“Successful media products depend as much upon marketing and distribution to a specific audience as they do upon good production practices”.

A films success relies upon how well it is advertised to its target audience and how easy it is for that audience to access, rather than whether it is regarded by critics as a 'good' film.

There are some industries that base their retail prices on the cost of the production, however the film industry due to advances in digital production does not follow this as digital film allows for potentially infinite numbers of films to be distributed.

The pricing structure for films at the big multiplex cinemas is designed to benefit the big studios. Blockbuster films cost a lot more money than independent UK films do and if a cinema had 10 screens they wont want to waste space by putting on a cheaper film that no one will want to go and see. However if the cheaper films were put on at the cinema for a lower price people are more likely to see the film. This is then counteracted by the fact that the multiplex cinemas might not make the money back so don't pay for the independent films anyway. Critics say that all people should be able to go and see UK films priced cheaper at around £4 rather than £10 and then blockbusters at £10 because this would make the pricing to see the films more adequate in terms of people actually wanting to spend money to see the film of their choice.

The Lionsgate UK CEO, Mr Kamasa as told people that he has spoken to some of the UK exhibitors and found that they are going to be more realistic and flexible with the pricing to see films as they have realised that something needed to be done to slow down the halt in the admissions. Overall this will result in the significantly lower admission price in 2014 than it has in previous years. In previous years the admission prices to get to see films were generally overpriced and inappropriate. In the next year or so, admission prices are supposed to be improving further and this is because of the amount of blockbusters that have been made. These films include; The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, Avengers: Age of Ultron and also Jurassic World. The three films mentioned here are predicted to be very good films that will become very popular with a range of different audiences. Lionsgate, the British film company have released this year eight different films and these include: The Invisible Woman, Locke and things like that. These films will be continuing to support British films in 2015 which are going to be released. A film that the British are going to be producing for 2015 includes the film, Absolutely Anything. Again Kamasa is promising that the film company will invest in British content further hoping that it will move forward.

In my opinion I think that British films and then blockbuster films are both distributed and marketed for many different audiences and not just specific ones.  I think that the production practices that allow texts like films to be distributed and marketed includes being able to stream films off websites like Netflix, NowTV and downloadable websites like that. By putting new films and programmes also onto these sources would help advertising as the films won’t be on there all the time therefore people might get encouraged to go and buy the films on DVD or BluRay and this means that the companies will make more money from sales rather than just getting money from admission fees at the cinemas. Other ways that films are marketed to target specific audiences is the long trailers that are played before other films made by the same company. An example of this would be when you go and see a Disney film; there are normally adverts for another Disney film that is maybe coming out later in that year or in the following year. Other trailers could be for films of a similar genre from other companies. This would result in people becoming interested in other films, therefore wanting to go to the cinema again to go and see a different film as well as the one they have already paid to watch. This won’t only make the film industries more money from box office sales but also the cinemas as well.

In terms of access to see a film there are again I mention a variety of different sources of which can be used that are all marketed at different audiences. I begin by taking about Netflix, Netflix is a multinational used site and streamer that people can use on different devices like; phones, tablets, games consoles and also televisions. This is a reliability that some film industries use as these companies pay for the films and the rights for it to be shown. Another point about Netflix is that it is full off films for all different types of people and also all different genres and ages as well. The distribution and marketing of specific products like films or the types of products that they produce may change as a result to the change in cinemas. Cinemas are constantly changing and adapting to suit the needs of new audiences and all the different demands they have of a film. This then makes cinema companies not only change what they show but they are also making improvements on how your experience will be when watching a film itself. An example of how some cinemas are changing includes Cineworld and how they have introduced an optional monthly fee for customers who can pay and watch unlimited films for that month. As well as this, some cinemas are considering a re-release of certain films that did well during Blu-ray and DVD release. This is a certain type of engagement for audiences as having film be put back onto cinema screens could be an example of another marketing strategy. I think this because more people will go and see the film on its second release and maybe some people would go and see it again, this would gain some film industries more money therefore higher box office figures.

Depending on what marketing a film company use or how they distribute it to an audience will then depend on how much attention it gains from an audience. For example if a film was to have poor advertising, people would generally not go and see it when compared to a film that is advertised in many different ways. A similar effect would happen if the distribution was also poor. People won’t know how to access the film and it might not be available for some people e.g. people with less money to spend, going to the cinema.

An institutions success does highly rely on its advertising to its target market as if there was no marketing to see it wouldn’t gain people’s attention in the first place. However, if critics were to do an article about a particular film being good or bad that could discourage or encourage an audience to go and see the film. This would be though, marketing in itself as people would see the article and go and see the film due to something that they have seen like a trailer or an advert. Another example of why marketing and distribution is relied on for a film’s success is because for example; a trailer or a poster isn’t based on an opinion of another audience member. If a critic was to say a film was bad or good, that would be their own choice of words and might be different to someone else. This meaning that looking at a trailer yourself is also more reliable than making a decision based on someone else’s.

