1. 1. Understand what is meant by the term ‘New Media
Technology’ and how it is different to old media
technology
2. Understand how New Media Technology has
revolutionised the way in which films are produced.
3. Understand how New Media Technology in
production has impacted on audiences.

2. How could you
answer this
question?

3.  The impact of new technology on media
industries
 The transformation of distribution and
marketing strategies by media institutions
 The use of new technology to facilitate more
accurate targeting of specific audiences
 How audiences embrace the use of new
digital media technologies

4.  New media technology is a term meant to
encompass the emergence of digital,
computerized, or networked information and
communication technologies in the later part of
the 20th century.
 Most technologies described as "new media" are
digital. This is simply a quicker, smaller, more
efficient and compressed form of data-storage
when compared with older analogue methods.
Q: What digital/new media technologies can you think
of that are used in the production of films?

5. Before the introduction of digital technology all films were shot
on film cameras like this one. The film would be recorded onto
big reels of 8mm, 16mm or 35mm film.
Once the filming was completed, it
would be edited on a machine like
this one (a moviola). The editor
would literally have to cut and paste
the film together frame by frame.
Special effects were primitive and had to be created by the
props department. They often looked very unrealistic, barely
representing reality.
Producing a film before New Media Technology was far more
time consuming and expensive.
Q: Why?

6. Digital cinematography has only established itself in
the last 10 years. Instead of recording to film the
footage can be recorded onto tape, hard disk or
memory stick – as long as the camera is digital.
The first major Hollywood film to be recorded entirely
digitally was Star Wars Episode II in 2002. Since
then films such as Sin City and Superman Returns
have used this technology.
A number of Film 4 films have also made use of
digital cinematography – including 2002’s 24 Hour
Party People.

7. HD video is an upgraded version of
digital video. It has a higher resolution
(meaning more DPI or dots per inch).
By having a higher DPI the picture
quality is far higher than normal DV
and retains a higher quality picture on
a large screen. However, whilst being
far easier to edit, even the highest
quality HD DV is not as clear as a
35mm or 70mm film.
There has also been a resurgence in
3D film-making over the last ten years.
New digital techniques, using a
combination of very HD DV and high
quality film stock have produced better
3D effects than ever before. There is
now a move towards ‘glasses-free’ 3D
viewing, which using a trick of the
mind creates almost holographic
images.

8.  Portability – Digital cameras are far less bulky and difficult to
transport than a traditional film camera. They are also far more
manoeuvrable when shooting.
 Sound Recording – Film cameras require sound to be recorded
separately (hence the invention of clapper-boards to match sound to
visuals). Digital cameras can record sound internally, halving the
amount of equipment needed to record a film.
 Budget – Traditional 16mm or 35mm film is incredibly expensive – to
buy a decent film camera and the stock (tape) to shoot a film costs at
least $50,000. In contrast digital tape is incredibly cheap, as are
digital cameras and a professional film could be easily shot for under
$10,000 using digital methods. Rick McCallum, a producer on Star
Wars Episode II, states that the production spent $16,000 for 220
hours of digital tape, where a comparable amount of film would have
cost $1.8 million.
 Ease of editing – Digital editing is today used as the industry
standard. Digital video is far easier to capture – especially if stored to
a hard drive – and far easier to manipulate (add special effects and
CGI).

9.  How would the growth of digital cinematography
have helped companies like Film 4?
 How would a Hollywood studio use digital video in a
different way to an independent production
company?
 Some high-profile film-makers, including Stephen
Spielberg, have vowed to never use digital
cinematography, preferring to stick with traditional
analogue formats. Why would some film-makers,
especially those in Hollywood, take this stance?

10. Non-linear or digital editing computer-generates
a virtual editing environment, allowing the editor
to edit the film in any order they choose. This is
unlike traditional linear methods which require
the editor to literally cut and paste film
sequences into a ‘line’.
Programmes like Avid, Final Cut and I-Movie have
revolutionised film editing. Rather than a large, expensive
machine editing now only requires a reasonably high-spec PC
or MAC.
Production companies from the lowest budget independents
to major Hollywood Studios use digital editing programmes
on almost all their productions, which now include a variety of
other features which allow the editor to manipulate the
visuals and audio.

