NETFLIX, AMAZON AND YOUTUBE MAKE THE FILMS OF THE FUTURE

PROLIFERATION 
From The Times 11April 2013 Andrew Billen

Are old technologies expiring? After the launch of satellite digital, we may be on the brink of a second TV revolution. These each have a different business model offering viewers something unique but all mine a world increasingly connected by broadband. Will traditional BBC opt out of licence fees and use only BBC iPlayer?

NETFLIX has origins in DVD rental and started as a steaming service. USP: all episodes available at once. To watch House of Cards, you must subscribe to internet service Netflix then view episodes on PC, tablet, smartphone or internet-connected TV. Next series Hemlock launches on April 19th and all episodes debut simultaneously. Netflix tracks what we watch, for how long, when we pause and rewind. It invested in director David Fincher (House of Cards) as 33 million subscribers had rented his films like The Social Network. " We know this ahis audience likes social dramas, horror and Eli Roth," says director of communications Joris Evers.  
AMAZON the world's biggest department store (rival to Netflix) through its video arm LOVEFILM
makes available for free 14 TV pilots mostly sitcoms. USP: crowdsourcing Hunt for next big sitcom involves audiences critiquing scripts, adding to them, suggesting improvements eg Meatheads set in US gym. Attracts audiences that have felt excluded from Hollywood process & professionals wanting to do something different.

YOUTUBE adds an astonishing 72 hours of material every minute: in any ten days, YouTube has more content added than has ever been produced for TV. USP: front page now features channels of aggregated content so as you subscribe tochannels you like, your homepage changes. " We can build a following around almost any interest group. We are hugely interactive:audiences get really close to content and the creator has total freedom. We have no editorial control whatsoever."Ben McOwen Wilson, director of content.

REMEMBER WHAT TO SAY ABOUT YOUR CASE STUDIES

..and remember to refer to your own habits & preferences as an audience...
..and finish with a brief discussion of trends! 
HOLLYWOOD BLOCKBUSTERS
Avengers Assemble, Skyfall and Iron Man 3 illustrate the Hollywood 4S mega franchise model and how global audiences are targeted through synergetic distribution methods.

How Avengers illustrates Hollywood production and distribution practices HERE

Megafranchise post revise story, sequel, spectacle and synergy HERE

Iron Man 3: "This month, I have seen that distribution for Iron Man 3 has included film website trailers, in-cinema trailers and a TV advert tie-in. I watched the 30 second teaser trailer with very high production values which highlighted the thrills and spills side of the film; in cinema whilst watching Oblivion I saw an extended trailer (addressed to like-minded audiences). On TV I watched no less than two Audi R8 e-tron car advert featuring Robert Downey Jr extolling the qualities of Audi engineering, linking his high-tech CGI suit to an Audi ("Iron Man approved" and "Engineered for Iron Man"). This is an example of cross-promotion or synergy."
 
As former Walt Disney CEO Michael Eisner put it : constant media synergy. 

Schatz (1997): 'movies, videogames and theme-park rides aren't separate entities or isolated media texts. Rather, they are related aspects or ‘iterations’ of entertainment supertexts, multimedia narrative forms which can be expanded & exploited ad infinitum, given the size and diversity of today's globalized, diversified entertainment industry. The essential UR-text within these media franchises is the Hollywood blockbuster.'

BUT In future, Hollywood may not have such a hold over global markets. In the first three months of this year, ticket sales for American-made films in the world's second-largest cinema market took an unexpected nosedive. Hollywood's bombastic superheroes have met their match as they struggle to keep their foothold in China: revenues fell in China, compared with the same period last year as big budget movies like The Hobbit failed to impress. ChinaFilmbiz.com reports that American movies "now hold a mere 23% of mainland China ticket revenues, a disastrous drop from the 57% share they held at this point last year".

It is interesting to note what Iron Man 3 has done to distribution in China: although the hero, brash but brilliant industrialist Tony Stark exemplifies the gung-ho spirit of the US, the script was vetted by Beijing, the film has a Chinese co-producer, many of the gadgets are from the Chinese electronics firm TCL, Ben Kingsley plays The Mandarin and a famous Chinese actor plays the villain Dr Wu. These measure aim to target the huge (global) Chinese audience. However, China also manipulates figures by imposing quotas on foreign film while giving incentives to national cinema.

Nevertheless, it may be that Asian audiences in general are tiring of  Hollywood action films that prioritise spectacle over story or character, and rely heavily on computer-generated explosions. I say this because I have read in The Times (23.04.13) that Hollywood has not done well this year in Japan, Korea and other parts of Asia." 

ISSUES ABOUT GLOBALIZATION: cultural imperialism (Team America says it all); threat to national cinemas; lack of provision for niche audiences; mainstream audiences are not the only ones to be served; disagree with Cameron & think of the loss - King's Speech did just fine, a UK Council funded film from lottery money; if 'easy appeal' is the aim, then all we'll get is dross like The Boat That Rocked when Danny Boyle says we should be producing challenging not easy-pleasing stuff.


