Mock question. (20 marks)

Q.Using your wider knowledge of media technologies, discuss how far young peoples views of media technology differs from that of their parents.

A. The media ecosystem is evolving, allowing older generations to more actively be involved with such games consoles as the Playstation which is presominantly aimed at teenagers. The Nintendo Wii is a new technology which has had a great impact on adults as well as children due to the interactivity and active workout which no other console of its type has given in the past.
However, It has been estimated that 8% of youths are addicted to gaming. This addiction is considered to be a psychological ilness and is becoming more and more common, especially with online games such as WorldOfWarcraft.
Another technology which has been more common with youths in the past is online social networking. This is becoming increasingly popular with adults as well because they enjoy it. In the past, this has been used almost exclusively by teenagers, but this isn't the case anymore.
Downloading music from the internet has always been considered more popular with youths than adults. However, this is not the case anymore as more and more adults do it now. Also, technologies such as I-Pods are much more common with people under the age of 40. The i-pod is aimed at anyone between the ages of 9-30. People younger than this are not clever enough to use it and people older than this usually are more attracted to older technologies such as CD players.
Digital T.V is probably used just as much by youths as by adults because of the wide variety of channels available - there's something for everyone. However, the buying of technologies such as a Sky-box is more common with adults as they have a larger income.

Useful websites

Blu-ray vs HD

Surround sound 5.1

Film and the audience of tomorrow

Americans prefer DVD's to cinema

The Perils of NMT's.

1. Why Is consumerism a concept central to this unit?
2. How do we often ‘unwittingly give up our privacy’?
3. How have NMT’s criminalised audiences?
4. What health and environmental issues doe NMTs pose?

1. New Media Technologies are driven by consumerism. This is mostly because of the increasing amount of demand for these technologies. As the article states: 'Average household spending on new media has risen dramatically in the last ten years.' This increase in popularity has resulted in institutions developing more technologies so that their audiences can get what they want.
2. Every time we buy something online, search for something, visit a website etc. Websites such as Google and Amazon are able to keep a record of all our activities. Not a lot of people realise this so they give up information about themselves without realising.
3. Many people turn to crime without realising. Promotion of illegal downloading softwares such as Napster is always increasing causing tconsumers to download music and other such files without realising it is illegal. Also, computer games such as Manhunt and GrandTheftAuto have been critisized for promoting violence in young peoples minds and causing them to think it is okay to kill people like this - even though it's not.
4. Environmental problems arise because all technologies release electronic waste which are hazardous. Also, the disposal of electronic gadgets is an issue. Also, there is a potential threat from mobile phone masts. It is thought that the electromagnetic waves released by them are harmful and may even cause cancer. This is why it is such a threat when these masts are located near schools.

The decline of cinema figures

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/4051741.stm

The above website states that attendance in the 1940s in the UK was almost 10 times the size it is today. They calaim that the only films to attract decent cinema figures in recent years are thos which rely heavily on special effects or animation, such as Terminator 3 and Tranformers. The average cinema attendance in the 1940's was 1,400,000,000 compared to the 167 million in 2003.
I believe the reason for this is the growing options available to consumers, such as those that come with DVD's. These are becoming more easily to access and cheaper which causes cinema prices to rise. Together, these two effects result in consumers not wanting to go to cinemas.

piracy is bad!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2003/oct/21/film.filmnews

Informa Media Group believes profits from legal sales of movies over the internet will be more than $870m by 2010. But sales over the internet would be worth $1.33bn if the industry stopped illegal online downloading.
In fact, the conclusion of the Informa report is not as worrying as one given earlier in the year by Deloitte & Touche. A report from them warned that illegal online downloading could cost the top studios up to $4bn annually within the next two years.
The Informa group also estimates that 144,000 films are downloaded every day across the world or 6,000 an hour.
All this piracy leads to declining cinema figuresa and film makers lose profits. Some low-budget film makers may even find it difficult to break into hollywood because of piracy. It is widely considered to be stealing.

Distribution of films - new oppurtunities.

The film industry is forever evolving and finding new ways to allow their audiences to enjoy their films.
Consumers want fast, cheap and good quality films available to them easily and too many people are turning to illegal downloading from the entertainment hub that is the PC to get these things. The film industry wants secure distribution of their films and a business model that will provide them with profit as well as security.
It seems that the internet is now becoming a new distribution channle along with DVDs and CDs. If the film industry is to use this new route, it needs to come up with a legal way to make money whilst delivering fast, high-quality films that will appeal to consumers.
Technology advancements could lead to less buffering delays, which would give the consumer what they want in a quicker time than ever before.
The internet may be the future, but the film industry is still finding ways to enhance the current distribution channels they have. DVDs have been developed to be able to hold up to four films and still play them all with high quality.

What's next for pixar?

