This document discusses key areas related to film production, distribution, and consumption. It focuses on issues of media ownership and how conglomerates have advantages over independent studios through their ability to leverage convergence and synergy across multiple business divisions. Technological developments are changing the industry, benefiting independents in some ways through cheaper digital production and distribution but also providing challenges in terms of piracy. The proliferation of platforms and devices expands opportunities for studios to reach audiences but also increases costs for consumers to stay engaged.

1. Section B
The questions

2. Our case studies
• Warp Film
• Frozen (Disney)
• The Fifth estate
• 12 Years a Slave

3. What the spec says to focus
on…
• Film
• A study of a specific studio or production company within a
contemporary film industry that targets a British audience (eg
Hollywood, Bollywood, UK film), including its patterns of
production, distribution, exhibition and consumption by
audiences. This should be accompanied by study of
contemporary film distribution practices (digital cinemas, DVD,
HD-DVD, downloads, etc) and their impact upon production,
marketing and consumption.

4. Key areas
• • the issues raised by media ownership in contemporary media
practice;
• • the importance of cross media convergence and synergy in
production, distribution and marketing;
• • the technologies that have been introduced in recent years at the
levels of production, distribution, marketing and exchange;
• • the significance of proliferation in hardware and content for
institutions and audiences;
• • the importance of technological convergence for institutions and
audiences;
• • the issues raised in the targeting of national and local audiences
(specifically, British) by international or global institutions;
• • the ways in which the candidates’ own experiences of media
consumption illustrate wider patterns and trends of audience
behaviour.

5. The issues raised by media ownership in
contemporary media practice
• Key terms:
• OWNERSHIP-
• Lack of diversity in films
• Industry able to cross promote and cross sell - convergence
and synergy - if a film has a poor cinema release able to still
get the profits back from other windows. Helped Working Title
Films
• Can dictate prices - increase no one could complain
• Independent film companies going out of business as they
cant afford to compete with the domination of the major
conglomerates

6. • Working Title are part of a conglomerate - Vivendi Universal
(arm of General Electric) - what benefits do they have?
• Working Title did used to be an independent film company -
they can now afford to produce and distribute films with a
large amount of money
• In 2008 British cinema made 1.65 billion worldwide up 50%
from 2007 shows P and D is getting better
• Prefer to make their films on 35mm - why?
• Spend lots of money on above the line costs
• They have solid funding behind them
• Unlike a British independent

7. Warp films
• Warp films
• Warp pictures
• Check out the website
• Get financial aid from East Midlands media and the National Lottery
fund
• Their main genre is social realism and masculinity
• An example is Four Lions (2010)
• Why social realist?
• No need for stars
• No need for set design
• Cheap to make
• What Britain is know for
• Limited audiences - normally high certificates - 18 (Meadows wanted a
15 certificate)
• They use digital video - remember Phantom, Attack of the Clones cost
$15,000 on DV
• Highlights how important Digital is to independents!

8. Distribution
• Extremely important for British cinema
• Now digital can go through fibre optic cables, portable hard
drive, satellite
• Four Lions (2010) is not really cinematic and makes its money
from ancillary sales. Cinema sales not as important. 3.7 million
profit, Optimum releasing

9. Plan what you would write
about with our case studies.
• Explain your institution – Warner Bros, Working title and Warp
Films.
• Explain what the main issues are with media ownership (The
way they are owned)
• Is it morally right?
• Lack of diversity in films?

10. Theimportanceofcrossmediaconvergenceand
synergy,inproduction,distributionandmarketing
• Key terms: Convergence and Synergy
• Media convergence - where a business (conglomerate) owns many
companies across a range of medias e.g. Viacom and General
Electric.
• Synergy - multiplied business energy of using many parts of a
conglomerate
• Large conglomerates able to do convergence and synergy through
using the other ‘arms’ of their multinational business.
• Media convergence - able to cross promote films, sell through
different windows, promote other products in film etc.
• Synergy – energy created through using the different arms of the
business.
• More profits for industry through selling their films through different
media - games, etc

11. Why is synergy important for
independents?
• Independents not able to create as much synergy because
• Struggle to find funds – Warp Films
• Get financial aid from East Midlands media and the National
Lottery fund
• Limited audiences
• Remember for both it is all to do with the way the studios are
owned – issues of media ownership

