“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?
It is a fact that bigger companies make more money then smaller film companies, this may not be the case in all films, but it is the majority. An example of this the films Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Ex Machina. One is a high budget film, the other is low.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens budget was $306 million, they were able to have a budget this high due to the fact that the production company was Lucasfilm. Lucasfilm is now owned by Disney which is a conglomerate company, this means that they own smaller businesses (Luacsfilm, Pixar, Marvel etc.). This means that it is a very large company and is also part of the big six. This gives them an advantage to dominate media production as they can create such big films. The Force Awakens was a large film as it had a $2.068 billion box office. An impact of that box office came from the marketing of the film, leading it to a bigger consumption. They spent a lot more than the average film. They created lots of merchandise and also had a soundtrack, they also collaborated with well known brands (HP, Subway etc.) to promote the film. This also helped them dominate.
Whereas, Ex Machinas budget was $15 million, so it was significantly smaller. This already signifies that it will not be as dominant as The Force Awakens. The film was produced by DNA Films and Film4, these are both British companies and DNA is one of the most successful companies in the UK. They have created some successful films such as: Love Actually and Never Let Me Go. And Film4 has created Slumdog Millionaire, This is England and Submarine. These are popular, but not worldwide like Star Wars. This means that it is more difficult for them to dominate. Ex Machina received a box office of $36.9 million, which means they doubled there budget, so did become successful. But they did not dominate. Ex Machina did not use marketing to their full potential, they created no merchandise. But, they pulled a publicity stunt on the popular app Tinder. This helped them reach a more national audience because that stunt only reached those who lived in the USA and attended the SXWS festival. Whereas Star Wars reached to a national audience by trying to use a range of new characters and actors. For Chinese audiences, they included a Chinese actor, which they had not previously done before.
I personally believe that smaller companies can still make good, successful films, but they are not able to dominate and become as dominant as the bigger companies (i.e. The big six). And, they are much more able to appeal to national audiences as they have more money, so a higher budget. Also, big companies are able to exchange the film largely, due to the bigger audience that they have.
Thursday, 5 January 2017
Essay 5
"Cross media convergence and synergy are vital processes in the successful marketing of media products to audiences." To what extent do you agree with this statement in relation to your media area?
I personally believe that synergy and cross media convergence is important, but not absolutely necessary. This is because you can still make successful films without these things. But, they are nowhere near as successful as those with synergy and cross media convergence. Synergy means the interaction of two or more products which creates a greater effect than it individually. An example is merchandise. Cross media convergence means when companies come together horizontally or vertically. An example of this for film is making it available on phones and tablets etc.
This is because the film does not get recognised as much, meaning less people will know about it. With bigger films made by bigger companies it is not necessary as they will have die-hard fans who will still go and see the film no matter what. But, for these to be even more successful they can create merchandise and soundtracks available to fans. This helps market and promote the film even more, and helps boost profits. Star Wars: The Force Awakens does this by releasing a lot of toys related to the film, they also collaborated with other businesses to market Star Wars. They also use cross media convergence to make the film available on different platforms, which many people like and appreciate.
But, for a smaller film this may not be the case. This is because the film is not as well known anyway, so they need all the help from marketing they can get. This is so it makes the film more well known and encourages people who didn't know about it to go and see it in the cinema. An example of a smaller film who didn't use much synergy is Ex Machina. They used publicity stunts (Tinder) to promote their film, but that is pretty much it. They released no merchandise or soundtrack. This could be the reason to their box office result. Although it was high, they could have achieved much higher. But, they did use cross media convergence by releasing the film to iTunes, DVD etc.
So, those two factors are not necessary, but help make a large difference to a film and do boost it and can make it successful. It makes audiences more aware of smaller films and helps them discover new films they wouldn't have otherwise heard of. Cross media convergence is also becoming more popular in this day and age as technology is expanding. This means that people enjoy to view films from the comfort of their home, rather than go out to a cinema.
