Monday 4th November 2024.
Media industries and audience.
L/O: To explore the content of unit.
Film industry:
Warner bros assets-
- Cartoon network
- Discovery channel
- Animal planet
- Cartoon network
- Discovery channel
- Animal planet
- DC
-HBO
Products produced-
-Scooby doo
- Batman
- Superman
-Tom and jerry (Films and games)
-The penguin
- Lego games
Warner bros worth-
$20.18 billion
A conglomerate is a large corporation that consists of multiple business operating in different industries or sectors. The business are called subsidiaries of the commemorate and are managed as separate entitles while benefiting from shared resources.
The walt Disney company is an example of a conglomerate. it operates in various industries, including media, entertainment, theme parks, and consumer products.
Disneys strategy of diversification had helped hem become one of the largest media and entertainment companies.
Disney industries-
Media networks, parks, resorts and studio entertainment.
Disneys worth-
173.76 billion
How much did disney pay for these companies:
Pixar- $7.4 billion
Lucasfilm- $4 billion
Marvel- $4 billion
20th century fox- $71.3 billion
How much revenue have they generated:
Pixar- $11.5 billion
Lucasfilm- $12 billion
Marvel- $13.2 billion
20th century fox-
Friday 8th November 2024.
Horizontal integration and vertical integration are two different but common strategies they are used by companies to expand their operations and incase their market power.
Horizontal integration- This is when companies buy other companies that produce the same products.
Vertical integration- When a company acquires/merges with another company that is on different level on the value chain.
5 major technological developments-
- Lumier brothers (creation of a camera)
- Editing
- Synchronised sound
- Cinemas (1930s cinema was popular)
Major film studios in 1930-1945
- Warner bros
- Fox
- Paramount
- RKO
- MGM
- Universal
- Columbia
Film regulation had started and they had a do's and don'ts list of what they can and cant show.
Who was Walt disney and how did he become a success in 1930?
Walt disney was known to be a driven man and all he wanted was to make a name for him self and was a national celebrity at 30, and has won more film awards then anyone. He had always wanted to be an artist and his talent of drawing is what caught peoples attention. He had a job at a local AD company and loved the cinemas watching at least 1 film a night. He had a few training at art schools and was convinced he could create better then what he was taught and he slowly started to make illustrations and making the illusion of movement. He started off with short cartoons by borrowing his bosses camera and would sell them to companies. At 20 he quit his job and started making short films and secured a contract for 6 short films. He created a cartoon experiment where they insert real people into a cartoon, it didn't go well and experienced his first failure. The only female producer at the time wanted to watch Walts short film and asked him to make 12 to pay him $1500 per episode. Him and his brother in 1923 had then started a business where Walt could create his cartoons and his brother would promote them and his distributer payed him lots of money for more films. His workers got mad at him because they would work night and weekends an he took most the money and credit, Charles mice owned the rights to Disney OZ episodes and he poached most of his artists and they drew for charles and walt had lost everything. Walt had then created mickey mouse and owned the rights to him and his wife created the name. He struggled to find a distributer but wouldn't give up but he added sound to his animaton. He managed to find someone on broadway and they shown steam boat mickey. In 1934 Disney had realesed his first full length animation film snow white and the 7 dawfs.
Monday 11th November 2024.
Snow white.
Monday 18th November 2024.
L/O: To explore the context and influences in the 1930s
Main characters- Snow white, Evil queen, the seven darwfs and the prince
Narrative- The evil queen was upset that snow white was the fairest in the land and put a spell on snow white making her fall asleep until her true loved kissed her to wake her up
Themes- Jealousy, love
Representation- The dwarves are shown to be old and short having grey beards, snow white is portrayed as a young and the most beautiful, evil queen is shown as an old hag who doesn't like snow white and is evil.
The first film that bought out merchandise related to a film
The first movie to have vinel to go with it
The making of sow white was he first full length animated movie ever
Disney and his team made many changes to snow white so it would suite all of his audience
It took 3 years to create and produce snow white
Their was a large team working on snow white
The multi-plane camera added better illusion and depth to the animation
Disney was heavily involved in the production and seen every aspec of the movie
The film music was the first musical
Snow white and seven dwarves was premiered on 21st of december
The success of snow white helped the production of full length animation films
Snow white is classified as a classic movie
Their were several influences to snow white
The brothers grimm e.g. good vs evil
Another influence was the european ballet and opera
Animation got inspiration through a few sources
Production context:
Multiplane camera: this camera was a new technology that would allow animators to create the illusion of depth and movement in the animation.
