Classwork Production

 

Classwork Production

Here is a summary of what we have been learning about in class. We learned about different types of media production / texts and media theories.

Stages of Production

Production: This is when the media is made. Examples include:

- Pixar 

- Marvel Studios

- Netflix 

Distribution: This is how the media gets shared. Examples include:

- Disney

- Dreamworks

- Universal 

Exhibition: This is where and how people watch the media. Examples include:

- Disney+

- Netflix

- Spotify

TV Production

Difference between Commercial and Not - for - Profit

Commercial

- Subscription

- Pay - per - view

- Advertising

Not - for Profit

- Government funded

- TV license

The BBC is funded through a yearly license fee:

- £53 black & white

- £169 colour

BBC Charter

To enrich people’s lives with programmes and services that inform, educate, and entertain. 

1. Sustain citizenship and civil society

2. Promoting education and learning

3. Stimulating creativity and cultural excellence

4. Representing the UK, its nations, regions, and communities

5. Bringing the UK to the world and the world to the UK

Media Theory

Media Consolidation

Media consolidation is the concentration of ownership of our media sources (news, film, TV, radio, video games etc)  into the hands of fewer and fewer corporations.

Media Ownership

CURRAN & SEATON explored the power yielded by media and news group owners. 

- The mass media is owned and operated by fewer and fewer companies. (Media consolidation into conglomerates)

- Mass media is driven by political agendas and economic influences.

- The rise in new media is associated with the decline in quality of content.

- Web users have a larger voice and can challenge conglomerates.

In the US, 90% of the media consumed is owned by just 6 companies.

Media Consolidation

(National Amusements / Viacom, Disney, WarnerBros Discovery, Comcast, News Corp, Sony)

What are the advantages and disadvantages to this?

Advantages:

- Able to provide content for niche audiences

- improve quality due to better funding 

- its cheaper for the audience

- converging technologies (eg. We can now get our TV, phone and internet from thr same company, making things simpler)

- Diversification - Less risk for the media company. (if something fails, its not too much of an issue)

- Can reach a larger audience

Disadvantages:

- Smaller/Independent media outlets cant compete with the production quality

- Illusion of choice

- Lack ofcompetitiveness and alternate view points. Every TV channel is expressing the same viewpoint.

- The focus is on making money, not good content.

- Less local news

Case Study

In 2009 Disney bought Marvel Entertainment and the rights to most of their characters. This meant that Marvel how had to fit into Disney's brand image. Some aspects of the Marvel comics have been changed to appear more family friendly.

Deadpool

In 2019, Disney purchased 21st Century Fox for $52 billion. 20th Century Fox had the rights to Deadpool and made their movies R rated to better suit the content.

Winnie the Pooh, Blood and Honey 

Walt Disney Co. has controlled the rights to Winnie-the-Pooh since 1961 and kept depictions of Milne's talking animals true to the spirit of the family-friendly material. The copyright expired in January 2022. Since then, Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends have been available to the public for other purposes.

Media Theory

Vertical Integration

When one company owns more than one stage of the media chain

How does owning all stages of production beneficial:

Company

- Creative control over story, script, design, editing, rating, marketing

- Able to use more characters that appeal to wider audiences

- Increase revenue (don't share profits)

- Access to source material

- Access to use data (tailor content, suggestions)

The Audience

- More content, intertextuality

- Fan service

- Easier access to content

- Cheaper access to content

Horizontal Integration

When one company owns more than one stage within the same level

Owning multiple companies within the same level shares many of the benefits of Horizontal Integration.

- It also allows companies to diversify their content, and profit more from these. It also allows for cross-promotion and different media platforms bring access to different audiences.

- Audiences can benefit because it gives them more exposure to their favourite media properties/characters, and can increase engagement. (Children who are exposed to a character when they are young will more likely consume the same property when they are older)

Cross Media Convergence

Horizontal Integration allows companies to target different audiences with the same property.

Media Theory

Synergy

Mutually beneficial cross promotional strategies used by companies. This is not restricted to media companies.

Case Study: Throughout the history of the James Bond franchise, companies have teamed up with character to promote their own brand. Many countries even compete to be a location in the movie, usually offering tax breaks for filming or even just paying for the right to be included. These potential partners pay huge sums of money to be featured alongside Bond.

Products link themselves to the James Bond franchise because it has come to connote a variety of things: sophistication, wit, refinement, charisma and ruthlessness. Brands want this association for their product, and so by linking themselves to the franchise they are telling the audience that they too embody this representation.

This is a synergetic relationship because the product companies can increase their popularity with their audience, and the bond company - in addition to receiving large sums of money - gets to tap into new market.

Synergy is not only related to commercial products, it can also work with other media. For example, Billie Eilish (female singer) sang the theme song for the new Bond movie.

For it to be considered synergy (symbiotic relationship) both parties need to benefit

Benefits for Bond

- Millions of money paid by companies

- More locations, tax free

- Luxury brands to bolster Bond's image

- More awareness (each company will have its own Bond marketing campaign)

- A chance to reach new markets / audiences

Benefits for companies

- Get to be associated with Bond

- Good advertisement for locations

- They can include the character in their marketing campaigns

- Bond fans may purchase products they see on screen

reflection: this blogpost was made by my teammate kristine