New Technologies: Essay Plan

June 2014: “The increase in hardware and content in media industries has been significant in recent years. Discuss the effect this has had on institutions and audiences in the media area you have studies.”

Plan:

BOLD= content | normal= hardware

Introduction:

• Hardware refers to devices that you can physically touch-for example iPads, laptops, phones.
• The increase in hardware- more devices that can access VOD sites and you can watch films on these devices.
• However, can be bad because it means that iPads can also be used for playing games and not watching films so this can be distracted.
• Content refers to the software itself- VOD sites, games, film, social media etc
• The increase in content- more sites are being created to watch films so it can be easily accessible to people who don’t for example have Netflix but do have Amazon Prime. Also new films are coming out now and people can watch them.
• However this can again be bad because even though there are more films being released but also more games and so this is again distracting.

Prometheus:

• Prometheus proves this point that the increase in hardware/software affect insitutions and audiences in a positive way, as it was prominently marketed via the internet and on different software platforms that can be accessed on many devices.
• The first full Prometheus trailer at the AMC Downtown Disney during WonderCon in Anaheim, California; streamed live via Facebook, Twitter, and the AMC Theatre website, trailer was posted on AMC’s YouTube channel immediately after its debut. Reactions on Twitter, were generally positive, and received nearly three million views in the three days following its release-the increase in content (social media) improved the promotion of the film.
• 1. TED Talk 2023
  2. Happy Birthday David
  3. Quiet Eye
  4. Thus Spoke Zarathustra
  5. #5
  6. Weyland Industries Testimonial Viral Video were the six viral videos that were released on YouTube and shared on social media. The increase in content made it possible for these videos to be shared onto different sites and so could be seen by more people and also the increase in hardware meant that people with tablets and phones have social media apps that contribute to watching these videos.
• The Weyland Industries website- the website was a dedicated website for the film- the increase in content, the website, means that the film can be advertised through this and also can be accessed on loads of devices.
• The film was released for downloading and streaming through platforms including Amazon, iTunes three weeks after the film release- the increase in platforms people can watch the film on give a broader choice and they can access these sites on their iPads, phones and laptops so it’s easier for people to watch the film anywhere-on the train or in bed etc.

The Hobbit:

• The marketing campaign began back in 2011 on Facebook with a series of video journals from Jackson’s POV, engaging fans throughout the year by taking them into the production activity leading up to the announcement trailer at the beginning of 2012- posting on popular social media sites meant that more people saw it.
• An online media blitz kicked off in early November with an advanced ticketing campaign across YouTube, Facebook and Twitter to drive early ticket sales.
• Warner Bros UK and Warner Bro Pictures posted trailers and teaser trailers of the film which could be watched and shared on many social media apps.
• The official twitter page has 449k followers- the increase in content means that people can access updates about the film and allows people to know about release dates and production diaries etc.

Nymphomaniac:

• Largely based on advertising the film through posters, trailers and the video appetisers.
• The appetisers were uploaded on YouTube, Vimeo and the film’s official website- example of increasing software and it helped the marketing of the film.
• There were 8 appetisers in total which were able to be shared onto different sites using different devices.

A Field In England:

• Online Digital Masterclass- increase in content that could be accessed easily and it contained all the information about the film’s production/ pre production/ post production etc and got 80,000 views with 54,000 visits.
• Social media- 54% of under 35’s said social media was the primary source of awareness and so the increase in software and social media means that films can be advertised easier and to a larger audience.
• Channel 4 has it’s own DVD label which distributes to transactional VOD platforms such as iTunes so the film could be bought/rented by those who have iTunes on any apple device.
• VOD rental figures- iTunes (3,133), Virgin Media (1,746), Film4 (714)= More VOD platforms and so this allows people to access it easier and also watch it on other devices that can access the VOD platforms.
• The increase in content meant that A Field In England companies and cast could manipulate this and market the film on many platforms and gain publicity on it on the internet.

