Wednesday 7 May 2014

To what extent does internet piracy pose a threat to the film industry?

Internet piracy is a threat to the film industry in the 21st century because even though audiences can watch free pirate films online and be inspired to make their own films to share on Youtube, this would lead to films mainly being watched at home, further leading to a decrease in cinema attendance. Therefore, the film industry will produce risk-free, 3D formulaic films. This means films will lack creativity and originality and would not inspire future audiences. Overall this would cause negative affects for all parts of the film industry.

With films being available to watch and download online illegally, more people are staying at home to watch these films because they are easily accessible and free. This causes a large decrease in cinema attendance which meant that the film industry would lose vast amounts of money due to audiences not paying for films. As a result of this, Hollywood film makers and directors started releasing films in 3D in an attempt to bring back audiences for a "new experience" even though it is a method of resurgence. This is useful for the film industry because 3D films cannot be pirated online which means audiences would have to attend cinema again in order to see new releases. In other responses to bring audiences back to the cinema, ticket prices have been raised as well as the 3D glasses to accompany the cinema experience. 

Although internet piracy causes a hole in the film economy and vast amounts of money are lost, not all film-makers are negatively affected by it. Independent and foreign films gain vain amounts of recognition; more audiences were being opened up to these different style of films because they were free and easily accessible. This was a cheaper and easier way for independent films to widen their audiences and audiences then realised that Hollywood Blockbusters were formulaic and started looking for more choice. Although 3D cinema created spectacle, independent and foreign films had a stronger narrative which further pushed audiences to watch films online instead of going out to the cinema. Another advantage of internet piracy is that people would be inspired to create swedes and eventually make their own films to distribute on websites such as Youtube for audiences to enjoy. Audiences become more cine-literate after the expose to independent and foreign films.

In terms of social context, it was seen as fashionable to stay at home and watch films online. The main website that helped contribute to online piracy was MegaUpload which was shut down by the FBI. This was done in order for the film industry to make a point that internet piracy is causing them to lose large amounts of money and forcing them to return to the cinemas. Cinemas brought back 3D cinema to give the audience a new experience, when in fact it was just resurgence and the illusion of a new experience. Film directors like Guilermo Del Toro are resistant to using 3D because it ruins the quality of both the film and the narrative. The 30% colour loss that accompanies 3D cinema is off-putting to some audiences which lead to further decrease in cinema attendance and people continued to watch non-3D films on their computers at home.

In conclusion, internet piracy is a large threat to the film industry because there is a large decrease in cinema attendance which leads to revenue loss. This means that films directors are afraid to take risks and would continue to make formulaic Hollywood Blockbusters that are released in 3D only to make a profit, not taking into consideration that the narrative is more important than the style of the film.


Sunday 4 May 2014

Thesis: To what extent does internet piracy pose a threat to the film industry?

Internet piracy is a threat to the film industry in the 21st century because even though audiences can watch free pirate films online and be inspired to make their own films to share on Youtube, this would lead to films mainly being watched at home, further leading to a decrease in cinema attendance. Therefore the film industry will produce risk-free, 3D formulaic films. This means films will lack creativity and originality and would not inspire future audiences. Overall this would cause negative affects for all parts of the film industry

Class notes - Tuesday 29th April 2014

3 Major Technology developments in the 21st century
-Digital Cinema Network: Arts Council, UK Charity
-Piracy: MegaUpload
-3D: Avatar, James Cameron

You don't have to write about digital distribution unless the question asks for it

-No risk-taking = formulaic
-Piracy websites = Pirate Bay, MegaUpload - led to the FBI shutting it down
-Avatar was successful because the budget was large

Internet Piracy
-Piracy has a negative impact on the film industry because people feel inclined to watch films at home
-Piracy encourages audiences to view non-mainstream films, this led to less people going to the cinema
-Audiences gain wider film knowledge
-Film-makers are afraid to take risks which causes formulaic narrative and CGI effects in massive Hollywood Blockbusters. Continuous franchises are a result of this
-Technology context: Main factor; 3D technology was an attempt to raise cinema attendance. This meant that 3D films could not be pirated on the internet
-Multiplexes have raised the cost of ticket prices and added cost of glasses to promote a "new" cinema experience
-Numerous directors want to use 3D, even if it involves changing parts of the narrative in the film to suit 3D

Digital Film Network

-Theatrical scales were falling
-Fewer film attenders, as a response, ticket prices increased
-DVD sales were decreasing also

Reasons
-Economic recession
-People were more likely to rent movies because it was cheaper. More audiences were watching films online and were looking for negotiable deals
-Technology was more developed (e.g. mobile devices)
-There are now more internet users = more subscriptions
-Consumers expect entertainment everywhere

"The introduction of the Digital Cinema Network in the UK in recent has greatly extended audience choice". How far do you agree with this statement?
-I think this because online distribution is a lot cheaper and more audiences would become aware of the independent and foreign film market. There are websites that showcase indie films
-Large-scale production companies pick up independent films e.g. Gravity, Oblivion, Grand Budapest Hotel
-Because Hollywood Blockbusters are so formulaic, audiences are getting bored and are looking for different films to enjoy
-Netflix and Hulu have categories of indie films for people to explore
-3D is just style over substance/narrative
-Indie films are starting to look like Blockbusters (Gravity, Oblivion) but they still have strong narrative

