How has technology changed the film industry?

How has technology changed the film industry?

Production

New digital cameras have the ability to capture images with a much higher pixel count which enhances the experience of watching the film on the big screen. Technology has dramatically reduced the physical effort of editing by making all the editing digital on computers which are a non linear form of editing.

Distribution

The marketing of films has changed a lot. To appeal to an audience which is constantly on their phones, the distributor needs to advertise in a way that will capture their attention. This can be done by using social networking sites as a location for adverts, producing a website is an absolute must, and making ‘apps’ which are related to the film is a good way to engage your target audience. Another good example of how to use phones as a distribution tool is using the network: Orange Wednesdays are exclusive half price tickets to customers on Orange.

Exhibition

Digital projection means our cinema experience is much clearer with higher resolution screenings. The change from VHS to DVD has greatly improved the quality of the films we watch at home.

Piracy has always been a big issue for the film industry, it can impact figures and sale of tickets and DVDs/Blu-rays greatly and can even result in the collapse of companies who are at a loss. A way to combat this is worldwide releases, which reduces the lag in release dates between different countries. Another method to reduce piracy is 3D films; to get the full experience of watching the film in 3D, you have to go to the cinema, pirate copies just don’t cut it.

Marketing Campaign for Cowboys & Aliens

Marketing Campaign for Cowboys & Aliens

Universal Studios

Universal Studios

Universal Studios was founded in 1912, it’s parent company is NBC, who’s parent company is General Electric.

Cowboys and Aliens (2011)

Production companies:

Universal

DreamWorks SKG

Reliance Entertainment

Relativity Media

Distributor:

Paramount Pictures

Producers:

Brian Grazer
Ron Howard
Alex Kurtzman
Damon Lindelof
Roberto Orci
Scott Mitchell Rosenberg

Writers:

Roberto Orci (screenplay) & Alex Kurtzman (screenplay) & Damon Lindelof (screenplay) and Mark Fergus (screenplay) & Hawk Ostby (screenplay)
Mark Fergus (screen story) & Hawk Ostby (screen story) and Steve Oedekerk (screen story)

Stars:

Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde

Budget:

$163,000,000

Gross revenue (to date):

$171,222,396

Paul (2011)

Production companies:

Universal

Relativity Media

Working Title films

Big Talk Productions

Distributor:

Universal Pictures International

Producers:

Nira Park
Tim Bevan
Eric Fellner

Writers:

Nick Frost and Simon Pegg

Stars:

Nick Frost, Seth Rogen and Simon Pegg

Budget:

$40,000,000

Gross revenue (to date):

$97,591,665

Get Him to the Greek (2010)

Production companies:

Universal

Relativity Media

Spyglass Entertainment

Apatow Productions

Distributor:

Universal Studios

Producers:

Judd Apatow
Joshua Blake
Nicholas Stoller
David Bushell
Rodney Rothman

Writers:

Nicholas Stoller, Jason Segel

Stars:

Jonah Hill, Elizabeth Moss and Russell Brand

Budget:

$40,000,000

Gross revenue (to date):

$91,390,982

Green Zone (2010)

Production companies:

Universal

Relativity Media

Studio Canal

Working Title Films

Antena 3 Films

Dentsu

Distributor:

?

Producers:

Tim Bevan

Eric Fellner

Lloyd Levin

Paul Greengrass

Writers:

Brian Helgeland, Rajiv Chandrasekaran

Stars:

Matt Damon, Jason Isaacs and Greg Kinnear

Budget:

$100,000,000

Gross revenue (to date):

$ 94,882,549

Drag Me To Hell (2009)

Production companies:

Universal

Ghost House Pictures

Producers:

Grant Curtis
Robert G. Tapert

Writers:

Sam Raimi, Ivan Raimi

Stars:

Alison Lohman, Justin Long and Ruth Livier

Budget:

$30,000,000

Gross revenue (to date):

$90,842,646

Big Talk Productions

Big Talk Productions

Big Talk Productions was established in 1995 by Nira Park. It is an English film and tevelision company that had produced films such as Scott Pilgram vs the World (2010), Paul (2011), Attack the Block (2011), and coming soon Sightseers (2012).

Scott Pilgram vs the World (2010)

Production companies:

Universal

Marc Platt Productions

Big Talk Productions

Closed on Mondays Entertainment

Dentsu

Distributor:

Universal studios

Producers:

Edgar Wright
Marc Platt
Eric Gitter
Nira Park

Writers:

Michael Bacall (screenplay) & Edgar Wright (screenplay)
Bryan Lee O'Malley 

Stars:

Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Kieran Culkin

Budget:

$90,000,000

Gross revenue (to date):

$47,664,559

Paul (2011)

Production companies:

Universal

Relativity Media

Working Title films

Big Talk Productions

Distributor:

Universal Pictures International

Producers:

Nira Park
Tim Bevan
Eric Fellner

Writers:

Nick Frost and Simon Pegg

Stars:

Nick Frost, Seth Rogen and Simon Pegg

Budget:

$40,000,000

Gross revenue (to date):

$97,591,665

Attack the Block (2011)

Production companies:

Studio Canal

Film4

UK Film council

Big Talk Productions

Distributor:

Optimum Releasing

Producers:

Nira Park
James Wilson

Writers:

Joe Cornish

Stars:

Jodie Whittaker and Nick Frost

Budget:

£9,000,000

Gross revenue (to date):

£3,442,302

Life cycle of films

IdeaA producer will find an idea for a story to be made into a film. This idea may be inspired by a book, a true event or an original script.

Pre-Production
The producer will identify a theme/underlying message. In some cases a script will be developed after the story has been decided. The script will be altered and rewritten many times to improve it. In this stage, every step of creating the film will be carefully planned.

Funding
A film pitch will be prepared which will go on to be presented to potential financiers. These financiers will typically be a major film studio, film council or independent invester. If the pitch is success, then the film will be given the 'green light'. After this, the producer will hire a film crew, the size of which will be dependent on the budget on the film

Production & Post-Production
In this stage, all the scenes of a film will be shot. This can be a long process, with workdays often lasting 14 to 18 hours, with very little minutes of material being produced each day. After this, the film will go into post-production. This is where all of the material that has been shot will be reviewed and the best scenes will be selected for the final cut. This process involves the editor who puts the scenes together.

Distribution & Marketing
This is the stage where the film companys aim to raise public awareness of the film. This will involve releasing a trailer, a small preview of the film along with film stills. The stars of the film will give various interviews on television, magazines and radio. Film critics who write for papers or magazines will get an early screening and write a review for the film. Another feature in the marketing stage is that a website for the film will be set up. The website will usually include the film's trailers, television adverts, clips from the film, stills and the opportunity to pre-book tickets

Exhibition
The exhibition stage is the final stage in the life cycle of a film. The film will be released to cinemas (big budget films will be released to cinemas across the world, while independent films will be shown at independent cinemas or at film festivals) and the amount of money the film makes in it's first weekend can affect the success of the film. This is because if the film has good opening numbers, other people will believe that the film is good and go and see the film, therefore giving the film studio more profit. If the film doesn't get good opening numbers, it will most likely be pulled early from cinemas and released to dvd quite early. Usually after a couple of months the film will be released on dvd and also made available on pay-per-view channels such as Sky Box Office. Eventually terrestrial channels such as Channel 4 or BBC One or Two will get the rights to screen the film.