Special Correspondents:

• Creative release-meant it was only released on Netflix. This meant that anyone who had Netflix would be able to watch the film and on any device such as laptops, game consoles, phones, computers, and tablets. This made it much easier for people who had Netflix to access the film anywhere.

Conclusion:

• I agree with the statement because the increase in both things increase the number of people who see the film or the advertising of the film.
• From personal experience, I watch films on my phone and my laptop and I use Putlocker and Netflix and I can access film trailers on both devices and also watch them on different websites which pushes me to know more about the film.

Essay Version 1:

Hardware refers to devices that you can physically touch with your hands. For example this could be iPads, smart phones and laptops etc. The increase in technological convergence can mean that people can watch/ do things on many devices, therefore you can watch a film on many different devices in different places as well, so not just at home on the sofa but whilst travelling on a train or in a cafe. However, this can also be a negative because if there are more devices being able to do many tasks, you can get distracted from watching films and instead play games. The increase in content also links to this by the fact that if there is more content, there is more to get distracted by. Content refers to the software itself, like social media apps, VOD sites and games. The increase of this can lead to more people being able to access more sites to watch films on like amazon Prime or Netflix. Again, there is also a negative to this because there isn’t just more film content being introduced, there are new games/apps to be played on as well.

Prometheus is an example of a film that was solely dependent on using hardware and content to advertise their film and draw attention to them. The film’s marketing campaign was mostly, if not all, on the internet which can be accessed by almost every device. The first trailer was streamed live on Facebook, Twitter and the AMC theatre website. These social media websites is popular content that many people have and so they can easily see the premiere of the trailer. The trailer was then uploaded onto the AMC Theatres YouTube account and as YouTube can be downloaded onto many different devices, it makes it easier for people to watch the trailer. The increase in content and the areas of the internet people can access improved the first promotion of the film.

Prometheus also had 6 viral videos that were uploaded on YouTube and shared on other areas of social media. The increase in content made it possible for the videos to be shared and spread around for people to watch.  The website created also had a large impact on the audience as it was new content and so it intrigued people to look at it and it encouraged them to see the film with the innovative activities that replicated the life of the film.

The Hobbit’s marketing campaign began in 2011 with the release of Jackson’s POV video journals on the Facebook page. This meant that people could watch these easily as it is an increasingly popular app/website to use. An online media blitz kicked off in early November with an advanced ticketing campaign across YouTube, Facebook and Twitter to drive early ticket sales which also allowed people to know about the film if they have accounts on these apps.

For the Hobbit’s trailer, the Warner Bros UK and the Warner Bros Pictures YouTube account uploaded the teaser trailers and trailers for the film which for people already following the channel, could get notifications about the trailer or see it on the YouTube news feed.

Similarly to Prometheus and The Hobbit, Nymphomaniac was largely based on advertising through the internet. YouTube, Vimeo and the film’s official website were the main sites for showing the trailers and the 8 appetisers of the film. The new software created to showing short clips that are easily accessible make it more straightforward for the public to watch, especially since most of these websites do not involve making an account to watch the clips.

For smaller companies, it is not as likely for them to get their films noticed. However, for the film A Field In England directed by Ben Wheatley, this was not the case. There was an online Digital Masterclass was newly created for the purpose of the film and it could be accessed easily. It contained all the information about the film’s production/ pre production/ post production and got 80,000 views with 54,000 visits. The benefit of creating new websites for the sole objective of the film meant that people could be drawn to the website and so it spread the word of the film.

The VOD rental figures exceeded the predicted 2000 with 3,133 on iTunes, 1,746 on Virgin Media and 714 on Film4. More VOD platforms allows people to access these apps/websites easier and to what suits them best.

The increase in content meant that the ‘A Field In England’ companies and cast could manipulate this and market the film on many platforms and gain publicity on it on the internet. This was extremely important to the releasing of the film and because it was distributed by smaller companies, they needed to gain attention in different ways to The Big Six who can gain an audience more easily.

