- BIGGEST ONE Understand how all aspects of the media (websites, newspapers, television etc) are used to market a film and show you understand how companies work together to produce and distribute (and market) films.
- How film4 works with different companies and what those companies are
- What synergy is and how all the companies in your case studies make use of it and why they do
- Who are young bwark and why are they important.
- How your production companies have changed their production styles and methods of making films and why.
- How Film4 works as a company and its links to C4 – the particulars of the remit and it’s history
- The involvement of large non-British conglomerates in British companies and works and whether this is a benefit or a hindrance.
- How media convergence has affected your production companies (Warp, Celador and Film4)
- How changes in exhibition (all avenues including cinema, dvd, internet etc) have affected your companies?
- The rise of new media and how your companies have dealt with it – issues and benefits.
- The success of the smaller independent company and maintaining independence (and whether this is a good thing or a bad thing)
- How audiences respond to the products made by your companies and the different levels and types of audience (ages, classes etc)
- What has happened to Celador Productions and Warp Films recently.
- How your production companies have dealt with the rise of the internet.
- The conglomerates involved with all three films for all their aspects.
- How audience’s consumption of media has changed and how technological changes have impact on this (considering the home market as well as the cinemas)
- The different types of marketing used for both Four Lions and Slumdog Millionaire and the different types of advertising.
- How technological improvements have impacted the viewing experience, at home and in the cinema.
- How the increase and improvements made in technology are affecting the ways that films are made and distributed.
- How global institutions target national audiences.
- Why both films are considered successful.
Tuesday, 27 March 2012
Institutions and Audiences Topic List
Compulsion - TV Drama Question
Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs the representation of ethnicity using the following:
Camera
Editing
Mise En Scene
Sound
TV Drama Clips
Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs the representation of gender using the following:
Camera
Editing
Mise En Scene
Sound
Wednesday, 21 March 2012
Tuesday, 20 March 2012
Seven Areas - Possible Points
1. The issues raised by media ownership in contemporary media practice.
- Move to large media conglomerates makes it more difficult for a smaller company to gain a foothold
- Smaller companies often are bought out by bigger companies – the conglomerate has subsidiary companies to help market their product
- Emergence of horizontal integration – companies having interest in cross-media platforms
- Vertical integration and concentration of media ownership means that smaller productions cannot avoid conglomerates if they want consumption to occur.
- Smaller companies do not have vertical integration and so need to seek others means e.g. – independent companies, television companies, government bodies, co-production agreements
- American companies can create a conflict of interest with a British company – companies may need to use synergy – are any products truly “independent”?
- Lack of ownership/control over social media makes it difficult to control success of media products
- Move to more ‘cult’ products and niche market mean that those companies are having success
- Exhibition ownership means that film releases need to be negotiated with – certain times of the year make it difficult for certain scenes
2. The importance of cross media convergence and synergy in production, distribution and marketing.
- Channel 4’s ownership of different media platform-based companies make it easier to produce, distribute and market films/productions.
- Issues with synergy and needing to get other companies involved
- The impact of increased media availability to consumers means that companies have to diversify their product (e.g. film4 channeling their production on Film4 on demand)
- The target audience’s own preferences of marketing channels and consumption channels
- Issue of piracy and ease of copying.
- Cross-media convergence makes it easier to start marketing earlier.
- Distribution now happens across many platforms and styles which means more potential viewers but also means more cost.
3. The technologies that have been produced in recent years at the levels of production, distribution, marketing and exchange.
- New technology increases the availability of the product on different platforms for greater ways of consumption
- Allow for essentially four releases of the same product (cinema, DVD, Blu-ray and streaming)
- In principle it is cheaper – more commercially available products and different consumption products makes the cost of making media products cheaper (e.g. warp films)
- In production there is a variety of products now to make filming easier and better quality – the influx of HD cameras make professional looking shots for a cheaper price and the SI-2K camera allows for more authentic filming on location instead of studio-based (film4 does social realism well), equally the availability of editing device such as the ipad and available software such as adobe premiere and final cut have made editing on the go far easier and made marketing more commercially available as “sneak peeks” can be released in advance.
