Case study research tasks
The basics
Your chosen industry: Film and distribution industry
Your chosen case study (i.e. text/institution etc.):
Entertainment films, distribution of The hateful eight and other film trilogies
(Lord of the rings, Blade and Rush Hour)
Have you received approval for this case study from your teacher? Yes/No
Audience
1) How has new and digital media
changed the audience experience in your chosen industry?
New and
digital media has provided new platforms on which films can be distributed and
shared on. Similar to the news industry where the Internet and computers
completely changed the way news was viewed, the internet along with other
pieces of new technology like smart TV’s has changed the way people can access
films. The industry has had to adapt and meet the dynamic market and make films
available. Audiences experience has got much more enjoyable as they can view
films in more than one place where they feel comfortable.
2) Has new and digital media changed
the way the audience consume your chosen product?
Audiences have more choice and freedom when choosing where to
view there film. In the past you either viewed a film in the theatres or on a
video tape. After this came the introduction of DVD then Blue ray and with this
came the option to view your purchased copy on your smart phone or other. Video
on demand came shortly after and everything blew up quickly and audiences
suddenly had many platforms to view films on.
3) Has the size of the audience
changed as a result of new and digital media?
The audience size for the film industry is growing all the
time, regardless of changes In NDM, but because of advancements in technology
and NDM more people have access to film trailers and the actual film all around
the world. A distribution company can sell the rights to a video streaming site
like Netflix which would allow anyone with an internet connection from multiple
countries to view the film.
4) What are the positive changes new
and digital media have brought to the audience of your case study? (E.g.
greater choice, easier access etc.)
It brings all the advantages with it as there is now more
choice in comparison to the traditional methods of distribution e.g. in
Theatres and on video tape. Instead of having just one DVD per film you can pay
monthly to video streaming sites like Netflix
5) What are the negative changes new
and digital media have had on your chosen audience? (E.g. quality of product
etc.)
The pricing and availability of news films on VOD and sites
Netflix may be hard to get around for audiences. Newer films aren’t released on
sites straight away meaning audiences will have to wait and the prices of new
films tend to be quite high.
6) What about audience pleasures -
have these changed as a result of new and digital media?
In terms of the distribution of films, no, however people
want films with a bigger budgets and more Hollywood stars in.
7) What is the target audience for
your chosen case study? Write a demographic/psychographic profile.
For film distribution, it depends on the type of film that is
being distributed and not the audience. Films are marketed in a way to attract
the intended audience so there is not one specific target audience I could look
at. However with the introduction of NDM
targeting an audience group is not always possible as anyone is free to view it
online or stream it anywhere, the audience reach is on an immense scale.
Institution
1) How has new and digital media had
an impact on ownership or control in your chosen industry?
Entertainment films formally had a deal with New-Line cinema
and distributed their films from 1990 to 2008, notable film releases include
The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Since then New line cinema has merged with its
parent company Warner-Bros films and no longer holds the deal with Entrainment
films. Entertainment films now are The Weinstein companies main UK distributor
and have distributed films such as The Hateful eight in the UK. The coming
together and merging of companies in the distribution industry shows how
un-competitive the industry is. Piracy has caused a loss of revenues and lower
DVD sales and other merchandise sales has made profits tight and even though it
is one of the biggest industries just like the newspaper industry companies are
merging together and increasing control of only a few companies, this can be
linked to Pareto’s law.
2) What impact has new and digital
media had on ownership in your chosen case study?
The distribution industry is growing in terms of where the
films can now be distributed but the number of companies distributing is
falling because firms are agreeing to joint ventures, acquisitions and
takeovers to survive in this industry which has been affected by the rise of
new and digital media. Entertainment films has gone from distributing over 12
films a year to just 1/5. Distributing In the UK has become more difficult
because of piracy and the lack of action against it.
4) How has new and digital media changed
the way institutions distribute their product?
There are new ‘distribution channels’ available for
institutions. This has been created with the introduction of new and digital
media. Because technology is advancing and has advanced distributors have found
new ways to get their films to the intended audiences. New industries and
companies have been created to do this and an example of this is mentioned
above Netflix.
5) How might new and digital media
threaten your chosen industry?
