Impact of New Digital technology in the Film Industry

1. DigitalTechnology and the
impact on Institutions and
Audiences

2. What New DigitalTechnology
exists?

3. The Impact of DigitalTechnology
• Revolutionised the modern world (not just film)
• Revolutionising production, distribution,
marketing, exhibition (consumption of film)
• Films are now cheaper and easier to make,
cheaper to distribute, and 3D/Imax Cinemas are
enhancing the viewing experience

4. NDT and the Audience
• NDT has allowed audiences to become ‘produser’ –
producers/uses of media
• “Conventional research methods are replace – or at least supplemented
by new methods which recognise and make use of people’s own
creativity, and brush aside outmoded notions of ‘receiver’ audiences and
elite ‘producers’.”
– Gauntlett
• What is NDT from an audience point of view?
– Web2.0
– Social Media

5. The NDT Audience
• Active users of the media
• Audience ‘Fragmentation’ – this makes it hard to reach
everyone (360 degree branding is to surround us with
the produce across all form of media – eg)
• The need to use convergence –
– A) - technologies coming together, eg, a mobile phone
– B), media industries are diversifying so they produce and
distribute across several media eg newspaper

6. Audiences and Institutions
• The relationship has changed
• Rather than keeping the audience together institutions are
trying to ‘trigger engagement’ in a variety of ways
• Push Media vs Pull Media
• Push = institutions push media at us
• Pull = we choose want media we what and in what form

7. The LongTail and theThe Film
Industry
The Long Tail theory can be applied to the film industry in terms of how
films are distributed.
i.e. The Head is a high street film retailer such as Blockbuster.
The Long Tail is an online film distribution service such as
Amazon.

8. The Film Industry
This means that high street shops (the Head) that sell films are gradually becoming
less popular due to the restrictions they experience in terms of shelf-space.
Internet retailers (the Long Tail) do not experience this as they do not have a physical
shop. Their unlimited space shelf allows them to provide for niche markets,
increasing their customers as they have a wider variety of products.

9. For example…
The Head may contain: Cinema chains such as Cineworld, Odeon; film retailers such as
HMV, Blockbuster etc.
The Long Tail may contain: Internet sites such as Netflix, YouTube, LOVEFiLM etc.; iTunes
etc.
Due to the growing accessibility of the Internet, more and more films are being
downloaded online rather than bought in the shops.
Head LongTail

10. Impacts on the Film Industry
Advantages Disadvantages
Films are more available
online, increasing views and
popularity.
Illegal downloads i.e.
Putlocker, Sockshare,
1channel.
Facilities such as film forums
allow customers to give
feedback, helping the film
industry to improve.
High street shops lose sales
as customers resort to online
purchases.
People can narrow down their
choices of film via filtering
services.
Those without internet access
are limited to only films that
are in shops.
Customers can see what films
are similar to those that they
like, broadening target
audiences for other films.
The atmosphere of going to
the cinema is lost.

11. NDT and Production
• New technology used in Avatar
• The Hobbit? Frozen? Other case studies?
• Digital Cameras – cheaper, cleaner, easier to manipulate but????
• HD – higher quality
• 3D – spectacle, hard to pirate, hard to produce at home, new
• Imax - spectacle, hard to pirate, hard to produce at home, new
• CGI – achieve the impossible, exciting, creative
• Synthespians? (term coined by Randle and Culkin – used for extras
which are costly)

12. NDT and Distribution
• Digital Distribution will transform the film industry
more than any other technological advancement
• Key Point
– Cheaper
– Quicker
– Simultaneous global release (cuts down piracy)
– Great Potential and Great Danger

13. Advantages
• Digital Data Files can be broadcast/downloaded by
satellite (fast)
• Via satellite reduces the risk of film prints ‘going
astray’, reduce piracy
• Film stock is heavy, hard to work with and fragile
• Film needs specialist handling, digital does not
• Quality remains consistent over multiple screening
• Multiple copies for the price of one!

14. Disadvantages
• Audience attitude to the internet being ‘free’ (think
Napster, LimeWire, BitTorrent)
• Marketing becomes way more important
• Quality?
• The ‘Experience’
• Production Companies are always one step behind
technology so could they lose total control of their
product?

15. NDT and Marketing
• The use of NDT in marketing has made a huge
difference to society.
• There are now viral advertisements to promote
products.
• Apps on phones for games or latest information – the
possibilities are endless
• The internet- you can find anything.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R55e-uHQna0

16. NDT and Exhibition
• Better quality of image because it is digital (???)
• More flexibility for Exhibition and for the audience
• Cheaper to run
• Disadvantage – change over to digital, 3D, HD, iMax is
very expensive!!!!
• The Digital Screen Network is helping British cinemas
change over

17. What do we mean by proliferation of
hardware or content?
• What does proliferation mean?
So how does this relate
to the film industry?
‘. . . a rapid and often excessive spread or increase’
(Dictionary.com)

18. Examples of growth as a result of
NDT . . .Hardware
A wide range of devices for
playback and exhibition –
MP4 players, DVD, Blu-Ray,
mobiles, computers, digital
video and digital projection
These technologies also offer
opportunities in terms of
marketing and distribution
Content
There is a wider range of
content available largely
due to the proliferation of
new technologies that have
enabled easier film
production and distribution
e.g. ‘YouTube’/’Love Film’
This content is now much
more accessible to
audiences.

19. How has technology affected
the audience and
institutions?
In small groups come up with the top ten
ways NDT has affected the audience and
institutions.

20. HomeworkTask
• What technologies were used and important for our case study
films?
• Did the use/lack of use of these new technologies make the films
better/worse and/or more successful?
– The Hobbit
– Fifth Estate
– Frozen
– Shifty
– 12Years a Slave