- In distribution, the majority of films are made in digital which makes the distribution of many products far easier as a digital copy can be made instead of a reel – easier for global release, easier to encrypt the data.
- Conversion of digital screens
4. The significance of the proliferation of hardware and content for institutions and audiences.
- The improvements in technology have meant as less clear audience consumption rate – for every box office ticket counted, it is harder to see where the other copies are being consumed.
- The impact of having the same product available on several different platforms means easier consumption but less easier to judge the amount of viewers.
- Cinema still fronts the majority of new technology e.g. 3D films and markets itself as a ‘viewing experience’ rather than just watching a film. Equally independent cinema are finding other ways of showing media products such as opera, football and theatre.
- People expect to have more of a relationship with their films across media platforms such as trailers, youtube extras, interviews etc – more must now be spent on marketing – Dyer’s star theory – audience want to know their actors
- Portable devices now means media consumption can happen anywhere to anyone – difficult to judge
- Consumers can do have more control of what, when and how they consume their media – which means producers have to work harder to gain audiences and consumption
- Production costs in film budgets are now smaller than distribution/marketing costs as content is prolific but the devices of viewing are just as prolific
- Films are now being made in different style for different genres and different audiences e.g. social realism vs fantastical special effects, realistic animation vs cgi vs hand-drawn animation – long tail theory
5. The importance of technological convergence for institutions and audiences.
- The availability of internet anywhere can now make the making , distribution and maketing of film immediately visible to the consuming audience – facebook, twitter, footage, youtube, trailers etc.
- Companies taking advantage of their other interests to exploit their other products (e.g. film4 and c4 tv shows/films cross pollination)
- The importance of online work (streaming, marketing, appeal to audience through email/social network)
- The ability of new technological device to perform multiple tasks which make the making of media products faster, more accessible and
- These devices also make it easier to update audiences on the progress of the film and generate more hyper and appeal.
6. The issues raised in the targeting of national and local audiences (specifically British) by international or global institutions
- A more diversified audience now means more diversified films – look at the different markets film4 goes for.
- British films often have difficulty in American markets due to content or approach
- Now more of a ‘global’ market
- Dominance of American companies means it is difficult to be independent – relying on independent cinemas to show their product restricts their product to the bigger, student-oriented cities e.g. London, Cambridge etc
- British companies often need synergy to market their product beyond a local audience
- Proliferation of different films for different consumers – long-tail theory – aiming wholly at a niche audience is often more beneficial for a smaller, British company.
- Britain shares language with America – makes it easier for cross pollination, equally Britain and India share cultural apsects
Certain times of the year for showing certain products
- Move to large media conglomerates makes it more difficult for a smaller company to gain a foothold
- Smaller companies often are bought out by bigger companies – the conglomerate has subsidiary companies to help market their product
- Emergence of horizontal integration – companies having interest in cross-media platforms
- Vertical integration and concentration of media ownership means that smaller productions cannot avoid conglomerates if they want consumption to occur.
- Smaller companies do not have vertical integration and so need to seek others means e.g. – independent companies, television companies, government bodies, co-production agreements
- American companies can create a conflict of interest with a British company – companies may need to use synergy – are any products truly “independent”?
- Lack of ownership/control over social media makes it difficult to control success of media products
- Move to more ‘cult’ products and niche market mean that those companies are having success
- Exhibition ownership means that film releases need to be negotiated with – certain times of the year make it difficult for certain scenes
2. The importance of cross media convergence and synergy in production, distribution and marketing.
- Channel 4’s ownership of different media platform-based companies make it easier to produce, distribute and market films/productions.
- Issues with synergy and needing to get other companies involved
- The impact of increased media availability to consumers means that companies have to diversify their product (e.g. film4 channeling their production on Film4 on demand)
- The target audience’s own preferences of marketing channels and consumption channels
- Issue of piracy and ease of copying.
- Cross-media convergence makes it easier to start marketing earlier.
- Distribution now happens across many platforms and styles which means more potential viewers but also means more cost.
3. The technologies that have been produced in recent years at the levels of production, distribution, marketing and exchange.