I personally believe that synergy and cross media convergence is important, but not absolutely necessary. This is because you can still make successful films without these things. But, they are nowhere near as successful as those with synergy and cross media convergence. Synergy means the interaction of two or more products which creates a greater effect than it individually. An example is merchandise. Cross media convergence means when companies come together horizontally or vertically. An example of this for film is making it available on phones and tablets etc.
This is because the film does not get recognised as much, meaning less people will know about it. With bigger films made by bigger companies it is not necessary as they will have die-hard fans who will still go and see the film no matter what. But, for these to be even more successful they can create merchandise and soundtracks available to fans. This helps market and promote the film even more, and helps boost profits. Star Wars: The Force Awakens does this by releasing a lot of toys related to the film, they also collaborated with other businesses to market Star Wars. They also use cross media convergence to make the film available on different platforms, which many people like and appreciate.
But, for a smaller film this may not be the case. This is because the film is not as well known anyway, so they need all the help from marketing they can get. This is so it makes the film more well known and encourages people who didn't know about it to go and see it in the cinema. An example of a smaller film who didn't use much synergy is Ex Machina. They used publicity stunts (Tinder) to promote their film, but that is pretty much it. They released no merchandise or soundtrack. This could be the reason to their box office result. Although it was high, they could have achieved much higher. But, they did use cross media convergence by releasing the film to iTunes, DVD etc.
So, those two factors are not necessary, but help make a large difference to a film and do boost it and can make it successful. It makes audiences more aware of smaller films and helps them discover new films they wouldn't have otherwise heard of. Cross media convergence is also becoming more popular in this day and age as technology is expanding. This means that people enjoy to view films from the comfort of their home, rather than go out to a cinema.
Tuesday, 3 January 2017
50
Alvarado created four racial stereotypes to show the key themes in ethnicity, these were: exotic, dangerous, humorous and pitied. This is used in Hotel Babylon as it shows how the different ethnicities get treated.
Binary opposite is when two related terms are opposite in the meaning. An example is also used in Hotel Babylon as it shows white and black people working in the same hotel, but the white people seem to be superior as they are treated much better.
Class is a division of society based on social and economic status. The different classes are lower, middle and upper class. An example of this is used in Downton Abbey as the classes are distinctively shown here. The lower working class get treated very different to those who are higher.
Diegetic sound is a source of sound that is coming from the actual scene. An example is dialogue from a character which is used in the majority of all TV dramas, films etc.
Ethnicity is the common features of a group (race etc.). This is once again used in Hotel Babylon as it shows any ethnic group (other than white people) are discriminated against, this is shown when the police are trying to get rid of the immigrants.
Female gaze is how work is presented from a female perspective, it means attracting using men in a sexual way to attract females.
Gender is the stereotype of men and women. It is commonly stereotyped that men are more powerful than women. A example of this is the TV drama Our Girl which counteracts this. This is because she is a female lead out in the war who is powerful.
H
I
Jump cut is when it transitions from one scene to the other very fast and sudden. This is mainly used in action films to build tension.
K
Leon Festinger was best known for his cognitive dissonance and social comparison theory. An example is him being used to explain the popularity of Hotel Babylon. This is because they used popular stereotypes which everyone seemed to agree with. This is because they showed the immigrants as the antagonist.
Male gaze presents women as objects and to attract men by using sexualised women. An example is Beyonces music video '1+1'. This is because she is shown wearing very little clothing and is keeping close eye contact with the viewer.
Non diegetic sound is sound that isn't actually happening in the film or from the characters. An example is background music which is used in lots of films to set the scene, it is used in Downton Abbey.
O
Parallel editing is used to combine two or more scenes that are happening continuously, but in different locations. Once again, this tends to be used in action films.
Q
Regional identity refers to the area that someone is from. An example of this is used in Doc Martin. This is because it shows the stereotypes of the Cornwall area. This includes the living 'backwards' as they have old fashioned life styles and not up to date with new technology.
Status is how much authority you have in the social world. This means that if you are a higher class, you have more status than those who are lower. Again, Downton Abbey shows this by the upper classes having more privileges and not having to do the harder jobs.