11.  Time – It is far quicker to edit a film using a digital editing
programme, saving companies money on the amount of time they
need to stay in post-production.
 Convenience – Digital editing programmes allow the editor to
assemble sequences, correct mistakes, copy frames and add effects
at the touch of a button.
 Portability – Rather than requiring a large, metal machine, digital
editing can be done on any PC or MAC with a high-spec and a digital
editing programme.
 Cost – Linear film-editing machines were expensive to manufacture
and maintain, with access usually limited to those in the film industry.
An industry standard digital editing suite can be assembled for as
little as £2000 – the cost of a high-spec PC, good quality speakers
and a professional level digital editing programme.

12. • How would the growth of digital editing have
helped companies like Film 4?
• How might editing actually be made more
difficult or complicated by using a computer
programme?
• Even today, many professional editors begin
their careers with some training in traditional,
linear editing. Why would this be?

13. Computer-generated imagery or CGI is the
application of the field of computer graphics or, more
specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects
in films. The effects (characters, locations) are
created on a computer using a virtual wireframe and
then manipulated by the animator.
The first major use of CGI came in 1991’s Terminator II:
Judgement Day. Using CGI the T-1000 was shown to melt
into liquid and morph into a variety of different people and
shapes.
Today, virtually all special effects are created with CGI.
This includes The Lord of The Rings Trilogy, which used
CGI to create it’s epic battle scenes, Middle Earth and
Gollum. James Cameron has taken CGI a step further
by computer animating not only his sets but also his
actors using motion capture suits.

14.  Manipulability – Computer characters can be made to do anything
within the animator’s imagination. Before CGI, special effects were
created by the set or prop departments and had to be manually
operated, limited by the abilities of the operator and laws of physics!
 Cost/Convenience – Extras or even main characters can now be
computer animated, saving money and effort in finding and
managing people to actors in a film. Furthermore, a single animator
can now create far more fantastical visions than a whole props team
could have in the past.
 Increased Verisimilitude – In the past special effects and sets could
easily be identified as fake. With today’s technology it’s near
impossible to distinguish between real and computer-generated
elements of films, allowing film-makers to realise their vision far more
effectively.

15. • If CGI has been so revolutionary, how can you explain
why independent production companies like Film 4
so infrequently use it?
• Can you think of any downsides for production
companies with the increase in CGI?

16.  How will the use of digital technology have impacted on
how audiences experience films?
 How has the proliferation and relatively low cost of digital
production equipment blurred the lines between film
audiences and film producers?
 How might the internet allow film audiences to influence
films whilst they are still production, in a way they would
never have been able to before?
 Can you think of any negative comments film audiences
could make about the digital revolution in film-making?

17.  How has New Media Technology revolutionised the
following elements of film production:
- Cinematography
- Editing
- Special Effects
 What are the drawbacks?
 How has New Media Technology in film production
impacted on film audiences?

18. Criteria Pro Con
Quality Clearer, most professional, increase
verisimilitude
More expensive equipment, more
complicated,
Cost-cutting Saves the producer money as they do
not have to employ people
May not be the most successful way,
could lose money or spend money in the
wrong department
Piracy Enables people to watch the film a lot
easier as they can watch it from their
own home
Film producers lose money as they do
not get any profit from box office takings
Exhibition Allows the audience to watch the work of
producers and establish a name, helps
the company to make a profit through
box office takings
Expensive, detailed process that involves
researching release dates and locations
to persuade the target audience to pay to
watch it so the company can make a
profit
Marketing Advertises the film before it is released to
persuade the audience to watch it,
meaning there is a long awaited release
date and a boom in profit for the box
office
Expensive process that must involve a lot
of research into the target audience to
make the advertisement process as
effective as possible

19. Criteria Pro Con
Access The audience can watch and appreciate
the film and enjoy it
Could be accessed through piracy which
means this is illegal, the company lose
out on profit
Marketing The audience are made aware of the film
so they can decide whether they want to
see it or not, it gives them an idea of the
storyline
May not be directed to the correct
audience, may not look as appealing as
the film actually is
Audience as producers Allows the audience to produce
something they know other people will
enjoy, they have first hand experience as
to what the audience enjoy and don’t
enjoy and effective techniques and
storylines
They do not have a very professional
background and could run into trouble
when trying to find a marketing or
exhibiting company as they are not very
well known
Tip: there is a PRO ad CON for each