Media production Essay

“Media production is dominated by global institutions, which sell their products and services to national audiences.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?


In general, global institutions do appear to dominate media production, an institution is an recognised organisation which is entrenched within society. For example, in film, Disney is a major player owning over 4 of there own studios. However, small national companies are not entirely out of the picture. In 2011, for example, Bedlam Productions and See Saw Films, both small UK companies, achieved massive success with ‘The Kings Speech’, proving that small, national companies can also reach global audiences. In this essay I'll be using my two case studies Skyfall and The Kings Speech to answer the question.

One of the global institutions that dominate media productions is Sony a compony who have produced and distributed many different films over the years. Because of their success they can afford to use both horizontal and vertical marketing to make their institutions’ name become recognised and by doing this it enhances their growth. Skyfall (directed by Sam Mendes 2012) is an example of one of the great success of Sony as it was positively received by critics and at the box office, grossing over $951 million worldwide, and is thus far the 18th highest grossing film of all time, and became the highest-grossing film of all-time in the UK, the highest-grossing film in the James Bond series, and the highest-grossing film worldwide for Sony Pictures.

 However, it is possible for smaller businesses to sell their products successfully; in 2011 for example Bedlam Productions and See-Saw Films with their box office success, ‘The King’s Speech.’ , both small UK companies achieved massive success with 'The Kings Speech', proving that small national companies can reach global audiences. ‘The Kings speech’ is a traditional British story, quite patriotic and played on this fact by casting famous British actors. For example Helen Bonham Carter and Colin Firth.  ‘The Kings Speech’ reached global audiences with a production budget of £15m compared to the Skyfall budget of £150-200m.

Sony is deemed a global institution as it owns film companies such as Columbia Pictures, on demand videos, online games (e.g. psp, ps3), mobile entertainment and TV channels. Sony uses all the different media platforms to sell their films or games etc to their target audience who are predominantly teenagers and adults, they do this through horizontal integration- this is where a production company expands into other areas of one industry. Thus allowing the company to develop in a particular area of production or they can buy out another company that deals with these areas.

Both film companies used synergy method to distribute and sell their products. ‘The Kings Speech’ had interviews with famous actors that play characters, some of which are well know and may be role models for some people. However the methods of synergy used by MGM was much more advanced, as they used  media synergy to market their film by working together with artists such as Adele who sung and co-wrote the iconic theme tune of the film and through video games and publicity stunts which was broadcasted to the world on television (at the London 2012 Olympics) and on social sites such as youtube. 

New technology has allowed new marketing strategies across different media platforms through the convergence of technologies, hence the term cross media convergence. Skyfall used this convergence in the means of Facebook and Twitter links on their won website as well as an iPad application. Due to  adult consumers increasingly spending more time on digital space and social media, it was important for Sony to use it advertise its brand in this environment.Skyfall has relied a lot on marketing and advertising and endorsements to get their film publicity, $28m of their budget came from their Heineken endorsement alone.

 This shows the massive cost difference global institutions spend, also showing the massive budget differences to ‘The Kings Speech’ however a big budget for the marketing of this film would have been wasted as the target audience was an older demographic, patriotic citizens and royal enthusiasts such as the "Royal-family obsessed" Americans.  Nevertheless, they still were able to market their film via cheaper ways such as newspaper advertisements and viral marketing. 

Furthermore, due to the constant change and development of media it is now making it possible for films to be watched via different platforms such as on-demand, DVD's and via sites like Net flicks which now allows independent films to be seen and viewed thus suggesting that there is still a chance for the to break out into the industry.

To conclude I believe that media production isn’t all dominated by global institutions selling their products.  As‘The Kings Speech’ is a perfect example of a film that was hugely successful and watched worldwide, regardless to the fact that wasn't produced in Hollywood and by someone who was in the "Big six." Therefore, suggesting that it is possible for independent films to get their films out, however this film was picked up by the Weinstein Brothers at a film festival, thus meaning if a independent film maker made a brought his/her film to the film festival and didn't get picked up it wouldn't be reduced, so the big producers still have the power in this particular industry. 

Discuss the ways in which media products are produced and distributed to audiences in Film?

In this essay I will be discussing the ways in which films are produced and distributed in the film industry  I will be supporting my points with my two case studies Skyfall and The Kings Speech. The Kings Speech was an independent film , who relied on the Weinstein Company for the funding. Skyfall is the polar opposite  as it was a major big budget film produced and distributed by two producers from the "Big six", hence why it had more money in order to produce and distribute this film. 

MGM & Columbia Pictures ( who are both earned by Sony, one of the "Big Six") produced and distributed Skyfall (directed by Sam Mendes 2012) Skyfall was positively received by critics and at the box office, grossing over $951 million worldwide, and is thus far the 18th highest grossing film of all time, and became the highest-grossing film of all-time in the UK, the highest-grossing film in the James Bond series, and the highest-grossing film worldwide for Sony Pictures. 

