Showing posts with label Audiences and institutions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Audiences and institutions. Show all posts

Wednesday, 18 May 2016

The issues raised in the targeting of national and local audiences (British) by international or global institutions.

Institutions can target audiences by marketing and advertising. There are two different types called above the line marketing (billboards, posters, interviews, talk shows mentioning, competitions etc) and below the line marketing (social media, trailers, YouTube etc). There is also push or pull marketing, where institutions either force consumers to watch their content, (pull) or they let the audiences choose what they want to be marketed with (push). Consumers nowadays prefer to select what they want rather than get forced to look at certain things that don't relate to them, so companies try and pick up on this by using cookies.

Cookies on the computer are bits of information which keep track of what consumers research, so they will advertise suitable content for that consumer. This can be helpful, but consumers may find this irritating and wanting a change of adverts, or none at all as it's not what they asked for.

Many subsidiary companies don't have large budgets, so they can't spend a particularly large amount on the marketing process, as they may not have enough money to make the film in the end. Therefore they use "Below the line marketing" in contrast to raise awareness in a reasonable way. However, Street Dance 2 (2012) used "Above the line marketing techniques", meaning that they used billboards, posters, bus posters or adverts about the film which would cost more.

Multinational companies take over the filming industry, creating an oligopoly where they create the majority of British film content. This means that consumers always see the same things, their choice is limited and that other subsidiary companies don't get chances to exhibit their film. Subsidiary companies also often can't afford to create any amazingly different content compared to normal, as they don't have the budgets to film in exotic locations or use fancy camera lenses.

The significance of the proliferation of hardware and content for institutions and audiences.

A few years ago, cameras were heavy, difficult to use and awkward. Now, it takes less skill to be a film maker, as cameras are lighter, easier to use and go into all sorts of positions and angles. An example of this is a film called "Monster". One man edited all of the film on his laptop in his bedroom and he also created the CGI, and the overall budget was very cheap. This shows that anyone can become a film maker, although their film may not be exhibited, due to the long tail model, where there are limited amounts of cinema screens to exhibit films in the country compared to the amount of new content and subsidiary companies each year. This means that oligopoly trends happen, so that consumers always see the same thing, have little choice and that multi-national companies don't give independent companies a chance to exhibit their films.

 Another example is a film named "Tangerine" (2014). This film won an award, and the film was shot on an IPHONE 5 camera with an attachable lens. The film was edited on a cheap editing site called "Premier Pro". This is another way of demonstrating that films don't always have complicated sophisticated cameras, and is another example showing how anyone can become a film maker.


The amount of people that visit the cinema has dropped over the last few years. This is because many people prefer to download films onto laptops, tablets, phones etc, as they can get them for cheaper in some cases and they can watch the films whenever they want wherever they are, which means that they have a very flexible viewing opportuinity. Also, going to the cinema can get expensive and buying DVD's could get damaged being physical copies, so having them downloaded means that they can pay for it once without it getting damaged.

However, many audiences prefer watching films on a screen, but the amount of 3D TV's in house holds have grown massively over the years, meaning that consumers may prefer to watch films on their flat screen TVs in the comfort of their own home and that it's easier, however many people prefer going to the cinema of the atmosphere, including the quality and sound. Because less people visit the cinema, institutions have to find ways of targeting audiences to go to the cinema, eg. special edition viewings in 3D, gifts to give away etc. When cinemas went from reels to projectors, consumers and institutions benefited, as it was a huge transformation and created fantastic quality.

The technologies that have been produced in recent years at the levels of production, distribution, marketing and exchange.

There are many different ways which technology improve the distribution, marketing, making and exhibition of a film. These include uses of hardware and software, below the line and above the line marketing etc.

"Tangerine" (2014) by Sean Baker was filmed entirely on an IPHONE 5 with a lens which attaches to the phone for a reasonable price. The film was also edited on "Premier Pro" which is an editing site which anyone can use as it is very simple. This film shows that technologies now allow us to create professional content with basic equipment which weren't have been used in previous years. It demonstrates that anyone can become a film-maker and how good technology now is, for a phone to film an entire film and for the film to win an award.