Rotoscoping: This is a technique in which animators will trace over live-action footage.
Silly Symphonies: Walt disney 'silly syphoneys' was a short film which began in 1929.
The american mid-west:
Walts upbringing had an impact on the themes and values that are presented in his films.
Disneys Midwestern roots instilled in him a deep appreciation for family, community, and hard work, and these values are often reflected in his films.
In addition to these themes, Disney's films also often featured a nostalgic view of rural American, with picturesque settings and idyllic small towns.
Monday 25th November 2024.
The golden age.
L/O: To explore Cinema in the 1930s.
- 1896 first cinema was open and cost a nickel to view a short film.
- Live music used instead of sound.
- African americans sat somewhere else.
- Used to make fairytales to block out the thoughts of war.
- Middle class people went to cinema.
- Movie palaces.
- Double features.
- Newsreels and cartoons.
- Intermissions.
- Censorship.
Overall cinema in the 30s was popular form of entertainment.
The distribution process typically involved sending copies of films to theatres.
Friday 6th December 2024.
Context.
L/O: To explore regulation and context of 1930s.
BBFC regulates the films in the UK
In the US they had a hays code that was introduced in 1930 and was created as a self-regulation that would eliminate any inappropriate or graphic content.
Snow white and the seven dwarfs was produced in accordance to the hays code the film didn't have any offensive code but they did push the bouderies with the dark and scary scenes.
In the UK the board of regulation had the right to cut or ban films from being shown in the country because of graphic or offensive content. Snow white and seven dwarfs was marked as a U but there was a warning that it may not be okay for the age group and the evil queen might been seen as scary.
Both america and the UK regulations had an impact on the production and distribution of snow white.
How the media products studied differ in institutional backgrounds and use of media language to create meaning and construct representations to reach different audiences. How media products studied can act as a means of reflecting historical issues and events. How media studies is influenced by social, cutrual, political and historical context.
Economic context is to do with money through their production costs, revenue streams, merchandising, films historical significance. It cost Disney $1.5m to make snow white but they had earned over $8m back in revenue costs. Disney is a big film and has historical significance because it was the first full length animated movie. The long term impact of this is that because of the money earned disney was able to make more animations films and series.
Historical context:
Proliferation of technology: audience expectations
Dominance of hollywood majors.
Disneys personal role in making snow white.
Monday 16th December 2024.
Shang-chi and the legand of the 10 rings
Main characters-
Shang-chi
Xu Wenwu
Xu Xialing
Ying nan
Katy
Narrative-
The narrative is a story about a young kung-fu master who was forced to grow up to fast and that now has effect on the future and his farther draws him to search for a mythical village.
Themes-
Family, identity, culture
Representation-
No white characters
All men and women are equal
Friday 10th January 2025.
Shang-chi marketing and promotion.
New technologies-
-CGI (computer generated imagery) to create effects.
- Motion capture used to animate a digital character.
-Green screen used to replace background with a digitally-created envioment.
-Practical effects create realistic and tactile environments and props.
-3D printing allows filmakers to create intricate props and costumes.
Streaming services-
-Offering a wide range of content with the official streaming service they reduce the risk of people copying.
-Providing high-quality streaming with the official streaming services they offer a great quality film rather then it being recorded on a hand held device.
-Implementing anti-piracy measures the streaming services can prevent piracy of their films with digital rights management.
-Offering competitive pricing the streaming services can offer competitive pricing.
Streaming and Disney-
-They expand their distribution channels and reach a wider audience.
-With their streaming platforms they connect with their audiences in a new and engaging way.
-Wealth of data and insights about their audience.
-Adapt to changing consumer behaviour and preferences.
-New challenges related to piracy and copyright.
Streaming sites- Digitally convergent media platforms.
