What significance does the continuing development of digital media technology have for media institutions and audiences?

1. POINT/ EVIDENCE / EXPLAIN
What significance does the continuing development of digital media
technology have for media institutions and audiences?
The continuingdevelopmentof digitalmediatechnologyhashadasignificantimpactuponbothmedia
institutionsandaudiencesinrecentyears.Digitalmediatechnologiescanbe definedelectronictools,
systemsanddevicesthatcan generate,store of processdata which inthe filmindustrycanbe mean
anything from the cameras used to produce the film to the social media used to promote it.
The use of digital media technologies in production & exhibition has had a profound impact upon
mediainstitutionsbecause the inventionof advancedtechnologiessuch as 3D/4D and HD has ledto
a rise in the blockbustermovie. Forexample,the top10 filmsof 2016 were all blockbusterhitswhich
included films such as ‘Star Wars Rogue 1’, ‘Deadpool’ and ‘Suicide Squad’. ‘Deadpool’ was released
in February2016 by 20th
CenturyFox ina varietyof formatswhich includedboth3D and 4DX (in the
US) whichisa newformatof exhibitingmoviessothataudiencesare able toexperience the full range
of senses(suchasmotion,wind,rain,fogandlights). Thesenew waysof exhibitingmovieshashelped
keep the mainstreamindustryafloat as audiences are continuing to visit the movie theatresas they
are enticed by these spectacular experiences which they cannot get at home. In turn this had had a
negative impactupontheindependentsectoraslow budgetsmeanthattheycannotaffordtoprovide
the same experience andsotheyare strugglingtoget theirownfilmsinthe cinemabecause theyare
lessfinanciallysuccessful (forexample ‘20th
CenturyWomen’fromAnnapurnaPictureswas released
inOctober2016 in2D formatandlost1millionatthe boxoffice,eventhoughitwascriticallysuccessful
and won a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture).
The use of digital media technologies in distribution has also had a huge impact upon media
institutionsbecausethe rise of the internetandsocial mediahasmade itmucheasierformainstream
companiestosaturate the marketacross manyavenuesinorderto raise awarenessof theirfilm. 20th
Century Fox created a successful marketing campaign for ‘Deadpool’ where they reliedheavilyon
social media to create a hype in the lead up to the film. Part of that campaign was the “12 Days of
Deadpool” which included clips, emojis, posters and scripts being released everyday on a different
website inthe leaduptothe trailerrelease.Theyalsousedstarmarketingtoattractthe audience,as
Ryan Reynoldstweetedonhisown personal Twitteraccount picturesand commentsaboutthe film.
Aswell asthis,aseriesof clipswere releasedviaYouTubeandSnapchatwhichhadnothingtodowith
the plotof the film(suchas“HowDeadpool spentHalloween”)andtheyevencreatedaTinderprofile
for Deadpool himself. These newwaysof promotingfilmsonline have meantthatmediainstitutions
can be more creative in the ways that they attract the audience whichalsomeans theycreate more
of a hype aroundthe filmbefore itisreleasedasaudiencesgettoknow the characters.It alsomeans
they can saturate the market making it more likely that information about their film will go viral as
audiencesshare clipsontheirownprofiles.Thisobviouslyworksbecausethe filmgrossed$760million
at the box (with only a budget of $58 million). New media technologies are also opening up
opportunitiesforindependentinstitutionsassocial mediaisa free marketingtool. Forexample,‘20th
CenturyWomen’hadan official webpage,FacebookandTwitterwhichitutilisedinthe marketingof
the filmalthougharguablynotassuccessfullypossiblybecause it’scampaignhadlessof abudgetand
stars than Deadpool’s in order to be creative.
The use of digital mediatechnologiesindistributionandexhibitionhasalsohada huge impacton the
way that audiences are able to consume films. The inventionof online streaming,video on demand
and downloadable content have made watching films cheaper and more convenient for audiences.
Netflix isanexcellentexample of howonline streamingischangingthe face of the filmindustry.For

2. £6.99 a monthaudiencescanpayfora subscriptionwhichgivesthemaccesstoa wide varietyof films
which includes both mainstream films (such as ‘The Avengers’ and ‘The Hunger Games’) and
independent films(such as ‘Boyhood’ and ‘Brooklyn’). Access to these films via online streaming
providesacheaperalternativetothe cinemaandallowaudiencestoaccessfilmswhenevertheywant,
whichisbecomingincreasinglyimportantintoday’smodernlife whichisbusyandfull of demands.It
isalsoensuringthe audiencesare gettingamore diverserange of contentasindiefilmmakersare able
to go straight to VOD and bypass the cinema release altogether (for example, ‘All Good Things’
produced by Magnolia pictures only made $500,000 at the box office but grossed $6 millionin VOD
sales).
Followingonfrom this,technological convergenceisalsoofferingaudiencesmore varietyinhow they
watch films. With the invention of smart phones, tablets, laptops and smart TV’s, audiences are
becoming more diverse in the way that they choose to consume media products. ‘Deadpool’ took
advantage of this by releasing the film first on digital HD on April 26th
which meant that audiences
could download the film via apps such as iTunes and Google Play before it was released via the
traditional methodsof DVDandBlurayonMay 10th
. The filmwasthenbroadcastonSkyTV on Boxing
Day in the UK before it was made available exclusively to Sky On Demand and Now TV. Providing a
varietyof platformsto viewafilmon has made it more convenientforaudiencestoengage inmedia
productsanddo soin a waythat suitsthem.Thisisattractive toaudiencesastheyare notlimitedand
therefore have more freedom whenit comes to their choice of entertainment.This in turn benefits
the mediainstitutionsastheirfilmis more likelytobe watchedif it is made available ona varietyof
platforms for the audience.
The continuingdevelopmentof digital mediatechnologiesiswithoutdoubthavingahuge impacton
bothmediainstitutionsandaudiences.The opportunitiesnewtechnologiesprovideinstitutions,such
as social mediaand 3D/4D formatsis helpingthemtobattle againstnew andemergingsystemssuch
as online streamingandVODwhichare threateningtotake overthe industry.However,itismybelief
that online streaming will eventually take over cinema sales as the novelty of 4D wears off for
audiencesand3D TV make it eveneasiertohave cinematicexperiencesathome fora cheaperprice.
WithNetflixandPrimeplacingmore andmore emphasisonoriginalfilmsandseries,itlooksas though
the future of the industry leaves audiences and independent filmmakers the real winners in this
situation.