Discuss the ways in
which media products are produced and distributed to audiences, within a media
area you have studied
The constant and rapid advances in various areas of the film
industry concerning digital technology has majorly changed the way in which
films are made and distributed. There is not only a difference in how films are
made today compared to 20 years ago but also a significant difference depending
on the budget and location of the films production. From its making to its mass
viewing, anything from the budget of a film to its pre-production campaign to
the way it’s distributed can determine its success and profit of the film. When
combined with the advancing digital technology previously mentioned, and a
massively increased demand for big screen films, it is simple to see why recent
films, especially those in the past 10 years, have been the highest budgeting,
and in turn profiting, films in history. This success has in turn led to opportunities
for the bigger production companies, such as 20th Century Fox and
Universal, to pump out big budget upon big budget film at a more frequent
speed.
Because of these constantly advancing digital technologies however,
the mise-en-scene and production values of lower budget, low cast films such as
‘Monsters’ are catching up with the major, Hollywood/British blockbusters of
recent years – for example ‘Skyfall’. Although the difference between low
budget British and high budget British-American films couldn’t be more
different concerning the ability to mass produce, distribute and market, a
relatively tiny budget of $500,000 bought Monsters equipment with the ability
to parallel Skyfall’s monster $200m budget. The recording of Monsters footage
on to digital video, on multiple SD cards compared to the traditional 35mm film
strips is an example of how costs were cut majorly while maintaining high
production quality. This technique is one which can be utilised by any aspiring
film maker ad as such makes film-producing easier for the everyday person. One
way in which the film industry has not changed however, is the importance of a
films reputation and legacy in acquiring funding. The production of Skyfall was
aided by hundreds of part time investments, combined with a large sum obtained
from Eon Films and an even larger sum from MGM. This, being a Bond film, could
never be matched by an independent, low scale film such as Monsters which from
start to finish employed a minute percentage of the amount of workers its
counterpart did, relying on funding from part time investors and the independent
film production company Vertigo Films. The independence of Monsters is
something which worked for it in many ways. The two producers, previously
editors, were able to cut the value of the films production substantially. From
putting the shots together to the high quality CGI effects which were required,
the lack of need for alternate employees allowed the film to maximise profit
and cut costs compared to the no-expense-spared Hollywood Blockbuster. Again,
the ease and cheapness of access to editing programs such as Final Cut, Sony Vegas
and Adobe After Effects allows for an increase in independent film makers to
create their own products.
The recent increase in the convergence and synergy of major
companies and business’, especially within the film industry, has greatly
increased the ability of big name films to be distributed and in turn build anticipation
around the product. With both of Skyfall’s distributors being subsidiaries of Sony,
it set up the perfect opportunity for not only a Blu-ray release but also a
Playstation game to be produced and distributed months before the film itself.
This allowed for a greater profit from the Bond franchise as a whole but also
raised anticipation as to the individual films release. Because of this, the
budget for a full scale DVD release as well as the making of the game and
electronic memorabilia would have come from Sony which greatly reduced the cost
of the overall production. This cannot be matched by smaller budget films, for
example Eran Creevy’s film ‘Shifty’. With the majority of budget acquirement and
distribution coming from the independent company Metrodome Distributors and The
National Lottery UK, there was much less chance for a high budget, high production
value film. Instead, the director focused on friends and family to create the
film – emphasised by the fully British cast and production team. This can
easily relate back to the chances for independent film makers producing their
own films, which is supported by mainly British companies such as the BFI and
BBC.
The difference between big budget and small budget must be
looked at once again, however, in regard to a films exhibition and marketing.
With small budget films such as the two previously mentioned, the lack of expenditure
means the film must market itself, with hype being built up from film festivals
and small scale showings, as well as TV releases on primetime BBC, Channel 4
and ITV. This however is also changing, even within the past few years. Shifty
especially was majorly interested in the use of “Viral Marketing” in which the
film utilises the massive, exponentially increasing online market for “Social
Realist” products and films in general. Other examples of this being used is in
Cloverfield and more recently, Pacific Rim where alternate reality advertising
is used to increase audience interest. There are down sides to the increase in
films being made, and ease of making a film, however, as to get a product out
there more inventive and creative techniques must be used. This is especially
important in low budget films because of the negative side of advances in
digital technology, piracy. Moving from 50 Million+ illegal downloads of films
and TV shows 10 years ago to 50 Million+ illegal downloads of Game of Thrones
alone last season, cinema and box office takings must be maximised. This is not
such a problem for massively high budget films, especially ones such as
Skyfall, as the name and genre of the film lends itself to a cinema release no
matter the state of piracy – effecting the percentage profit lost much less.
Saturation of cinema screens can easily occur with big name big budget films,
leading to greater viewing figures and more niche markets, such as “The Grey
Pound” who prefer daytime showings – especially of films familiar to them.
Overall, the ease of production and distribution in this day
and age, where compared to recent history films can be produced for a
relatively tiny budget, still using top of the line equipment and distributed
on a rapidly increasing online market has led to a rise in independent film makers
and the amount of films produced. Examples of this are Kickstart.com and other
similar sites, in which investors may place money in to a film project and
receive rewards in return. No matter the ease of production however, big money
backing increases publicity and anticipation around big name films as well as
having more assets to market their name with. The big names are being
challenged however. Convergence has allowed portable viewing of multimedia, as
well as Netflix and Amazon Instant Player becoming readily available on phones
and tablets alike. This has caused audience fragmentation, allowing Arthouse,
Indie productions to gain popularity while IMAX and Odeon stereotypical
blockbusters become to have a sense of the familiar around them.