Prometheus, a film released by one of The Big Six proves the point that the increase in hardware affects institutions and audiences in a positive way, as it was prominently marketed via the internet and on different software platforms that can be accessed on many devices such as laptops, smart phones and even game consoles. The Weyland Industries website was a dedicated website for the film. The fact that it was easily accessible and didn’t require an account to go onto it meant that the film can be advertised through this and also can be accessed on loads of devices.

Prometheus was released for downloading and streaming through platforms including Amazon, iTunes three weeks after the film release. The increase in platforms people can watch the film on give a broader choice that they can access on their iPads, phones and laptops so it’s easier for people to watch the film or trailers anytime, anywhere.

For A Field In England, 54% of under 35’s said social media was the primary source of awareness and so the increase in hardware meant that the film could be advertised easier and to a larger audience who have devices that do different things and can access plenty of apps. Channel 4 also has its own DVD label which distributes to transactional VOD platforms such as iTunes so the film could be bought/rented by those who have iTunes on any apple device.

Special Correspondents had a creative release which meant it was only released on Netflix. This meant that anyone who had Netflix would be able to watch the film and on any device such as laptops, game consoles, phones, computers, and tablets. This made it much easier for people who had Netflix to access the film anywhere.

To conclude, I agree with the statement because the increase in both things increase the number of people who see the film or the advertising of the film. The Big Six obviously have an advantage as they are much larger companies and so they can lobby companies into showing their films or advertising their films. However, smaller companies can still get their films noticed and can promote their films on plenty of different platforms which spreads the word about the film and makes it a larger release. From personal experience, I watch films on my phone and my laptop and I watch things on YouTube and Netflix. I can access film trailers and information about films on both devices and also watch them on different websites and read articles which pushes me to know more about the film.

Section B: Digital Distribution

January 2012: “To what extent does digital distribution affect the marketing and consumption of media products in the media areas you have studied”

Introduction:

• Digital distribution includes things such as DVD, VOD, Blu Ray and online streaming.
• Things affecting this can be technological convergence in both positive and negative ways.
• Other things include budget of the film, local loyalties, how big the companies are at influencing the exhibitors- the Big 6 can lobby exhibitors and force their films into cinemas.
• Digital distribution has changed since the digital disruption and so things are more popular and there are more creative ways of distributing a film.

Paragraph 1- A Field In England

• A Field In England is a good example of how digital distribution affects marketing because of it’s creative day and date release strategy.
• The distribution of the film on different platforms affected the marketing because it advertised the film more and it had an online conversation and articles about it’s creative day and date release strategy.
• The usefulness of this was that not only was the film advertised more, but it suited people’s needs more and it gave the public the choice to either buy it on DVD/ Blu Ray when it came out or watch in in the cinemas etc.
• Picturehouse cinemas helped enormously as it was their independent cinemas that exhibited the film and so other companies coming together to help distribute the films can help.
• Channel 4 also had it’s own DVD label which also distributed to transactional VOD platforms such as iTunes.

Paragraph 2- AFIE statistics

• It was showed in 17 venues and on Freeview through the aid of Film4 and Channel 4 being involved with the production and distribution.
• The film took $21,399 from the 17 venues.
• It also averaged 37,000 and received a total reach of 918,000 on TV which meant that distributing it on Freeview was a popular option as a lot of people saw it.
• The total VOD rental figures for the film topped the predicted 2,000 with a total of 5593 over Film 4OD, iTunes and Virgin Media which also meant that releasing the film using this strategy generated a lot of rents via these platforms.

Paragraph 3- The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

• TBEMH was distributed in 116 exhibitors around the UK.
• The film was released on DVD and Blu Ray in September 2012 and was a popular option of buy-to-own for the audience as they are generally around the age of 50 years old, as that was the target audience, and so are less likely to watch it on VOD and online streaming sites.

