Salon Films is one of the tops and first HK based production houses that take its game up to the international stage. However, they are currently facing the ever challenging context within the industry.
During the last decade, technology advancement brought a lot of changes to our lives and how we react to the world. Video content is now ever in demand due to online sharing platforms & social media, this changed the norm of production industry as well as the channels it was distributed via traditional broadcasting platforms (Advertising, TV & Film). The high demand for small/mid quality & scaled contents that react quickly to the consumers’ life, with diminishing the needs for high quality & scaled productions.
Another major factor will be the liberation of the technology that allows the general public to access these professional grade equipment. Although relevant skills are still lacking in the public, the shift towards the knowledge-based economy will eventually catch up and enable the public to indulge in their own world of creativity.
Current Salon film focuses mainly on the execution part within the industry workflow that is single streamed but with no strong participation in other areas. It really limits Salon Films opportunities by drawing resources out with a diminishing return in long run, where the spread of knowledge via ideation and distribution will have an increase of return.
However, the current industry had evolved into a system that is multi-directional and collaborative. It is a combination of resource-based flow and ideation and knowledge-based flow. The free movement of knowledge and resources in a circular form leads to larger returns in this collaborative, experience economy.
Salon films could develop other service-based products such as education, collaborations & even remodel the business model for the current rental & maintenance services to fully utilise their resources.
To become more versatile in different skill sets, from pre to post production. Post-production such as CGI had taken on a heavy role nowadays, where CGI by itself could create a movie, as a way of creating original content. The Mix Media is the future, which should be included in the Salon films product portfolio.
Another service could be introduced, an integrative platform to connect different freelance talents together will help to regenerate their network within the industry. Open up for different types of video projects by creating new relationships and word of mouth with the other upcoming creative agencies and brands. To present a strong brand image and values to clients and suppliers.
The new platform created as an affiliate company - Salon Media Lab (SML) should act as a bridge to connect the current business to the new context. The SML knowledge platform shall not be limited by the physical space but integrated with the new knowledge paradigm shift. All these mutual benefits & values exchange from all related parties would allow Salon Films to have a more sustainable business model, adaptive to future change & the possibility to revive HK production industry in a new innovative way.
During the analysis, we were able to identify problems from the current value flow map and missing linkage between different parties. Completing new connections, forming a new ecosystem that Salon Films is currently generating with Salon Media Lab (SML) Incubator. Understanding the new values, that video production industries now heavily depends on the close integration of Creativity, Technology & People, instead of video as the end product by itself.