Q1) Why is convergence both a blessing and a curse for the UK film industry?
Convergence in the UK film industry can lead to greater and more broad opportunities for UK film makers to have their work seen, e.g. by uploading them onto websites such as YouTube. Convergence can also help film companies have greater control over the marketing, as film producers and audiences can become associated through the Internet. The internet and convergence can offer consumers more ways to view media, which leads to some diversity within media and the film industry. However, it can also mean that traditional methods of marketing have been made redundant - independent projects with less money behind them can become more successful than films produced on a larger scale, due to the fact that the a film's success is, due to convergence, determined by how it is consumed by viewers.
Q2) How has the Internet allowed film makers to find and attract audiences in different ways?
The Internet has meant that all works of media and data can be viewed worldwide - importantly, they can now be consumed in different formats by different consumers. Social networking groups based around the media creates awareness and support from the general public, while trailers can be viewed on a number of different websites including YouTube and Apple Trailers. The producers can also have websites created on the Internet which promote the film and provide information about it.
Wednesday 21 September 2011
Thursday 15 September 2011
How to Make an Intelligent Blockbuster...
What I've learnt about the film industry.
From Mark Kermode's 'How to Make an Intelligent Blockbuster and not Alienate People', it is clear that, while he takes a subjective slant on contemporary blockbusters - stating it as a fact that 'No one enjoyed Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End', he makes it clear that modern cinemagoers, who have been taught to believe that the blockbuster genre cannot give them a masterpiece though a series of unimpressive yet big budget films, have diminished their expectations for cinema events. He describes it as 'unfashionable' for a critically successful director such as Christopher Nolan to treat audiences as intelligent, demonstrating how a trend has begun within big-budget directors to diminish audience's expectations.
He elaborates on the idea of big budget films becoming financial hits, despite poor quality, explaining how a budget can be used as a form of marketing, saying that the success of the film Inception did not come from an intellectually challenging script, but a list of three things: 'a) an A-list star. b) eye popping special effects. c) a newsworthy budget'. Through this, he seems to suggest that cinema is being dumbed-down, and that people will happily pay for a film with a big budget, no matter how good or bad it is 'they'll flock to see films that are rubbish, and which they don't actually enjoy. Like Pearl Harbor'. This explains his concept of diminished expectations.
From Mark Kermode's 'How to Make an Intelligent Blockbuster and not Alienate People', it is clear that, while he takes a subjective slant on contemporary blockbusters - stating it as a fact that 'No one enjoyed Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End', he makes it clear that modern cinemagoers, who have been taught to believe that the blockbuster genre cannot give them a masterpiece though a series of unimpressive yet big budget films, have diminished their expectations for cinema events. He describes it as 'unfashionable' for a critically successful director such as Christopher Nolan to treat audiences as intelligent, demonstrating how a trend has begun within big-budget directors to diminish audience's expectations.
He elaborates on the idea of big budget films becoming financial hits, despite poor quality, explaining how a budget can be used as a form of marketing, saying that the success of the film Inception did not come from an intellectually challenging script, but a list of three things: 'a) an A-list star. b) eye popping special effects. c) a newsworthy budget'. Through this, he seems to suggest that cinema is being dumbed-down, and that people will happily pay for a film with a big budget, no matter how good or bad it is 'they'll flock to see films that are rubbish, and which they don't actually enjoy. Like Pearl Harbor'. This explains his concept of diminished expectations.
Thursday 8 September 2011
Website Research
'The Tree of Life' (2011) - dir. Terrence Malick
http://www.twowaysthroughlife.com/ - an interactive webpage focusing on clips, discussions and the philosophy of The Tree of Life.
Features:
Clips from the film, with summaries
Options for website users to leave comments
Music from the film
www.foxsearchlight.com/thetreeoflife - an official website for the film under the address of it's production company.
Features:
Trailers
News and information regarding the film
Reviews
Photo galleries
Tuesday 6 September 2011
My Media
Film
Top 5:
The Thin Red Line
Heat
Blade Runner
GoodFellas
Apocalypse Now
Most anticipated upcoming films:
Drive
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Cogan's Trade
Prometheus
The Dark Knight Rises
Most recent films seen:
Black Hawk Down
The Inbetweeners Movie
Once Upon a Time in the West
Collateral
Moon
Music
Bands/Artists
The Stone Roses
The Beta Band
Led Zeppelin
Moby
User of:
iTunes
Grooveshark
Spotify
Online
User of:
IMDb (Internet Movie Database) www.imdb.com
Boxingscene (Boxing forum) www.boxing-scene.com
Magazines
Empire
The Ring
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