The document discusses several key topics related to the film industry, including media ownership, synergy, convergence, new technologies, and their impacts. It notes that major Hollywood studios dominate the international film industry through vast resources that allow widespread release and marketing of titles. New technologies have impacted film production, distribution, and exhibition, including through digital filmmaking, social media marketing, and viewing options like video on demand. Both opportunities and challenges are presented by these new technologies for audiences and media institutions.

1. SECTION B
REVISION
BY EMMA WAITE

2. SECTION B: INSTITUTIONS AND
AUDIENCES
Candidates should be prepared to understand and discuss
the processes of production, distribution, marketing and
exchange as they relate to contemporary media institutions,
as well as the nature of audience consumption and the
relationships between audiences and institutions. In addition,
candidates should be familiar with:

3. THE ISSUES RAISED BY
MEDIA OWNERSHIP IN
CONTEMPORARY MEDIA
PRACTICE;

4. Production companies like Warner Brothers, Paramount and MGM are
multi million pound industries.
This enables them to dominate the international film industry as they
are able to release lots of titles and have vast amounts of money to
market and distribute them.
They are businesses that are interested in making money, hence they
concentrate their efforts in to endless sequels
What does this mean for audiences?
Limited choice in cinemas
Endless sequels
Poor quality films
A dying British industry

5. The number of America films shown at Odeon or VUE is
always far greater than the number of British independent
films beings shown.
Organisations like the UK Film Council have been forced to
act in recent years to challenge this problem.
Write a paragraph about one scheme introduced by the UK
Film Council to help tackle Hollywood. (Fish Tank)
The Kings Speech would not have been possible
without the support of the UK Film Council. Both Film 4 and
the BBC turned it down.

6. THE IMPORTANCE OF CROSS
MEDIA CONVERGENCE AND
SYNERGY IN PRODUCTION,
DISTRIBUTION AND MARKETING;

7. Synergy is the simultaneous (at the same time) release of
different products to boost both.
Synergy can be used most often by bigger companies
(conglomerate institutions)as the different elements work
together to promote linked products across different medias.
Synergy, releasing two or more products at the same time to
promote both and each other.
Releasing at the same time has a larger effect than if just one
product was released alone. They have a mutually beneficial
relationship (symbiotic).
SONY can use synergy much more as it is a conglomerate which
owns various smaller companies

8. Symbiotic: The film Skyfall has a long chain of products
released that benefits all releases.
All the products released to promote Skyfall is owned by
SONY so this is Vertical Integration.

9. Cross Media Convergence: The combining of two or more
mediums. The different mediums could be: TV, Film,
Computer Graphics, radio, websites etc.
Media convergence in the film industry can happen in
production, distribution or the exhibition stage.
An example of this is when the music industry comes
together with the film industry, when Adele released her new
single Skyfall.

10. Key Areas: Piracy, The dominance of Hollywood over the industry and the destruction of the UK Film Council.
Piracy: The illegal distribution of media without the permission of its owner e.g. Downloading, Pirate DVD’s
digital technology makes it easier, cheaper and has improved the quality of the content.
Electronic files can be leaked in advance of a films release.
The internet allows pirate material to be distributed all over the world quickly.
Digital cameras and sound equipment used in cinemas to record pirate copies of a film have improved greatly
in quality.
The technology is far cheaper and easier to use.
Digital technology has allowed films to be released simultaneously across the world. Previously the delay in
films reaching the UK from America meant that piracy was a more popular option.
Digital encryption means that films can be securely distributed.
The rise in digital film production and exhibition has paved the way for 3D cinema.
3D cinema is currently more difficult to “pirate”.
It can not be filmed effectively in cinemas.
The cost of watching good quality 3D material at home currently means mass audiences aren’t yet interested.

11. Convergence (old and new):Magazines (old media) which
have also produced websites (new media)
TV (old media) which have constructed interactive channels
(new media)
Film (old media) which is now is a downloadable content
(new media)

12. THE TECHNOLOGIES THAT HAVE
BEEN INTRODUCED IN RECENT
YEARS AT THE LEVELS OF
PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION,
MARKETING AND EXCHANGE;

13. Film has gone digital. The digitization of film takes place at
multiple levels, but most noticeably: production, distribution
and consumption.
- Production: What cameras are used, how lighting is used,
special effects, storage of content, editing of content, etc.
- Distribution: Advertising film, DVD culture, download
culture. Video on demand, (VOD)
- Consumption: remix, sharing, clipping culture

14. New technologies
Production:
• 3D
• Digitally made
films
• CGI
New technologies
Distribution and
Marketing:
• Social Media
• Electronic
Posters
• Website
• YouTube
• Trailers/ teaser
trailer
New technologies
Exhibition and
Exchange:
• 3D
• Video on
demand
• DVD’s
• Blu-ray
• 3D TV’s
• Record
• iMax
All can be argued as
positive and negative
implications

15. Advantages:
Films made digitally are
cheaper to distribute and
easier to shoot
3D it’s a new experience so
more people will want to try
it, also unless you have a 3D
TV the only way to watch in
3D is to go to the cinema
CGI gives the director and
producer more options when
they film the film
Disadvantages:
Privacy
3D is more expensive to
produce
Digital made films don’t have
the same quality as a rill of
film would have first viewing
however the rill of film will get
damaged after a couple of
viewings and the digital film
will not
CGI cost money
Production

16. Advantages:
Social media gets the
information or trailer out
quickly and it spreads quickly
Posters can be animated
Websites can give more
information about the film to
indicate to the consumers if
its there type of film
YouTube gives away to watch
trailers, teaser trailers and
interviews with the cast
Disadvantages:
Social media allows many
people can comment on the
trailer
The posters have to have
asses to electric
Distribution and
Marketing

17. Advantages:
3D it’s a new experience so
more people will want to try it,
also unless you have a 3D TV
the only way to watch in 3D is
to go to the cinema
VOD allows the busy
consumers the ability to watch
films on there phone, tablet
and computers
DVD’s allows the consumer to
watch the films whenever they
like
Blu-ray gives more options for
ways to watch the film
Disadvantages:
3D is more expensive to
produce
VOD reduces cinema sales
Blu-ray can only be sold to
people with a Blu-ray player
and there more expensive
Exhibition and Exchange

18. Consider the significances of the new technologies on:
How is it produced?
How is it marketed?
How are audiences targeted?
How is it distributed?
How accessible is it to audience?
What is the impact on regulation?
How do audiences interact with the media?

19. Consumers get
• an improved qualitative experience, better sound image reproduction,
• heightened emotional response
• enhance experience with surround sound sub woofers and very large screens
• ease of access though the varies formats and ease of ownership through variou
• chance to own ever more compact devices to make films on.
• access to directors and creators thought the extras available on DVD and Blu-ray.
Institution
• possibility to create improved profits
• a way to protect current way to protect market
• a way to repackage old products and resell them on the new formats, establishing a
new audience base for them and prolong commercial life of them, to encourage multiple
purchases of the same product, cinema, VOD, Blu-ray
•an opportunity to place products in different windows
• the opportunity to produce films more effectively and even cheaper.
• as a means to rescue a film that failed at the box office, e.g. to re-launch it on DVD