Cameras used to be heavy and difficult to use, so it was more skilled to be a film maker. Now, cameras are easier to use as well as smaller and lighter, meaning that they can film in all sorts of conditions and places. However it creates a competitive industry and the "Longtail model" demonstrates this, where there are loads of films being released each year by loads of different film companies, but only a few will be shown in cinema due to a limitation of 120 screens in the country. This is oligopoly, as it means only a few companies show particular content, meaning that consumers have little choice, similar and repetitive content and no opportunities for subsidiary filming companies to exhbit their films.

When cinemas went from reels to projectors, there was a huge difference in the film world. The quality was better, and sound became very powerful. However, many people would rather download films onto their ipads, phones or laptops instead of going to the cinema, as they can watch it multiple times for paying once and they don't have to wait for a long time for the film to be released on DVD, where as hard copies could get damaged. Many people would rather stay at home and watch films on their 3D TVs, or on the go when they are travelling, meaning that less people go to the cinema now.

The importance of cross media convergence and synergy in production, distribution and marketing.

Small subsidiary independent film companies have smaller budgets, and usually if they spend too much money on the marketing process pre-production they won't have enough money by the end to make the film. Because of this, companies use below the line marketing techniques.

Universal films produced a film in 2014 called "Dumb and Dumber To" which was a follow up of the first film in 1995 "Dumb and Dumber". To market the second film, they created spoof posters of the two main characters in the film which were inspired from a film poster named "Lucy" which had come out earlier that year. "Lucy" is about a woman who can use 100% of her brain, which is a huge contrast compared to the characters in "Dumb and Dumber To" as they name suggests. On the "Lucy" poster it has an image of the character with her name in big black letters at the bottom of the page. Underneath that reads "Imagine what she could do with 100% of her brain." In the "Dumb and Dumber To" posters, there were images of the two main characters and a subtitle saying "Imagine what he could do with 1%." These posters were uploaded on the main actor's Twitter acounts, and they also created a hashtag "Dumbanddumberto" to create a buzz and to get people involved.

The "Avengers" was the third highest grossing film of all time with a budget of $200 million. They created action figures for children of the different characters in the film, ie. Iron Man, Thor, Captain America etc. This was a good way to market children without them even noticing, hence bringing awareness to their parents.

Another form of marketing is by creating a buzz from a viral video. A prank named "Evil Baby" became a huge Internet sensation across social media such as Facebook. This prank was to market the film "Devil's Due" (2014) from "Think Modo" who create special effects. This gets audiences excited and involved with seeing the film as they think that the prank was effective.

Another example is a prank of a woman in a cafe. An actor pours his tea over her lap (no one in the Cafe knew this was set up) and she controls him with her arms sticking out, eg. pushing him against the wall up and down, or moving the tables. They did this by using magnets. This film was to advertise "Carrie" (2014) which was a successful book. These viral videos raise awareness as they show the film name at the end of the clip, bringing thoughts to the audience about finding more.

"Street Dance 2" (2012)  was a follow up of the first film "Streetdance" which was very popular. They had a Synergy opportunity with "Frubes" for the characters from "Streetdance" to be shown on the yoghurt packaging. There were also competitions to enter where they could meet the Streetdance crew and have dance lessons. This is another way of marketing for children to pass on information to their parents without them knowing.

Sunday, 15 May 2016

The issues raised by media ownership in contemporary media practise.

There are many different issues raised by media ownership nowadays, from budgets to piracy in the exhibition,production, distribution and marketing process.

Dumb and Dumber To (2014)'s budget was $40 million, and grossed $86,208,010 which was from "Universal Pictures" which is a big multi-national company. "Street Dance 2" (2012) was produced by "Vertigo Films" and the estimated budget was £7,000,000. It grossed £2,000,000. It had a much smaller budget compared to Dumb and Dumber To, and because of the smaller cost it grossed less. Multinational companies are able to spend more and for consumers to watch, as they are well-known and have enough to market properly and efficiently.

