"As traditional filmmakers we’ve all grappled with convergence,” explains co-founder of Wrappingup.com Della Churchill – "this is our attempt at mixing business styles."
At first glance, a website designed to help the recently bereaved and tackle the mine-field of estate planning may not seem like an obvious choice for Screen Australia’s Innovation program funding.
However, Kelly Chapman, friend and business partner to Churchill, says the government agency was “very happy” to provide 40 per cent of the modest Wrappingup.com budget – under $500,000 in total.
The deal was struck on the premise of website innovation, and the ever-compelling argument – jobs for industry practitioners.
Both women previously founded Brisbane-based production houses – Churchill created Chilling Pictures in 2003 and Chapman’s KCDC began three years ago.
Additionally, the project hired a television writer, while actress Heather Mitchell greets visitors on their homepage – it’s “a great space to put screen skills,” Churchill says.
“Film’s always been collaborative,” she continues, it's just now "encompassing designers and developers as well.”
The site also gave Churchill a chance to relive her AFTRS experience and reclaim her director’s hat with a series of informative short films produced on the “smell of an oily rag.”
“People in grief find it really hard to deal with large amounts of text,” she explains.
The digital media project has perked Churchill’s interest in future innovations in film. “I can definitely see us finding a new way for distributing film,” she says.
Wrappingup.com, which has attracted 2000 online visitors in its first week, also has plans to expand into the US and UK. The website profits may also be used to fund traditional film projects through their production houses.