Section BThe questions

Our case studies• Warp Film• Frozen (Disney)• The Fifth estate• 12 Years a Slave

What the spec says to focus on…

• Film • A study of a specific studio or production company within a

contemporary film industry that targets a British audience (eg Hollywood, Bollywood, UK film), including its patterns of production, distribution, exhibition and consumption by audiences. This should be accompanied by study of contemporary film distribution practices (digital cinemas, DVD, HD-DVD, downloads, etc) and their impact upon production, marketing and consumption.

Key areas• • the issues raised by media ownership in contemporary media practice; • • the importance of cross media convergence and synergy in

production, distribution and marketing; • • the technologies that have been introduced in recent years at the

levels of production, distribution, marketing and exchange;• • the significance of proliferation in hardware and content for

institutions and audiences; • • the importance of technological convergence for institutions and

audiences; • • the issues raised in the targeting of national and local audiences

(specifically, British) by international or global institutions; • • the ways in which the candidates’ own experiences of media

consumption illustrate wider patterns and trends of audience behaviour.

The issues raised by media ownership in contemporary media practice

• Key terms: • OWNERSHIP-• Lack of diversity in films• Industry able to cross promote and cross sell - convergence

and synergy - if a film has a poor cinema release able to still get the profits back from other windows. Helped Working Title Films

• Can dictate prices - increase no one could complain• Independent film companies going out of business as they

cant afford to compete with the domination of the major conglomerates

• Working Title are part of a conglomerate - Vivendi Universal (arm of General Electric) - what benefits do they have?

• Working Title did used to be an independent film company - they can now afford to produce and distribute films with a large amount of money

• In 2008 British cinema made 1.65 billion worldwide up 50% from 2007 shows P and D is getting better

• Prefer to make their films on 35mm - why?• Spend lots of money on above the line costs• They have solid funding behind them• Unlike a British independent

Warp films• Warp films• Warp pictures• Check out the website• Get financial aid from East Midlands media and the National Lottery fund• Their main genre is social realism and masculinity• An example is Four Lions (2010)• Why social realist?• No need for stars• No need for set design• Cheap to make• What Britain is know for• Limited audiences - normally high certificates - 18 (Meadows wanted a 15

certificate)• They use digital video - remember Phantom, Attack of the Clones cost $15,000 on

DV• Highlights how important Digital is to independents!

Distribution• Extremely important for British cinema• Now digital can go through fibre optic cables, portable hard

drive, satellite• Four Lions (2010) is not really cinematic and makes its money

from ancillary sales. Cinema sales not as important. 3.7 million profit, Optimum releasing

Plan what you would write about with our case studies.

• Explain your institution – Warner Bros, Working title and Warp Films.

• Explain what the main issues are with media ownership (The way they are owned)

• Is it morally right? • Lack of diversity in films?

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

• Key terms: Convergence and Synergy

• Media convergence - where a business (conglomerate) owns many companies across a range of medias e.g. Viacom and General Electric.

• Synergy - multiplied business energy of using many parts of a conglomerate

• Large conglomerates able to do convergence and synergy through using the other ‘arms’ of their multinational business.

• Media convergence - able to cross promote films, sell through different windows, promote other products in film etc.

• Synergy – energy created through using the different arms of the business.

• More profits for industry through selling their films through different media - games, etc

Why is synergy important for independents?

• Independents not able to create as much synergy because• Struggle to find funds – Warp Films• Get financial aid from East Midlands media and the National

Lottery fund• Limited audiences

• Remember for both it is all to do with the way the studios are owned – issues of media ownership