Todorov's narrative theory suggests all narratives follow his theory This means that all TV Dramas follow this plot/story line. The theory is: equilibrium, distribution, recognition, attempt and new equilibrium.
U
V
Xenophobia is when something is disliked because it is from another country. This is used in Hotel Babylon because the white people do not like the immigrants and they try to get rid of them.
Y
Zoom is when the camera gets closer to an object or person. This can signify that it is important. An example of this is used in Doc Martin when it zooms in on the teacher that Doc is looking, this is used to build tension.
Binary opposite is when two related terms are opposite in the meaning. An example is also used in Hotel Babylon as it shows white and black people working in the same hotel, but the white people seem to be superior as they are treated much better.
Class is a division of society based on social and economic status. The different classes are lower, middle and upper class. An example of this is used in Downton Abbey as the classes are distinctively shown here. The lower working class get treated very different to those who are higher.
Diegetic sound is a source of sound that is coming from the actual scene. An example is dialogue from a character which is used in the majority of all TV dramas, films etc.
Ethnicity is the common features of a group (race etc.). This is once again used in Hotel Babylon as it shows any ethnic group (other than white people) are discriminated against, this is shown when the police are trying to get rid of the immigrants.
Female gaze is how work is presented from a female perspective, it means attracting using men in a sexual way to attract females.
Gender is the stereotype of men and women. It is commonly stereotyped that men are more powerful than women. A example of this is the TV drama Our Girl which counteracts this. This is because she is a female lead out in the war who is powerful.
H
I
Jump cut is when it transitions from one scene to the other very fast and sudden. This is mainly used in action films to build tension.
K
Leon Festinger was best known for his cognitive dissonance and social comparison theory. An example is him being used to explain the popularity of Hotel Babylon. This is because they used popular stereotypes which everyone seemed to agree with. This is because they showed the immigrants as the antagonist.
Male gaze presents women as objects and to attract men by using sexualised women. An example is Beyonces music video '1+1'. This is because she is shown wearing very little clothing and is keeping close eye contact with the viewer.
Non diegetic sound is sound that isn't actually happening in the film or from the characters. An example is background music which is used in lots of films to set the scene, it is used in Downton Abbey.
O
Parallel editing is used to combine two or more scenes that are happening continuously, but in different locations. Once again, this tends to be used in action films.
Q
Regional identity refers to the area that someone is from. An example of this is used in Doc Martin. This is because it shows the stereotypes of the Cornwall area. This includes the living 'backwards' as they have old fashioned life styles and not up to date with new technology.
Status is how much authority you have in the social world. This means that if you are a higher class, you have more status than those who are lower. Again, Downton Abbey shows this by the upper classes having more privileges and not having to do the harder jobs.
Todorov's narrative theory suggests all narratives follow his theory This means that all TV Dramas follow this plot/story line. The theory is: equilibrium, distribution, recognition, attempt and new equilibrium.
U
V
Xenophobia is when something is disliked because it is from another country. This is used in Hotel Babylon because the white people do not like the immigrants and they try to get rid of them.
Y
Zoom is when the camera gets closer to an object or person. This can signify that it is important. An example of this is used in Doc Martin when it zooms in on the teacher that Doc is looking, this is used to build tension.
Wednesday, 23 November 2016
Tuesday, 22 November 2016
Monday, 21 November 2016
Hotel Babylon 2
Improved Essay
The editing in this clip is very simple. This is because they do not use very many techniques and it is all very basic. This could be used to signify the lack of that the immigrants have as a stereotype. The first shot is a short reverse shot; this is used when the character is shown to be looking back at the police. An establishing shot is then used in the first 30 seconds to show the audience whereabouts the character going, this helps build suspense. This makes the audience feel like they are in the same situation and builds up tension. Because the police are in the clip and are shown to be hunting for someone, this can imply a lot. Alvardo's theory says that ethnic groups can be seen as dangerous and this is shown in this clip because the police are after them. This is very stereotypical but also it is the dominant ideology as it’s the ‘mainstream’ idea.