Class notes - Tuesday 22nd April 2014

Context - What factors caused/impacted reasons
Factors - analysis of what shaped the film

Context
-Technology: 3D, internet, digital film network
-Economics
-Social: audiences, attendance

Digital Cinema Network
-£12 million scheme funded by the National Lottery
-Audiences are able to enjoy a wider range of film from their local cinema. This means that indie film producers can get their films into the cinemas - more people now attended cinema because a larger range of choice is made available
-Increase in specialised film screenings of up to 75000 people
-More choice for people with sight and hearing impediments
-Arts Council, UK charity
-People can upload their files to MegaUpload but it's illegal if they don't own the rights
-Films stay formulaic because Hollywood film-makers are afraid to take risks
-3D brings audience back in for franchise films
-Lack of money is being invested because of piracy
-Blockbusters are mainly watched online

Link your information to the question
-Pick out relevant points
-People aren't paying for films - in order to bring audiences back into cinemas, films are being released in 3D because it's harder to pirate. Critics think 3D is unnecessary and it takes awya the narrative because the film is centered around the spectacle

The introduction of the digital cinema network in the UK has greatly extended audience choice; foreign, indie and smaller films created a desire for "better" movies

Digital Film Network (online distribution) helps independent companies get their films shown to more people - half a million films are traded every day
Because of 3D films, audiences don't want to be stuck with Blockbusters
Re-releases of previous Blockbusters in 3D franchise which leads to the studio making loads of money. Old footage can be converted to 3D to create a large profit for the film industry. This leads to economic exploitation with the heavy advertisement



Tuesday 22 April 2014

Quick Quiz

21st Century Developments Name: ____Priscilla Nash__________________________  

  Fill in the circle beside the correct answer

1. What genres Films does 3D suit?
  Action Blockbusters - made the film look more dynamic and effective. Created spectacle
 
2. Did the UK digital cinema network succeed in exposing audiences to more varied types of films?
  Yes
  Independent films were being shown in cinemas which were giving audiences a larger variety of choice
 
 
3. Why has the film industry lost money from cinema attendance since 2000?
  broadband internet distribution
  illegal piracy
Films being leaked online is the start of online piracy, this allows audiences to watch films at home and not go out to the cinema for entertainment. This creates a decline in cinema attendance which yields the loss of money.
 

4. Is 3D successful in getting audiences back in the cinema?
  Yes
  It gives audiences the illusion of a new experience by the special effects used. it also hinders piracy because 3D films cannot be pirated and downloaded illegally
 
 
5. Does 3D have a negative impact on film production?
  Yes
Yes because 3D results in 30% colour loss, the quality of the film could be distorted and the special effects sometimes do not come off as well.
 
 
6. Which directors support 3D in their productions?
  James Cameron - Avatar (heavily reliant on 3D)
  Martin Scorcese - Hugo
 
7. What reasons were given by the FBI shutting down Megaupload?
  Breaching intellectual property copyright

 
8. How has film distribution online/digital cinema helped Indie films get exhibited?
  Online through Netflix
  Cheaper to get into cinemas
  Harder to pirate

Monday 21 April 2014

Mock Exam 2

 “Film censorship is motivated by fears about audiences and technologies.” Discuss this statement in reference to the concerns expressed about uncensored and unregulated video content in Britain in the early 1980s. [30 marks]

Film censorship was invented to "protect" audiences from explicit and inappropriate content that was shown in films and to also limit the probability of illegal downloading and piracy. The increase of VHS and home videos was becoming more popular which resulted in a decrease of cinema's economy.

Home video became the new and popular craze in which audiences could enjoy their films. This meant all films, and their content, could be accessible to people of any age. This meant that young children under the age of 18 could be watching inappropriate films that contain gore, violence and sexual scenes. This caused many people to buy home videos so they could watch said explicit content in the comfort of their own homes and not have to go to the cinema. The popularity among VHS and home video led to an economical damage in the film industry in the early 80's because people were not paying to go to the cinema anymore. The most explicit of films to be available on VHS contained copious amounts of gore, horror, blood, violence and sexual scenes were referred to as "Video Nasties". These Video Nasties were independent films and were not allowed to be shown in public cinemas due to their explicit content. These Video Nasties were popular because they were restricted. The BBFC created censorship so that audiences would not be exposed to such obscenities which could result in psychological damage - government and pressure groups decided what audiences should see. An example of a Video Nasty is Driller Killer.

These explicit Video Nasties created what was called a "moral panic". The conservative parties who were in power in the early 1980's (Margaret Thatcher being the leader) scapegoated the video nasties for the destructive behaviour that was going on among the people (which was actually because of the recession and economic hardship). These conservative parties also believed that the Video Nasties were seen as a threat to their current political views and promoted rebellion. Mary Whitehouse worked closely with Margaret Thatcher to try and put an end to the explicit content shown in Video Nasties and other media that was exposed on television in the early 80's. Video Nasties were influential which is what the government feared.