The advances and rise of digital technology have massively impacted the ways in which media products are produced and distributed to audiences. New technology has allowed new marketing strategies across different media platforms through the convergence of technologies, hence the term cross media convergence. Skyfall used this convergence in the means of Facebook and Twitter links on their won website as well as an iPad application. Skyfall has relied a lot on marketing and advertising and endorsements to get their film publicity, $28m of their budget came from their Heineken endorsement alone.

In contrary, The Kings Speech didn't rely on big endorsement deals or cross media convergence since their target demographic wouldn't be using those different media platforms, so it would have been wasted. Furthermore, due to it being an independent film  there budget wasn't as big at £8m so they mainly relied on word of mouth reviews rather than blanket marketing as it wasn't seen a necessary. However, advertising was still necessary in order to get their audience in the cinemas, this was done through posters with iconography. The distributors cleverly played on the idea of royal iconography- to target the patriotic Brits and the Royal obsessed Americans. The trailors for this film play heavily on historical aspects and icons of Britishness which appealed to the American market as it made more money there then it did in the uk, $138 m in the US, $74M in the UK and $201M in the rest of the world

Skyfall was the first James Bond film to be screened digitally in IMAX venues, regardless to the fact that it was not filmed with IMAX cameras. The films release coincided with the 50th anniversary of the James Bond series, which began with Dr. No in 1962. Skyfall was positively received by critics and at the box office, grossing over $951 million worldwide, and is thus far the 18th highest grossing film of all time, and became the highest-grossing film of all-time in the UK, the highest-grossing film in the James Bond series, and the highest-grossing film worldwide for Sony Pictures.

So in conclusion, media products are produced through blanket distribution through multiple platforms, whilst independent cinema releases are usually more confined to film festivals or events, but can become bigger with better funding or if there is a bigger response - such as ‘The King’s Speech’, which was bought by the Weinstein brothers. However, in this type of distribution areas that in which the film would be recognised as unappealing are excluded from the release’s distribution. Digital technology may also play a part in new methods of distribution, in the updating of cinemas with 3D and IMAX screens. There has also been an impact in the way that independent films can now be shown on demand through the internet on sites such as Curzon. Suggesting that this might be the start of a new future for independent film distribution.

Gravity Case Study

• The movie was written by Alfonso Cuarón and his son Jonás they attempted to develop the project at Universal Pictures, however, it stayed in development for several years. After the rights to the project were sold, the project was then purchased and distributed by Warner Bros.

• Surprisingly, Sandra Bullock nor George Clooney were first choices for this film as numerous different actresses read for Sandra's part, moreover, Robert Downey Jr. was primarily the male lead before leaving the project and being replaced by Clooney.

Below are the other cast members:

1. Ed Harris
2. Orto Ignatiussen 
3. Paul Sharma 
4. Amy Warren .
5. Basher Savage 

These cast member were mainly voices as Bullock and Clooney were the main characters, who were actually seen in this film.

• David Heyman and Alfonso Cuarón himself produced Gravity. Alfonso appears to be a triple threat as he co-wrote, produced and directed this film. 

• Gravity had a production budget of $100 million and was filmed digitally on multiple Arri Alexas. Principal photography on the film began in late May 2011.Live elements were shot at Pinewood and Shepperton Studios in the United Kingdom. The landing scene was filmed at Lake Powell, Arizona. Visual effects were supervised by Tim Webber at Framestore in London. The 3D was designed and supervised by Chris Parks. The majority of the 3D was created through stereo rendering the CG at Framestore with the rest post converted.

• Lighting was a big issue for them, the problem with light in outer space is that it tends to extremes of brightness or total darkness. Visual effects supervisor Tim Webber and director of photography Emmanuel Lubezki tackled this problem by creating something they called the Light Box. In which   Images were projected onto the walls, including the planet Earth, the International Space Station , and the distant stars “giving the actor the perspective of what their character was seeing,” Webber says “It was primarily so we could reflect the appropriate light on them, but it had the double benefit of being a visual reference for them, too.”
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Gravity was released in 3D and IMAX 3D on October 4, 2013. The film's release coincided with the beginning of World Space Week. The film changed its original scheduling in November 21, 2012, to the 2013 release.

• Gravity has grossed a worldwide total of $528,222,000.

Below shows the accolades attached to this film:

Curzon Cinemas

The Curzon Community Cinema, in Clevedon, England, is one of the oldest continually running purpose-built cinemas in the world.They own many cinemas all over  the UK such as the: Curzon Soho, Renoir Cinema, Curzon Chelsea, Curzon Richmond, Curzon Knutsford, Curzon Ripon and Curzon Mayfair.

Curzon Cinemas promotes itself as a leading arthouse cinema chain which prides itself on the quality of its cinemas, its ideas and the films it shows. However, it appears that they're under paying their workers so much so that even Film Producer Stanley Schtinter, who was due to be showing a film at Curzon Soho , has pulled the showing in support of the workers campaign until the management at Curzon make a full and concerted effort to recognise the workers campaign and BECTU, the media and entertainment union for cinema workers. 

 Curzon Home Cinema secured movies-on-demand agreement with BT, therefore they've spread out into not just cinema but the ability to be in poeples homes as well. 