The biggest threat to the distribution industry is falling
revenues because audiences are choosing other ways to access the newest and the
favourite films. Online piracy is a problem that has come about with the
introduction of NDM. Just how DVD’s and videos were bootlegged, films now days
are undergoing the same process, only online. Online piracy is a major threat
to the film distribution industry but also to the music industry and the record
labels that distribute their songs and also the Gaming industry with games on
Nintendo being available for free on torrent websites. As a result of more
people viewing films on illegal streaming websites distributing companies are
losing out on revenues and are facing lower profit levels. This would then
force them to cut back on advertising expenses making the quality go down and
they may cut back on where they distribute their films which would lower the
availability of them which would be bad for the audience.
6) How has new and digital media
changed the way your chosen industry is regulated?
Industries and companies in these industries have always been
regulated so to make the market prices and availability of products fair for
the consumers. The CMA in the UK are in charge of keeping UK markets fair and
completive. The way this affects film distribution companies is that the CMA
(competition and markets authority) have the power to block mergers and
takeovers from companies. This maybe a good and bad thing, it may be bad
because if companies are unable to merge then because of the changes happening
in the industry and the threat to it companies may fail and then audiences
would have restricted choice from the biggest and most profitable companies.
The good thing is that blocking mergers makes the marker more competitive and
allowing mergers means the industry still has the chance to survive.
UGC
1) What examples of user-generated
content can you find in your case study?
UGC in
this case can be interpreted as people uploading movies possibly illegally to
the web; this can be done on file sharing sites or hosted on streaming sites.
YouTube could even be an example of how this happens and it is an example how
audiences can create their own movies and distribute it themselves.
Marxism, Pluralism
and Hegemony
1) What would be a Marxist perspective of the impact
of new and digital media on your chosen case study?
The distribution industry is growing because more money is
being put into films, however there are fewer organisations that are
distributing and all may fall under some umbrella company. This means that
there is a restricted choice for film makers to go to. Although, there may not
be any ideological benefit of choosing what company to distribute a film but
since there is a restricted choice for the film makers and the organisation are
owned by profit making private individuals this debate could have a Marxist
perspective in the form of capitalism.
2) How would a pluralist view the impact of new
and digital media in your chosen industry?
Pluralist
would also be keen to point out that any organisations that are not state owned
can be controlled by authorities so consumers are not exploited.
3) Are there any examples of hegemony in your chosen industry
or case study?
No, not from the film distributors/exhibitors directly but
from the films yes, this can relate to film distributors if they are vertically
integrated with their own production company and create their film in house
meaning they wold have control over what went into their films and this could
have hegemonic reading.
Globalisation
1) How has globalisation impacted on your
chosen industry or case study?
As more films are being distributed worldwide it seems as
though this would be good for cultural diversity, however the bulk of these
films are American and this may affect cultural diversity as a reduced range of
morals and values are being shows and one race in particular is being shown of
world wide because of globalisation and the global village which means one
world interconnected by an electronic nervous system.
Important
information “Despite the fact that, in the midterm, traditional
media will probably continue to have the greatest incidence in the spreading of
cultural values, the digitalization of the media opens up perspectives for the
distribution of contents which will mean an increase in the cultural diversity
of the media. However, there is a tendency towards the implantation of pay
media which could mean that access to the contents is restricted for a great
part of the society, who do not have sufficient resources.
This tendency must be counteracted
especially by the public ownership media. ÿ The digitalization and convergence
of the media offer new possibilities for increasing cultural diversity, such as
the number of channels, the user’s direct access to the contents, the greater
possibility for subtitling or dubbing and the new routes for the distribution
of contents. ¨ The Internet is an especially appropriate medium for the
transmission of cultural contents, including that for even the smallest
minority, given that it notably increases the possibilities for choice for the
public and offers immediate access.
The Internet can facilitate the
presence in society of universities, cultural associations and other
organisations of diverse nature, which develop interesting cultural activities.
ÿ In the area of multimedia contents (Internet, DVD and videogames), as well as
the digital television channels, the present situation of dependency of
European markets with respect to North American and Japanese production, is a
serious risk for the restriction of cultural diversity in Europe.
In order to confront this situation, the
European audio-visual sector must be involved as a priority in the development
of contents for this medium, especially of those which include interactive
applications based on connection to the Internet. Globalisation of the Media
Industry and Possible Threats to Cultural Diversity 10 ÿ European leadership in
the area of digital television offers favourable ground for the development of
home-grown cultural contents which enjoy public preference. This situation can
also encourage the development of multimedia contents related to the most
successful television programmes.
2) In your opinion, has globalisation
had a positive or negative impact on your chosen industry and case study? Why?