12. Large budget so can engage with any technology
Can embrace digital technology (consider star wars example) however would
prefer to stay on 35mm so they can dominate the market
Can embrace digital/3D and HD – consider Avatar and the cost of that to make
HD technology - Viral marketing campaign: Email spread the word quickly, Link to
website to buy the films, Download content, Music used to help promote – target
youth – music on website
Can do technological convergence – Consider Batman: The Dark Knight -
Conglomerate example, Warner Bros, Used technological convergence, $185
million budget, viral marketing, ‘why so serious’ website - fun activities, hidden
message board, downloadable content, screensavers, mobile phone wallpaper,
Well known franchise and comic book series – already had an established
audience and could gamble with more marketing money, Two rollercoasters - $7.5
million half of Slumdog Millionnaire distributors budget, Formula 1 car – Jarno
Trulli, Batmobile drove around Silverstone, Huge amount of money spent on the
technology in the film such as the batpod and costume – highlighted a more
serious Batman – used this in their marketing campaign to attract audiences,
Grossed over $1000 million, Created synergy
Embrace all above the line costs – Internet
Make more money from Blu-ray as people buy the same version again
Ipods

13. Video games console mean that they can make money from merchandise
More people buying Home cinema systems/LCD TVs – buying these from the
conglomerates
Mobile Phones and Internet working together – Batman
IMAX
Consider proliferation and how conglomerates can engage with it all
Technological and media convergence, Big marketing campaign, Stars, For
Universal Working title provide British films for them, 60s music – own
recording studios - Odeon part owned by Universal

14. • Remember piracy effects them
• Used technological convergence (where one technology does
more than one thing or where technologies work together)
• Mobile phone working with Internet
• Audience can make their own tribute films placed on the
Internet and help promote the film

15. Theimportanceoftechnologicalconvergencefor
institutionsandaudiences;
• Conglomerate
•
• Can afford to embrace all new technology
• Large budget
• Consider proliferation and how they can keep up!
• Batman an examples of technological convergence
• James Bond - The Quantum of Solace - convergence with other areas
of Sony through promoting HD televisions, coke zero and omega
watches (wider convergence), Sony phones, laptops.
• No real issues in targeting their audience – lots of money create viral
marketing campaigns like Warner Bros did for The Dark Knight (2 x
rollercoaster’s cost 17 million, promoted on the side of Jarno Trulli’s
Car at Silverstone and bat mobile being at Silverstone F1) Managed
to also create a viral marketing campaign through the
www.whysoserious.com – consider all that you could do on the
website!

16. • Independent
• Lack of money/funding so have trouble embracing with lots of
technology
• However the introduction of the Internet has really helped them
• Internet – below the line as a cheap form of advertising
• Consider case study examples
• Digital technology and the digital screens network – cheaper
technology remember Phantom Menace cost 5.2 million on 35 mm
and Attack of the Clones cost $15,000 on DV – this new technology
has helped them!
• Struggle to find funds
• Get financial aid from East Midlands media and the National Lottery
fund
• Audiences can do technological convergence as they can make their
film and place it on youtube and even produce their won wallpapers
etc.

17. Thesignificanceofproliferationofhardwareandcontent
foraudienceandindustry
• Conglomerate
•
• Working title did used to be an independent film company - they can now
afford to produce and distribute films with a large amount of money
• Prefer to make their films on 35mm – why?
• Spend lots of money on above the line costs
• They have solid funding behind them
• Can embrace all new technologies with the money behind them
• Can do technological convergence and media convergence
• Brainwash audience
• No real issues in targeting their audience – lots of money create viral
marketing campaigns like Warner Bros did for The Dark Knight (2 x
rollercoaster’s cost 17 million, promoted on the side of Jarno Trulli’s Car at
Silverstone and bat mobile being at Silverstone F1) Managed to also create a
viral marketing campaign through the www.whysoserious.com – consider all
that you could do on the website!
• Account for piracy – they can take into account this

18. • Independent
•
• Lack of money/funding so have trouble embracing with lots of
technology
• However the introduction of the Internet has really helped them
• Internet – below the line as a cheap form of advertising
• Digital technology and the digital screens network – cheaper
• Mobile phones – cheap technology and audiences can now access
the Internet from them so may help advertising campaigns and viral
campaigns get started. Snakes on a Plane exploited this!
• Niche (specialist/narrow audience) films can have a good yield of
they are distributed correctly with the right number of prints
• Piracy takes a huge dent out of their profits – new technology causes
this to happen

19. Rememberyou doneedtoconsidertheimpactonus
ifitmentionsaudience:
• We need to keep up! And so Costs us money! LCD TV’s,
cinema systems
• So much choice to watch films however if independents can’t
keep up – they may be a lack of choice of films for us
• However we can now compete with cameras and digital
technology coming in we can also make our own films
consider Paranormal Activity (2009)