Paragraph 4- Prometheus marketing

• There were different ways that the company used digital technology and distribution of trailers and videos to market the film.
• The website was one way and it was an online site that allowed people to take part in games and influenced them to see the film if they enjoyed this type of entertainment and get it on DVD/ buy it on iTunes to watch again.
• The website also had the 6 trailers for the film- TED presentation, David 8 etc.
• On April 29, 2012, the international launch trailer debuted in the United Kingdom on Channel 4 during the first advertisement break of the TV show Homeland.

Paragraph 5- Prometheus consumption

• Because Prometheus is a film distributed by one of the Big Six, it can dominate the film market at the time of it’s release and especially with all of it’s marketing, this contributed to much of it’s publicity and views.
• On September 7, 2012, Fox announced that Prometheus would be the launch title of its new digital distribution initiative “Digital HD”, which attracted the attention of many already wanting to see the film and buy the film and also to people who hadn’t heard of it.
• The film was released on September 18, 2012, three weeks prior to its DVD, Blu-ray disc and Video on Demand (VOD) release, for downloading and streaming through platforms including Amazon, iTunes, PlayStation Network and Xbox Live in over 50 countries which made consuming the film was easy for those who were subscribed to Amazon/iTunes and those who have an Xbox/PlayStation console.
• The film was released on Blu-ray disc and DVD on October 9, 2012 which was 3 weeks after the release of the film and so it was a very quick release of DVD/Blu Ray which meant that people who had seen it recently would remember the experience and are more likely to buy it.

Paragraph 6- The Hobbit

• 598  exhibitors were open to the screening of the film on it’s opening weekend which meant that a lot of the public were going to see it and it was a large tentpole release, which promoted it more for buying on DVD/Blu Ray/ VOD etc.
• The maximum/total theatres the film was exhibited and distributed to/in was 601 afterwards.
• The film was shown in 52 countries worldwide which also shows it was extremely popular and therefore DVD sales were also extremely high if the audience was larger.
• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was released on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D, with an extended edition, 13 minutes of additional footage and three bonus discs containing approximately nine hours of special features. In the United Kingdom, the film was released on 8 April 2013

Conclusion

• Companies such as the Big Six can dominate the market and so this definitely gives them an advantage with getting publicity and their films watched and bought to own.
• Smaller companies have to rely on creative ways of digitally distributing their films, like AFIE’s day and date release which marketed the film and also made it easier for consumers to watch it on different platforms.
• Technological convergence-anyone with apple products can get iTunes and watch AFIE on that and also laptops etc can access amazon and other VOD platforms.

Essay version 1:

January 2012: “To what extent does digital distribution affect the marketing and consumption of media products in the media areas you have studied”

Digital distribution is the distribution of films and media content digitally and this includes that such as VOD, DVD, Blu Ray and online streaming on the internet and also game consoles such as Xbox and PlayStation. Digital distribution has changed drastically since the technological disruption and films can be seen by the public via different platforms. Things affecting the digital distribution of films are things such as technological convergence, which is a product that has many uses, such as an iPad. This can have a negative an positive effect because people can either watch films on the different platforms or, because of other media content, they can get distracted. The Big Six are the six most powerful film companies and they are so large and successful that their big budget films can be successfully distributed and they can lobby exhibitors into showing their films.

A Field In England is a good example of how digital distribution affected marketing and consumption of the media product because of it’s creative day and date release strategy. The distribution of the film on different platforms affected the marketing because it advertised the film more and it created an online conversation and articles about it. The usefulness of this was that not only was the film advertised more, but it promoted how it suited people’s needs more and it gave the public the choice to either buy it on DVD/ Blu Ray when it came out or watch in in the cinemas or in the comfort of their own home. Picturehouse cinemas helped enormously as it was their independent cinemas that exhibited the film and so other companies coming together to help distribute the films can encourage more workforce to promote the film. Channel 4 also had it’s own DVD label which also distributed to transactional VOD platforms such as iTunes and therefore people who had iTunes could rent or buy the film.

