Throughout this essay, I will discuss ways in which British films are produced and distributed towards a specific target audience and consider how successful British films are at targeting these audiences. After an all time low of just 54 million cinema admissions in 1984, an institution’s need to capture audiences is growing. With the recent success of ‘Avatar’, by 20th Century Fox, grossing £1,800,000,000, institutions have recently focussed their attention into similar production methods, using technological convergence and synergies as an advantage. I will be focussing on Working Title, a part conglomerate British film producer partnered with Universal Studios, and Vertigo Films, an independent British film producer that has had recent success and is currently funded by its own revenue.
Working Title produced The Boat that Rocked, a period comedy film, with a mid-range budget of £32 million, assisted in funding by Universal Studios. The film targeted mainly older audiences of 40-60 years old, in particular males, who would enjoy the 1960s period plot, where they would remember it from their childhood, but also targeted younger audiences of 15-18 who may enjoy the comedy genre of the film (the film had an age rating of 15). The particular male target audience is evident as the film contains many masculine themes, including sexual references, drugs and rock music, and the film cast a majority of male actors, such as Bill Nighly, a frequent actor for Working Title films, and Philip Seymour Hoffman, an actor that often stars in action films that may appeal to males. Many of Working Title’s films target American audiences, as a large amount of revenue is often generated abroad. Many American audiences enjoy a positive representation of Britain and therefore, many of these aspects are evident throughout The Boat that Rocked. A stereotypical representation of the government being ‘evil’ and upper classed is used in the film, where each member of the government wears dark, smart clothing and glasses, contrasting with the bright, colourful clothing that the DJs wear, linking to the comedy genre. Also, Philip Seymour Hoffman may have been used as a main character as he is American, and his unique representation may appeal to many people in the target audience, in particular, other American audiences. In targeting a more niche audience with The Boat that Rocked, many production methods were used in filming and editing that would appeal to these audiences. Two digital cameras were used during filming in tight spaces on the boat to ensure that a particular chaotic effect was created, which may appeal to this target audience and may make the film more interesting. In addition, few special effects were used, as they would have significantly increased the budget, and instead, filming took place on an actual ship in the North Sea, creating some filming difficulties, especially with cinematography, but creating a realistic effect that should be more appealing to most audiences. Furthermore, many scenes were filmed with actors improvising on set, so that the script was not particularly important, again creating a more realistic and entertaining experience that may appeal to the target audience. During editing, synergies were used, particularly with the soundtrack, in order to make the film more interesting and entertaining. Due to the 1960s period that the film was based around, and due to the significance of rock music at this time, many soundtracks, such as ‘The Beach Boys’ were used during many scenes, appealing to the target audience who may remember the music of the time and find enjoyable, and linking to the comedy genre of the film that younger audiences may find attractive.
Similarly, Vertigo films often targets specific audiences of films. With the relatively low budgets that Vertigo began with from being an independent institution, the majority of their films are very niche, targeting these specific target audiences as funding would not allow them to expand. The majority of films tended to be focused on crime, mystery or horror genre films, such as The Football Factory, with a budget of only £500,000, which could be produced on the low budget without requiring many visual effects, but could still produce an entertaining media product: The Football Factory grossed £300,000 (over half of the budget) on its opening weekend, without large scale blanket distribution. Contrasting with this pattern, Vertigo recently began production of Streetdance 3D, moving towards a slightly more ‘mass market’, but still requiring to target specific audiences. An increased budget is evident from the production methods used for the film, allowing Vertigo to target a younger audience of 12 to 16 year olds, particularly females who may enjoy a Dance genre of film. Some filming and editing techniques have been used that consider the young target audience. Streetdance 3D was filmed in 3D IMAX, where the maximum possible quality is available ensure that the film is more exciting. Being filmed in 3D also creates a unique selling point for the film, which younger age groups will enjoy due to its interactivity. Cast members were also chosen in accordance with the young target audience, using young dance groups such as ‘Diversity’, made famous by British television-it is also evident here that Vertigo aims more towards a British audience than Working Title, using famous British actors that may appeal more to a young British audience than an American one.
Distribution and marketing are also both important factors that determine the success of a film. Due to Working Title’s relatively large marketing and distribution budget, due to its partnership with Universal Studios, distribution of The Boat that Rocked was on a large scale. Due to this budget, it was able to distribute films to America, where a large percentage of the target audience would consume the film. It was first distributed to multiplex cinemas with film reels, rather than through digital distribution as the majority of cinemas are currently non-digital (it can cost up to £3000 to upgrade a single cinema screen). The film’s box office revenue was only £23 million, however it may be argued that the film was more successful on DVD, where it rose to a 4 out 5 ranking on Amazon. Within this target audience, many older audiences are likely to own a blu-ray player. With the high distribution budget from Universal Studios, the film was also distributed onto blu-ray disc, which may be more appealing for this older audience who may also own a large HD TV, and may be more likely to purchase the product. The film was also digitally distributed onto iTunes for £10.99. With easy access to the internet for this target audience, it is important to make the film available to download, as piracy issues can conflict with revenues, and the audience is more likely to purchase the film and watch it in higher quality than download it illegally, as long as it is available to them to purchase. Particular marketing techniques were also used to target a specific audience. As an older audience is more likely to have more money available to them than younger audiences, many of these people will own a modern phone, such as an iPhone. An app for the iPhone was designed to stimulate audience interest in the film, which contained a synopsis and various trailers as well as a ‘Top Trumps’ style card game, available as a free download to users-this had a rating of 3 out of 5 on user comments, and would have therefore been relatively successful. The film was also marketed using Spotify music playlists and trailers, which may have aimed towards a younger audience due to the availability of free music and the large usage of Spotify among teenagers who the film may appeal to.