In this clip there are a lot of different ethnicities. An example of this is the kitchen staff as they are all from different backgrounds but everyone assumes that they are all the 'same' just because they are immigrants. A theory from Leon Festinger can be used to back this up. This is that the audience will not change their attitudes unless faced with overwhelming evidence of immigrants. The stereotype is that any ethnicity other than the ones that we are, are discriminated against. The director has done this to reflect the harsh truth and to hopefully get the audience to change some of their views. The director has done this in a good way because it is very realistic and lots of viewers will be able to relate. And when you can relate, you will know you need to make a change.
Fast Paced editing is used to show the immigrants rushing around the hotel. This shows the audience the panic they are going through; it puts the audience in their shoes. Lots of non-diegetic sound is used as music in the background which helps build tension. It represents their emotions as it is fast paced and could represent their hearts beating. Tracking shots are used to follow this sequence. This also signifies that the immigrants have no high power in society just because they are different ethnicities. Whereas in the hotel lobby, it is all peace and calm; just because they are from a different ethnic background. This is mainly aimed at white people who do not get discriminated as often as other backgrounds.
A close up shot of the immigrants is used when they are all crammed in the cupboard. It brings a sense of community as they are all trying to help each other out. The most powerful message came across when an immigrant used dialogue to say that he ‘wasn’t always a cleaner’. This is because he is shown to be helping a friend out. It shows that he is highly skilled, yet he is still getting discriminated against and seen as low skilled. The director used this to establish that they are not what we think they are and tried to add a sense of realism to it. The director also did this to try and stop with the stereotypes and try to stop xenophobia from the audience.
But, the white immigration team are storming around the hotel lobby with stern faces. A tracking shot is used to follow this and it can signify that they are the antagonist as they are a danger to other human beings. This is breaking the stereotype as usually the white people are the protagonists. But, it shows that they have a lot more status than the immigrants and that they are more important. But, the director has tried to make the audience feel sympathy for the immigrants and tried to make them change views for immigrants and stereotypes overall. Once the team capture at least one of the immigrants, they leave. This is because they only needed someone to bring back to their boss. This makes the audience feel as if the team have some feelings for the immigrants as they do not want to take them away, but they have to. This could be seen as unconventional as usually white people do not want any immigrants at all.
The editing in this clip is very simple. This is because they do not use very many techniques and it is all very basic. This could be used to signify the lack of that the immigrants have as a stereotype. The first shot is a short reverse shot; this is used when the character is shown to be looking back at the police. An establishing shot is then used in the first 30 seconds to show the audience whereabouts the character going, this helps build suspense. This makes the audience feel like they are in the same situation and builds up tension. Because the police are in the clip and are shown to be hunting for someone, this can imply a lot. Alvardo's theory says that ethnic groups can be seen as dangerous and this is shown in this clip because the police are after them. This is very stereotypical but also it is the dominant ideology as it’s the ‘mainstream’ idea.
In this clip there are a lot of different ethnicities. An example of this is the kitchen staff as they are all from different backgrounds but everyone assumes that they are all the 'same' just because they are immigrants. A theory from Leon Festinger can be used to back this up. This is that the audience will not change their attitudes unless faced with overwhelming evidence of immigrants. The stereotype is that any ethnicity other than the ones that we are, are discriminated against. The director has done this to reflect the harsh truth and to hopefully get the audience to change some of their views. The director has done this in a good way because it is very realistic and lots of viewers will be able to relate. And when you can relate, you will know you need to make a change.
Fast Paced editing is used to show the immigrants rushing around the hotel. This shows the audience the panic they are going through; it puts the audience in their shoes. Lots of non-diegetic sound is used as music in the background which helps build tension. It represents their emotions as it is fast paced and could represent their hearts beating. Tracking shots are used to follow this sequence. This also signifies that the immigrants have no high power in society just because they are different ethnicities. Whereas in the hotel lobby, it is all peace and calm; just because they are from a different ethnic background. This is mainly aimed at white people who do not get discriminated as often as other backgrounds.