Marketing techniques-
-Social media
-Adverts
-Posters
-Popcorn buckets and cups
-Product placements
-Trailers
-Audio ads
-Billboards
-Onscreen magazines
-Collaborations
-Interviews
-Links to video games
-Point sale display
-Merchandise
-Influencer marketing
-Publicity stunts
A distribution agreement will also cover:
-The promotion in all media before and after release
-Different cuts necessary for different cultures or territories
- How the income for the realese will be appointed
- How far distribution licence extends into other markets such as TV and home entertainment
Marketing techniques 1930's:
-Soundtrack
-Merchandise
-Posters
-Trailers
-Word of mouth
-Press marketing
-Brand identity
Shang-chi had an unveiling at comic-con and had partnered with microsoft and BMW.
Limited edition drink
Posting on twitter and instagram
TV interviews
Tv sports
Social media
Rotten tomatos
Word of mouth
Synergy
Reviews
Friday 17th January 2025.
Shang-chi Economic content.
Merchandise:
Production costs: Marvel and Disney are both know to have high-budget films with extensive visual effects and using top stars for their cast. Shang-chi and the legend of the ten rings was reportedly around $150 million.
Box office revenue: The success of marvel and Disney films are usually based around the box office performance.
Market trends: The economic performance for marvel and disney are influenced by broader market trends in the film industry.
Streaming and distribution: This is the amount of people where to stream the film on Disney+ themselfs.
Shang-chi was rated a 12A by the BBFC because of the moderate language, Violence, fantasy threat, bloody images and language. The violence in the film goes into the 12A category because of certain scenes shown such as when Xu Wenwu harnesses the whole power from the ten rings he takes out an entire army.
One of the soldiers was thrown into the air and then lands upside down with the suggestive sound of bones being broken. They also show elements of martial arts in the film incorporating different fighting styles and imagery.
At a 12A the BBFC guidelines state that there should be no emphasis on injuries or blood but occasional gory moments may be permitted if justified by the context. There are some scenes in Shang- chi where the characters could have cuts or grazes but it is not focused on for sustainable periods and incorporate elements of fantasy.
Language is another factor in the 12A films classification: a single use of the term 'bitch' While other milder terms used in the film ('ass', 'shit' and 'bloody') would be acceptable at PG.
Scenes in shan-chi for it to be 12A:
- Fight scene with his farther
- Drowning scene
- Demons
Streaming sites:
Streaming sites have to regulate their own age classifications for several reasons:
- Each country has its own classification system, streaming services often have global reach.
- Streaming services have access to user data.
Using their own age classifications can also have drawbacks. It could lead to viewers being confused particularly if they use a different classification system in their own country.
Some countries ban films due to political or moral reasons or for controversial content, such as racism, copyright violation, and underage immorality. Some of marvels big films such as eternals and doctor strange multiverse of madness due to same-sex kiss. Shang-chi was banned in china it is rumoured to be because of them not approving to stereotypes of the Chinese culture.
Monday 20th January 2025.
Exam format.
L/O: To explore exam style questions.
1)
Strength-
- Explains the different marketing techniques
- Introduction answers the question
- Explains evolution of tech
Weakness-
- Doesn't talk much about tech/society
- No conclusion
2)
Strength-
- Explanation about tech in 60s and how that could've effected marketing
- Conclusion
- Explains current marketing
Weakness-
- No introduction
3)
Strength-
- Talks about the difference in marketing techniques
- Explains the changes in tech
Weakness-
- No conclusion
- No comparisons
- Only focusing on modern text
Their is a difference between how producers used to engage and target their audience compared to now, due to the mass use of technology now producers are more then likely to use technology and use social media platform to market their films.
Snow whites producers would reach their audience by producing new toys and products for the younger audience and would grab the attention of the older audience because it was the first long animated film shown in theaters so people would go to have something to watch. Social context helped the producers with getting the audiences in as it was the main place people would go to socialize and escape what was going on in the real world. Snow whites producers had also created merch for people to buy in shops and started to distribute the movie around for more people to enjoy. Snow white was known to have a range of audiences due to the economic context where the theaters wouldn't show very long films.
The producers of Shang-chi would've used the more up to date marketing skills using social media and big platforms to engage and reach their targeted audience, social context currently influenced this as most people have a technological device and would be able to see the advertes and trailers. However, social media isn't the only way they marketed shang-chi, they had placed a advert at the basketball game showing their target audience is stereotypically older men. Shang-chi had also produced t-shirts, toys, collectables e.c.t. Due to Shang-chis high budget the editing in the film and the use of CGI was known to be really good compared to the cgi, they would also realese teaser trailers getting people more impatient and wanting to watch the film.
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