Technological Changes Essay Question

9th June 2020 火曜日
"Technology has been rapidly evolving and this has meant significant changes to the film production process at every level.  Outline these changes and discuss their impact on the film industry and what it means for audiences consuming the media produced."

There are many technological changes impacting the film production process. This essay will be focusing on production, post-production and distribution in particular. Marketing methods are changing as the ways audience consumes media are changing. A key development of technology is the digital camera which is replacing the traditional film-making process of 35mm film. The manufacturer has ceased the production of film cameras as digital cameras are becoming increasingly popular. 

Production: 

Digital cameras enables the cinematographer to see what is being captured which gives more scope of creativity as it allows the cinematographer to play around with different technical elements, for example, lighting. This immediate playback feature allows director and actors to view the scene, it shows whether the scene needs to be shot again. Because it is easy and fast to retake shots the director and the actors are given more flexibility.  There is less pressure on actors as mistakes mean that the scene can be retaken again without it costing and becoming waste, unlike film.

Technologically developed cameras such as Red Digital Camera Wooden Box contain 4K sensors and superior quality images at 8K resolution used to film blockbuster films. However, digital cameras are becoming less expensive enabling more purchase of cameras.  It allows for numerous shots of scenes at different camera angles. This helps to aid the narrative of the movie by adding perspective and makes it more visually interesting for the audience. As Jason Chan co-founder of BananaMana, a Singapore-based production company says, '"The digital revolution has levelled the playing field in that anyone can make films with a certain degree of technological polish". This is evident by the young adult contemporary romance TV show it produced called Perfect Girl which became award-winning and shows on Netflix Asia.  There are state-of-art cameras that capture images and allow other images to be inserted onto it. To give an example, the actor Cody Walker superimposed his image on his brother's image in the film, Fast & Furious 7.

There is technical equipment to go alongside the camera such as the lens and steady-cam equipment which helps to change the atmosphere of the shot.  Both boost the quality of the movie by making it more realistic. For instance, a high-quality lens means a higher resolution and steady-cam equipment stabilizes the handheld filming. 

Other advancements in technology include drone cameras, 4K 3D cameras, cloud technologies and 3D printing. The 4K 3D cameras allow virtual reality scenes in the movie. Virtual reality is the use of computer technology in a movie involving the audience's five senses allowing the audience to be fully immersed in the movie experience. Cloud technologies are the hardware, software and infrastructure components that deliver computing services such as Saas (software as a service), Paas (platform as a service) and IaaS ( infrastructure as service) via a network (i.e the Internet). The advantage of cloud technologies for the film industry is that it cuts production costs meaning films can be made at a lower cost a result of this are the many films that can be made. 3D printing prints out equipment such as movie costumes and camera gears. Drone cameras capture moving objects in high definition this is particularly good for scenes with overhead shots of car chases, for example. It automatically operates with knowledge of camera techniques and angles which can be experimented with until the best shot is reached. 

According to the NZ trend, phones are the most used devices. It has the camera feature allowing videos to be made. Also as mentioned digital cameras are becoming less expense. Both of these factors are making it easier to increase the output of films. Because of this the style of storytelling is changing. For example, vlogs on youtube are becoming interesting content to watch as they are casual and relatable. 

Post-production: 

Editing software replaces the manual task of cutting and pasting film which was time-consuming especially if mistakes were made. It manipulates photos and adds enhancement such as white balance, filter and also visual effects and sound. 

The ease of editing on a computer means there is a risk of the original idea being lost. This is especially important for films with complex plot lines where the editing could add to the confusion. Continuous technical development in digital cameras and software means the nature of storytelling will be changing. 

In terms of storage, digital files can be in many formats of many quality.  Because of that movies can be shared on various platforms reaching a wider number of audience. There are five platforms which are ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD), subscription video-on-demand (SVOD), transactional video-on-demand (TVOD), cable video-on-demand and free video-on-demand. Pro-Res 422.mov format is the best for the above, H.264 format is best for streaming online and 1920x1080 (1080p) is best for cinema screening. The archival process of storing cans of films is high-maintenance as if it not done properly can damage easily. There is also the cost of storage whereas digital films can be stored on servers without taking up much space. The raw shots of the digital archives act as a backup so it is easy to restore the data if something happens that causes it to be lost. For example, there had been an incident for the movie Toy Story 2 where backup saved the animator from losing nearly the entire movie content.

Globalisation is resulting in the understanding of different cultures which has a positive demand for foreign movies. Including subtitles or closed captions help to reach a vast audience. The website Rev helps to translate to foreign subtitles. Closed captions mean viewers who have difficulty hearing can watch because it includes atmospherics such as sound effects and on-screen music both which are important elements to the narrative. 

Distribution: 

YouTube is the most common marketing method. It is an example of an AVOD or free video-on-demand platform.

There is an increase of audiences from being passive to active participants. Through the audience youtube accounts they can interact with the media by clicking on the thumbs up button to show that they have enjoyed the content.This saves time searching for for similar content as youtube would personally recommend youtube clips to the individual. Studios with big-budget trailers have more views because of two reasons: the quality of the content which gives the production company a brand identity so audiences tend to watch movies produced by the company and secondly by paying youtube to promote the movie trailer.

Another way is by using a pre-packaged set of promotional materials (includes the film synopsis, image and personal story about the movies) called press kit. This information can be given out on an official website where news on upcoming screenings and factoids are included.

57% of the world's population is connected to the internet. This had led to the growth of web 2.0 as evident by the growing active social media users of 3.4million according to data taken in 2019 based on a survey. This indicates out of 4.2 million internet users only 0.8million are not active on social media. The top 5 most used social media sites are Facebook, Youtube, Whatsapp, FB Messenger, Wechat and Wbxin. iGens are the first generation to have access to iPhones, iPads, iPods etc. which provides digital platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter keeping them digitally connected. They are considered to be the latest generation of cinema audiences. So, using trailers and posters of the movie is not enough to engage with the iGen. Businesses are using social media to attract potential audiences by setting up an official page regularly giving content about the movie this will generate hype about it. Viral marketing is done by the hashtag feature which helps to grow the audience knowledge about the movie. All this contribute to feeling the movie is a 'must go to' social event by the time it is released in the cinema. 

Other ways the internet contribute to marketing is through the strategy of synergy and cross-media convergence. Synergy is the combining of media and non-media products to promote a film whereas cross-media convergence includes media products only. Both strategies play an important part in immersing the audience about the movie. Technology is the key to all this.

1,366 words