A close up shot of the immigrants is used when they are all crammed in the cupboard. It brings a sense of community as they are all trying to help each other out. The most powerful message came across when an immigrant used dialogue to say that he ‘wasn’t always a cleaner’. This is because he is shown to be helping a friend out. It shows that he is highly skilled, yet he is still getting discriminated against and seen as low skilled. The director used this to establish that they are not what we think they are and tried to add a sense of realism to it. The director also did this to try and stop with the stereotypes and try to stop xenophobia from the audience.
But, the white immigration team are storming around the hotel lobby with stern faces. A tracking shot is used to follow this and it can signify that they are the antagonist as they are a danger to other human beings. This is breaking the stereotype as usually the white people are the protagonists. But, it shows that they have a lot more status than the immigrants and that they are more important. But, the director has tried to make the audience feel sympathy for the immigrants and tried to make them change views for immigrants and stereotypes overall. Once the team capture at least one of the immigrants, they leave. This is because they only needed someone to bring back to their boss. This makes the audience feel as if the team have some feelings for the immigrants as they do not want to take them away, but they have to. This could be seen as unconventional as usually white people do not want any immigrants at all.
Friday, 18 November 2016
Stereotype Assumptions
Tessa Perkins
A stereotype of illegal immigrants is that they have little skills and will always be doing to simple jobs for the smallest wage. In Hotel Babylon, all of the immigrants are either shown to be working in the kitchen or cleaning. This slightly counteracts the stereotype as some of the immigrants are working in the kitchen which you have to have some skills for. But, the majority of immigrants are not white and are from a different background. This establishes that it is the minority groups that are being stereotyped. It also implies that they are less powerful. But, the stereotype is overcome and made positive at one point. This is when one of the immigrants has fallen ill and another person saves them. This is because he was once a doctor and is highly skilled, but most people assume that they all have little skills. This helps to position the audience to feel differently and have sympathy for the immigrants. Tessa's theory said that it can not be held about one's own group which is represented in Hotel Babylon as the illegal immigrants are all from different parts of the world.
Leon Festinger
He can be used to explain the popularity of similar TV dramas like Hotel Babylon. These shows were popular because they used the general stereotypes that were around and they were what everyone agreed with and believed. Festiger's theory was that people resist to adjust their attitudes unless faced with overwhelming evidence against it. In Hotel Babylon it confirms those views because they show the stereotype of illegal immigrants and ethnicity. It also identifies that the police who are taking away the immigrants are the antagonists when they should actually be the protagonists because they are 'heroes' in society.
A stereotype of illegal immigrants is that they have little skills and will always be doing to simple jobs for the smallest wage. In Hotel Babylon, all of the immigrants are either shown to be working in the kitchen or cleaning. This slightly counteracts the stereotype as some of the immigrants are working in the kitchen which you have to have some skills for. But, the majority of immigrants are not white and are from a different background. This establishes that it is the minority groups that are being stereotyped. It also implies that they are less powerful. But, the stereotype is overcome and made positive at one point. This is when one of the immigrants has fallen ill and another person saves them. This is because he was once a doctor and is highly skilled, but most people assume that they all have little skills. This helps to position the audience to feel differently and have sympathy for the immigrants. Tessa's theory said that it can not be held about one's own group which is represented in Hotel Babylon as the illegal immigrants are all from different parts of the world.
Leon Festinger
He can be used to explain the popularity of similar TV dramas like Hotel Babylon. These shows were popular because they used the general stereotypes that were around and they were what everyone agreed with and believed. Festiger's theory was that people resist to adjust their attitudes unless faced with overwhelming evidence against it. In Hotel Babylon it confirms those views because they show the stereotype of illegal immigrants and ethnicity. It also identifies that the police who are taking away the immigrants are the antagonists when they should actually be the protagonists because they are 'heroes' in society.
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