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

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

The significance of the continuing development of digital media technology has on media institution and audiences is huge. Computers are now the most used piece of equipment in film making for being used for editing, marketing, distribution, CGI and a lot more. The development of the technology in media has been very obvious being shown in films getting better every year.

The production of the Mad Max scenes are usually shot while on the move in bumpy terrain, the cameras were mounted on cars which although it was smooth would be impossible for old cameras because they would be analogue and has a lot more parts that could go wrong with just a bit of movement. In Mad Max the cameras used were Arri Alexas, Canon 5Ds and Olympus P5s. The Arris were a lot bigger than the 5D and P5 cameras and obviously had much better quality but the director George Miller wanted to get shots which normal cameras could not get, so he sacrificed a bit of quality to have more exciting and different shots. The quality of the scenes was not noticeable because the clips were cut in and out so quickly the eye could not tell. The lenses used were Panavision Primo Lenses which are very expensive but produce the finest quality. Another great piece of equipment used in the production of Mad Max is the edge arm, it is used to get the camera closer to the action and takes three people to operate. A great example of it's usage is when the camera goes across the car, zooms into the window and then zooms back out while panning all while travelling at high speeds; This scene is very impressive because it would usually be impossible but new technology was used to make the film feel more raw and closer to the action. The significance of this part of film making is huge it effects nearly everything in the end product.

The post production of films have changed completely over the last century. Computers give many new features that film makers did not have or have made the process much easier, one of the biggest if not the biggest feature is editing. Films such as Mad Max: Fury Road are great examples of how technology has evolved to create breathtaking scenes which rely heavily on how it is edited. For example it is now a lot easier to create a fast flowing action sequence cutting from one clip to another in less than a second, before this would be extremely time consuming and cost a lot. This therefore has an effect on saving time and money. Mad Max's action scenes are fantastic the way in which everything works together, the editing shows this brilliantly cutting from one breathtaking scene to another. For example when the war rig is being chased by Immortan Joe and his army the scenes start slowly as he gets closer and start moving very quickly when they start fighting and the action begins. This editing gives the audience a rush and gets them invested in the action of the film because it seems more exciting and fast paced. CGI is used a lot in Mad Max but the stunts themselves are all real, the CGI was only used for removing wires and safety equipment and exaggerating the landscape. CGI has brought a whole new side to film making that was not possible 50 years ago, alien landscapes and surreal monsters and much more is now possible in films. The film industry went through a phase of using far too much CGI and making the films look too fake and over the top. Post production has improved a lot due to new technology and I would argue it has made better films for audiences because the overall effect is more immersive and believable because of special effects

The marketing of films has changed dramatically due to technology improving. Although traditional methods are still used such as trailers before a movie starts, TV adverts and posters technological advances are still making more and more ways to market films such as posting trailers online with websites such as YouTube, this creates hype for the film and a well marketed film will get multiple millions of views on YouTube for example the Mad Max: Fury Road trailer has 3.5 million views. Social media is probably the biggest marketing tool after the traditional methods, the use of viral marketing creates many opportunities for small films which have even smaller marketing budgets. A great example is Ex-Machina who set up a Tinder account which talked to people with artificial intelligence and then sent a link to the Ex-Machina Instagram account. This caused a big stir on whether this was right or wrong and in turn created huge media attention, this gave a lot of free advertising and is regarded as a great marketing move. This goes to show that you do not need millions for a good marketing campaign like you used to. For the audience technology let's them see the trailers on demand and find out more information on the film with social media websites such as Twitter where movie studious post live updates, for example Mad Max's filming was tweeted as they were doing it creating more hype for the movie. Social media adds a more personal touch and let's the film industry talk to the consumers, this is great because it gives a free marketing platform for companies and free entertainment for consumers.

Distribution seems on the surface to be the same as it always was but with the introduction of video on demand services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime as well as video hosting services like YouTube the film industry has completely changed. After the illegal steaming of video the film industry had been looking for an answer, VOD came along offering consumers a multitude of films and series for a low price every month. All people wanted was an easy way to get films and illegally downloading was easier than going somewhere to buy a DVD. The fact that people did not want to go to a shop and manually get a DVD was seen by entrepreneurs as an opportunity. People do not mind paying a small fee to watch a wide array of movies easily, this created a whole industry around video on demand. Companies such as Netflix have made multi millions and now others are joining in such as Disney's service with all of their films on it. This benefits the film industry massively by getting paid to put films on a service like this and not losing out to pirate copies. The consumer is getting cheap quality content which is all they want making both sides happy. YouTube is a video hosting service where if the video has adverts before it can make you money. This is an option for distributing films, although it is doubtful it will make a lot of money from just adverts there is also an option to sell movies on YouTube so people can download them. Film makers do not only have the one option of cinema now and can distribute their content freely cutting out the middle man, this development in technology opens many doors for small films and big films alike. The consumer now gets content from anywhere with an internet connection and the film industry has a wider audience and more options to choose from. The positive effects are huge in this field for both consumer and creator.

In conclusion the continuing development of digital media technology has a huge significance for media institutions and audiences, as proven by examples such as Mad Max and Ex-Machina. Technological innovation has made it possible for small films to do well and for big films to do better as well as offering better services to consumers and more ways to watch films. Technological advances in digital media are definitely positive and encourage growth in the film making industry.