Who is A24?
A24 is the indie film studio behind some films and TV shows that you might have heard of: Midsommar, Academy Award-winner Moonlight, and HBO series Euphoria, to name a few. Distinguished for redefining film genres, A24 distributes bold and experimental films that can be challenging to unpack.
Overview
A24 fans are deeply passionate but chronically underserved. Official A24 channels offer polished marketing, but little of the behind-the-scenes craft and process that makes A24 films distinct. This microsite brings fans closer to the art, surfacing director commentaries, production stories, and archival footage through an experience that feels as considered and cinematic as the films themselves.
What prompted this design intervention?
While all A24 viewers enjoy reading and learning about films online, few go to A24 for this type of experience.
115 Fans
Surveyed
7 Fans
Interviewed
100%
Survey respondents go online
to learn more about a film after watching, either occasionally or every time.
27%
Respondents have interacted with the Notes section on A24's website, which includes articles, zines, and podcasts.
Especially with art house films, meaning can be ambiguous... looking at what other people are saying helps because you're able to see the film in different ways and your understanding deepens."
Interviewee, Filmmaker
Business Problem
A24 is lacking engagement past the viewing of their films and TV shows.
Framing Our Business Opportunity
We see a missed opportunity to connect A24's viewers to the artistic intentions behind their films in the post-watching experience.
We see tremendous value in enhancing the post-viewing experience of A24 films—especially by supporting deeper analysis and reflection from the viewer’s perspective. This approach aligns closely with A24’s brand pillars: Devotion to Craft and In Service of a Story. By offering audiences insight into the filmmaker’s intent, we foster a deeper appreciation for the film. This emotional and intellectual connection encourages further discovery, word-of-mouth recommendations, merchandise purchases, and ultimately, contributes to the growth of A24’s passionate fan base.
Brand Pillars
Our Creative North Star.
Artistry is central to A24’s brand. The company works with experimental filmmakers to bring honest and human stories to life.
Every touchpoint through which the audience interacts with a film helps them engage more deeply with the story.
Design Proposal
A24 Close Up, a microsite that invites fans to uncover the meaning of A24's art house films with exclusive content from their filmmakers.
Through short stories from cast and crew, the site reveals each film’s inspirations, cultural context, and symbolism—extending the viewing experience and amplifying A24’s brand voice through thoughtful interaction and design.
When shaping our content strategy, I aimed to preserve the exploratory feeling of browsing for a film—mirroring the curiosity and anticipation that comes with discovery—while ensuring clear hierarchy and structure once a film is selected, so key information remains accessible and front-and-centre.
In line with A24’s pillars of In Service of a Story and Devotion to Craft, which celebrate honest, human storytelling and immersive viewer engagement, our design approach focused on presenting scenes up close. This creates a sense of intimacy, allowing viewers to emotionally connect and fully immerse themselves in the narrative experience.
These concepts determined the following content strategy, centred around segmenting information for clarity and impact.
Content Strategy
An experience that feels native to A24’s world: visually confident, editorially rich, and emotionally resonant.
Explore the A24 universe through Stacks
Stacks
Each A24 film is presented as a Stack—a compilation of Stories. Every Stack displays several film stills, giving viewers a glimpse to what they can expect in Stories.
Dive deep with behind-the-scenes Stories
Stories
Every A24 film has a series of behind-the-scenes content from the film crew, which are categorized into chapters labelled with witty titles to prompt engagement.
Your favourite film, up close and personal
Shots
Each behind-the-scenes shot is a curated snapshot—images, notes, or film stills—that reveal artistic intent and deepen the viewer's immersion in the storytelling.
Design Decision #1
Mobile-first approach aligning to current user behaviour when researching films.
A24 Close Up initially began as a desktop solution, however, we quickly decided to pivot as we've learned from user testings that people prefer to use their phone when they're researching films and looking up post-film commentary.
The three-way navigation is also more clear, intuitive, and enjoyable on a mobile device, that engages users more deeply while exploring the site.
Design Decision #2
An exploratory experience—just like how you’re finding out films for the first time.
Design Decision #3
Bringing the film-watching experience to your phone.
Images and videos are cropped in a vertical format to provide the most immersive and intimate viewing experience and emphasize the details of each story.
Design Decision #4
Driving business value by connecting users to other A24 channels.
At the end of the day, we want to bring business value to A24 through the post-watching experience, by inviting the audience to keep a piece of the story through film merch.
Value for A24 Fans
Creating values is at the core of this design intervention.
Gain access to digestible behind-the-scenes content, while discovering new films to watch from A24.
Gain a deeper understanding of your favourite A24 movies, while improving your ability to analyze film.
Feel like you have refined taste and a unique interest in art house film.
