Picture This
Channel 4
Goals
Picture This was devised as a 360 degree commission for Channel 4 to find the UK’s most exciting undiscovered photographers. The TV element featured eight hand-picked non-professional photographers to take part in a number of weekly tasks. Each task was designed to test their creative abilities within the medium, with one entrant winning the overall competition to become the UK’s best-undiscovered photographer. The web element of the commission needed to run in parallel with the TV show and have standalone longevity once the show ended.
Solution
The site was created to accommodate the three main phases of the lifespan of the project. First of all, its key aim was to encourage submissions from people who wanted to be considered as contestants for the television show. During broadcast the site needed to enable viewers to participate in the photographic challenges featured in the shows, pitting themselves against the selected contestants. The best of the work submitted to the site was featured in the TV show each week. Finally, after the run of the television show the site was became a stand-alone proposition. By working independently of the broadcast element, it supported and nurtured an ever-growing community of people interested in participating in the on-going challenges and sharing in their passion for photography.
Developed in partnership with Flickr, the site integrates their API, allowing existing Flickr users to easily join the Picture This community and quickly get involved. User-research with Flickr users had revealed that some members felt Flickr could be more supportive of developing photographic skills. Ensuring this happened at Picture This was an important part of creating a lively, approachable and friendly community that supports everyone in improving their photography with meaningful critical feedback.
Results
During the recruitment phase and the show transmission, site traffic far surpassed expectations. Levels of engagement were high, with 12% of sessions lasting over 30 minutes and 5% over 1 hour.
For the first six months following launch, typing ‘Picture’ into Google brought up Picture This as the top result.