WHAT IS CROSS MEDIA CONVERGENCE & SYNERGY?

I found this on OCR forum from Rob Carlton (of OCR), which seems to put it very well HERE

"Technological convergence refers to the process where new technology is moving towards single platforms delivering multiple media outputs that can be used to reach audiences.
An example: a PS3's primary function is video gaming but you can download and watch movies from Lovefilm.com on it and also watch catch up TV and music videos. 
Convergent technology is technology that allows an audience to consume more than one type of media from a single platform. 
Lots of aspects of the internet e.g. social networking, YouTube, online editions of newspapers and magazines are convergent but candidates cannot quote the internet as the sole aspect of their answer. 
Their answer needs to be linked into the media area they are talking about (Film, Music, Magazines, Newspapers, Radio, Video Games). E.g if they were talking about newspapers you could link in to their online editions and talk about how this differs from the traditional paper version and the opportunities it presents.
If talking about film, candidates could, for example, point to Facebook campaigns advertising a film or viral marketing spread via the internet.  
Digital projection is convergent technology because films that are produced digitally have moved away from the physical film medium and can be supplied to theatres in digital format (lower costs for distribution versus higher start up costs for theatres switching to digital technology). 
As the film is in digital format there are also cost savings as potentially less work needs to be done on the film to get it onto Blu-Ray, DVD, internet trailers etc as no physical conversion needs to take place because the film is already in digital format. 
Cross Media Convergence is really a Business Studies term and refers to companies coming together vertically or horizontally (or both). The example often cited in exams is of Working Title making use of its parent company(s) to gain access to bigger stars and a better distribution network for their films. 
Synergy basically means working together to achieve an objective that couldn't be achieved independently. Cross-media convergence can help with synergy if companies are wise enough to take advantage of the links they have forged. Disney is an obvious example of a synergistic company from the top down from Film Studio to Kids' TV Channel (where it further plays and promotes its films) to the Disney Store (in the street and online) where your kids can pester you to buy all the merchandise and DVDs/CDs they've seen on the TV/Web or in the cinema."

EXAM PRACTICE EASTER 2014

Essay: Pick one of the following:

How important is technological convergence for institutions  and audiences within a media area which you have studied? (June 2009)

"Media production is dominated by global institutions, which sell their products and services to national audiences.” To what extent do you agree with this statement? (January 2010)

What significance does the continuing development of digital media technology have for media institutions and audiences? (June 2010)

Discuss the issues raised by media ownership in the production and exchange of media texts in your chosen media area (January 2011)

'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? (June 2011)

To what extent does digital distribution affect the marketing and consumption of media products in the media area you have studied? (January 2012) 

“Cross-media convergence and synergy are vital processes in the successful marketing of media products to audiences.” To what extent do you agree with this statement in relation to your chosen media area? (June 2012)

What impact does media ownership have upon the range of products available to audiences in the media area you have studied? (January 2013)

The exam extract below is on Claremont's CLICKVIEW. You can download it at school onto your laptop. Other exam extracts are available there too.

 

The focus is GENDER WATCH HERE

FORMATS FOR YOUR EVALUATION QUESTIONS

Production log on your blog 20 marks

Film opening 60 marks

Evaluation 20 marks

Your  Evaluations questions should be further ahead & visible on your blogs. Numbers 2, 3, 4 and 5 have had class time spent on them. Aim to complete number 5 over the weekend before next lesson.

 
1. FORMS AND CONVENTIONS PICTURE in PICTURE (you present to camera & it shows within the screen of your film opening) key genre conventions (enigma, suspense, excitement, mystery, drama, thrill ); camerawork (shot types, movement, angles, who is privileged in the shot; who does the audience side with); editing (narrative, pace, length of shots); sound (creation of suspense etc., music, voice over, ambient / non diegetic sound, spot sound, enhanced sound); titles (distributor, production company ident, director, actors).
2. REPRESENTATION OF SOCIAL GROUPS PINTEREST + EXPLANATION/ RESEARCH
3. DISTRIBUTION PREZI: what distributors do to market films; who would market yours + why pick them
4. TARGET AUDIENCE VIEWER PROFILE in PHOTOSHOP + EXPLANATION
5. ATTRACTING AND ADDRESSING AUDIENCES SLIDESHARE + your TWITTER, your FACEBOOK, your WEBSITE
6. NEW TECHNOLOGIES NEW HIVE or PIKTOCHART technologies used for research, planning, construction, evaluation
7. WHAT I HAVE LEARNT ABOUT FILM MAKING YuDu Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

PRESENTATIONAL TOOLS

Apps and tools you may not know... With thanks to Pete Fraser Pete's Media Blog HERE

Thanks to my friends @NYPotamitis and @dave_w_harrison, who use some of these tools on their diploma course and are able to recommend them for media projects. Some you may know, some you may use already, some you may find just do the same thing as other apps you use, but they are all free and online and relatively easy to use.