- New technology increases the availability of the product on different platforms for greater ways of consumption
- Allow for essentially four releases of the same product (cinema, DVD, Blu-ray and streaming)
- In principle it is cheaper – more commercially available products and different consumption products makes the cost of making media products cheaper (e.g. warp films)
- In production there is a variety of products now to make filming easier and better quality – the influx of HD cameras make professional looking shots for a cheaper price and the SI-2K camera allows for more authentic filming on location instead of studio-based (film4 does social realism well), equally the availability of editing device such as the ipad and available software such as adobe premiere and final cut have made editing on the go far easier and made marketing more commercially available as “sneak peeks” can be released in advance.
- In distribution, the majority of films are made in digital which makes the distribution of many products far easier as a digital copy can be made instead of a reel – easier for global release, easier to encrypt the data.
- Conversion of digital screens
4. The significance of the proliferation of hardware and content for institutions and audiences.
- The improvements in technology have meant as less clear audience consumption rate – for every box office ticket counted, it is harder to see where the other copies are being consumed.
- The impact of having the same product available on several different platforms means easier consumption but less easier to judge the amount of viewers.
- Cinema still fronts the majority of new technology e.g. 3D films and markets itself as a ‘viewing experience’ rather than just watching a film. Equally independent cinema are finding other ways of showing media products such as opera, football and theatre.
- People expect to have more of a relationship with their films across media platforms such as trailers, youtube extras, interviews etc – more must now be spent on marketing – Dyer’s star theory – audience want to know their actors
- Portable devices now means media consumption can happen anywhere to anyone – difficult to judge
- Consumers can do have more control of what, when and how they consume their media – which means producers have to work harder to gain audiences and consumption
- Production costs in film budgets are now smaller than distribution/marketing costs as content is prolific but the devices of viewing are just as prolific
- Films are now being made in different style for different genres and different audiences e.g. social realism vs fantastical special effects, realistic animation vs cgi vs hand-drawn animation – long tail theory
5. The importance of technological convergence for institutions and audiences.
- The availability of internet anywhere can now make the making , distribution and maketing of film immediately visible to the consuming audience – facebook, twitter, footage, youtube, trailers etc.
- Companies taking advantage of their other interests to exploit their other products (e.g. film4 and c4 tv shows/films cross pollination)
- The importance of online work (streaming, marketing, appeal to audience through email/social network)
- The ability of new technological device to perform multiple tasks which make the making of media products faster, more accessible and
- These devices also make it easier to update audiences on the progress of the film and generate more hyper and appeal.
6. The issues raised in the targeting of national and local audiences (specifically British) by international or global institutions
- A more diversified audience now means more diversified films – look at the different markets film4 goes for.
- British films often have difficulty in American markets due to content or approach
- Now more of a ‘global’ market
- Dominance of American companies means it is difficult to be independent – relying on independent cinemas to show their product restricts their product to the bigger, student-oriented cities e.g. London, Cambridge etc
- British companies often need synergy to market their product beyond a local audience
- Proliferation of different films for different consumers – long-tail theory – aiming wholly at a niche audience is often more beneficial for a smaller, British company.
- Britain shares language with America – makes it easier for cross pollination, equally Britain and India share cultural apsects
Certain times of the year for showing certain products
Questions
“Media convergence is simply a response to the rise in digital technology” How far do you agree with this statement, referring to a media area you have studied.
"How has synergy and media convergence affected the products within a media area you have studied?"
"How have the changes in digital technology affected an institution you have studied?"
"How have changes in audience behaviour affected a media area you have studied?"
Tuesday, 4 October 2011
Film Distribution
Logistics of Distribution
The distributor will enter into an agreement with the cinema to screen the film on certain 'play-dates'. It is the responsibility of the distributor to arrange the transportation of the film to the cinema, as part of its wider coordination of print use across the UK. Logistics represents the phase of distribution at its most basic - supplying and circulating copies of the film to theatres, of tapes and DVDs to shops and video rental stores, and managing the effectiveness of the supply. The showing of films in cinemas is a time-pressured activity. Cinemas spend their money publicising film play-dates and times in local papers or through published programmes. There's an imperative for the distributor to deliver the film on time.
