Sectionbaudiences
- 2. KEY TERMS For this part of your exam there are some key terms that if you understand will make your life easier!! You will need an understanding of the film industry, the way its organised and the way it operates within todays world. You will need to have some detailed case studies so you can use them in your exam.
- 3. OUTLINE MEDIA TEXT INSTITUTIO N Who produces the media text AUDIENC E Who the media text is produced for
- 4. FILM PROCESS The film industry can be broken down into THREE main areas, each having a vital role PRODUCTI ON DISTRIBUTION EXHIBITIO N Production is everything involved with making the media product, and involves pre-production, production and post-production Distribution involves both marketing and getting a copy of the film to the company who is going to show it, and may be physical or digital Exhibition is showing the film to the audience, and maybe home or cinema, and in each case the distributor is paid by the exhibitor who is using the film
- 5. PRODUCTION Before the creation of the product ( production) there has to be finance for the film, and this is usually from one or more (in which case it’s a coproduction) production companies.
- 6. DISTRIBUTION Involves raising audience awareness and interest of the new release, finding exhibitors and retailers for the film, as well as making and distributing any physical copies that might be needed in cinemas for them to show. Marketing is split into three sections, advertising, publicity and promotion. A distributor may be part of same parent company that own production company, have an arrangement with production, help finance film, or buy rights to distribute film out right A film is likely to have different distributors to cover Different countries Cinema releases Home – DVD releases
- 7. EXHIBITION A films success is often assessed on the box office takings, and sometimes the first weekend. Most films are released on Fridays to allow for maximum impact on the first weekend. However increasingly home exhibition is playing an important part in the success of a film, and income might come form DVD and Blu Ray sales, or the many varies online opportunities such as Net Flix and Love Film.
- 8. TYPES OF OWNERSHIP There are two types of ownership HORIZONTAL INTEGRATION VERTICAL INTEGRATION This is where the same company owns multiple companies at same stage of the industry, for example able to produce, tv, film, magazines, video games etc. This is where the parent company owns multiple companies that cover the different stages of the film industry.
- 9. SYNERGY Synergy means working together, a way of getting different people or organisations to work together to achieve something that could not be accomplished independently. It is a strategy of bringing things together and to make connections across different areas. For example a film might exploit new technologies, and sell dvd, video games, soundtrack. Convergent technology such as smart phones, tablets, computers and games consoles also support this of synergy. Cross media convergence is the development of products across different medium can also help with synergy.
- 10. DISNEY Disney is an good example of a synergist approach. They have the film production companies, they have a Kids TV channel, and the Disney store which is both on the high street and online to purchase products and merchandising. They will all promote each other and the products that each other sell. However Disney also use SYMBIOSIS marketing which is where different companies work together to promote a range of related products. For example SHREK might be used on Happy Meals, Easter Eggs, Pencil cases, toy characters. It is the distributor that arranges ( sells) such licensing deals and will also take a % of the profit. These help promote the film itself by an almost saturated 360°approach.
- 11. WORKING TITLE Is a UK film company owned by Universal which is is part of Vivendi Universal. Vivendi is a massive organisation and owns water companies, phone companies, publishing houses, cinema chains. Mp3.com, TV channels, Universal records. Working Title films are many and include Four Wedding and a Funeral, Notting Hill. Billy Elliot. Bridget Jones’s Diary, Nanny McPhee, Atonement, Paul, Trash. Using Working Title as your subject complete the Working Title assignment on the blog.
- 12. CONVERGENCE There are two important types of convergence that you have to know about CROSS MEDIA CONVERGENCE – the development of products across different media, such as a TV programme, also being shown through internet on a catch up site, story lines covered in magazines, and production company reporting on it on their website. This can be an example of SYNERGY, companies working together to produce, market and distribute.
- 13. TECHNOLOGICAL CONVERGENCE TECHNOLOGICAL CONVERGENCE – is the development of devices that are capable of a multitude of task, such as a smart phone being used to watch video, listen to music, share photos etc. To put it a different way, different requirements of technology are met by a single device to handle different media types . The effect that this has is to change how we create, consume, interact with each other and learn about the world. It is the movement of new technology towards a single platform delivering multile media outputs that can be used to reach audiences. EG the new smart TVs allows you to watch TV, access the internet and therefore the on demand services, make skype calls, listen to radio, look at photographs, watch home video.
- 14. CONVERGENCE iPhone Allows us to Use as phone, browse internet, mp3 player, camera Video camera, computer, games FM radio X360 Allows us to browse internet, play dvd, games console Convergence is the process where different media platforms are contained within a single piece of media technology