So, overall I do feel that a film’s success does relies on how well it is advertised to its target audience in some ways and also how easy it is for that audience to access, rather than whether it is regarded by critics as a 'good' film. Critics making comments can have an impact on people’s opinions but in my opinion it would be the marketing and distribution on a whole that would make the target audiences decisions.
 

Media Ownership Influences

The issues raised by media ownership in contemporary media practice;

The people that own the media companies influence the type of film that is made and its success because it will have the input of their opinion. For example; anybody that works for the Marvel Studios will have some interest in superheroes, comic series, and the marvel industry itself therefore may have input from their own opinion about what is made and why it is made. Another influence that could make a film successful is the actual size of the company. For example; Marvel is a very large media company and they made a lot of merchandise and films for that company. This meaning that the films will be bigger as they have more followed up from them. In my opinion I do feel that bigger companies are more likely to make more money however some smaller companies succeed too and some big companies end up having failed films. I think this is due to audience in some ways as if a particular company are focused on say; action films, and then they make a film of a different genre, people/the audience won’t be interested. What I mean by this is that a smaller company could be failing with a particular type of film but then if they made something different it could be huge, therefore succeeding. This would be the same type of thing for bigger film companies.

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

Companies work together as organisations to produce, distribute and publicize films by advertising each other’s films perhaps on the DVDs or just before the film begins. Another way they can work together to publicize is through sponsorship. Sponsoring each other as film companies to make a profit and encourage both of the company’s audiences to watch the other company’s film. Disney can use their size as an advantage to promote and publicise a film because people already know about the company and it world famous. What I mean by all this is that, for example, if someone was to go and see Wall-E, they may also be interested at the new film, Big Hero 6. Both of the films are similar in terms of who their audience would be and what the film is actually about. Similarities could also include the colours within the film. Where I’m going with this is that Wall-E itself was a very big film, produced as a big film, therefore doing something similar, but very different will help that particular film become bigger. Another example of this type of example is Frozen, a Disney princess film, and 2015 film, Cinderella (newer version). Smaller companies, yes, will struggle more in promoting particular films due to audience interest but they can work together as companies themselves and create a film slightly bigger, with a bigger budget etc. Making sure that it would meet all the criteria it needs to become a blockbuster hit.

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

The introduction of digital film, 3D, DVD, Blue Ray, internet streaming, downloadable content, home cinema has influenced the types of films made, the way we watch them and the way we 'buy' them in many ways. I think it has influenced what type of films are made because they can see what people buy more clearly through ratings, purchases and profit. Many years ago films were made more for the entertainment of the audience and less for the profit but nowadays its more about the profit than it is for the entertainment. So this will affect what films are made. The film industry and the companies within it will make their films to make money so they have to make sure that they meet the criteria needed to get a high quality film that’s going to make a lot of money. When they make their films they also have to make sure they can be 3D in some cases, and are able to play on Blu-ray. If they weren’t compatible with these things it could lower the chances of the film being sold therefore they spend more money on cameras just to make this possible. Most people these days, in my opinion, stay at home to watch films rather than going to the cinema and that’s where streamers and packages for a television come in. Examples of this would include; Netflix, Now TV, and Love Film. This means we are more likely to buy a package so the film companies actually miss out on income here. As well as this, a lot of people tend to download films legally or illegally, one paying, one not. This again means that the film industry and the companies that make the films are missing out with money because their film isn’t being bought.

The significance of proliferation in hardware and content for institutions and audiences;

Nowadays a lot of people decide to watch films on their phones and they often get the films from YouTube or from illegal sites. This is affecting film industry’s in the way that people are just waiting for the film to become available on their rather than going to the cinema and spending money when the films initially come out. Some companies now have to make their films differently slightly so that people can’t watch them for free on their phones so easily. They have to change the quality they use because some phones can’t show certain things and they have also started charging some YouTube accounts for the videos they have on them just to save the film companies money for themselves. Audiences in cinemas now are often a lot smaller than they use to be because of these new technologies so some cinemas are having to charge more for the same thing just so that the film companies are still making the money they need to be successful.

The importance of technological convergence for institutions and audiences;

