Technology Essay

"The increase in hardware and content in media industries has been significant in recent years. Discuss the effect this has had on institutions and audiences in the media area you have studied."

Over recent years different technologies have resulted in the decline of sales in institutions such as cinemas. Hardware can be defined as the equipment used to produce a film, IMAX has recently become a major influence on the film industry. The usual digital film uses a conventional 33mm film limited to 6k lines, IMAX however uses around 18k lines which results in a higher resolution and therefore is more expensive to put on and watch. 

With the development in new technologies such as the iPhone becoming so widely available, it has made it easier for independent films to make their way into the industry. The film 'tangerine' won best film at the sun dance film festival, this was filmed using just an iPhone. With the quality of hand held cameras being so advanced it has resulted in independent film companies being able to create high quality films without paying thousands on camera equipment.

As well as new technology becoming a factor to effect media industries, streaming sites,such as Netflix, have had a huge effect. Netflix is a site that allows you to watch unlimited films and shows for just £6.99 a month. This means that people are less willing to pay for a cinema ticket or dvd when they. can watch it wherever they are for a much smaller price. As well as streaming sites, piracy copies of films have become more and more common. The film 'wolf of wall street' made a mere $392 million at the box office when it came out, even though it was a highly anticipated film. So why was this? Well, just before the film came out at cinemas, someone leaked the film and millions watched it before it was released. If this continues, Hollywood will make less and less for each film produced and therefore we could see a decline in films released by the big 6 companies. 

There are however many ways in which piracy is being overcome. The first of which is to have a common release date, this is where a film is released on the same day across the world, the hope is that everyone will watch the film in the same period of time and will not have to watched a piracy copy in order to be one of the first to see it. There will also be a phasing out of DVDs, this means that eventually DVDs will beck e very rare and the only way someone can view a film is to see it when it comes out. 

Over the years cinema attendance has gone down, in 2011 just 200 million people visited cinemas across the uk in one year. This contrasts with 1600 million people who visited the cinema across the country In the 1950s. The reason for this decrease is that people feel they can get the same experience as watching the DVD at home then they can watching it at a cinema. To get more people to come to the cinema, 3D and 4D screenings are more and more common. With 3D films you have to watch them at the cinema, there is no way you can watch them at home. These films will be more expensive to make however with the amount people going to watch the film it will not be a loss. 4D specialised cinemas are becoming more and more popular, these are cinemas that show films with the whole experience, this may involve moving chairs or air blowing through the cinema. Both of these ideas have the effect that you can only watch it at the cinema, therefore piracy will be unaffective for these films. 

Independent films are the most effected by new technological developments. For example, new media platforms such as YouTube or Twitter allow for advertising of their company and films to be more available to them at a much lower cost. All they have to do is upload a clip of their film to YouTube and promote it on face book and Twitter and the word has spread about this new film. However, what the independent films will it be able to do, unlike films produced by the big six, is get widely spread advertising on to. For example, Walt Disney also owns ESPN therefore when a new film comes out they can advertise it whenever they want on that media platform and will gain a bigger more diverse audience for their film. 

To conclude, the increase in hardware and content in media has led to a decrease in cinema attendance, a rise in popularity of screening sites and a boost in the independent film companies. Looking forward, if the media industry is to carry on as it is, the big six companies will soon crash and be over powered by streaming services and the concept of a cinema will no longer exist.