The marketing of Streetdance 3D was similarly important to target its younger audience. Both the teaser trailer and the theatrical trailer are very focused on the 3D element of the film, and are both 3D and viewable online, through video hosting sites such as YouTube, where a large percentage of the target audience will spend a lot of their time and may already own 3D glasses from watching a previous 3D film. Technological convergence on the internet, especially with social networking sites like Facebook, has allowed Vertigo to spread awareness of the film and their trailers through free, viral marketing. These websites can be commented on by other members of the target audience, influencing others to go and see the film, and blogs and fan-sites also raise awareness of the film and create audience anticipation. A highly interactive official website has also been designed to stimulate audience interest, for which younger audiences will find more exciting than a simpler website. The release date of the film has been set at May 2010, around the time of the school half term holidays, when teenagers that the film may appeal to will be available to see the film.
Targeting specific audiences is a very important element determining the success of a film. Production, distribution and marketing varies depending on the target audience and the genre of the film, and with the steady decrease in cinema admissions in the UK, down to 164 million in 2009, from 175 million in 2003, making films appeal to specific audiences is increasingly important as different demographics have different preferences.
Saturday 17 April 2010
Discuss the ways in which media products are produced and distributed to audiences within the film industry
From a historic high post-war of 1.64 billion cinema viewings in 1946, UK cinema admissions gradually declined to an all-time low of just 54 million in 1984. Since this time, the convergence of new technologies and the growing theatrical experience adopted from America, in cinemas has recovered admissions to above 150 million. Production and distribution methods are continually improving, enticing institutions to use these new technologies to their advantage and increase revenues of their films. Disney studios have continuously adopted new technologies allowing them to produce and distribute the highest grossing film in history, ‘Avatar’ (produced and distributed in digital 3D) grossing £1,800,000,000.
Working Title is a part conglomerate British film production company, that focuses on many social aspects of Britain, often aiming towards genres like romantic-comedies-one example of this is ‘Love Actually’. The company’s mid-range budgets, assisted in funding by its conglomerate partner, Universal Studios, allows the institution to target a large variety of audiences, including American audiences of many ages through the use of Universal studios as a distributor. For this reason, the company’s films tend to create a positive representation of Britain, as this is preferable to an American audience, for which there may be a larger audience. The company’s mid-range budget is reflected in the production of its films. The Boat that Rocked a period comedy genre film, with a budget of £32 million, was filmed using two handheld digital cameras to allow filming in smaller areas on the ‘Boat’, due to the portability of digital cameras. The use of digital cameras also decreases production costs, due to the high price of 35mm cameras and production of films reels (up to £2000 per reel), also allowing the editing process to be faster, due to easier transport and capture of digital data onto computers (it took only a week from filming to editing with The Boat that Rocked), allowing a faster film release. In comparison to Hollywood films, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace cost around £5 million to film using 35mm cameras for 220 hours of film, however Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, cost only £15,000 to film in digital format, due to the lower production costs, assisting with increasing profits. However, digital cameras are known to marginally decrease picture quality, which may make some audiences, particularly those interested in the film industry, feel that the film is less of an experience, which may account for the film’s low gross revenue of only £23 million. With this mid-range budget, few special effects have been used as they could have been extremely expensive and may not have fitted into the budget. Synergies are also evident in this film, in which institutions have worked together to increase the success of the film, for example, the use of 1960s style music that older audiences of the film may appeal to, such as ‘The Beach Boys’. In addition, with decreased production costs from filming, the Boat That Rocked could afford to feature synergies with its ensemble cast, with a majority of famous actors such as Bill Nighly (who is a frequent cast member with Working Title films-e.g: Love Actually) and Phillip Seymour Hoffman (who may appeal to the American audience), who may each account for a large percentage of the film budget but will be beneficial time-wise for filming.
Conversely, Vertigo films is an independent production company which relies mainly on its own revenue to fund its films. This smaller budget is reflected in its production methods, where films are usually focused on horror or action film genres with an age rating of either 15 or 18, targeting more niche audiences. One of the company’s first films, The Football Factory, had a budget of only £500,000 and cast Danny Dyer, an actor with a particular masculine representation that relates to the film’s genre (the film However, Vertigo films is currently producing Streetdance 3D. This film aims towards a less niche audience, aiming towards a younger audience, as a certificate 12, where particular production methods that aim towards this age are evident. The increased budget from revenue of its previous films (The Football Factory grossed £300,000 in its opening weekend, allowing for the reinvestment of profits) has allowed Vertigo to film Streetdance using 3D cameras. Since ‘Avatar’, produced in digital 3D by 20th Century Fox, the popularity of 3D films amongst all audiences is evident, and many production companies have begun investing in 3D technologies. The film was also shot using IMAX cameras, which produce the highest available quality images, which will appeal to many film fans, and make watching the film a better experience. Also, Vertigo cast popular dance groups, such as ‘Diversity’ to star in the film, made famous by British television program ‘Britain’s Got Talent’, which will also act as a unique selling point for the film, and appeal to younger audiences.
