KCLS Reel Fest Film Contest and Awards Show
King County Library System. Wash.
Innovation Synopsis
Reel Fest is a film contest and festival that asked, “What does the library mean to you?” Contestants entered for a chance to have their film shown and reviewed by expert judges and the opportunity to win up to $1,000 at Reel Fest — an in-person film premiere and awards show originally planned for March 2020. COVID-19 forced new strategies, with dramatic results.
Challenge/Opportunity
Days before the event, KCLS closed due to the pandemic. Faced with these unique circumstances, we reformatted KCLS Reel Fest to a film production to be presented online. We collected messaging from judges and contestants that focused on the value of libraries since the pandemic closure. This new format enabled us to maintain our goals of celebrating libraries and communities while acknowledging forced changes and highlighting new programs and services developed since the pandemic closures.
Key Elements of Innovation
Working with a video production company, we used innovative solutions to highlight the importance of libraries — both before and during the pandemic — and reframe the film festival. While following safety guidelines, we recorded online interviews with judges to replace live commentary, collected self-recorded commentary from finalists to replace live Q&A and filmed new services in action, like Curbside to Go. These innovations allow us to broaden Reel Fest’s reach and communicate KCLS’ value to a larger audience.
Achieved Outcomes
- Contest: 91 video submissions from 115 patrons
- In-person film Premiere and Awards Show: 164 RSPVs
- Virtual Film Premiere and Awards Show: 416 online event registrants
The video has been viewed 1,538 times at the time of this application. We exceeded our original engagement expectations by moving KCLS Reel Fest online. The in-person event venue capacity maxed out at 300, whereas the virtual production has already been viewed 1,538 times since the release on September 28, 2020, and has no cap.