A Field In England was showed in 17 venues and on Freeview through the aid of Film4 and Channel 4 being involved with the production and distribution. The film took $21,399 from the 17 venues. It also averaged 37,000 and received a total reach of 918,000 on TV which meant that distributing it on Freeview was a popular option as a lot of people watch TV at home. The total VOD rental figures for the film topped the predicted 2,000 with a total of 5593 over Film 4OD, iTunes and Virgin Media which also meant that releasing the film for consumers using this strategy generated a lot of rents via these platforms.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a film that was popular with an older generation and so the digital distribution of the film on DVD was easier for them to access. The film was released on DVD and Blu Ray in September 2012 and was a popular option of buy-to-own for the audience as they are generally around the age of 50 years old, as that was the target audience, and so are less likely to watch it on VOD and online streaming sites. The film was also however distributed in 116 exhibitors in the UK for those younger and more eager to go to the cinema to watch the film.

Prometheus, distributed by 20th Century Fox, is an example of a film that was extremely dedicated to marketing. There were different ways that the company used digital technology and distribution of trailers and videos to market the film. The website, Weyland Industries was one way and it was an online site that allowed people to take part in games and influenced them to see the film if they enjoyed this type of entertainment and to buy it on DVD/ iTunes to watch again. The website also had the 6 trailers for the film, TED presentation, David 8 etc. On April 29, 2012, the international launch trailer debuted in the United Kingdom on Channel 4 during the first advertisement break of the TV show Homeland, which for people watching the popular show at the time would have seen this trailer thus drawing more attention to it.

Because Prometheus is a film distributed by one of the Big Six, it can dominate the film market at the time of it’s release and especially with all of it’s marketing, this contributed to much of it’s publicity and views. On September 7, 2012, Fox announced that Prometheus would be the launch title of its new digital distribution initiative “Digital HD”, which attracted the attention of many already wanting to see/buy the film and also to people who hadn’t heard of it before. The film was released on September 18, 2012, three weeks prior to its DVD, Blu-ray disc and Video on Demand (VOD) release, for downloading and streaming through platforms including Amazon, iTunes, PlayStation Network and Xbox Live in over 50 countries which made consuming the film was easy for those who were subscribed to VOD accounts and who had game consoles. Distributing digitally on different platforms is extremely helpful to the consumption of the product because not everyone uses one platform to watch films and so the way they are distributed affects this. Also, the quick release of the film on the platforms (three weeks after it’s screenings) meant that it was easy for the public to remember the film and so were more likely to buy it if they enjoyed it and if they knew it was coming out so soon.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey screened in 598 exhibitors on it’s opening weekend, which meant that a lot of the public were going to see it and as it was a large tentpole release it meant that Warner Bros Pictures could spend a lot of money of advertising the film and also getting it into popular exhibitors. The total number of theatres the film was exhibited and distributed in was 601, which also gained a lot of publicity as it was advertised more in large cities with large cinemas. It was shown in 52 countries worldwide which also shows it was extremely popular and therefore DVD sales were also extremely high because the audience was larger. Eventually the film was released on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D, with an extended edition, 13 minutes of additional footage and three bonus discs containing approximately nine hours of special features, which was extremely appealing for Hobbit/Lord of The Rings fans.

To conclude, companies such as the Big Six can dominate the market and so this definitely gives them an advantage with getting publicity and their films watched and bought to own. Smaller companies have to rely on creative ways of digitally distributing their films, like A Field In England’s day and date release which marketed the film and also made it easier for consumers to watch it on different platforms. Technological convergence was also a large factor as anyone with, for example, apple products can get iTunes and watch the films on that and also laptops etc can access Amazon and other VOD platforms. The usefulness of Prometheus’ quick DVD/Blu Ray release meant that more people who didn’t get a chance to see the film could buy/rent it and also people who enjoyed it could buy it and watch it again.