The distribution of British films in cinemas across the UK can be an important determining factor in the success of a film. With many technological convergences, the film industry has extended into other medias and allowed for easier distribution, marketing and consumption but has also brought about some disadvantages to the film industry. With the availability of fast speed broadband internet connections, satellite connections and discs that store large amounts of data, digital distribution is possible, making a blanket release possible, with fewer transport and film reel production costs, decreasing the affects of piracy. In addition, film quality from repeating showings is maintained as the digital copy should not be damaged. Use of digital distribution to cinemas, however, can increase piracy as the internet may not be as secure as a physical copy, where a ‘virus’ may lead to the entire film being ‘leaked’ onto the internet, resulting in a large decrease of revenue for the production company.
Due to Working Title’s conglomerate partnership with Universal Pictures, The Boat That Rocked could be distributed in a large number of countries, including America, and the company could afford to produce a large number of film reels, due to its comparatively large budget. It most likely avoided digital distribution due to the small number of cinemas that are currently equipped to show films in digital (as it can cost up to £50,000 to upgrade a single cinema). The film was then distributed onto DVD and blu-ray across a large number of countries, where it could distribute on the more costly blu-ray discs due to its large distribution budget from Universal (where the older target audience is likely to own a more expensive blu-ray player as they would be able to afford it). Due to the large usage of the internet, the film could also be distributed on iTunes, where it is instantly available to users at £10.99, of whom a large percentage may be part of the target audience (because both older and younger audiences often have access to it), combating piracy. This also decreases distribution costs, because discs do not need to be manufactured and transported enabling the company to gain more profit from the film. It may be argued that this film had a better reception on disc release, where it gained 4/5 on Amazon, than at cinemas, where it grossed only £23 million. Due to the film’s relatively large marketing budget, it has promoted the film in various ways. Various character posters were produced, promoting its unique selling point of Hollywood actors and also produced theatrical posters, in which image editing is evident. The film was also marketed with teaser trailers and theatrical trailers, again making use of the soundtrack synergies available to the film, in which ‘Dancing in the Street’ is played over the theatrical trailer. iTunes was again used to market the film, where the technological convergence into ‘iPhones apps’ allowed the film to be marketing using these apps, in which a user (who is likely to be of the target audience, as they will be able to afford an iPhone) could download it and read the synopsis and view the trailer for free, stimulating audience interest. Furthermore, ‘Spotify’ was also used to market the film, whereby users could listen to music playlists from the film for free and view trailers from within the software. In addition, an interactive, official website was designed, again allowing the target audience to gain more information about the film. With film review sites and blogs, interest was also stimulated between members of the audience, on websites like ‘IMDB’, that allowed users to comment on the film and rate it.
Marketing and distribution for Vertigo’s Streetdance 3D is equally important, where it may be argued that the promotion of the film being the ‘World’s first 3D dance film’ is marketed more than the plot itself. Being released to cinemas in May 2010, the film is similarly being distributed on film reels rather than digitally. The film was marketed with both a teaser trailer and a theatrical trailer, which was in 3D, making it more aesthetically pleasing for the target audience and stimulating more interest around the film. Both of these trailers were made available online, relating to the younger target audience who may already own 3D glasses from going to see a 3D film previously. The highly interactive official website that was designed also relates to the younger target audience and the use of Facebook apps stimulate free, viral marketing for the film around the community of younger Facebook users with friends. A theatrical poster was also designed to market the film, where the use of image editing software is evident, making it appear aesthetically pleasing, which would appeal especially to the young audience.
It is evident that production and distribution affect the success of a film hugely, where it may be argued that The Boat that Rocked failed due to a bad marketing campaign or that Streetdance 3D may be a large success simply because of particular production issues, such as filming in IMAX 3D, enticing many to see the film, regardless of its plot. With such important on-going technological convergence, production companies and distributors both have to adapt around the film market, to conflict with the decreasing usage of cinemas, for example, production companies may begin using the new Apple iPad as a marketing and distribution tool, whereby users can purchase and watch films from the portable device. With an increase in profits to £1.7 billion in 2009, the increasing consumption of British films is evident, being helped by better production and distribution among institutions.
Working Title is a part conglomerate British film production company, that focuses on many social aspects of Britain, often aiming towards genres like romantic-comedies-one example of this is ‘Love Actually’. The company’s mid-range budgets, assisted in funding by its conglomerate partner, Universal Studios, allows the institution to target a large variety of audiences, including American audiences of many ages through the use of Universal studios as a distributor. For this reason, the company’s films tend to create a positive representation of Britain, as this is preferable to an American audience, for which there may be a larger audience. The company’s mid-range budget is reflected in the production of its films. The Boat that Rocked a period comedy genre film, with a budget of £32 million, was filmed using two handheld digital cameras to allow filming in smaller areas on the ‘Boat’, due to the portability of digital cameras. The use of digital cameras also decreases production costs, due to the high price of 35mm cameras and production of films reels (up to £2000 per reel), also allowing the editing process to be faster, due to easier transport and capture of digital data onto computers (it took only a week from filming to editing with The Boat that Rocked), allowing a faster film release. In comparison to Hollywood films, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace cost around £5 million to film using 35mm cameras for 220 hours of film, however Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, cost only £15,000 to film in digital format, due to the lower production costs, assisting with increasing profits. However, digital cameras are known to marginally decrease picture quality, which may make some audiences, particularly those interested in the film industry, feel that the film is less of an experience, which may account for the film’s low gross revenue of only £23 million. With this mid-range budget, few special effects have been used as they could have been extremely expensive and may not have fitted into the budget. Synergies are also evident in this film, in which institutions have worked together to increase the success of the film, for example, the use of 1960s style music that older audiences of the film may appeal to, such as ‘The Beach Boys’. In addition, with decreased production costs from filming, the Boat That Rocked could afford to feature synergies with its ensemble cast, with a majority of famous actors such as Bill Nighly (who is a frequent cast member with Working Title films-e.g: Love Actually) and Phillip Seymour Hoffman (who may appeal to the American audience), who may each account for a large percentage of the film budget but will be beneficial time-wise for filming.
