LO1: Task 1

Intro

I am investigating the audio-visual industry and looking into how the media products are produced and what goes into making them, from the original ideas to the companies who make them and the individual roles that are required in the prosses. I will also investigate the individual job traits, skills, types and etiquettes needed to succeed in this industry.

LO1 TASK 1

0 Ownership
Different media companies are owned in different ways for example:

Independents: Independent companies like Warp Films often only specialise in one type of media in this case Warp film specialises in film making they have made films and TV programmes i.e. Four Lions. Independent companies are owned on a much smaller scale meaning they have more power and more freedom over what they make compared to a conglomerate i.e. 20th Century Fox but as an independent company has no subsidiaries within their company to distribute their product but have so they usually team up with a conglomerate to assist them with the distribution of a media product, this is called a joint venture for example Warp Films created Four Lions but they got help with the distribution of their products from Optimum Releasing and Drafthouse Films.

Conglomerates: Conglomerate companies are big companies that have a lot of capital for media productions and have many subsidiaries that work with them and assist with the creation, production and distribution of a media production, this is known as horizontal integration, this means that they have complete ownership over what they create meaning they don't have to share credit or income with anyone else. 

Adaptation
An adaptation is when a media company takes a story and make it into a different type of media i.e. a film into a video game or a book into a film, for example The Harry Potter franchise was first a series of books by J.K Rowling and then turned into a film franchise, which was produced by Heyday films, 1492 picture and Patalex IV Productions and was distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures as it was produced by more than one company it is a joint venture and (over the 8 films) had a total budget of $1.3 billion and made (over the 8 films) $8.2 billion and as it was a joint venture the profit will be shared across the media companies that went in on the production also as it is an adaptation the author in this case JK. Rowling will receive money from ownership royalties from the use of her stories in the production. An adaptation also relies on the audiences background of the franchise as the same demographic that read the books will be a prime target when trying to market an adaptation.

Brands

Many brands use cross media platforms to advertise i.e. Marvel use cross media platforms to market their media products  for example they used above the line and below the line techniques to market their film ’Deadpool’ they released a film trailer that ran during prime time tv and as you can see in the picture they also did billboards (above the line marketing) all Marvel always feature their trade mark iconic logo or red  which helps build up brand identity. As Deadpool is an 18 rated film they are marketing to an older audience of 18 -40 year old and will target ABC1s using both above the line and bellow the line methods, and example of an above the line method would be billboard advertising in the central business district as this is where many working professionals aged 18-40 will be every day.  

Another brand that uses cross media marketing is Disney uses adaptations like the mobile phone app as a below the line marketing type and helps to achieve a positive association with the film and the brand its self and builds up people positivity with the brand, as star wars was marketed at a lot more of a younger generation and as most ABC1 children nowadays own a smart phone making the mobile game an effective cross media marketing technique and as the film Deadpool is targeted at an older demographic of ABC1s aged 18- 35 with moderate spending power the main reason the age of the demographic is so high is due to strong language, adult humour and violence  etc. meaning having a billboard in the central business district where many young professionals work is a good position to access the target audience.   


Audience pleasures
The films by Marvel are offer many different types of pleasures through mass following they have made very large fan groups that can be found in many different walks of life i.e. X-Men fan groups and people will often watch these films to become parts of these fan followings this is an example of Macule’s uses and gratifications theory of building personal relations and enables people to gain access to these subcultures and become accepted.  They also offer escapism to the audience as they offer in sight to a world that isn’t possible and is much more interesting and surreal that their own lives. In films like Deadpool, despite hi being a crime fighting, immortal, vigilante the audience see him as relatable at times, i.e. assembling flatpack furniture and doing his laundry, making the audience feel as though they can relate.

Mode of address
Films like, Deadpool use a peer to peer mode of address as Deadpool is very politically incorrect, and uses offensive language i.e. when he refers to Ranjit the cab driver as ‘’My slender brown friend’ this type of language is very informal and friendly to the audience, he also talks directly to the audience through the camera at times engaging the audience. Deadpool’s friendly mode of address also coaches the audience through the back story through the use of voice overs, explaining the different stages of what is going on whilst he is Wade Wilson and before he becomes Deadpool.