BRITISH FILM AND NATIONAL AUDIENCES 
What characterizes British films and what do global, international and national audiences want to see? 

• BRITISH FILM What does British film industry do best:

identify genres: historical films [The King's Speech], 
literary adaptations [Salmon Fishing], 
social realism [Made In Dagenham], 
romantic comedy

• Why do we need need a national film industry?

To serve national and local audiences, and reflect national concerns 
 and because Hollywood blockbusters do not meet all national audience needs: DIVERSITY is good! Britissh cinema can offer us:

National social history: Made In Dagenham HERE

London estate life: Shifty, Shifty (Eran Creevy, 2008) SlideShare here and interview with Eran Creevy here on how they came out of nowhere to win acclaim 
As a result of early determination, Creevy last month released Welcome The Punch (2013) internationally with big names and big budget: investment in national talent pays, but has Creevy sold out to Hollywood values?

Ethnicity: Four Lions a film that allows audiences to see how terrorists are radicalised without stereotyping or demonizing all Muslims

Micro budget films emerge from local sources (crowd funding from Compton Bagpuize: Tortoise In Love (Guy Browning, 2011) ; Tortoise In Love  How TIL (very low budget film) built its audience using social media TIL on FaceBook. TIL then helped by BFI funding  HOW THE BFI FUNDED DISTRIBUTION & MARKETING HERE

Niche audiences: InBetweeners (Ben Palmer, 2011) TV spinoff. How the film beat records as most successful British comedy article here on breaking box office records]

• Working Title is a UK success story but it isn't typical 

(say why: Universal):  Working Title website HERE. WT produced Oscar-winning The King's Speech with Film Council funding as well as Les Miserables

 
 
 

MARKETING / DISTRIBUTION, SPECIFIC AUDIENCES & PRODUCTION PRACTICES

EXAM PRACTICE ESSAY
'Successful media products depend as much upon marketing and distribution to a specific audience as they do upon good production practices.'
To what extent would you agree with this statement within the media area you have studied?

Here, FIRST UNPACK THE TERMS: ‘By production practices, I understand production values, digital distribution and production, CGI, choice of genre, casting, choice of film techniques and so on. I intend to discuss this question with reference to Hollywood blockbusters which target global audiences, British film with national and international target audiences and, finally, micro budget films with niche audiences. 

As case studies, I plan to use The Hobbit, Avengers Assemble, Skyfall and Iron Man 3 to illustrate the Hollywood 4S mega franchise model and how global audiences are targeted through synergetic distribution methods. I will discuss how Iron Man 3 used a range of methods to target the Chinese market, the second largest in the world, and why the success of Western production practices looks like slowing down in this market.


Next, I intend to refer to Working Title, The King’s Speech and World’s End as examples of British production practices and the needs of national cinema to serve national audiences with a diverse range of film genres. I will also cover micro budget films with niche audiences, such as Tortoise In Love.

Finally, I will consider what trends indicate about future practices in the film industry, based on my own film viewing preferences and that of my peers, as well as what I have noticed in the press about the platforms like YouTube, Netflix and LoveFilm as well as the interesting reasons given by Peter Jackson for his choice of using 48 fps for The Hobbit to lure younger audiences away from handheld devices and back into cinemas.’

TV DRAMA EXAM PRACTICE

We analysed an extract from Consuming Passions: 100 Years of Mills and Boon. Our focus was age.
PREP Familiarize yourself with Examiner's reports OCR website
January 2013 HERE

MEDIA OWNERSHIP ESSAY continued

G322 EXAM PRACTICE QUESTION:     What impact does media ownership have upon the range of products available to audiences in the media area you have studied?     (50 Marks)  

HERE ARE YOUR FIRST 4 PARAGRAPHS.

START I have studied the film industry. In this essay, I understand 'media ownership' to mean both the Hollywood film industry and independent British film producers and distributors.First, I am going to write about the Hollywood 'big six' using as my case study Disney as an example of the mega-franchise model. Then, I plan to discuss British film, using as my case studies Working Title and Vertigo (or Warp) and a selection of independent films some with small budgets and niche audiences. Finally, I refer to the newest developments and future trends of consumers as producers, crowd-sourced films and vloggers, as exemplified by Tortoise in Love, Ridley Scott's Life in a Day and vlogger Casey Neistat.

To begin with, I will define 'range of products' in relation to production values (big budgets, high production values, CGI, motion capture, exotic locations, expensive casting and so on), big distribution budgets (interactive websites, range of trailers, luxury brand tie-ins, syndicated TV channel advertising, P&A saturation and so on), diverse film products (animation, DVD, BluRay, 3D, IMAX, downloads, sound tracks, ring tones and so on) and entertainment super-texts (like theme parks and video games). In other words,  I intend to show that Hollywood mega-franchises dominate because of their ability to generate constant synergy: for instance, the Disney Stores promote the consumer products which promote the theme parks which promote the television show, as in my case study of Avengers and Frozen. Disney can produce a variety of successful products: n February 2015, the team at Walt Disney Animation Studios scored a double whammy at the 87th Oscars in both the 'Best Animation Feature' (Big Hero 6) and the 'Best Animation Short' (Feast) categories.

