Digital technology has significantly impacted the film industry. New technologies like digital cameras and computers have made film production cheaper and easier, while also allowing for improved special effects. However, digital films are sometimes disliked by audiences and illegal downloading cuts into industry profits. The document discusses these pros and cons of digital technology, and provides examples of how specific films like The Fault in Our Stars and The Riot Club utilized different digital techniques and distribution methods.

1. DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY
AND THE FILM
INDUSTRY
Ciara Kataria

2. HOW DOES DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY AFFECT THE
FILM INDUSTRY?

3. NEW TECHNOLOGIES
There are many new technologies now that affect the film industry
and also the consumers. Here are some examples:
 Digital cameras – many film makers now use these to shoot
movies as they believe it is cheaper and better.
 Better CGI – has vastly improved the quality of special effects so
it’s more realistic and enjoyable.
 Computers – they now edit movies on computers when they used
to have to cut the actual film, but now they can add lots of different
effects.
 Internet – many people can now illegally download movies on the
internet which is bad for the industry as they don’t get any money.
 Social media – the film industry can create a lot of hype about their
movies and promote it using social media so more people might
see it.
 Online pay movies – you can pay monthly to see movies on sites
like Netflix and Amazon Prime which makes it easier for the
viewers as they can watch it from their own home.

4. PROS
Here are the positive impacts that digital technology has had on the
film industry:
 CGI has really improved the quality of special effects, which means
that exciting, climatic scenes in action films are more realistic
looking.
 There are larger screens to bring out the amazing special effects
and the loud surround sound to add to the experience.
 Marketing has become less challenging due to trailers easily being
broadcasted across the world due to such a high level of internet
access, social networking, etc.
 Digital and 3D cinema screens have also made marketing easier, as
teenagers and families can quite easily be drawn in by a 3D spin on
a great feel-good family film.
 The use of DV cameras has benefitted the film industry, as now the
audience can create their own productions, and extend the brand of
the film, where users can upload their own ‘films’ to the internet, on
websites such as YouTube, due to the increased number of
broadband connections in homes, and they are promoting the films
in doing so.

5. CONS
Here are the negative impacts that digital technology has
had on the film industry:
 Since TV was invented in the 1950’s, there has been
less interest in the cinema since technology has led to
there being easier and cheaper ways to watch films.
 The decreased size of the cameras due to
technological advancements mean that cameras can
be concealed when entering a cinema so people can
record a film and make it illegally available to others.
 Many people don’t like the look of movies made with
digital cameras so this made lead to them not going to
see those movies and the industry gets less money.

6. THE FAULT IN OUR STARS – 20TH CENTURY
FOX
 TFiOS was shot digitally by cinematoghrapher Ben Richardson.
 It was shot using a Arri Alexa XT camera with a Zeiss Master Prime lens.
 The sound mix was Dolby Digital.
 In the movie, there are a lot of scenes where the main characters text eachother so to
show this on screen so they edited some text on and the director Josh Boone says
‘So we looked at House of Cards and Sherlock, and said, 'We should do something
like this, but make it more like a Twitter-Tumblr aesthetic. Each frame of each text
message was hand-drawn and written on vellum, scanned, then animated and
tracked, and digitally composited onto the footage. ’
 There are almost 350 VFX shots in the movie.
 One of the characters has a prosthetic leg so they used the actor's performance on
set as the basis for how his prosthetic leg should be moving, and used another young
man who actually lost his leg as a double and for lighting reference to get this effect.
 The Fault in Our Stars was released on DVD and on Blu-ray.
 This movie is also available on Netflix and other online pay monthly movie sites like
that.
 The Fault in Our Stars used lots social media to do marketing which helped to get lots
of young people interested in the movie and that was their target audience.

7. THE RIOT CLUB – BLUEPRINT PICTURES
 It is unknown what camera The Riot Club was shot with.
 The printed film format for The Riot Club was Digital
(Digital Cinema Package DCP).
 The sound mix was Dolby Digital.
 There were no special effects used in The Riot Club.
 It will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on the 19th of
January.
 The Riot Club didn’t use much new technology to
advertise this film apart from trailer on TV.