Discuss the ways in which media products are produced and distributed to audiences, within a media area which you have studied.

Eon Productions and Dajaq productions produced Skyfall which earned least $1bn (£620 million) at the global box office on opening weekend it  made $80.6 million in 25 markets beating the previous record held by Casino Royale, it made £20.1 million in the Uk making it the 2nd highest grossing film in the UK. Grossing over $951 million worldwide, making it the 18th highest grossing film of all time. With a budget of $200,000,000 (estimated)  Skyfall had the funds to become an epic production, unlike any other film prior.

Skyfall relied on cross media convergence and synergy in its production as they worked with the music industry to get Adele to sing the iconic theme tune for the movie. They also relied on this through: Tv channels, or a month Sky had a 007 channel which solely aired James Bond films, Skyfall has its own website to promote the film, there was apps, Skyfall games , DVD's and CD's as there was a soundtrack of all he songs that were used in the film. 


Because Eon Productions (which is owned by MGM) is a mainstream major film company they can afford to let directors experiment with the film making process in the way Sam Mendes did, as he updated the whole James Bind image and made it more current. They can afford to take huge risks because they have a strong success rate in high grossing movies (such as Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace). They were able to accelerate visual effects technology and potentially reinvent the way in which films are made.Firstly, there are a lot of issues raised in contemporary media practice. One major issue is dominance. Eon productions isn't as big as companies such as 21st Century Fox therefore they were unable to solely produce and distribute their films so they had to use the following distributers:


Skyfall was distributed by Columbia Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film was released on DVD and Blu-Ray in the US on 12th February 2013 and in the UK on 18th February 2013. The film is now available on Itunes, Lovefilmand home TV box office (Sky and BT).

 

Skyfall used synergy with products such as: Sony PS3, phones, games, DV's, CD's and soundtrack as they were all released around the same time, when there was hype about the film. Skyfall was the first Bond film to be released in Imax cinemas even though it wasn't filmed in Imax. Moreover, the release of the film coincided with the 50th anniversary of the Bond franchise, which began in 1962 with Dr No.

What factors have contributed to the success of Skyfall?

It has been announced that Skyfall has  earned at least $1bn (£620 million) at the global box office, with $710.6 million (£440 million) being made outside of North America.But what has made it so successful? In this essay I'll be discussing the contributing factors in Skyfall's success at the box office.

The distributing team played a huge part in the films success, as stated, this is supported by the quote from Gary Barber, MGM's Chairman and CEO."It is truly thrilling to reach this incredible milestone. With tremendous gratitude to Barbara and Michael, Sam, Daniel and our partner Sony, and to all of the dedicated distributors and fans across the globe, we are so proud of both Skyfall and our 50 year association with James Bond."

Its popularity is a boost for MGM following a turbulent few years, in which the studio came close to collapse and filed for bankruptcy protection.
The actors contributed to the success of the film massively as there was a magnetic performance from Oscar winner Javier Bardem, who delivered one of the most memorable Bond villains in recent years. In fact, his character of Silva has been touted as the best onscreen baddie since Heath Ledger’s iconic turn as the Joker in The Dark Knight.

The marketing of this film also had a massive impact on the success, as it helped to create a huge buzz, adverts such as: the viral coke advert, the Heineken ads (they contributed £28 million, a 1/3 of their overall budget), the Omega (watch) ads etc.

Adele's song played a huge part in the success of the film as it went to number one and was the first Bond theme song to be awarded with an Oscar. This created a huge buzz all around the world. In addition, this song stayed true to the Bond image as it was suave, cool and sophisticated but it had a modern edge which made it current.

Furthermore, this film appealed to a far diverse audience as it stayed true to the traditional Bond series by including the fast cars and the gadgets but with a modern twist i.e. the gun. Moreover, this Bond film appeared more to women in comparison to the other Bond films as the female characters weren't seen as sexual objects for Bond to sleep with then eventually fails to save them resulting in their demise, this film showed women to be strong and powerful as the "Bond girl" was revealed at the end of the film; as the character "Ms Moneypenny". Alternatively, the characters Ms Moneypenny and M were seen as Bond's equals in this film and not just background characters.  

Alternatively, the fact that Skyfall has a rather multi-cultural cast also had an impact on the films success as it was able to appeal to a broader audience, as they have actors from Spain, China, France etc. However  the film didn't do as well in China as it expected as according to reports, some of its scenes have been censored and altered to make it acceptable to the Chinese authorities.

In conclusion, the main factors that contributed to the success of Skyfall was the marketing, with events like the    2012 Olympics- the brilliant PR stunt done with the Queen, which was played to millions of people worldwide at the Opening ceremony and all the advertising, as they were in conjunction with Coke, Sony, Heineken, BMW, Omega watches and many more. Furthermore, production practices such as choosing the noted and well acclaimed director Sam Mendes was key to the success of the film and updating the Bond franchise to be more slick and modern (like the Bourne films, as prior to this film being made, there was a lot of press saying that Bourne was doing James Bond better than James Bond) by not having so many cliche car chases, but enough to stay true to the Bond image.