However, I also intend to argue that Hollywood's focus on certain film genres (sequels, prequels and superhero film) actually narrows consumer choice. By playing safe as they aim for global markets, Hollywood develops films that offer archetypes, story and spectacle, whereas British film and independent film producers in general offer more diverse film genres. Interestingly, British film seems to be entering a golden age of Oscar success with products like The Imitation Game, The Theory of Everything, the Grand Budapest Hotel and Whiplash, as well as 'heritage' films like Mr Turner which have received critical acclaim if not Oscar success.

Therefore I intend to define 'range of products' in terms of 'range of genre' and show how smaller film makers make a wide range of films that offer what national audiences need. 
By contrast with Hollywood, I will examine how smaller film makers and national production companies (like Vertigo / Warp) tackle issues relating to genre, casting, production values, distribution, building audiences and exhibiting films.

HERE IS A PARAGRAPH TO PUT IN AS WELL: 

Audi / Iron Man cross promotion HERE

I have seen that distribution for Iron Man 3 has included film website trailers, in-cinema trailers and a TV advert tie-in. I watched the 30 second teaser trailer with very high production values which highlighted the thrills and spills side of the film; in cinema whilst watching Oblivion I saw an extended trailer (addressed to like-minded audiences). On TV I watched no less than two Audi R8 e-tron car advert featuring Robert Downey Jr extolling the qualities of Audi engineering, linking his high-tech CGI suit to an Audi ("Iron Man approved" and "Engineered for Iron Man"). This is an example of cross-promotion or synergy.

AND HERE IS A PARAGRAPH TO PUT IN AT THE END: BRAND NEW POINTS!
In future, Hollywood may not have such a hold over global markets. In the first three months of 2013, ticket sales for American-made films in China, the world's second-largest cinema market, took an unexpected nosedive. Hollywood's bombastic superheroes have met their match as they struggle to keep their foothold in China: revenues fell in China, compared with the same period last year as big budget movies like The Hobbit failed to impress. ChinaFilmbiz.com reports that American movies "now hold a mere 23% of mainland China ticket revenues, a disastrous drop from the 57% share they held at this point last year". At the Oscars this year (2015),

It is interesting to note what Iron Man 3 has done to distribution in China: although the hero, brash but brilliant industrialist Tony Stark exemplifies the gung-ho spirit of the US, the script was vetted by Beijing, the film has a Chinese co-producer, many of the gadgets are from the Chinese electronics firm TCL, Ben Kingsley plays The Mandarin and a famous Chinese actor plays the villain Dr Wu. These measure aim to target the huge (global) Chinese audience. However, China also manipulates figures by imposing quotas on foreign film while giving incentives to national cinema. Chinese taste is also shifting towards local products.

Nevertheless, it may be that Asian audiences in general are tiring of  Hollywood action films that prioritise spectacle over story or character, and rely heavily on computer-generated explosions. I say this because I have read (The Times 23.04.13) that Hollywood did not do well that year in Japan, Korea and other parts of Asia and that

 
 

G322 EASTER HOLIDAY EXAM PRACTICE

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G322 EXAM PRACTICE QUESTION:     What impact does media ownership have upon the range of products available to audiences in the media area you have studied?     (50 Marks)     

Please complete this essay question by the first Media lesson of the summer term. 

• Use the notes on the Hollywood megafranchise model (the Big Six) Start by defining the 'megafranchise model' and its impact on film production LINK TO NOTES HERE
• As case studies, refer to The Avengers and Skyfall as examples of mainstream films; explain how their distributors attracted and addressed audiences. What products are available apart from the cinema experience? LINK TO AVENGERS & SKYFALL NOTES
• As contrast, explain the issues that British film makers face
• What kinds of films are more likely to be green lit? What has British cinema to offer audiences? Why is there a place for national cinema?
• Illustrate by reference to Working Title's practices and illustrate by reference to one film now in production by WT
• Independent cinema production does not have a range of products in the way that a big studio production does. For example, explain how niche films like Shifty (Eran Creevy) were distributed; mention Creevy's current film Welcome to the Punch (2013). See the TRAILER here.  Explain why this film is such a different one from Eran Creevy's first. Explain how its distributors attracted and addressed its audiences.
• Case studies of smaller indie films: Tortoise in Love. How did the BFI funding help? Is it enough?  Are niche films like this at a disadvantage in the national, international and global marketplace?   (Sentence starter: 'The impact of low budget, independent production is that indie films may not even receive cinema release but go straight to DVD or online release.' 
• Final sentence should be about trends (the future): as a result of Hollywood's suffocating grip on film production, producers are seeking new ways to reach audiences and one new product is the selling of films direct to audiences online, bypassing the studios.  Kevin Spacey, Netflix and House Of Cards. Where YouTube started with amateurs building audiences online, production companies follow.Will this Netflix original series from Kevin Spacey redefine how television is produced and consumed?