1. Padlet: this app allows you to put together a 'wall' of stuff. It looks a bit like Pinterest but is probably best used as a way of everyone in class putting up their ideas on a whiteboard, so it becomes like a 'live team wall' for sharing ideas and work done. Here's an example from a lower school english lesson:

2. Trello: this is effectively a 'digital to do list' and is ideal for long term group projects like coursework. You can organise things into three columns, for example, with 'to do', 'doing' and 'done' and gradually tasks shift to the third column, giving a sense of completion. Here's one from a diploma project:

3. Piktochart is an excellent tool for making infographics, which can look pretty good and express your information in really clear, visual terms. When you login, it even has fellow members online to help you with problems! Here's one on computer programming:

4. Simplebooklet allows you to create attractive booklets from otherwise dull material and stick them online. It is a bit like templates for desktop publishing, but can certainly liven up your material:

If you click on the image above, you can go into any of the booklets and see what is possible. It would be a good way of producing a summary of your research and planning work from your blog, for example.

5. Pixlr is a cut-down online picture editing tool. It doesn't do as much as Photoshop, but it is free and accessible anywhere. Give it a try.

6. Animoto: You may be familiar with this video editor, but if not, give it a try. It allows you to make up to 30 second videos out of stills, so is ideal for presenting bits of research as slightly more sophisticated slideshows.

Storyboard Preliminary PT 2

Christina's video above shows her storyboard. 

7. Finally, Kickstarter- why not think about using it in combination with some of these apps and tools to make your project that little more 'real'? really helps you to get to grips with issues of audience and institution!

G322 REVISION

FILM INDUSTRY
We start with feedback from your essays 'Successful films depend as much upon marketing and distribution to specific audiences as they do upon good production practices.' To what extent would you agree with this statement?

• Your opening sentence should refer directly to the exam question set. For example, write 'The most successful recent film that I have studied is Skyfall which took $1 billion at the world wide box office and was also a triumph in terms of production values. I will identify its audiences and show how a range of clever marketing and distribution strategies contributed to its success.'
• Start each paragraph with a topic sentence that refers directly to the question. For example, The Hobbit was hugely successful both artistically (its production values included 48fps, motion capture, 3D) and financially (world wide box office success $922,597,516). I will show how it successfully targeted both Western and Asian audiences through carefully timed release dates.'
• Another example: 'Iron Man 3 is an example of a film that successfully targeted a specific audience, the global market, specifically Chinese audiences, through a range of distribution strategies. 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.
• BUT 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 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". 
• Write: 'There are films that will only ever achieve national audiences, and very small niche ones at that, because they lack studio backing and all the distribution methods available to Hollywood with what Dalecki called '4 S megafranchise' model of synergy, sequelization, story and spectacle. These methods successfully target global audiences. By contrast, Tortoise In Love is a low budget, crowd-sourced film made by a village for villages around the country. It is the first film to release simultaneously in 123 village communities around the UK as well as mainstream theatres. It depended on the BFI's Prints and Advertising fund to develop the marketing and distribution strategy that led to its success at the rural box office (gross just under £30 thousand) and mainstream box office (£8+ thousand). PR reached out to a braod online audience, particularly sites with a regional focus. The core demographic was a rural audience so they used targeted promotions on key sites such as Mature Times (tour and tea promotion) and Gransnet (homepage coverage), stressing the key regional focus. Another specific audience, the older female, was reached through additional activity on key older female lifestyle sites and listings as well as The Lady.
• Trends: did you remember to include them?
• Your own viewing habits: did you refer to what you and your peers do?
  

G322 TV DRAMA

We revise for G322 TV Drama by analysing representation in Shameless HERE 
(with thanks to Beauchamp College Media).

Exam question: 
How is the representation of class constructed in this extract?
Consider mise-en-scene, cinematography, sound and editing.

YOUR FILM POSTER, WEBSITE, FACEBOOK & TWITTER

Portrait film posters

For Evaluation q. 5, you show how your film will attract and address audiences. You and your group undertake 4 activities between you.

• first make a film poster using Photoshop.
• design a film website (not live, just in Photoshop). It will feature the poster amongst other things.
• a Twitter feed for your film
• a Facebook page for your film.

  

  Landscape film posters