1. Institutions and Audiences
The 7 Key Concept Areas Listed and Explained
Section B: Institutions and Audiences
Candidates should be prepared to understand and discuss the processes of production,
distribution, marketing and exchange as they relate to contemporary media institutions, as
well as the nature of audience consumption and the relationships between audiences and
institutions. In addition, candidates should be familiar with:
• the issues raised by media ownership in contemporary media practice;
• the importance of cross media convergence and synergy in production, distribution
and marketing;
• the technologies that have been introduced in recent years at the levels of
production, distribution, marketing and exchange;
• the significance of proliferation in hardware and content for institutions and
audiences;
• the importance of technological convergence for institutions and audiences;
• the issues raised in the targeting of national and local audiences (specifically, British)
by international or global institutions;
• the ways in which the candidates’ own experiences of media consumption illustrate
wider patterns and trends of audience behaviour.
This unit should be approached through contemporary examples in the form of case studies
based upon one of the specified media areas. See explanations below.
Section B: Institutions and Audiences.
The Exam Board will select one concept to devise a question for the exam.

2. • the issues raised by media ownership in contemporary (current) media practice
The depth and range of ownership across a range of media and the consequences of this
ownership for audiences in terms of the genres and budgets for films. How for instance, can
Channel4's Film4 survive in the British market place against the high concept, big-budget
films made by Newcorp's FOX, Warner Bros, Disney, Universal, etc.? What kinds of niche
audiences are left for Film4 to attract? Are mass audiences out of reach given the genres of
films Film4 have the budgets to make? How successful have they been in reaching mass
audiences with their films? How healthy is it that just a few mega media groups can own such
a range of media and can decide what the public may see, and, perhaps, shape audience's
tastes?
• the importance of cross media convergence and synergy in production, distribution
and marketing
Digital technology is enabling various media to converge in hubs, platforms and devices. For
instance, mobiles phones do a lot more than act as hand held telephones: you can download
and watch films and TV programmes, use them as alarm clocks, watches, play music on
them, take photos and short films, text, go online, use GPS functions, a range of apps, and a
whole lot more. New HD TVs, Playstations, X-Boxes, I-Pads, Notebooks, MacBooks, etc. are
also examples of hubs which in which a variety of media technologies can converge for
convenience for users. Media convergence is having an enormous impact on the film industry
because of the ways in which institutions can produce and market for audiences/users on a
widening range of platforms, capable of receiving their films.
Synergies can come out of an organisation's size; smaller media organisations such as
Channel4 can-cross promote their films, etc. but the scale of cross-media promotion is
nowhere near as great as that which can be gained by massive media organisations. Film4 is
therefore unable to promote their lower budget films on a level playing field.
• the technologies that have been introduced in recent years at the levels of
production, distribution, marketing and exchange
The audience's ability to interact with films by, for instance, using digital technology to put
extracts on You Tube and overlay new sound tracks on them, etc. and make answering
videos has been greatly enhanced by Web 2.0; Film studios can make films using CGI,
greenscreen and other special effects that were impossible to make only a few years ago.
The ways of filming and editing films have changed, too, with the introduction of digital film
and film cameras, editing software, laptops, digital projectors, etc. Distributors market films

3. using the latest software for designing high-concept film posters and trailers. They can use
phone apps., online marketing, Face Book, etc. File-sharing and piracy are growing issues
because the software exists to take the protective encryption of DVDs, etc and WEB 2.0
enables people to make and share copies of films easily. One way in which film companies
are trying to get around this is by releasing films soon after theatrical release by selling them
on video-on-demand, premium TV channels and downloads. US and UK cinemas chains are
not happy about this, especially after all the investment some have made on digital
equipment, projectors, etc. which unfortunately quickly goes very quickly out of date!
• the significance of proliferation in hardware and content for institutions and
audiences
This means the increase of something: i.e. digital cameras, software, CGI, 3D films, film
genres, etc. which are part of current trends; how significant is this for See Saw Films or
Film4? Or are they still able to be successful without it by making films with genres that do not
need the latest breakthroughs in digital technology? Research the film company's use of
cameras, special effects, software, posters, digital distribution of films, etc.
• the importance of technological convergence for institutions and audiences
This is a WEB 2.0 issue and how technology is coming together in hubs like laptops is one of
the features of our age; the mobile phone in your pocket is a great example of technological
convergence: it can do so much more than a simple phone call; think how this is affecting film
making at the production, marketing and exhibition stages? The Internet is acting as a hub for
many aspects of film: you will find film posters, You Tube videos on films, interviews, trailers,
official film and blog websites, etc. on it. Audiences can also remake their own films by
creating extracts and running new scores over them and then posting them on You Tube.
This often leads to answering videos, never mind the comments, etc. that people make on
such sites. The internet, film and videos games seems to be converging in so many ways.
People can watch films in a range of ways, using an astonishing range of hardware and
software. They can also find audiences of their own. This amounts to free publicity for film
institutions for their films and "A Long Tail" sales into the future through endless exchange.
• the issues raised in the targeting of national and local audiences (specifically, British)
by international or global institutions
"Slumdog Millionaire" was originally aimed at Asian audiences living in various parts of the
UK and also at Danny Boyle fans. The film's unexpected success at film festivals and being
nominated for the Oscars led to another theatrical release and a crossover from the "indy"
art-house into the mainstream. British film makers often make social realism films and aim
them at local and regional audiences whereas this would never be enough for the major
media players who tend to make high budget, high concept films. They have boutique
offshoots who make and often distribute lower budget films, aimed at more high brow
audiences. Disney's Mirimax and Fox's Fox Searchlight are examples of such boutique, art-
house film distribution.
• the ways in which the candidates’ own experiences of media consumption illustrate
wider patterns and trends of audience behaviour
How you consume films whether it is as a social activity after visiting a shopping centre or on
an MP4 player or Playstation, is what is at issue here. Visit Pearl and Dean to see how
multiplex cinemas are adapting the experience of cinema-going to gain audiences. In an age
of falling DVD sales, home cinema and an increase in downloading for both music and film
audiences are changing in how they want to consume film. Identify trends and consider
where the audience trends are going in the near future.