As we know, Pixar and Disney work very much together now, and to celebrate the 80th birthday of Mickey Mouse this year, they have decided to update us on their future release plans.
The movies include the eagerly anticipated Toy Story 3, Bolt (featuring the voices of John Travolta and Miley Cyrus), The Bear and the Bow (Reese Witherspoon, Billy Connolly and Emma Thompson) and The Princess and The Frog (John Goodman). Out of these, Bolt and The Princess and The Frog are to be released in 2008.
Pixar's first 3D film, called Up, is to be released next year as is the release of their first blu-ray DVD.
"We're excited to be pushing the boundaries of 3D and computer technology to tell our stories in the best possible way," said John Lasseter, chief creative officer for Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios.

Information from BBC website.

How has CGI technology been recieved so far?

The first major CGI success was Toy story in which pixar were praised for the shiny surfaces of the toy's faces. Then, they were acclaimed for the shiny, rugged exoskeleton's of the insects in A Bug's Life. Next was Monsters inc which was a huge success because of the attention to detail shown for the main character, Sullivan. The CGI technology was used to create every hair on Sullivan's body seperately and thus giving the smooth, flowing effect shown by the cuddly creature. These are just three of a magnificent looking collection of films released in quick succession by the Pixar team.
However the next film, Finding Nemo, was not so warmly greeted. Although it was a highly grossing film and had a top-notch storyline, it has been considered as a step back for the pixar team. It has been said that it is very similar to Toy Story 2, but there is a great deal of humour and adventure which it does not deliver. The technology has been considered a step back because of the main characters. They are a couple of fish who have been made with the same shiny, smooth surface shown in the Toy Story films which is not considered as advanced or impressive as the swaying fur coat of Sullivan the monster. However, the underwater environment has been constructed beautifully with such attention to detail that even if the characters themselves may be less than impressive, simply getting lost in the backdrop is sure to be a joy for most viewers.
These main CGI films released by the Pixar team have been so successful that Pixar has been referred to as the 'greatest breakthrough in film ever!' The mixture of fantastic storylines and adventures with spellbinding pictures has been enough to win over most of the poppulation.

Movie Review: Nemo sinks below Pixar standards

CGI technology

cgi debate

How is film industry changing due to digital technology?

What is the future for CGI technology?

When unreality bites can we turn to 'real films'?

The above article is from the film and tv section of the Independant website. It explores the debate that 'cinema is fast moving into a new, digital era' in which actors are being 'replaced altogether by computer-generated simulacra.'
According to official box office figures, the top three grossing films of 2007 were Spiderman 3, Shrek 3 and Transformers. Also amongst the top ten were I am Legend, 300 and Ratatouille. None of these films grossed less than £200million. This illustrates just how reliant films are nowadays on soecial effects and 'raises the question whether they can be called live-action movies.'
The Sony Pictures special-effects coordinator, Yair Landau, believes that the reason for this is that 'animators borrow more and more freely from live action movies as they attempt to give their cartoons an air of verisimilitude.'
The advantage for the audience is that they build a greater enotional relationship with the main character. For example, Landau states that for Spiderman 3, he felt it was important that 'audiences don't distinguish between the scenes that are done using computer-generated imagery (CGI) and those using old-fashioned live action.'
Landaurs vision of the future is one in which CGI technology is used just as much, if not more than live-action. He believes that this is because the audience in a cinema must feel as close to the characters on screen as possible. Another example is the new 3D U2 film in which 'the film-makers are using state-of-the-art technology to allow you to get far closer to the band than any real-life concert-goer.'
This is the view of Landau, however, if you look at theis years nominations for film awards, it is clear that the audience still prefer good old-fashioned live-movies. Amongst those nominated are Atonement, No Country for Old Men and Juno, all three of which are nominated for best picture. However, their Box-office income is almost half that of CGI driven films such as Transformers and 300.

Pixar background information

The following information has been acquired from the wikipedia website available from this link.

Pixar Animation Studios is an computer animation studio based in California (USA) that is most recognizable for its eight Academy Awards. It is best known for its work with CGI animation in films such as Toy Story, Finding Nemo, and Ratatouille. The CGI effect is achieved through 'PhotoRealistic RenderMan', Pixar's own version of the standard image rendering software used by animated films to get a high-quality image.

'On January 24, 2006, The Walt Disney Company agreed to buy Pixar for $7.4 billion from Steve Jobs - who had previously acquired it from Lucasfilm - through an all-stock transaction.'

Homework Questions........

What is citizen journalism?

Citizen journalism is a style of journalism which is becoming increasingly popular. It basically consists of the audience being actively involved with a media source. Examples are e-mails sent to a media source which are them published as part of an article, videos sent to media sources which are then used as part of the audience's consumption such as during the terror attacks, etc.