This example also demonstrates oligopoly cases, where American films dominate over British companies, giving viewers little choice, and smaller companies less of a chance for their film to be screened, when there are only 120 cinema screens in the country.

Independent companies are reliant on the BFI for funding, as well as the National Lottery for the production process, as they have to be careful not to spend too much on the marketing, as they may not have enough money at the end to create the film, so the money goes to the production process the most. Independent company films are usually very contemporary and basic, as they can't afford great CGI or make a film look as if it was set in 1950's America as it makes the costs higher. This means that multi-national companies who can afford more can create more creative/exciting content due to their budgets being higher, so they can spend more for the marketing for consumers to get involved.

Friday, 22 April 2016

What issues/decisions do institutions face when releasing their products?

In the film industry, many institutions face problems on a daily basis in terms of production, exhibition and distribution.

A big issue for institutes is that audiences can download/stream films illegally. (Piracy.) They may be unaware of it at the time. Also, websites that offer downloads may release the films early illegally before the release date. This will lower the amount of consumers visiting cinemas as they would have watched them illegally or cheaply. This means they would have wasted their money giving the film to cinemas to screen and not many consumers would go to the cinema.

In terms of exhibition, some consumers may produce fake material to create un-official teaser trailers on YouTube, or create fake fan pages giving consumers fake content which could put them off.
Institutions have to think about the long tail model which is all about the difference between the amount of films released in a year and the limited amount of screens to exhibit a film in a cinema. (120 screens in the country). Their film may never reach exhibition standard, but some will. Very often films with well-known actors will get to be shown instead of an independent company with un-known actors.

Actors and film crew may drop out last minute if they don't think that the film will work. Institutions have to make sure that they are convincing enough to keep everyone on board to finish the film to its best potential.

Discuss the issues raised by media ownership in a media area you have studied.

As time goes by, media ownership becomes an increasing problem for institutions and audiences, in terms of cinemas and downloadable apps/devices.

Many audiences would prefer to download/ stream films onto their tablets, phones or laptops so that they could access the films when they want whenever. This is great for consumers for ease of access, as well as it being cheaper. They also don't have to carry around with them a physical copy and they pay for the film once instead of multiple, as hard copies can be damaged. Consumers can also access the films on sites such as Netflix, Love Film, Entertainment One etc.This is great for institutions who create these apps and websites, but for cinemas this is a bad thing. For companies who create expensive advanced screens do well as more people are paying the money to watch films at home.

The problem for consumers and institutions for streaming/downloading films is piracy. It's so easy for people to find themselves on illegal websites, or even streaming films which they aren't even aware of. This is a form of Copyright and is illegal, and doesn't benefit anyone who is watching or in anyone in the industry. 

Numbers who go to the cinema are dropping. The reason for this is because many people don't want to go out and watch the film, when they could watch it in the comfort of their own home on Blu-Ray or their 3D TV. However, many consumers love going to the cinema for the experience and to get out of the house. Cinemas can get more consumers by showing the films earlier and for a longer amount of time, as well as providing other things in the cinema, such as food stalls or restaurants nearby.


Consider the significance of proliferation in hardware and content for institutions and audiences.

In the film industry, proliferation is always increasing and technology is always getting better, during the production, distribution and exhibition process.

The film "Tangerine" (2014) was all filmed on an IPHONE 5 during the production process, and was even nominated an award. This is an example of cross media convergence, as it shows how a phone can use different devices on it, such as filming devices. It also demonstrates the quality of the camera and phone, as it was used for a professional film. The editing software they used was called "Premier Pro" which is an editing software that anyone can buy/use, not just film makers. The proliferation shows how technology has changed, as cameras years ago were large, heavy and complicated to use. This film shows how anyone can make a film these days, as well as showing that cameras have higher qualities and are smaller and easier to use.