It has
allowed for some cultural diversity, for example all around the world now
industries are getting bigger and film rights are being sold and
distributed/exhibited all around the world, e.g. Bollywood and Nollywood.
3) Can you find examples of cultural
imperialism in your case study or industry? (The 'Americanisation' of the
world)
American films are one of the most distributed and popular
films around the globe. It also has one of the biggest film industries that
take the majority of revenues. An example from my case study is how American
film distribution companies use their subsidiaries from other companies, e.g.
The Weinstein company use Entertainment films to distribute their films in the
UK.
Social media
1) How has your industry or case study used social media to promote its
products?
A big
part of exhibiting films is now promoting them on social media. This has been
brought about with the rise of New and digital media. Distribution companies
can take full advantage of reaching the largest audience possible by setting up
a twitter account, Facebook page and others to let audiences interact with
their products so that they are engaged and wont loose interest until the
film’s release.
2) Provide examples of how your case
study has used social media and explain the impact this would have on
audiences.
This is the twitter page for Entertainment films. Lion was
the last film that they solely distributed and they made a big deal out of it
to gain maximum exposure. People that follow this page and who visit recently
would definitely be aware of the film’s release and then may decide to pass it
on to other people and use the re-tweet function.
3) Is social media an opportunity or
a threat to your industry and case study?
Social media like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat
are all opportunities for my case study Entertainment films and the whole
industry because this is a new way for them to attract especially the younger
viewers as they are the ones who use this platform the most. Threats include
people sharing links to pirated copies of films, this would share It to a large
audience and would make the success of the film appear worse (in terms of the
revenues and audience viewing figures).
Statistics
1) What statistics can you find to illustrate the impact new
and digital media has had on your industry or case study? For example, in news,
the UK newspaper industry sold more than 12m copies a day in 2001 but in 2014
it was below 7m.
·
UK cinema admissions
in 2016 were 168 million, 2% lower than in 2015
·
UK box office revenues
were down 1.1%
·
Lion is still grossing
£32 K 3 months into its theatrical release, although total revenues were less
at £11.6 million, in comparison to Trainspotting which was released later has
already past maturity and is grossing considerably less at £3.9 K. This shows
the Entertainment films release strategy was more effective and they have been
advertising better.
2) Looking at these statistics, what
impact has new/digital media had on institutions in your chosen industry?
In a way it has had a positive effect as it allows the
companies who distribute the films to reach a wider audience and advertise for
longer at a lower cost when using social media. However, box office figures are
down and this is because of piracy as people are watching films online for free
as soon as they come out in cinemas.
3) What has the impact been for
audiences? These may be positive and negative.
Overall it is positive for audiences as they can view movies anytime
they like, however theatre tickets may soon rise because of the fall in
revenue. This may further decrease sales however going to the cinema Is still a
popular option and this would then come down to the sensitivity of the demand
for a cinema ticket in relation to a change in price.
Theories
·
Audience
theory- audiences are passive or active in their pursuit of media products,
Hypodermic needle model and Uses and gratifications theory.
·
Not
necessarily a media theory, but for distribution companies they may wish to
look at a product life cycle model which follows the success of their film.
·
Dominant
ideology/hegemony, advertising in the way they see fit (applies to the
distribution companies who produce their films).
·
Synergy,
companies integrating and sharing resources.
Issues/debates
1) What media issues and debates can you apply to your chosen
industry and case study? Select THREE media
issues/debates and explain how they are relevant to your case study.
·
One
of the big issues which I can cover is the piracy issue and how NDM has
provided a platform for people to share illegally downloaded movies for free
and this damaged the industry because nothing is going back into the film
industry to make more films, similarly this is happening in the news industry as
nothing is going back into it because it is being made free.
·
Declining
box office sales and DVD sales, shows traditional media platforms that were
used to distribute films are falling, although this may not be the case for
individual films the majority of the industry is slowly falling.
·
Wider
examples and secondary texts
1) What other texts or institutions are also relevant to your
case study? What would be good secondary texts or examples to use to support
the findings of your independent case study?
Another aspect to look at when looking at film distributors
would be their distribution and exhibition strategies. This can be linked to a
previous case study done and it will compare Ill Manors distro strategy by
Revolver Entertainment and a Field in England which was distributed by Film 4
productions. The Hateful 8’s distro strategy could also be mentioned as even
though NDM has had its impact on the industry The Weinstein company still
reverted back to technique used in the 1950’s. Comparing the distribution
strategies will be interesting to see how NDM has influenced them and how they differ because of it.
