THE LACK OF STANDARD METHODS AND PRODUCTS FOR MANAGING A LARGE BODY OF VISUAL DATA. FILM LOCATIONS ARE OFTEN SELECTED BY INDEPENDENT PRACTITIONERS WITHOUT FULL KNOWLEDGE OF THE LOCATIONAL CHOICES WITHIN A SPECIFIC AREA. THIS SBIR PROPOSAL SEEKS TO STIMULATE RURAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BY ATTRACTING FILM COMPANIES TO RURAL LOCATIONS AND TO PURCHASE GOODS AND SERVICES LOCALLY. THROUGH A CENTRAL IMAGE BANK OF RURAL SCENES, FILM REPRESENTATIVES WILL HAVE AN INEXPENSIVE ONE STOP SOURCE FOR RURAL IMAGES AND POTENTIAL LOCATIONS.