For UK theatrical exhibition, the distributor typically handles 35mm film prints. Each print can cost around £1,000 - or twice that if subtitled - so a degree of care is required of everyone involved in handling the print. In the UK, prints are generally broken down for ease of handling into smaller reels, each lasting around 18-20 mins when run through a projector at 24 frames per second. So a feature print, in its physical form, will usually be 5 or 6 reels, stored and supplied in a single hard case, weighing in at 20-25kgs. Prints are hired by the exhibitor for the duration of their play-dates, and therefore each print is made for repeat use. It's easy to see from this that, during the course of even a short theatrical release period, any single print needs to be moved many times from the main print warehouse, onto a delivery van, to the cinema, onto an assembly bench, through the projector and then back through the process and onto the next cinema.
35mm theatrical prints invariably suffer cumulative damage as they pass through different projectors, and the hands of various projectionists. There are also overheads incurred by the distributor for the storage of prints at the UK's central print warehouse in West London. For these reasons, each theatrical print has a finite lifespan. Distributor will invest in sufficient prints to provide optimum coverage through the first period of theatrical release, usually lasting up to 6 months. From this point on, many of the now used release prints will be destroyed, leaving only a small number to be used for second-run and repertory theatrical bookings through the remainder of the film's licenced period.
Towards the end of 2005, the UK distribution and exhibition sectors were starting to move towards digital distribution and exhibition. For exhibitors, digital projection, especially when married to the increasing use digital formats in production, can now replicate - if not surpass - the image quality of conventional 35mm cinema presentation. And, of course, digital sound systems have been used in cinemas for some time.
In distribution terms, the advantages of digital technology are even clearer, though perhaps longer term. Digital technology is seen to offer a more cost effective and logistics-light alternative to the tried and trusted, but unwieldy model of 35mm print distribution described above. It will, eventually, be cheaper and much less stressful to send films as computer files to cinemas across the UK, than to transport 20-25kg tins of film in the back of a van.
Digital distribution and exhibition on a large scale has started to appear in certain parts of the world, notably China and Brazil, where conventional logistics cannot, for one reason or another, efficiently bring together supply and demand. In the UK, digital technology has been embraced by the non-theatrical sector, in film societies and schools, where the use of DVD and mid-range digital projection has replaced 16mm.
The force of this change, coupled with the new capacity of technology to replicate 35mm imaging, has led the UK Film Council to establish a digital distribution and exhibition programme for the theatrical sector at the end of 2005. Entitled the Digital Screen Network (DSN), it will eventually support new facilities in 211 screens across the country (out of a total of just over 3,300 screens in the UK), and is seen as a small but important step change towards full digital cinema.
The DSN will initially work with files transferred from a high definition digital master (either HDD5, or HD Cam). The compressed and encrypted files will be sent directly to cinemas to be downloaded, de-encrypted (unlocked) and opened as files for screening with digital projection equipment. In principle, digital distribution will, in time, change the paradigm of 35mm print logistics. It will be possible for the distributor to send feature film files electronically, via broadband networks, thus eliminating dependence on transportation.
There is little doubt that the advent of digital distribution has the potential radically to alter the modus operandi of distributors around the world. The comparatively low cost of film copies and additional logistical effectiveness of digital distribution provide the distributor with greater flexibility. It will be less expensive in the coming years to offer a wide theatrical opening with many copies, and also conversely, to screen a film for just one performance at any cinema. In theory at least, it will be possible for both distributors and exhibitors to respond more precisely to audience demand.
All this suggests that in the future, more titles, both mainstream and specialised, will receive wide theatrical openings, and that this broadening of access at the point of release will dramatically reduce the overall theatrical period from 3-6 months to perhaps 1-3 months. Thereafter, films will enter into a second-run and repertory programming market aided by lower costs.
The shortened first-run period will in turn bring forward the distributor's release of the DVD. And there's the rub. The adoption of digital technologies offers greater opportunities for distributors to create joined-up campaigns for theatrical and DVD releases, in which, increasingly, the theatrical opening is used as a way of providing a loss-leading marketing platform for the highly lucrative DVD leg.
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