Conversely, Vertigo films is an independent production company which relies mainly on its own revenue to fund its films. This smaller budget is reflected in its production methods, where films are usually focused on horror or action film genres with an age rating of either 15 or 18, targeting more niche audiences. One of the company’s first films, The Football Factory, had a budget of only £500,000 and cast Danny Dyer, an actor with a particular masculine representation that relates to the film’s genre (the film However, Vertigo films is currently producing Streetdance 3D. This film aims towards a less niche audience, aiming towards a younger audience, as a certificate 12, where particular production methods that aim towards this age are evident. The increased budget from revenue of its previous films (The Football Factory grossed £300,000 in its opening weekend, allowing for the reinvestment of profits) has allowed Vertigo to film Streetdance using 3D cameras. Since ‘Avatar’, produced in digital 3D by 20th Century Fox, the popularity of 3D films amongst all audiences is evident, and many production companies have begun investing in 3D technologies. The film was also shot using IMAX cameras, which produce the highest available quality images, which will appeal to many film fans, and make watching the film a better experience. Also, Vertigo cast popular dance groups, such as ‘Diversity’ to star in the film, made famous by British television program ‘Britain’s Got Talent’, which will also act as a unique selling point for the film, and appeal to younger audiences.
The distribution of British films in cinemas across the UK can be an important determining factor in the success of a film. With many technological convergences, the film industry has extended into other medias and allowed for easier distribution, marketing and consumption but has also brought about some disadvantages to the film industry. With the availability of fast speed broadband internet connections, satellite connections and discs that store large amounts of data, digital distribution is possible, making a blanket release possible, with fewer transport and film reel production costs, decreasing the affects of piracy. In addition, film quality from repeating showings is maintained as the digital copy should not be damaged. Use of digital distribution to cinemas, however, can increase piracy as the internet may not be as secure as a physical copy, where a ‘virus’ may lead to the entire film being ‘leaked’ onto the internet, resulting in a large decrease of revenue for the production company.
Due to Working Title’s conglomerate partnership with Universal Pictures, The Boat That Rocked could be distributed in a large number of countries, including America, and the company could afford to produce a large number of film reels, due to its comparatively large budget. It most likely avoided digital distribution due to the small number of cinemas that are currently equipped to show films in digital (as it can cost up to £50,000 to upgrade a single cinema). The film was then distributed onto DVD and blu-ray across a large number of countries, where it could distribute on the more costly blu-ray discs due to its large distribution budget from Universal (where the older target audience is likely to own a more expensive blu-ray player as they would be able to afford it). Due to the large usage of the internet, the film could also be distributed on iTunes, where it is instantly available to users at £10.99, of whom a large percentage may be part of the target audience (because both older and younger audiences often have access to it), combating piracy. This also decreases distribution costs, because discs do not need to be manufactured and transported enabling the company to gain more profit from the film. It may be argued that this film had a better reception on disc release, where it gained 4/5 on Amazon, than at cinemas, where it grossed only £23 million. Due to the film’s relatively large marketing budget, it has promoted the film in various ways. Various character posters were produced, promoting its unique selling point of Hollywood actors and also produced theatrical posters, in which image editing is evident. The film was also marketed with teaser trailers and theatrical trailers, again making use of the soundtrack synergies available to the film, in which ‘Dancing in the Street’ is played over the theatrical trailer. iTunes was again used to market the film, where the technological convergence into ‘iPhones apps’ allowed the film to be marketing using these apps, in which a user (who is likely to be of the target audience, as they will be able to afford an iPhone) could download it and read the synopsis and view the trailer for free, stimulating audience interest. Furthermore, ‘Spotify’ was also used to market the film, whereby users could listen to music playlists from the film for free and view trailers from within the software. In addition, an interactive, official website was designed, again allowing the target audience to gain more information about the film. With film review sites and blogs, interest was also stimulated between members of the audience, on websites like ‘IMDB’, that allowed users to comment on the film and rate it.
Marketing and distribution for Vertigo’s Streetdance 3D is equally important, where it may be argued that the promotion of the film being the ‘World’s first 3D dance film’ is marketed more than the plot itself. Being released to cinemas in May 2010, the film is similarly being distributed on film reels rather than digitally. The film was marketed with both a teaser trailer and a theatrical trailer, which was in 3D, making it more aesthetically pleasing for the target audience and stimulating more interest around the film. Both of these trailers were made available online, relating to the younger target audience who may already own 3D glasses from going to see a 3D film previously. The highly interactive official website that was designed also relates to the younger target audience and the use of Facebook apps stimulate free, viral marketing for the film around the community of younger Facebook users with friends. A theatrical poster was also designed to market the film, where the use of image editing software is evident, making it appear aesthetically pleasing, which would appeal especially to the young audience.
