Institutions and Audiences - 7 points
· the importance of cross-media convergence and synergy in production,
distribution and marketing
Cross media convergence is when two or more different media platforms work together to use an idea that can be promoted but that benefits all of them. Synergy means when two or more companies work together to produce, distribute or exhibit a film, it could be used to help market the film e.g. music and film industry synergizing to produce a film soundtrack.
Different levels of cross media convergence and synergy can greatly effect a films production, distribution and marketing. In order for a film to be successful, it must; as well as follow a good narrative and have a wide range of a-list actors; market and promote itself using a wide range of techniques.
In order to maximize profits and achieve a sense of realism in the movie to attract audiences to watch it more. The film chosen for my case study, Captain America: Civil War (2016), was the first to synergize with IMAX and use their digital 2D cameras for filming and partnered with Arri, to acquire a customized version of the Arri Alexa 65 camera, the best in the market. This sort of convergence raises the standard of filming producing a high quality of product.
Vertical Integration between big media giants is unheard of but Disney one of the big six recently acquired 21st Century Fox from News Corp which brings rights to all the characters they owned to Disney. Sony and Disney also struck a deal which allows Marvel(owned by Disney), the rights to Spider-man back and to utilize him in the larger shared Marvel Universe alongside the Avengers. The key benefits both Disney and Sony will gain from being part of a vertical integration company are that the range of innovation is broadened, enabling more successful and creative films to be produced. Nevertheless, it also creates more businesses to be made, resulting in more employment. Also, because of the share of resources, it means the budget is balanced, meaning shared money, so the companies are at less risk if the film doesn’t manage to make at least three times its budget. Disney will be earning money from the sale of toys and Sony from the solo Spider-man movies that Disney will produce.
Audiences prefer a sense of verisimilitude when viewing the movie which is now possible to developments in CGI and SFX. Captain America: Civil War produced by Disney employed ILM , Lola VFX as part of 20 visual effects team to previsualise important fight scenes and de-ageing Robert Downey Jr.
Captain America: Civil War earned around $1.15 billion and was the highest grossing movie of 2016. It's safe to say that it owed some of its success to its elaborate marketing scheme. As audiences have become fragmented due to which institutions have to employ 360 branding which becomes possible due to cross media convergence. A number of trailers and posters were released a few months before the release of the movie which created a sense of hype and buzz, whilst maintaining an enigmatic code to hold audience's attention.
For a media product to be successful, institutions need to tap into all possible audiences. For this purpose Marvel Studios synergized with Audi and Superbowl to create TV spots for the audience. This attracted the established followers or consumers of both Superbowl and Audi towards the movie.
Social media has immensely become valuable in promoting movies. Civil War's activity on the official Marvel Website, Twitter and Facebook with custom emojis, Q&As with the cast and special video messages upon choosing either #TeamIronMan or #TeamCap, tapped into audience's emotional needs where they want to be more involved with the promotion process and star system, maintains audience's interest in the franchise and may drive them to explore deeper into the lore.
Marketing and promotion can affect audience’s choices on exhibition. Civil War was released worldwide on May 6th. Independent films don't get the same treatment, however. They are able to reach few slots in cinemas as media giants have already horizontally integrated with the cinemas and get 50-60% of what the ticket sales. The cinemas will show blockbusters instead of independent films during peak times because more people will prefer to watch the blockbuster.
For distribution, institutions also converge with mobile apps such as iTunes and release Blu Ray version of the movies a few months after the release of the movie. Platforms such as Netflix and LoveFilm allow audiences to enjoy movies from the comfort of their homes.
Such factors account for the success of the institution as well as the enjoyment and comfort of the target audience.
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