Co-designed films build a participatory audience member community that has decision making power in each stage of a production. We give you a say for creative decisions such as plot, dialogue, wardrobe, and soundtrack as we make our films.

TLDR: you tell us what you want to see, and we make it happen.

We are currently building a platform right here for audience members like you to suggest, vote, and determine these decisions for our Debut Feature Film. Hang tight! (Scroll down for a more wordy, nerdy version of what co-designed means.)

Transparency is very important to our team - which is why we report on exact percentages of all our co-designed voting campaigns that affect our films. Students at the universities we toured in Fall 2023 were the first members of our participatory audience community for our debut feature film. Here’s what they decided:

Is produced with distributed decision making authority

1. Meaning at least three of the film production decisions Sticky Feet Productions makes in each of the following categories are determined by the participatory audience community: plot construction, character traits, dialogue, locations, wardrobe, soundtrack. (Therefore at least eighteen decisions for the film overall are determined by the active audience member community.)

2. Meaning the choices presented to the participatory audience members for said decisions may be generated by the participatory audience or Sticky Feet Productions.

3. Meaning film production decisions determined by the participatory audience members are decided by majority vote, in which each audience member has equal voting power.

4. Meaning all film production decisions determined by participatory audience members are published publicly with voting percentages.

Is premiered as a free (donation optional), event for friends, family, and participatory audience members before any distribution to streaming platforms, film festivals, etc.

Is produced cooperatively, while prioritizing the well-being of above and below the line workers first.

Fosters a participatory audience member community

1. Meaning participatory audience members provide input on production decisions

2. Meaning participatory audience members have an online platform to communicate with each other about production decisions

3. Meaning that becoming a participatory audience member is free and open to the public

4. Meaning participatory audience members are invited to all in person events that offer an opportunity to provide input on production decisions

5. Meaning participatory audience members are the first to be notified for all “extra” opportunities

6. Meaning at least three of the film production decisions that are granted to the participatory audience community are presented via free, public in person events

Co-Designed Films: the wordy, nerdy, complicated definition

Avni invented the term "co-design" as part of an independent study capstone course in college while producing her initial experiment with it - Sticky Feet Movie. Shoot us a message and we'll send you the research paper if you're interested.

WHO IS THIS PARTICIPATORY AUDIENCE COMMUNITY YOU SPEAK OF?

The college freshman who convinces her friend group to film the latest dance trend on TikTok as they pregame a frat party on Friday night.

The fifteen year old who savors every bus ride home from school to watch forty minute long video essays about famous YouTuber David Dobrik’s fall from grace, analysis of Barbie movies using Queer Marxist Theory, and things of that matter on YouTube.

The recent college graduate who moved back home for his remote coding job but loves posting lengthy reviews of Quentin Tarantino movies on Letterboxd. Plus, all of their friends.

Our target market? Members of Gen Z who enjoy video content - which is most of our generation. In 2022, Gen Z surpassed the population of Baby Boomers in the US, making up 20.88% of the US population (Millennials are only slightly ahead at 21.67%).

According to Insider Intelligence:

• US adults ages 18 to 24 spend less time watching traditional TV than any other age group.

• 86.0% of Gen Z adults use YouTube and 73.9% use TikTok.

• Nearly 9 in 10 US Gen Z adults spend more than an hour on social media each day, and nearly half spend more than 3 hours with the platforms.

The numbers are higher for members of Gen Z who haven’t hit 18 years old yet. In 2021, U.S. kids and teens spent an average of 99 minutes per day on TikTok and 61 minutes on YouTube. Gen Z loves video content - but particularly loves platforms where one can create their own content and engage with others about content.

Our codesigned films harness the participatory, collaborative nature of Gen Z’s video consumption habits to offer decision making power and a sense of ownership in our projects - increasing viewership of and loyalty to our movies.