It is evident that production and distribution affect the success of a film hugely, where it may be argued that The Boat that Rocked failed due to a bad marketing campaign or that Streetdance 3D may be a large success simply because of particular production issues, such as filming in IMAX 3D, enticing many to see the film, regardless of its plot. With such important on-going technological convergence, production companies and distributors both have to adapt around the film market, to conflict with the decreasing usage of cinemas, for example, production companies may begin using the new Apple iPad as a marketing and distribution tool, whereby users can purchase and watch films from the portable device. With an increase in profits to £1.7 billion in 2009, the increasing consumption of British films is evident, being helped by better production and distribution among institutions.
Thursday 11 March 2010
What impact has digital technology had on the studio production companies you have studied
Over the past decade, the use of digital technology has become increasingly evident, moving into the hands of audiences, and changing the way we consume media. The film industry has gained both advantages and disadvantages from this change and is likely to continue adapting in the future, from the introduction of new technologies and their availability to the audience.
The use of DV cameras among audiences has significantly affected the film industry, in that audiences themselves can feel closer to the film industry and take part in similar processes of production. The decreasing price of DV cameras, as well as the introduction of new technologies over the last decade has increased the use of them, making them available to more people, and increasing the quality of the product. The use of DV cameras has benefitted the film industry, in that 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, promoting the films in doing so. However, the use of DV cameras has also increased levels of piracy-the 2009 film, ‘The Boat That Rocked’, although having a large budget of around $50 million, grossed around $35 million. Although this is a large inflow of revenue, other British films, funded from abroad, have been known to triple their budget-2006’s ‘Casino Royale’ grossed $594 million, with a budget of only $150 million. This may be due to the economic circumstances at the time ‘The Boat That Rocked’ was released, where many audiences may not be able to afford to consume media as much, and may instead watch pirate copies. With more people owning DV cameras, and the decreased size of the cameras due to technological advancements, cameras can be concealed upon entering a cinema, in order to record a film, to make it illegally available to others, through the use of DVD burning and the internet. The decreased quality encountered in pirate copies may make many viewers feel that the film itself was not exceptionally good, which may lead to viewers advising friends and family not to see the film, decreasing revenue for production companies, such as Working Title films, further.
Digital technology has also decreased many costs for production companies, so that films can be produced at a higher quality, with a lower budget. As many films are shot partly or fully in the digital format, some film can be offered to cinemas in the digital. However, films distributed in the digital format currently have low demand, because the costs of converting cinemas to theatres with digital screens are very high: up to $150,000 per screen or more, and it is debatable whether the picture quality is any clearer-there are also more risks of digital projectors having faults and may require a replacements after only 5 years. An incentive for production companies distributing digitally is the possibility of greater protection against piracy. With traditional film prints, distributors will release films in different markets at separate times, in order to ship the film prints into each country. In countries in which a film is not yet released, pirated copies of a film may be available, enticing consumers to watch the film illegally, decreasing revenue for production companies. A simultaneous ‘blanket’ release could remove this problem, through digital distribution, as copies would be cheaper and faster to manufacture, and more could be produced (where smaller optical discs would be easier and cheaper to transport, rather than a large film reel), or it could be made available over the internet, with significantly lower costs to a distribution company, which may allow for more money to be spent on production. Aswell as Working Title films, Universal Pictures also funded 'The Boat that Rocked', and so both films could experience these benefits of more revenue.
Specific audiences may be deterred by the concept of digital film consumption. Some individuals, that may have a professional interest in film, may notice slight differences in quality of a digital film, and may decide that they would rather not see the film at a cinema, and may wish to wait to purchase the film when released to DVD, for example, which would decrease the revenue, and may have an affect on the budget of future productions, for the production company. However, it is evident that the repeated use of film reels, currently used in cinemas, can degrade the quality after a number of viewings-scratches and dirt on the reels will affect the quality and may deter many audiences from viewing the film after a period of time ahead of the release. Digitally distributed films, however, can be viewed repeatedly, without affecting the quality greatly, and may therefore continue to gain higher revenue, weeks after the release. Film4 and UK Film Council that funded and produced 'This is England' would not have been able to distribute the film digitally on a 'blanket' release, due to the low budget of the film (£1.5 million).
The use of digital sound has also been an important element affecting production companies-large amounts of time can be spent on editing sound to ensure it is at optimal quality, and has a ‘surround sound’ element, making consumption of films a more compelling ‘experience’, consequently increasing revenue for the production company.
It is evident that digital technology has played a major role in the forming of the modern film industry, supplying both advantages and disadvantages to production companies, which they have no control over, and in future, will have to adapt to, in order to continue grossing highly, in this highly competitive industry.
The use of DV cameras among audiences has significantly affected the film industry, in that audiences themselves can feel closer to the film industry and take part in similar processes of production. The decreasing price of DV cameras, as well as the introduction of new technologies over the last decade has increased the use of them, making them available to more people, and increasing the quality of the product. The use of DV cameras has benefitted the film industry, in that 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, promoting the films in doing so. However, the use of DV cameras has also increased levels of piracy-the 2009 film, ‘The Boat That Rocked’, although having a large budget of around $50 million, grossed around $35 million. Although this is a large inflow of revenue, other British films, funded from abroad, have been known to triple their budget-2006’s ‘Casino Royale’ grossed $594 million, with a budget of only $150 million. This may be due to the economic circumstances at the time ‘The Boat That Rocked’ was released, where many audiences may not be able to afford to consume media as much, and may instead watch pirate copies. With more people owning DV cameras, and the decreased size of the cameras due to technological advancements, cameras can be concealed upon entering a cinema, in order to record a film, to make it illegally available to others, through the use of DVD burning and the internet. The decreased quality encountered in pirate copies may make many viewers feel that the film itself was not exceptionally good, which may lead to viewers advising friends and family not to see the film, decreasing revenue for production companies, such as Working Title films, further.
