Digital Media Scoping Case Studies

Seedhunter
360 Degree Pictures

A TV Documentary, expanded into an online community

360 Degree Films is an energetic new company based in Melbourne, Australia, that merges the experience and talent of John Moore (John Moore Productions) and Sally Ingleton (Singing Nomads Productions). Their background is in making linear 30min/60min documentaries for television broadcast, but Seed Hunter had the makings of a great cross-platform project.

The one-hour documentary Seed Hunter (ABC, WGBH-NOVA, RTE, SVT, ARTE France and NGTI) opens viewers to complex and controversial themes about the world's future food supply. Captivated by the intrepid modern-day explorer Ken Street as he journeys to a timeless corner of the earth in search of rare genes, the audience begins to comprehend the gravity of his mission and the urgency of his actions as he races to secure food for the world before it runs out. Big questions about genetic modification, ethics and climate change raise to the surface, opening a space for Seedhunter.com.

"To determine how Seedhunter.com would best be shaped and executed (in terms of giving the widest possible audience an experience they would enjoy, remember and recommend to their friends...and enemies) 360 Degree Films carried out a scoping study with the help of interactive media specialists, Digital Pictures. The collaboration allowed us to draw on the experience of Digital Pictures and explore new territory."

"Our scoping study took Seedhunter.com from the concept stage to a marketing and production-ready stage. "

"The online presence offers an opportunity to expand on the subject matter in all manner of ways, through regularly updated feeds to GM Food related news, potential updates from Dr Ken Street through a personal blog, and an opportunity to really engage the users through interactive experiences on the topics presented in the documentary. "

"Ultimately, we see the Seed Hunter website as a companion piece to the documentary, which will allow the users to further explore the subject matter through an extended narrative based on the work/adventures of Dr Ken Street, the Seed Hunter. We hope this cross-platform approach will attract a new audience to the work as well as bring us closer to this audience than ever before."

- Sally Ingleton, 360 Degree Pictures