"Dumb and Dumber" was released in 1994 and was a huge hit. In 2014, they decided to create a new film named "Dumb and Dumber To" from "Universal." The vast majority of audiences gave negative feedback. However, during the exhibition process they used an interesting technique to market the film. A few months before Dumb and Dumber To" was released, a popular film named "Lucy" came out. It was about a woman who could use 100% of her brain. The film had very recognizable posters with an image of the girl on the front and "Lucy" in large black letters at the bottom of the poster. The two main actors in "Dumb and Dumber To" (Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels) posted fake posters onto their Twitter accounts. The posters were pictures of them with their names at the bottom of the page, similarly to the "Lucy" poster. Also, at the bottom of the "Lucy" poster, it said "Imagine what she could do with 100% of her brain." In the "Dumb and Dumber To" poster, it said "Imagine what he could with 1%". Using social media is a great way to exhibit a film as it gets audiences involved. The posters also had hastags # where people get involved with updates from the film.

The film "Monster" was created by someone who made CGI in his bedroom on his laptop, with a rough budget of £5,000. This shows how editing software has evolved into something more with use of cross media convergence.

The film "Street dance 2" (2014) from "Vertigo Films" was released on Blu-Ray, 3D, Box Office and Entertainment One. This is during the exhibition process, which makes it easy for audiences to watch the film on the go wherever they are. It means they can download on their phones, tablets, computers etc. so that they can buy the film once and not have to carry around a physical copy which could get damaged. It also gives them the comfort to watch in their own home and may be cheaper to watch instead of paying for individual tickets at a cinema. However, many people enjoy the cinema experience and may find it a cheaper alternative. This example shows how apps, soundtracks and downloads are popular in this day and age. The problems about this for audiences is piracy.


Sunday, 17 April 2016

With reference to case study examples from the industry that you have studied, discuss the impact of new technologies that have been introduced in recent years at the levels of production, distribution and exhibition.

On the 10th June 2015, a film named "Tangerine" was released. The film was about two transgender sex workers and their stories. The entire film was shot on an IPHONE which is very unusual. This goes to show that nowadays technology has come so far that you can do so many things on a phone, such as take photos and videos. It also goes to show what the quality is like for an entire film to be released. Because it was shot on an IPHONE, it also made the production process more relaxed for the actors, as it was only a phone and not a massive team filming them.

A film named "Monster" was released in 2003 about a serial killer. The film had CGI which was added in the post production process. A man was asked to create the CGI for the film, and the CGI was created on his laptop in his bedroom. This is another example of how far technology has come, as he didn't use an expensive kit to create amazing footage.

"Streetdance" distributed from Vertigo Films was screened in the cinemas in 3D. Every viewer would be given a pair of 3D glasses to watch the film, creating a more atmospheric and dramatic viewing of the film, getting people involved in the storyline. 3D is more expensive and more complicated to create, but it shows how technology can go a level up.

Cameras nowadays are a lot smaller and lighter then they used to be, so that they can be manoeuvred easier, as well as put into small spaces. Some popular makes include Canon and Sony.

The film "The Hobbit" was filmed with the actors standing in front of a green screen, as the editors put the actors in front of CGI backgrounds when the film is complete. This shows what editing can do nowadays as they can move certain videos on to other clips. Actors can find this difficult, as they can't see what area/location they are in, or who they are speaking to if they are speaking to a character created on CGI. The hobbit also had many CGI created characters which would've had to have been actors filmed, and CGI was made on top of them. The actors would have to wear odd clothing or have dots/codes on them for the CGI to be made post-production.

Converged technology effects distribution, because less people might go to the cinema to watch as they could access films from their tablets, computers or phones. It also could be illegal for viewers to view online, and if they access online, it could be cheaper than going to the cinema or buying DVD/Blu-ray disks, so cinemas could go out of business.

Positives: viewers can access films/technology when they want it and wherever they are. They can also get things cheaper, and they can download films and have them without getting damaged. They are also easy to carry around, whereas before discs were bulky and could break easily, and could be more expensive. However, cinemas could go out of business, as people may prefer to watch at home. Some people would rather watch in a cinema however, as they like the atmosphere. Another negative is that viewers could download things illegally and could be confronted with stealing people's material.

Overall, there are many new ways that technology has improved films over the years. The main aspects are in filming and editing. Films are released much sooner than they used to, and can be released globally which reduces the amount of piracy.