The film industry itself has adapted and many different technologies have come together to help it out to improve it and help it develop further. The industry itself appears to be shifting towards two separate things. This is firstly to do with higher quality visuals that, using technology, are being worked on and the other shift is to do with experiences that an audience has when watching the film itself. Whether its high-tech, more personal, and it will also impact peoples film experiences at home. There are, in my opinion 9 different technologies that have come together with the film industries to help it out and make it more popular and modern. The first technology that will help the film industry is simply IMAX cameras. Making more films with IMAX cameras will improve the visuals of the films instantly making a film more appealing to an audience. Another different technology would be digital cameras that the camera crew can run with. This will make a film seem more realistic when watching it in my opinion as the audience will feel like they are running with the characters or scene. Now, watching films on your phone is quite a popular thing to do but new technologies are making it available for people to film on them in good quality also. This will have a great impact in two ways on the film industry. It could have a negative impact as more people will be interested in using their phones, and then a positive impact would be that people won’t necessarily like the software on the phone and instantly watch normal films at the cinema. However this won’t help out the industry in a massive way it could get people or an audience more interested in a film. Another technology that has come together to help the film industry would be experience apps. There are now second screen experience apps that you can download while watching a film, to let you interact almost with it and play games to affect what the film does. This is a very expensive way to create a film but in the long run it could potentially really help out the film industry in terms of profit. Another technology that can also help the film industry out is the ability to project films onto any surface. This will help the film industry in the fact that people will buy films of perhaps a higher quality so that when they project them on a larger scale they will look better. This makes more money for the industries and companies and it is also keeping the consumer happy. One very clever and important development that has occurred recently is being able to watch 3D things without the use of 3D glasses. This will be good for the film industry because sometimes people don’t go and see 3D films because they don’t like to wear the plastic glasses so they don’t spend as much money on the tickets. Therefore having ability to watch a film 3D without wearing the uncomfortable glasses will encourage people to pay more for a better quality film that will give the audience a better reaction. Along with this they have also developed a technology to help the film industry by creating a better and more realistic audio experience. What this means is having audio that makes the audience feel more connected to the picture as they feel also like they are there, within the scenes. This will again encourage people to go and see a film rather than staying at home with an average sound system. Going along with the 3D experiences they have also further developed the films, making them 4D. 4D is when perhaps things happen whilst you’re watching the film, e.g. the chairs shake, things grab your legs under the chairs etc. This will give an audience a more ride thrill as well as the experience of watching the film. This will benefit the film industry as people will spend their money at 4D cinemas instead of 2D and 4D cinemas are generally more expensive to go to. The final development that can help out the film industry is the new use of interactive film screens. This is a very complicated thing to have people of how vast an audience can be however you can sometimes get them with buttons in the chairs and you as an audience as a whole can decide what will happen next with the on screen choices. This is a good thing to have because it can potentially keep children who visit the cinemas, more entertained and less likely to fidget as they have something to do as the film is being shown. This will help the film industry because it will encourage people to take their children to see an interactive film.

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

Film companies attract there audiences in many different ways, whether it is through marketing or having an advert for another film within a film. What I mean by this is having at the end of a film, a clip that is introducing a story line for an up and coming one. An example of this would be Marvels’: The Avengers. At the end of this film you see ‘a problem’ that gives away what the next avenger’s film will be about. Marketing that helps attract audiences includes basic and obvious things like trailers and bus adverts but another includes places and events like comic con. Comic con is a convention all about comic books and things like that and the majority of the people that go are comic fans. So having an advert for a comic based film here would be a great way to attract an audience because you would be relating to the audiences interests. The Avengers itself was advertised and marketed at this event therefore made more money from audiences.

The ways in which the candidates’ own experiences of media consumption illustrate wider patterns and trends of audience behaviour.

Overall my opinion of the film, the avengers is that it has met, to begin with, the rules it needs to in the fact that it has; an a-list star of Robert Downey Jr, spectacular action involved with it, a decent budget that was met and it also isn’t a film based on comedy. On the other hand it does include aspects of humour throughout between the characters. I feel that this was done to make the audience have different opinions and it could also attract different types of audiences too. The film itself does have a slight development happening with it as it is being extended through more avengers’ films.

 

Production Workers

Writer- The writer is the person that writes the screenplays. A screenwriter (proper name for him/her) has the job of writing the scripts for mass media productions like films, TV programmes, comics or sometimes video games.

 

Producer- The producer is the person that is responsible for the managerial and financial aspects of the making of a film or production. He could also be in charge of a play or opera.

Casting director- The casting director is the person in charge or roles and who plays them. This person will audition the actors or actresses for the role and say which part they will play or not. They are basically in charge of cast and their assignment.

 

 

 Director- The director is in charge of everyone and the department/organisation. He manages and oversees business responsibilities and makes sure everyone is doing things correctly. The director also supervises the cast and other staff members involved in the production.

 

Film finance- The films finance is an aspect of the films production. This occurs during the development stage before the pre-production. It is also something that is considered when the potential value of the film is decided.

Camera operator- A camera operator is part of the films crew. The film crew consists of director of photography and one or more camera assistants. In filmmaking and news the camera is often called to film unfolding and unscripted events so the camera operator has a job of being aware about things. An example of film like this is Bad Grandpa.

Editor- The editor is in charge of the process in which involves corrections, organization and many other modifications. He has to make sure that the final produced work is correct, accurate and completed. This is before it is sent to a trail audience. If they don’t like it, it can be sent back to the editor for more modifications.

Production designer- In a film or a television programme the production designer or the P.D is the person who is in charge of the overall look of the film. The production designers have one of the key creative roles in the creation of films and motion pictures and are very important in the production of them.

Marketing- Marketing is the action or the business of promotion. It is a way of making the film or production known to the public so that they are encouraged to go and see it. Market researches are in charge of making sure the ‘film’ gets enough promotion.

Exhibition- A film exhibition is the distribution of which the film is then processed through an audience. This is done by a film distributer.