Exam Question

Let's have a go at a real life exam question...

"Successful media products depend as much upon marketing and distribution to a specific audience as they do upon good production practices". To what extent would you agree with this statement? (50)

A Very Rough Essay Plan For You...
Introduction - start by defining what is meant by 'success'.
Present the argument 'for' this statement - the importance of good marketing and wide distribution / distribution to specific audiences on the success of a film.
Present the argument 'against' this statement - can films that are not heavily marketed and distributed widely still be successful?
Conclusion - sum up your points and conclude with whether you agree or disagree with the statement.

The examiner is looking for:

• Understanding of the task / refers to question throughout
• Knowledge and understanding of institutional processes
• A clear and developed argument

• Detailed reference to / evidence from a range of case studies

• Accurate use of terminology 
• Accurate spelling and punctuation

Deadline - Wednesday 28th November - hard copy please!

Independent Films - Research Task

Your task for today is to research one of two British Independent films. You need to make a Prezi with your findings and post it to your blog. Your Prezi should cover in detail the pre-production, production, distribution, marketing and exhibition of the film you have chosen. If you wish, your Prezi can contain clips of the trailer or excerpts from the film; discussion and interviews with the director or cast members.You should also make reference to the different areas of the specification below. A 'translation' of these areas is also available on this blog.

The issues raised by media ownership in contemporary media practice 
The importance of cross media convergence and synergy in production, distribution and marketing 
The technologies that have been introduced in recent years at the levels of production, distribution, marketing and exchange 
The significance of proliferation in hardware and content for institutions and audiences
The importance of technological convergence for institutions and audiences 
The issues raised in the targeting of national and local audiences (specifically, British) by international or global institutions 
The ways in which the candidates’ own experiences of media consumption illustrate wider patterns and trends of audience behaviour 

Your film can be The Inbetweeners Movie or The King's Speech.

Four Quadrant Pictures

A Four Quadrant Picture is a marketing term used to describe a film targeted to all audience quadrants: men over 25, men under 25, women over 25, women under 25.

Usage
In the movie business, and it is most definitely a business, everyone is looking to maximize the audience for their picture. A four-quadrant picture is that magical type of film that attracts parents and kids, men and women, and brings in huge amounts of revenue on opening weekend. In the term “four-quadrant,” the quadrants refer to gender (male and female) and age (under 25 and over 25).
For most studios, the goal is to get enough details to line up so that they have broad-based, family-friendly appeal in designing a blockbuster or four-quadrant film. An important aspect of getting that appeal is the ratings system. An 18 Rating can be the kiss of death for a studio trying to market a film featuring pre-teen characters. A lowering from PG-13 to PG can mean millions more in revenue as parents feel more comfortable bringing young children to a given film like Evan Almighty.

Examples
One of the most famous four-quadrant, blockbuster films is Star Wars and all of its sequels. Jaws is another landmark blockbuster film. Other more current examples include Night at the Museum, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Shrek (1-3), Spiderman (1-3), Pirates of the Caribbean (1-3), andWall-E.

Implications
Another interesting by-product of the rise of four-quadrant films in the industry is cross marketing. Those films often are associated with toys and other products that both advertise the film and bring in revenue on their own. In addition, four-quadrant films are powerful vehicles for product placement advertisers looking to show their wares to the largest audience possible.
On the down side, many wonder how much effort is placed on credible, engaging story lines as opposed to marketing opportunities in these behemoth cinematic endeavours.

Thanks to Mr Ford for this post

The Seven Key Areas of Audience and Institutions

In the exam you will be tested on one of the following areas (the simplified translation is in italics. You'll notice there is quite a bit of similarity in some areas)

 The issues raised by media ownership in contemporary media practice (how does who owns a media company influence the type of film made and its potential success? For example do BIG companies make BIG films and therefore make all the money? Is it possible for small companies to succeed?)

The importance of cross media convergence and synergy in production, distribution and marketing (how do companies work together to produce, distribute and publicise a film? How can Disney use their size to promote and publicise a film? How can small companies work together to promote their business' when making and promoting a film?) 

The technologies that have been introduced in recent years at the levels of production, distribution, marketing and exchange (how has the introduction of digital film, 3D, DVD, Blue Ray, internet streaming, downloadable content, home cinema influenced the types of films made, the way we watch them and the way we 'buy' them?) 

The significance of proliferation in hardware and content for institutions and audiences (how and why have film companies had to alter the way they work now everyone has web enabled phones, PC's, consoles etc? How have audiences changed their viewing habits now we no longer need to go to the cinema to watch a film?)

The importance of technological convergence for institutions and audiences (can you think of examples of how different technologies have come together to help the film industry?)

The issues raised in the targeting of national and local audiences (specifically, British) by international or global institutions (how do film companies try and attract their audience? Do they do different things in different countries?)

The ways in which the candidates’ own experiences of media consumption illustrate wider patterns and trends of audience behaviour (what is your opinion on the above? Do you see the developments as a good or bad thing?)

Thanks to Mr Smith for this post

Distribution