What ideas does Emily Bell present in her article?

The main ideas Bell portrays are :

• Digital technology is leading to democratisation of media.
• The speed, volume and type of technology has been made possible by the internet, broadband and digitised media sources.
• Unmoderatied blogs on websites may 'raise eyebrows' as to how they will be controlled.
• The media sources have to incorporate the ideas of these audience's into their select media.
• Media technologies have to learn to grow with their new communities.

What ideas does the video portray?

The video portrays the power of the internet on society and shows us that in a few years tme, people will rely on digital technology heavily and tells us that such digital companies will take over.

Thinking outside the box

1. Endism is the idea that when new ideas come along, older ones are replaced
2. A media ecosystem is a system in which living organisms interact with one another and with their sorroundings and an ecosystem is always in a state of continuous ferment. S essentially, it is the collection of media sources found in our environment.
3. narrowcasting television is T.V in which specialist content is aimed at subscription-based audiences and distributed via digital channels. i.e the media's way of aiming to get more money.
4. The web is enormous, but it's just one kind of traffic that runs on the internet's tracks and signalling. The internet is more than one kind of traffic running and signalling.
5. Push media is the media that can be consumed easily by everyone. i.e on Tv it is channels one to five as they are available to all. The opposite, pull media, is when the audience is consuming media which they have demanded. i.e digital t.v channels.
6. Bloggong gives people a way of sharing their ideas without having their intellectual merit judged. i.e they can post their ideas without any discernible literary so theyare not under pressure.

My decision

I have decided to do my case study on the fim industry. I will focus mainly on how fiolms are produced, sent to cinemas and viewed. I will also however, touch upon the decline of cinema viewing figures and the possible causes for this

Feedback #1

Well done Saad - up to date and a proficient summary of some of the key debates for the film industry. I would expect you to be referencing websites that you have visited and including some facts and figures too on distribution or downloading.



Make sure you source all webpages read.



B/1

digital technology and the film industry.

1) For this question, i referred to the bbc website where i found out about how distribution of films is changing due to the new technologies available.
Traditionally, film makers used film 'rolls' which were negatives and had to be sent to a laboratory at thr end of the day to be used, this inconvenient technique has been replaced by digital cameras which allow the films to be downloaded onto a computer and watched throughout the day quickly and easily.
Film rolls have to be edited on a 'workplate' using a mechanical editing machine which is difficult because the picture frames can't be located easily. Using digital technology, it is possible to use the computer to 'trim' the film and edit it however necessary using different softwares such as CGI. Also, digital technology alllows the picture frames to be combined with a soundtrack easily.
Difital technologies allow the director to view the film right after it is shot so that he can decide whether or not he needs to shoot it again.
Digital projection systems are the latest thing. The release copy of the movie is delivered on a hard drive, sporting 100 gigabytes of the latest Hollywood fare, a digitally scanned copy of the master film print. Once clipped into place the movie is simply uploaded to a server and is one button-push away from being digitally projected. The big advantage of digital projection is the picture quality.

2) Once a film has been completed, it has to be sent to the studio where a licensing agreement is made with the distribution company. This company decide how many copies to make and shows it to prospective buyers. The buyer then sends the movie to a cinema a few days before it's opening date.
This process is changing rapidly not only to make it more profitable fo the distribution company, but also to promote the fiolm more. Recently, companies like Buena Vista have been taken over by larger companies like Disney who then send the film to the cinema themselves so as to avoid the'middle man'. Some distribution companies merge with production companies so they can work together on films like Star Wars and share the profits.

These are a couple of admission summaries throughout cinemas:

Cinema admissions for January08 stood at 13.5m, down 3.6% year on year.
• The average weekly admissions figure for January was 3.04m.
• Continuing its success into January, I Am Legend was the biggest film of the month taking £18m.
• P.S. I Love You starring Hilary Swank was in second place with £8.9m, it tells the story about marriage, friendship and how a love so strong can turn the finality of death into a new beginning for life.
• In third position was St.Trinian's , the story of the an anarchical school for uncontrollable girls with £6.5m.
• Released on 25 January, Sweeney Todd featuring Johnny Depp and Sacha Baren Cohen was in 4 th place with £6.3m.
• In fifth place the real world and the animated world collide in Enchanted which took £5.7m.

Cinema admissions for January07 stood at 14.0m down 0.2% year on year.
• The average weekly admissions figure for January was 3.15m.
• Night at the Museum featuring Ben Stiller hit the number one spot in January taking £12.5m.
• The Pursuit of Happyness was in second place with £7.6m, starring Will Smith.
• Rocky returned to the big screen in January 2007, taking his place in the ring for the last time. The film was the 3 rd top performer of the month.
• In fourth place was the film telling the Story of Beatrix Potter, Miss Potter, starring Ewan McGregor and Rennee Zellweger.
• Casino Royale continued to do well into January 2007 featuring as the fifth biggest film of the month.

