Introduction
The initial version of Film App was created to deliver public domain movies to the mobile generation. I wrote a post in October for Code Project titled, "Film App for Windows 8 Desktop", in which I documented the reasons for moving away from Skeuomorphism and moving towards a digital native, touch first experience. In this article I will expand on the ways Azure will help improve the Film App user experience for the next generation of mobile, social, digital film consumers.
Azure services allow me to easily take a static web app and quickly add extensive scalability, realtime updates, allowing me to inexpensively serve a diverse, tech savvy audience across the globe without buying or building out all of the required infrastructure.
Azure services will be used to improve my existing Film App by allowing multi device authentication access, push notifications for near realtime updates, improve delivery speed of extremely large video files to film festivals in multiple countries by caching, analyze popular films through the use of Microsoft business intelligence tools, and scale video on demand for Independent Films.
First Generation Mobile App
Love of human stories has existed since cavemen gestured around campfires. Moving pictures personalized the aspect of storytelling in a very emotional way, allowing viewers to each experience the story in their own way, inside a darkened movie theater. Each generation of technology brought with it improvements, from adding sound, to color pictures, to online delivery. I wanted version 1 of Film App to delivering public domain Films from the turn of the past century to consumers in their mobile devices. A new mobile generation was reintroduced to to the pleasures of Clutch Cargo, and Night of the Living Dead, among about 200 other films.
I was able to attend South by Southwest as a vendor both in 2012 and 2013, to get real world feedback on how these films were affecting consumers of the app.
It was clear that newer generations of digital consumers expect a lot more from mobile entertainment than opening up one app and watching the provided films.
Rethinking the App
Azure's main benefits are fast, inexpensive infrastructure. In trying to create an app for the next generation of consumers, I am having to create a functional app which allows signing in through multiple devices. Creating notifications for updates, and allowing filmmakers and film festivals to reach their audiences through mobile devices. Azure does all this without causes for concern.
History
The first version of the structure of this document has been updated. 10:56pm, Chicago time 20130428.
