Media ownership has a significant impact on the range of products available to audiences. Large conglomerates that own mainstream film studios can invest heavily in spectacle and crowd-pleasing blockbusters, though Skyfall showed an ability to reinvent the classic Bond formula with more practical stunts over CGI. Independent films have less funding but attempt to appeal to niche audiences through lower budgets and innovative stories. New industries like pop-up cinemas and streaming services are expanding options for audiences and distribution models for smaller films.

1. SAMPLE SECTION B ESSAYPLAN
Question: What impactdoesmediaownershiphave uponthe range of productsavailable toaudiencesin
the mediaareayou have studied?
Introduction: Brieflygive an answer or point of view to the questionandintroduce the case studies you will discuss.
Mediaownership withinthe filmindustryhaschangeddramaticallyoverthe years. Ownershipwill
allowdifferenttypesof institutionstooperate differentlyandofferdifferentproductstodifferent
audiencesandthis essaywill discussthe impactof ownershipinthe mainstreamandindependent
institutionsbutalso,athirdarea called‘changingindustries’.
Possible points Issues/debates
Keywordin question:
IMPACT
Mainstream
(Skyfall)
 Many mainstreamfilmed owned by large,vertically integrated
conglomerates who have loads of money (becausethey have
money coming in from various projects)
 They can invest in production = crowd pleasers with ‘spectacle’
(access to range of high tech technologies) but Skyfall did not
have a lot of CGI because Sam Mendes wanted to reinvent the
‘classic bond’with more focus on the ‘high wire’ act which was
Daniel Craigperforminga lot of the stunts such as ridingon top
of train and so on
 Production company (EON productions) havecontractto
produce all the Bond films = they are specialists (horizontally
integrated)
 Skyfall =2 distribution companies so a littlediff than most
Hollywood films (which areusually owned by 1 of the 5)
 Money to investin huge marketing (about half of budget in big
mainstreamfilms) such as……..
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Money = power and
control (gives them
advantage?)
Appeal to wide,
mainstreamaudiences
Shows audiences arenot
all aboutthe CGI/special
F/X BUT itdid have high
production costs
(trains/carscrashingetc)
huge costat £150-200
million budget
Independent
(My Brother the Devil)
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2. Changing
Industries
(Pop up cinema (Luna
cinema/ Film 4 /Secret
cinema,
Amazon Fire TV stick
Independent
Hollywood: Juno/
Hunger games,
Mum&Dad
Tangerine )
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