Media Trends & Independent Media pt. 1

1. Media Trends &
Independent Media
Year 12 Media Production & Analysis ATAR
“Analyse the impact of
media trends on the
production and
consumption of
independent media
work.”
Media industry issues such
as how independent media
producers work within the
dominance of mainstream
media institutions.
Impact of funding on
production and
distribution.

2. “The world has changed how
people consume content… is
cinema the right place for that
piece of content?The world has
moved, and we need to move with
it.”
Graeme
Mason
CEOScreen
Australia

3. MediaTrends
Media trend refers to a trend appearing in different media channels.
Media trends may infer identifying trends based on patterns in
information content, new methods and innovations in spreading
media content, etc.
The definition of a media trend may have implications or
associations with the following:
- Emerging and changing technologies used in the production and
consumption of media work.
- Trends in the narrative, stylistic and storytelling techniques that
may be popular with mainstream or niche audiences at a given
time.
- Forms of media gaining popularity over traditional or older
mediums, eg. Social media as a marketing tool for film media.
Can you think of
any current media
trends in relation to
Film Media?

4. MediaTrends
We can focus on two
main media trends
that are impacting
the current climate
of Australian
Independent film.
2) The dominance of streaming
services as first choice for
consumers for entertainment
media exposure
1) Big budget production
companies using Australian
locations and partnering
companies.

5. $400Million Incentive
forScreenIndustry
Australia’s film industry has thrived over the last decade thanks to a combination of
government tax incentives for overseas productions and the incredible growth of homegrown
talent. Stars like Chris Hemsworth, Cate Blanchett and Margot Robbie have put Australia on
the map and driven interest in the country’s entertainment sector.
Australia’s film andTV output has driven major growth and interest in the sector, it’s actually
a far more unlikely candidate that’s done the most for Aussie film in 2020 and 2021: COVID-19
 While the pandemic put a spanner in the works for most film and television production
around the world, Australia’s management of COVID-19 meant the country’s entertainment
sector was one of the few that thrived.
There were still major difficulties with filming, and a short break during the height of the
pandemic, but the comparatively low number of cases throughout 2020 meant not only were
local productions able to go ahead, more international productions got the green light as
well.
Thousands of jobs are set to flow to carpenters, lighting technicians, local actors, set designers, extras, crews and
special effects experts with a $400 million incentive to attract film and television productions to Australia, both now
and over the next seven years.
Australia’s relative success in managing COVID-19, compared to so many other parts of the world, means we are
now in a unique position to attract a longer term pipeline of major screen productions here in Australia.

6. Generation
Covid & the
Film Industry
You only have to look at the delays of films like The
Batman and The Matrix 4 over 2020-21 to understand how even a
single COVID-19 case can completely throw out the production
schedule of a film.
This makes movie production an ever-changing challenge in
countries where cases continue to grow.Within the relative safety of
Australia, minimal interruptions to filming means productions can
go ahead with more confidence.
 With recent reports of Marvel creating a permanent base in
Sydney over the next five years, it could be said that the pandemic
has inadvertently caused a major industry shift that will reshape
and reinvigorateAustralia’s entertainment industry permanently.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of theTen Rings, which recent wrapped
filming in Sydney in early 2021 with a reported zero cases of covid-
19 throughout production.

7. Network
Television in
2020 &
beyond.
For more local, network-led productions, 2020 was also
a banner year. Every major television network
managed to shoot a new drama in 2020, Screen
Australia.This includes television shows like Five
Bedrooms, New Gold Mountain, RFDS, Amazing Grace,
Wakefield and Aftertaste, all of which will release on
free-to-air television over the next year.
 In the world of streaming, Stan also shared this
success, with the service announcing an expanded
slate of television for 2020, 2021 and beyond. In an
August 2020 press release, the company indicated it
planned to release 30 new productions a year for the
next five years.

8. Is it all as good
as it seems?
The influx of large production companies bringing their
projects to Australian shores is not all good news for the
Australian film industry, in particular for smaller and
independent production companies.
Although this ‘media trend’ ofAustralian based production
has, and can continue to create opportunity for writers and
producers to become funded and greenlit by bigger budget
companies, independent companies are battling with
increased financial burdens of production, such as the rising
cost of services and salaries, as well as availability for crew
members.
Independent production companies such as Steve Jaggi
group find themselves in direct competition with Lucky Chap
Entertainment (Margot Robbie) and Thematic Entertainment
(Chris Hemsworth), which are often backed and partnered
with giants Warner Bros, 20th Century Fix and Sony Pictures.
A consideration of this impact
on independent media
companies is that often they
can be pigeon-holed into
productions and narratives
that are solely based upon
Australian stories, that
resonate with niche or smaller
demographics of audiences.