I found these two summaries on an advertising company's website called Pearl And Dean. It clearly shows the decline in cinema admissions over the period of just a year. This decline may be

3) Prices for Cinema tickets are increasing, and prices for home cinema systems are reducing. This fact is resulting in people wanting to watch films at home rather than going out to the cinema. Film pirates make an estimated £300million profit a year according to the Federation Sgainst Copyright Theft. (FACT)
This illegal activity is fast replacing the cinema industry and many believe that if this is to be avoided, films should be legally availabe at the same time for download as they are at the cinema. Filmakers object to this notion because they want their films to be experienced in the cinema befoe they are availabe on 'the small screen'.

Moral panics and concerns with online technology.

The main social concern that sorounds the evolution of digital technology is that there will no longer be a global village. Instead, there will be a divide between people who do have access to these technologies, and people who don't. However, this article has some interesting information about an organization the united nations are setting up which concentrates on funding less developed countries with enough money to gain access to not only computers, but the internet too. The organization is called 'Digital Soliditary Fund'.
The evolution of these technologies has also had an effect on the way we interact with other people online. for example, the availability of networking sites such as Bebo and Facebook have given us ways of 'selling ourselves' not only to our friends, but also anyone else who choses to visit your profile and read all about you. On the other hand, some people interact with friends more cautiously because of the rising numbers of people who use these sites to 'stalk' people and the rising number of cases such as the 'MySpace killer'.
The fact the the WWW is so huge makes it incredibly difficult to monitor everything that goes on. This is why people say 'the only place we have any freedom is on the web' - because nobody can tell penalise you on the web. However, this is becoming a problem not only on local levels for the police but also on national levels for th government. The fact that the internet is so open means that killers and terrorists can use the internet to communicate information securely. These sorts of things can not yet be sensored or moderated. Also, the small number of sites that can be moderated are so easy to violate and hack, that people are finding ways of getting around these regulations and moderators.

Tell me the future...

1. Chris Wolfe is the co founder of MySpace and he says that these online networking sites are fast eveolving into a social web. He says that he expects it to become infinitely more personal portable and collabarative. He also says that the expectations of the users of these social websites are growing rapidly - they expect to be able to use these sites more often, more easily and more safely. Portable technology will fufill these expectations and ultimately make this phenomenon even more popular.
2. Chad hurley is the co founder of YouTube and his goal is to make this video site available to every person on the planet by making videos easier to upload and to access. He is an extremely positive technology determinist because he is predicting his comapnys technology to develop into ore complex, widely accessible and informative within the next five years.
3. Maurice Levy says that advertising companies will have to be much more creative to catch our eye as more and more people use digital technology. She says that this is because of the 'explosion of media channels'. The difference bwtween linear and liquid media is that in liquid, you can move in and out of settings. (You don't have to follow as many rules - you have more freedom)
4. Norvig is saying that when Edison invented electricity, he had no idea that this invention would lead to things like MP3 players and T.Vs, this is the case with online technology as well - people now use the internet for nearly all their needs: shopping, socializing, gaming, communicating. Norvig seems to convey the idea that the impact the internet is having is so great, that it may one day be as significant as the impact electricity has had on our lives.
5. The impact of technology on the economy is that less developed countries are being provided with less power, cables, etc. If this continues, there will be a huge digital divide between deceloped countries and undeveloped countries as some people will have the internet whereas others won't.

Characteristics of new media

1) Digitality is the binery code which all programmes and softwares are based on. It consists of a series of on and off pulses which are responsible for running anything on your computer, i-pod, T.V etc.

2) Interactivity refers to all the different ways in which people 'stream' This nlcudes satelllite dishes, broadband, cable T.V etc. Recently, this interactivity has been compressed to be able to fit more information into one 'bandwidth'. This basically means that it is more efficient as more information can be communicated and faster. Another feature of interactivity is that it is a two way process. i.e. you can respond to what your media tachnology says - you can interact with it.

3) Hypertextuality is the study of how texts are organised and structured. It is not as linear as it used to be and this has increased the competition between different media texts as it allows you to 'jump' between different texts.

4) Dispersal deals with how different types of information is shared between people and organizations. The fat that there has been more and more dispersal in the past few years has increased the market for producers.

5) The study of virtuality is very similar to iconography as it deals with how cartoons etc are representations of how real something is. There is a debate which asks the question 'are these animations and cartoons a representing or mimicking real life situations.'

6) Convergance refers to the idea that new media technologies are merging old technologies into smaller devices which can do more that one thing. Examples include mobile phones with cameras and the internet, mp3 players with video playing and photo viewing capabilities etc. The debate in this section is 'have these new media technologies gone too far?'