Digital technology has also decreased many costs for production companies, so that films can be produced at a higher quality, with a lower budget. As many films are shot partly or fully in the digital format, some film can be offered to cinemas in the digital. However, films distributed in the digital format currently have low demand, because the costs of converting cinemas to theatres with digital screens are very high: up to $150,000 per screen or more, and it is debatable whether the picture quality is any clearer-there are also more risks of digital projectors having faults and may require a replacements after only 5 years. An incentive for production companies distributing digitally is the possibility of greater protection against piracy. With traditional film prints, distributors will release films in different markets at separate times, in order to ship the film prints into each country. In countries in which a film is not yet released, pirated copies of a film may be available, enticing consumers to watch the film illegally, decreasing revenue for production companies. A simultaneous ‘blanket’ release could remove this problem, through digital distribution, as copies would be cheaper and faster to manufacture, and more could be produced (where smaller optical discs would be easier and cheaper to transport, rather than a large film reel), or it could be made available over the internet, with significantly lower costs to a distribution company, which may allow for more money to be spent on production. Aswell as Working Title films, Universal Pictures also funded 'The Boat that Rocked', and so both films could experience these benefits of more revenue.
Specific audiences may be deterred by the concept of digital film consumption. Some individuals, that may have a professional interest in film, may notice slight differences in quality of a digital film, and may decide that they would rather not see the film at a cinema, and may wish to wait to purchase the film when released to DVD, for example, which would decrease the revenue, and may have an affect on the budget of future productions, for the production company. However, it is evident that the repeated use of film reels, currently used in cinemas, can degrade the quality after a number of viewings-scratches and dirt on the reels will affect the quality and may deter many audiences from viewing the film after a period of time ahead of the release. Digitally distributed films, however, can be viewed repeatedly, without affecting the quality greatly, and may therefore continue to gain higher revenue, weeks after the release. Film4 and UK Film Council that funded and produced 'This is England' would not have been able to distribute the film digitally on a 'blanket' release, due to the low budget of the film (£1.5 million).
The use of digital sound has also been an important element affecting production companies-large amounts of time can be spent on editing sound to ensure it is at optimal quality, and has a ‘surround sound’ element, making consumption of films a more compelling ‘experience’, consequently increasing revenue for the production company.
It is evident that digital technology has played a major role in the forming of the modern film industry, supplying both advantages and disadvantages to production companies, which they have no control over, and in future, will have to adapt to, in order to continue grossing highly, in this highly competitive industry.
Monday 8 March 2010
Film Theft in the UK-2004 Report
LINK: Film Theft in the UK
Film piracy in the UK
Piracy at any stage in this process can cause the film industry to sustain heavy financial losses across the whole value chain. If consumers are able to acquire and view a film title illegally, the incentive to see and acquire that film by legitimate means is diluted; whether in the cinema, on DVD/video (rented or purchased), or pay-TV. Also, the logical extension of this argument is that the earlier the pirated copy appears in a film’s business lifecycle, the heavier the potential revenue loss is likely to be. Essentially, the earlier the act of piracy is, the greater is the number of ‘windows’ of exploitation that become vulnerable to diminished revenues.
Types of Piracy
Types of piracy in the UK involve both physical and non-physical piracy.
At the moment, physical piracy involves manufacture and distribution of either videocassette or optical disc traded in high street shops, on the internet, in street markets or car boot sales. There are both professional and consumer versions of piracy.
Large scale, professional piracy is often operated at a business-in 2003 180 million discs were manufactured and distributed.
Over the past two years, there has been a major surge of large-scale factory production of DVDs in Russia. The latest numbers indicate that there are now at least 34 DVD lines (both legal and pirate) in the country. Russia has become one of the world’s largest producers and distributors of pirate optical discs of all kinds. This production has devastated the domestic market and is now threatening markets throughout Europe and beyond. In 2002, the film industry’s local anti-piracy organisation, RAPO, seized over 226,000 pirate DVDs in raids on warehouses and outlets across Russia.
FACT total seizures of
counterfeit products (2003)
FORMAT SEIZED
VCD 120,722
VHS 86,501
DVD-R 178,577
DVD COMPILATION 2,515
DVD 1,573,510
Total DVD format seized 1,754,602
Consumer home copying on the other hand poses a far more difficult activity to assess as a potential threat to the film industry. In the mid 1990s the analogue home VCR was the only consumer device that enabled illegal copies to be made in the home. The only way to do this was by ‘back-to-back’ copying’; connecting two VCRs together via an analogue cable, one set to play, the other set to record. Less than ten years on, the home recording environment has changed dramatically. The digital revolution has resulted in a variety of new digital recording devices appearing on the market, most of which are linked either to TV or PC use.
Home copying of DVDs and other digital audiovisual content is in part possible due to the phenomenon known as the ‘analogue hole’. This refers to the fact that all connections to TV sets (as well as to other devices like VCRs) are analogue. Regardless of the fact that modern home entertainment appliances like DVD players and pay-TV decoders are digital, their output must be converted from digital to analogue in order to display them on a TV set. Moreover, because DVD players are optimised to deliver the best possible (analogue) picture and sound quality to the TV set, they can potentially provide a high-quality analogue source for copying to a blank DVD. The resulting copied DVD will have none of the digital copy protection of the original DVD and can thus be used to make an infinite number of further perfect digital copies of this single analogue copy.
