Section B- Film industry

What is British film-
In order for a film to be British it needs to include one of the following 3 things:
- The cultural test for film
- One of the UK’s official bilateral co-production agreements
- The European Convention on Cinematographic Co-production

British film ensures that within the film there are British elements for example: setting, actors and directors.

The cultural test for film is based on points in 4 different groups, the 4 sections are:

Cultural content (up to 16 points).

Cultural contribution (up to 4 points).

Cultural hubs (up to 3 points).

Cultural practitioners (up to 8 points).

In order for a film to pass and be named a 'British film', the production needs to have gained 16 out of 31 points through this system. This therefore suggests that not all elements of the production need to be British

Secondly a film can be made British via meeting the requirements of One of the UK’s official bilateral co-production agreements. Some of these requirements are to be a British limited liability company with the charge of UK corporation tax, to be an actual co-producer of a film and you will have had to make an effective creative, technical and artisitic contribution to the film.

Lastly a film can be made British by complying with The European Convention on Cinematographic Co-production legislation.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/film-industry/british-certification-tax-relief/cultural-test-film

British films, anna karenina and skyfall from lexibenson123

Disney and conglomerates from lexibenson123


British vs Hollywood

 

Distribution

Past paper question

 

What significance does the continuing developments of digital media technology have for institutions and audiences? (50 marks)

 

In this essay I will be discussing how much of an impact digital technology has on both institutions and audiences. Within this I will be referring to The Hobbit, The last exorcism and Paranormal Activity.

 

Developments in the media industry for example the advance in digital equipment and production has led to the production company needing a lower budget due to the decrease in cost of filming equipment. For example traditional equipment was much more expensive- $50,000 in comparison to digital equipment which can be bought for $10,000. The introduction of digital equipment has also ensured that the film is distributed with ease. For instance the film is no longer on a reel which would have had to travel by boat risking damage the production is now digital and is therefore sent/distributed digitally as a file. Lastly the introduction of digital media has influenced exhibition as it is much easier for the audience to stream the product via the internet. This has a large impact on cinemas as it decreases the amount of people who will attend. A lot of the target audience members may prefer to watch the production in the comfort of their own home.

The first way that digital technology has affected institutions is through the increase in digital piracy. As digital technology means that illegal copies of media products can be reached easily and exhibited easily it means that there are a lot of different websites where these products can be streamed from. For example Avatar directed by James Cameron is the most viewed film through piracy being watched/downloaded 17,589,000 times worldwide. The increase in piracy is having a knock on effect on cinemas as more people are choosing to view the latest film at home resulting in the cinema not creating revenue. This is a major problem for cinemas as it is expensive for them to gain the film in the first place as well as showing it in 3D and supplying consumers with food and drink that they can buy before they enter.

Secondly, marketing has been dramatically affected by the use of digital technology. As marketing can now be done online, it can be done much more easily and cheaply resulting in there being increased competition. This has had a positive impact for a lot of production companies as it has meant a wider audience is able to see their production being advertised. Two films that have used effective marketing are: The Hobbit and The Last Exorcism. The Hobbit used Facebook as a process for marketing creating a page that allowed the audience to follow their progress whilst the film was in production leading up to the announcement of the trailer. This therefore suggests that the development of technology has helped make marketing easier; however it has increased competition which in particular has a large impact on conglomerate companies who would have been seen as superior in this market as they would have been able to provide the best marketing strategies.

Additionally the advance to digital technology has affected the audiences of media products. For example the increase in internet use has resulted in it being much easier for the audience to watch the latest media products. There are now a wide range of opportunities for the audience e.g. television, online, Netflix and pay per view. As films are now exhibited in many new ways due to the ease and low cost of these exhibition techniques the audience can choose to watch films from home instead of having to visit cinemas. This has a large impact on cinemas as they are rapidly losing revenue. Whilst the cinemas lose revenue it makes it harder for them to show a variety of films and screen them in 3D.

Secondly, the introduction of digital technology has allowed for marketing to be easy for Prosumers due to the ease and low cost. which would be particularly important for a prosumer as they may have a relatively low budget. Additionally the prosumer would not need to have previous experience or knowledge. An example of a low budget film produced by a prosumer Oren Peli is Paranormal activity. This film had a low budget of $15,000 and consequently couldn't afford the large scale marketing methods. Paranormal activity was shown at various film festivals for a year before the production was bought to the attention of DreamWorks where Steven Spielberg viewed it in his home then reported a scary incident happening in his house shortly after which sparked audience anticipation and interest. Without the use of digital technology this would not have been possible and therefore the film wouldn't have been as successful as it was as the film would have been on a traditional reel of 35mm film resulting in it being difficult to transport the production. The use of digital technology helped the consumer Oren Peli to gain awareness of his production which may not have happened otherwise.

I think that the use of digital technology has had a large impact on media industries and audiences in recent years as there has been an increase in people visiting cinemas for the latest 3D technology as there is now an increase in verisimilitude. Also there has been an increase in the audience wanting to see new media productions due to the increase in online marketing. However there has also been some negative aspects of digital technology for example piracy and exhibition.
Overall I believe that the introduction of digital technology has benefited the media industry as it has provided many new ways for audience members to see their desired production as well as easier and cheaper marketing for both conglomerates and prosumers.
I believe that in the future piracy rates may increase due to an additional increase in ways for the audience to illegally stream films. However I do believe that technology in cinemas will additionally increase resulting in more people visiting the cinema providing more of a choice for consumers.
I think that the audience have benefited most from the introduction of digitial technology as it is now much easier to stream movies from the internet which can be done quickly and with ease.

Past paper question

How important is technological convergence for institutions and audiences within a media area which you have studied (50 marks)

In this essay I will be discussing the importance of technological convergence in the film industry. I will be supporting my points by including references to Netflix, illegal streaming, tablets, smart phones and Pan Chan Wook.