Large budget so can engage with any technologyCan embrace digital technology (consider star wars example) however would prefer to stay on 35mm so they can dominate the marketCan embrace digital/3D and HD – consider Avatar and the cost of that to make HD technology - Viral marketing campaign: Email spread the word quickly, Link to website to buy the films, Download content, Music used to help promote – target youth – music on websiteCan do technological convergence – Consider Batman: The Dark Knight - Conglomerate example, Warner Bros, Used technological convergence, $185 million budget, viral marketing, ‘why so serious’ website - fun activities, hidden message board, downloadable content, screensavers, mobile phone wallpaper, Well known franchise and comic book series – already had an established audience and could gamble with more marketing money, Two rollercoasters - $7.5 million half of Slumdog Millionnaire distributors budget, Formula 1 car – Jarno Trulli, Batmobile drove around Silverstone, Huge amount of money spent on the technology in the film such as the batpod and costume – highlighted a more serious Batman – used this in their marketing campaign to attract audiences, Grossed over $1000 million, Created synergyEmbrace all above the line costs – InternetMake more money from Blu-ray as people buy the same version againIpods

Video games console mean that they can make money from merchandiseMore people buying Home cinema systems/LCD TVs – buying these from the conglomeratesMobile Phones and Internet working together – BatmanIMAXConsider proliferation and how conglomerates can engage with it allTechnological and media convergence, Big marketing campaign, Stars, For Universal Working title provide British films for them, 60s music – own recording studios - Odeon part owned by Universal

• Remember piracy effects them• Used technological convergence (where one technology does

more than one thing or where technologies work together)• Mobile phone working with Internet• Audience can make their own tribute films placed on the

Internet and help promote the film

The importance of technological convergence for institutions and audiences;

• Conglomerate• • Can afford to embrace all new technology• Large budget• Consider proliferation and how they can keep up!• Batman an examples of technological convergence• James Bond - The Quantum of Solace - convergence with other areas of

Sony through promoting HD televisions, coke zero and omega watches (wider convergence), Sony phones, laptops.

• No real issues in targeting their audience – lots of money create viral marketing campaigns like Warner Bros did for The Dark Knight (2 x rollercoaster’s cost 17 million, promoted on the side of Jarno Trulli’s Car at Silverstone and bat mobile being at Silverstone F1) Managed to also create a viral marketing campaign through the www.whysoserious.com – consider all that you could do on the website!

• Independent• Lack of money/funding so have trouble embracing with lots of technology• However the introduction of the Internet has really helped them• Internet – below the line as a cheap form of advertising• Consider case study examples• Digital technology and the digital screens network – cheaper technology

remember Phantom Menace cost 5.2 million on 35 mm and Attack of the Clones cost $15,000 on DV – this new technology has helped them!

• Struggle to find funds• Get financial aid from East Midlands media and the National Lottery fund

• Audiences can do technological convergence as they can make their film and place it on youtube and even produce their won wallpapers etc.

 The significance of proliferation of hardware and content

for audience and industry

• Conglomerate• • Working title did used to be an independent film company - they can now afford to

produce and distribute films with a large amount of money• Prefer to make their films on 35mm – why?• Spend lots of money on above the line costs• They have solid funding behind them• Can embrace all new technologies with the money behind them• Can do technological convergence and media convergence• Brainwash audience• No real issues in targeting their audience – lots of money create viral marketing

campaigns like Warner Bros did for The Dark Knight (2 x rollercoaster’s cost 17 million, promoted on the side of Jarno Trulli’s Car at Silverstone and bat mobile being at Silverstone F1) Managed to also create a viral marketing campaign through the www.whysoserious.com – consider all that you could do on the website!

• Account for piracy – they can take into account this

• Independent• • Lack of money/funding so have trouble embracing with lots of

technology• However the introduction of the Internet has really helped them• Internet – below the line as a cheap form of advertising• Digital technology and the digital screens network – cheaper • Mobile phones – cheap technology and audiences can now access

the Internet from them so may help advertising campaigns and viral campaigns get started. Snakes on a Plane exploited this!

• Niche (specialist/narrow audience) films can have a good yield of they are distributed correctly with the right number of prints

• Piracy takes a huge dent out of their profits – new technology causes this to happen

Remember you do need to consider the impact on us if it mentions audience:

 • We need to keep up! And so Costs us money! LCD TV’s, cinema systems

• So much choice to watch films however if independents can’t keep up – they may be a lack of choice of films for us

• However we can now compete with cameras and digital technology coming in we can also make our own films consider Paranormal Activity (2009)