Friday 5 March 2010
The History and Role of Vertigo Films
Vertigo films was set up in 2002, specifically to produce 2 new british films and contribute to the british film industry in commercially driven independent cinema. These films were 'The Football Factory' and 'Its all gone Pete Tong', both with British cultural influences, and the institution is now continuing to produce four films each year, under their own distribution company (they make many joint ventures with other British production and distribution companies, including FilmFour). Some of these latest releases are 'Street Dance 3D' and 'The Firm' (which is claimed to be the UK's number 1 DVD on the official website). It is clear that the advances in technology and a larger amount of finance has allowed this change, now producing 3D films to match the new cultures of cinema to increase their revenue and make watching the film more of a memorable experience.
Vertigo films has used innovative technology, meticulous attention to budget and great care of the audience to produce a large amount of success. Many films have a 'gritty' appearance, with a contrasting representation of Britain to Working Title Films, where films like 'Goodbye Charlie Bright' have themes of gang violence, but 'Love Actually' by Working Title has a more positive representation of culture, making character's lives appear very optimistic.
Award-winning films
It's All Gone Pete Tong:
Best Canadian Feature — Toronto International Film Festival — 2004
Best Feature — US Comedy Arts Festival — 2005
Best Actor (Paul Kaye) — US Comedy Arts Festival — 2005
Grand Jury Award — Gen Art Film Festival — 2005
Audience Award — Gen Art Film Festival — 2005
Best British Columbian Film — Vancouver Film Critics Circle — 2005
Best Male Performer' (Mike Wilmot) — Canadian Comedy Awards — 2005
Best Overall Sound — Leo Awards — 2005
Best Sound Editing — Leo Awards — 2005
Best Feature-Length Drama — Leo Awards — 2005
Clean:
Best Actress (Maggie Cheung) — Cannes Film Festival — 2004
London to Brighton:
Best Achievement in Production — British Independent Film Awards — 2006
Golden Hitchcock (Paul Andrew Williams) — Dinard Festival of British Cinema — 2006
New Director's Award (Paul Andrew Williams) — Edinburgh International Film Festival — 2006
Most Promising Newcomer (Paul Andrew Williams) — Evening Standard British Film Awards — 2007
Best Feature Film — Foyle Film Festival — 2006
Jury Prize (UK Feature) — Raindance Film Festival — 2006
Shotgun Stories:
New American Cinema Award — Seattle International Film Festival — 2007
Vertigo Films has also recently released a New York-set thriller named WAZ, one of the companies first films not set in Britain.
Films in development
Dogging: A Love Story (2007) Production Company
The Sweeney (scheduled 2008) Production Company
The Wake Wood (2009)
Monsters
Untitled Cage Rage Project (scheduled 2009) Production Company; Distributor—UK all media
StreetDance (2010)
Vertigo films has used innovative technology, meticulous attention to budget and great care of the audience to produce a large amount of success. Many films have a 'gritty' appearance, with a contrasting representation of Britain to Working Title Films, where films like 'Goodbye Charlie Bright' have themes of gang violence, but 'Love Actually' by Working Title has a more positive representation of culture, making character's lives appear very optimistic.
Award-winning films
It's All Gone Pete Tong:
Best Canadian Feature — Toronto International Film Festival — 2004
Best Feature — US Comedy Arts Festival — 2005
Best Actor (Paul Kaye) — US Comedy Arts Festival — 2005
Grand Jury Award — Gen Art Film Festival — 2005
Audience Award — Gen Art Film Festival — 2005
Best British Columbian Film — Vancouver Film Critics Circle — 2005
Best Male Performer' (Mike Wilmot) — Canadian Comedy Awards — 2005
Best Overall Sound — Leo Awards — 2005
Best Sound Editing — Leo Awards — 2005
Best Feature-Length Drama — Leo Awards — 2005
Clean:
Best Actress (Maggie Cheung) — Cannes Film Festival — 2004
London to Brighton:
Best Achievement in Production — British Independent Film Awards — 2006
Golden Hitchcock (Paul Andrew Williams) — Dinard Festival of British Cinema — 2006
New Director's Award (Paul Andrew Williams) — Edinburgh International Film Festival — 2006
Most Promising Newcomer (Paul Andrew Williams) — Evening Standard British Film Awards — 2007
Best Feature Film — Foyle Film Festival — 2006
Jury Prize (UK Feature) — Raindance Film Festival — 2006
Shotgun Stories:
New American Cinema Award — Seattle International Film Festival — 2007
Vertigo Films has also recently released a New York-set thriller named WAZ, one of the companies first films not set in Britain.
Films in development
Dogging: A Love Story (2007) Production Company
The Sweeney (scheduled 2008) Production Company
The Wake Wood (2009)
Monsters
Untitled Cage Rage Project (scheduled 2009) Production Company; Distributor—UK all media
StreetDance (2010)
In addition to its production and distribution activity, Vertigo also owns The Post Republic, a successful state of the art post production company based in Berlin and is a partner in Protagonist Pictures, the sales company joint venture with Film Four and Ingenious Media.
LINKS:
http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/technology/vertigo-films-teams-up-with-us-firm-for-3d-company/5010000.article
www.vertigofilms.com
The Vertigo Films-owned Post Republic, based in Berlin, is also involved in the joint venture and will provide post-production services. The Vertigo Films-owned Post Republic, based in Berlin, is also involved in the joint venture and will provide post-production services.