Technological convergence is the merging of different media products onto one platform. An example of media convergence would be an iPhone or tablet as there is a wide variety of different media types that can be accessed. Some sources of media are: games, films, music and the internet.
Media convergence has a large impact on the film industry as it provides the audience with an easy way to access many types of media. Additionally it allows for institutions such as the cinema to exhibit a wider range of films e.g. ballets and live events.

Technological convergence has had a large impact on the home entertainment industry. For example the audience can now be more interactive and have a much larger choice of media in the comfort of their own home. This is now possible due to the increase in convergence of products such as iPhones, the Xbox one, tablets and the Smart TV. These devices now allow the audience to watch films on Netflix and Lovefilm which ensures that the audience have a wide range of films available to them whenever they may choose.
However the introduction of media convergence has meant that it is easier for people to upload illegal copies of media products. Additionally it is much easier for the audience to illegally stream copies of the production for free as it becomes easier.

Mobile film consumption has additionally been as a result of technological convergence. For example audience members find it much easier to watch what they want.. when they want to watch it. This is due to the increased use of portable devices such as Smart phones and tablets. Smart phones and tablets make it much easier for the audience to access a range of films; however it makes it easier for illegally downloaded films to be watched as well. These portable devices make it a lot easier for the audience to film, share, chat and watch films using different media sources all on one platform.
A good example of how technological convergence has been presented is through Pan Chan Wook who used his iPhone4 to film an entire movie. This would not have been possible before the introduction of technological convergence as Pan would have had to record the production and edit it on separate media platforms.

Technological convergence has additionally had a large impact on mobile film consumption and institutions. For example the production of new technology has meant that institutions such as Curzon cinemas are now able to exhibit their productions more widely. Curzon cinemas offers audience members 'film on demand' where the audience can view a variety of new films from the comfort of their home and even on release day. This is a positive factor of technological convergence as this reduces piracy and also earns the institution revenue whereas some of their audience members would have streamed the production illegally.
The creation of digitial technology has also allows cinemas to show a wider range of films for example live performances and ballets. This is likely to be an advantage for institutions as they can appeal to an extended audience. Technological convergence has helped increase the utilisaiton of cinema theatres for example private hire. Groups of people can hire mini-cinemas for businesses or social reasons due to the ease of exhibiting different media types such as games.

I think the introduction of technological convergence has had a large impact on the film industry as it has made streaming films very simple. I believe it has effected the audience the most as they are now able to view more films in more ways. Additionally the introduction of live performances and ballets has given the audience a wider choice which may allow them to expand their media preferences.
In the future I believe technological convergence will continue to increase as there will be more media platforms exhibiting media products. I do think that there will be a better way to stop piracy maybe due to stricter punishments or stronger laws.











 

 

Exam practice question

"Cross media convergence and synergy are vital processes in the successful marketing of media products to audiences". To what extent do you agree with this statement in relation to the media text you have looked at.

For this essay I have focused on the film industry. The productions I will be discussing in this essay are The Hunger Games and The Avengers.
Cross media convergence is carried out when companies come together to achieve something, this can be done vertically or horizontally. Synergy means working together to achieve something that could not be completed individually.

Synergy benefits the film institution greatly, for example they can achieve something new that they could not do alone. An example of this is how The Avengers' marketing team became partners with Wal-Mart. This was a very clever idea as merchandise promoting The Avengers is then sold to a very mass audience. From then onwards the production receives free marketing via word of mouth. Over 600 Avenger's-related products were sold making it likely for a large number of the population to be influenced by at least one the products of services available.

The use of cross media convergence was additionally a vital process in making the marketing of the productions successful. A good example of this is Disney distributing Marvel's text The Avengers. This was really effective as they have a large budget and easy access to finance thus resulting in the production being distributed to a larger audience.

The synergy displayed in marketing The Hunger Games additionally was very effective. The marketing team for The Hunger Games decided to use CoverGirl and subway as a means of advertising. The use of synergy here was very sophisticated as they used well established brands and organisations that attract the production's target audience. In choosing Subway and CoverGirl the target audience of The Hunger Games is met and therefore entices them into wanting to see the production. An example of the target audience being met could be teenage girls being targeted by the make up sold in CoverGirl. This is a unique advantage for The Hunger Games as the protagonist is female.

Not all films benefit from cross media convergence and synergy as some of the audience members may not agree with some of the marketing methods used. For instance there was a group of fans who disagreed with how the Hunger Games was being promoted. They therefore joined up with The Harry Potter Alliance who launched a campaign called 'the odds in our favour'. This campaign did not benefit The Hunger Games however the Hunger Games should have and could have taken more care when selecting the best way to portray the production e.g. they should have made sure their methods supported the moral of the story. A lot of the audience didn't find Subway (food) to be appropriate.

Productions can be successful without the use of cross media convergence and synergy however they would need to use a great deal of technological convergence. For instance they would need to ensure they are able to target the potential audience through the use of television, games and apps.

Overall I believe that cross media convergence and synergy are important to a certain extent when promoting films as these are good ways for the audience to become aware of the media text. However a film can be successful due to technological convergence and the ownership.

Explanation - 12
Examples - 12
Terminology - 6
Total - 30
D/C

WWW: Good examples and explanation was clear
Good use of some stats
EBI : further analysis of examples and use more terminolgy.
Look at the blair witch project possibly, talk about how cross media convergence and synergy did not benefit this film
Show some contrasting errors to the case studies, did CMC and synergy work throughout the marketing scheme, were there any mess ups?
Add more statistics, people love statistics
Talk about whether British companies can benefit from CMC and synergy, explore British case studies.