Wednesday 24 February 2010
New Alice in Wonderland Film
The new blockbuster film 'Alice in Wonderland', directed by Tim Burton to be released 5th March 2010 to cinemas in the UK, however it has recently been reported that the film will also be distributed on DVD only 3 months later (rather than the 'Gentleman's agreement of 5-6 month delay), causing the Odeon cinema's withdrawal from showing the film, due to the chance of reduced revenue, as a large percentage of the audience may consider waiting to buy the film on disc, rather than going to the cinema.
Although this may seem a disadvantage to the cinemas, one reason for the distributors releasing the film on disc earlier is to decrease piracy levels to increase revenue for production companies. With the increased use of the internet, faster internet speeds, and the use of DV cameras, piracy levels have increased, so distribution companies are attempting to release the film in the shortest time span possible, so that people will be able to buy it sooner, rather than reverting to watching the film on the internet for free. Digital distribution methods have allowed production companies to achieve some of these goals, using services like Netflix for XBox 360, which allows full HD, instant streaming of movies from the living room.
With threats to cinemas by the increasing use of technology with decreasing profit from each film due to piracy and new digital content, Odeon has decided not to show the film, reducing their costs in the chances that the film could make a loss.
Monday 15 February 2010
Will Cinema Always Survive Technological Change, or is the Latest Technology a bigger threat because it is at the Exhibition End of the Chain?
Although the latest technology has recently had a large impact on film revenue, especially cinema revenue, cinema continues to survive. The latest technology has targeted the exhibition end of the film chain by distributing large blockbuster films over the internet, allowing the audience to view films at their own leisure, with no cinema showing time restrictions, cinema distrations, advertising or lack of seating in the auditorium. For cinemas, as well as decreasing revenue from tickets, it has also decreased revenue from complimentary products available at the cinema that generate revenue-like food and drinks, which are available from the fridge at home, at a cheaper price from the supermarket. Also, younger audiences, resticted from viewing films that they are eager to view due to age certificates and the law, or those that reside in countries where the film is not currently available often turn to illegal viewing of films over the internet, putting up with decreased quality simply to see films, decreasing revenue further for cinemas. Repeated viewings of film reels also decreases the quality of cinema viewing, which may discourage many people from seeing popular films at the cinema, who may rather wait to view it at home digitally, at a higher quality. The release of technologies such as blu-ray discs, HD televisions and instant viewing of high definition movies on xBox (with no waiting time for the download) have also allowed home viewing to be more entertaining, with much higher digital quality.
It is evident that film distribution over the internet has made film viewing very easy and cheaper for audiences at home, however many advantages remain in going to the cinema. Firstly, the excitement of having a 'night out' with friends is often regarded as more entertaining in going to the cinema than going to a friend's house. Also, the hardware technology at the cinema is far more advanced than at home, usually consisting of state of the art surround sound, as well as much larger screens and higher quality pictures, that are not available at home. Furthermore, the rights remain for cinemas to show films before they are released on DVD or blu-ray discs, so fans of films will always want to see it as soon as possible-enticing them to view it at a cinema.
The use of technology may also increase revenue at cinemas, as the adoption of digital screenings and films will increase film quality, and make films readily available world wide at the same time. Furthermore, technology has also assisted in the restriction of illegal distribution over the internet, allowing authorities to stop and sentence those infringing copyright laws. In addition, the use of advertising through new technology has allowed illegal film distribution to be marked as morally wrong, influencing most audiences to be against it, supporting cinemas against new technology.
Although modern technology may appear to have decreased cinema revenues, technology has also supported cinemas. The use of laws has also supported cinemas, restricting people from distributing films illegally. As well as technology, many other elements also remain that make cinema viewings a more enjoyable experience, and therefore, I believe that cinema will survive the increase in technological discoveries, and audiences will continue to see films at the cinema, generating revenue for the industry and allowing it to use technology to its advantage in future, developing to suit its audience.
It is evident that film distribution over the internet has made film viewing very easy and cheaper for audiences at home, however many advantages remain in going to the cinema. Firstly, the excitement of having a 'night out' with friends is often regarded as more entertaining in going to the cinema than going to a friend's house. Also, the hardware technology at the cinema is far more advanced than at home, usually consisting of state of the art surround sound, as well as much larger screens and higher quality pictures, that are not available at home. Furthermore, the rights remain for cinemas to show films before they are released on DVD or blu-ray discs, so fans of films will always want to see it as soon as possible-enticing them to view it at a cinema.
The use of technology may also increase revenue at cinemas, as the adoption of digital screenings and films will increase film quality, and make films readily available world wide at the same time. Furthermore, technology has also assisted in the restriction of illegal distribution over the internet, allowing authorities to stop and sentence those infringing copyright laws. In addition, the use of advertising through new technology has allowed illegal film distribution to be marked as morally wrong, influencing most audiences to be against it, supporting cinemas against new technology.
Although modern technology may appear to have decreased cinema revenues, technology has also supported cinemas. The use of laws has also supported cinemas, restricting people from distributing films illegally. As well as technology, many other elements also remain that make cinema viewings a more enjoyable experience, and therefore, I believe that cinema will survive the increase in technological discoveries, and audiences will continue to see films at the cinema, generating revenue for the industry and allowing it to use technology to its advantage in future, developing to suit its audience.
It is evident that cinema earnings in the US continue to increase, despite the introduction of new technology that works against cinemas.
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