LO1 Task 3 and 4

1. Find an example of how  social media was used to market a Audio Visual Promo and explain the benefits for the audience (black box theory) . 

 

Marvel has successfully managed to draw audiences from across generations, of all walks of life for many years. the most recent Avengers movie,  Endgame made about $1.4 billion dollars worldwide in the first few weeks of being released. The key to its success in keeping audiences so gripped is in its clever marketing strategies, with them spending around $200 million dollars on its marketing campaign.  They used every platform available to reach as broader audience as possible through social media, visuals, and pop up events. Such campaigns span a long period with advertising taking place months in advance to keep the excitement and hype going for as long as possible. Not only do they market the movie themselves but they also have the cast advertising it via their own social media followers, therefore reaching broader audience groups thereby expanding its audience base without spending large amounts of additional money. Marvel has social media on numerous platforms like Instagram, facebook, twitter therefore reaching as broader audience as possible. The benefits for the audience being that they are able to almost instantly be updated on any new footage, information or latest trailers. They can access it immediately via a wide range of Blackbox devices. In the visual promotions Marvel used social media to give snapshots of what was to come, small clips of the movie, sneak previews making the audience feel that they are somehow in on the secrets that they are the first to know. Marvel don’t just rely on their own marketing outlets but also join forces with other large brands such as Coca-Cola, Google, Audi, and Stand Up to Cancer, this enables them to reach people who might not normally be interested in Marvel films but when constantly being bombarded with promotions are more likely to tune in. 

In the promotional clips for Infinity War, Marvel released a trailer that focussed more on the characters than the movie itself, this left followers needing more information but predicting what the movie might include, causing social media to go wild with anticipation, therefore building the hype even more. This feeds into the black box theory of marketing which focuses on posting enticing content on all forms of digital platforms to attract the audience and maintain interest. The black box model tracks viewers behaviour, and how it reacts to stimulus with the hope of influencing that behaviour by bombarding the consumer on every level possible. 

 

Explain the advantages of VOD distribution with an example (e.g. Netflix, catch up services) and how this has led to ‘death of the schedule’ Sonia Livingstone (1999) 

 

 

The main advantage of Video on Demand (VOD) is that audiences are able view content of their choice whenever they wish. No longer do they have to rush home to see the latest episode of Eastenders, they can just watch it on catch up fitting in with other everyday commitments. This way the producers don’t miss out on crucial viewers. It also allows viewers to watch videos such as movies and TV series on their computers and other devices, an alternative to  cable and satellite TV which offers more flexibility and is a more affordable way to watch TV. VOD streaming also helps to reach global audience in that anyone with an internet connection can access it at any time from any location. 

GoPro's Facebook Page for examples which is full of videos and images displaying adventure and nail-biting action. People can be seen base jumping or scaling a mountain all with their GoPro strapped to their head. This type of footage is directed at a certain target market and the more of it viewed by the user the more it will appear on their stream, the ultimate aim being to influence their buying. Facebook is extremely successful in reaching the target market which is why so many leading brands use it as a key part of their marketing strategy. 

In a similar way Instagram offers brands and creators a visual platform to market to users. There are Instagram Ads and sponsored, also allowing users to upload their own Instagram Stories, Reels, and posts. Instagram is not only a usual tool for large corporate companies, but also individuals wanting to launce a new product or profile sat within the comfort of their own home. A new undiscovered musician, a stay at home mum offering childcare tips, or a budding chef sharing cooking tips and inspiration.  

YouTube potentially more popular with younger generations again making overnight stars of otherwise unknown people, people posting silly incidents, or mimes suddenly watched by millions who await the next upload as the demand a sudden raise to fame begins! People viewing everyday products good or bad, which instantly translates to a soar or decline in sale. The Sidemen for example, who have no particular skills but have become known worldwide, and are now able to promote virtually any product. This has grown to them producing their own products anything from vodka to a breakfast cereal. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Explain how technological convergence has impacted how audiences access products nowadays (black box, download, stream, simulcast). 

 

Media convergence allows people to access and wide range of media content from different sources, like radio, newspapers and social media platforms. This is a very effective way of allowing people to choose the media source that they prefer, but also at a time of their liking. Technological convergence also increases the interactivity and participation of the audience, as they can comment, share, and create their own content (Prosumer) on social media and gives them more influence. A disadvantage of technological convergence could be that as the information is distributed further away from its original source it can become diluted or inaccurate, meaning people may not know what is reliable or reflective of the facts. Web 2.0 is a good example of this where sites allow users to interact and contribute to the page rather than just view it. A blog works in that way where a group of people are able discuss a certain subject, sharing thoughts/information, feelings or knowledge, either in a public or private platform.  

 

 

Mobile phones are no longer just used to make calls but have become a massive part of our everyday lives. Smartphones are everywhere and can literally connect us to anyone in the world not just through messages but through live real time video calls making the distances between us seem so much smaller. During covid such technology was crucial in keeping us connected to loved one, to learning in schools and also to keep industry going. This is also beneficial in the media world as it allows big companies such as Disney to work with colleagues and clients no matter where they are located which not only improves the efficiency of how they carry out their jobs but also means their final product can ultimately be the best it can due to having access to the best skill sets across the globe. 

 

 

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LO1 task 2 technological convergence and production techniques

Celtx is a script writing and pre-production management software for films, TV, Ads, Commercial Video, documentaries, games, VR and many more. It allows you to write, plan and manage videos. They develop cloud based software for the early stages of production.

Garage Band can be used along side musical instruments, and microphones to record many things like dialogue, voice overs, music. it allows you to cut videos and rearrange order. it also has built in features like a keyboard and guitar to record sounds. Main features of garage band are recording and correcting vocals, sampling, downloading third party plug ins and many other useful things.

The Creative cloud is a great example of post production software's, one specific one is premier pro which can be used to edit videos and audio post production. Features include auto ducking for ambient sounds which helps you mix background noise into a video without overpowering other sound elements, robust export options, graphics panels to add special effects and lost more. 

Convergent technologies benefit the production stages in lots of ways Jenkins (2008) identified 5 different convergence kinds which are economic convergence, organic convergence, cultural convergence, global convergence and finally technological convergence as he stated convergence is not just technological but instead a process that changes how media is both consumed and produced.

It is still not completely known how these different types of convergence will affect people both individually and as a society however i believe that convergence and new media technologies make people smarter by requiring them to make decisions and interact with the media they are consuming although you could argue the point that it becomes easier to gain access to more information which may make people become less motivated and lack dedication.

Technological convergence has allowed technologies that where originally unrelated to become integrated which has many benefits it allows for the integration of multiple technologies into one device, which can increase efficiency and convenience. another benefit regarding the production stages is that it can streamline the production process by allowing for multiple steps to be completed on one device which increases productivity and reduce costs.

Pre-production technology is certain tools and software used when planning, design and the overall preparation stages, one example of a pre-production software is called 'storyboarder' which is used to create a visual representation of a story or concept through a series of sketches or images that show the sequence of events, storyboards are regularly used for pre-production to plan and organize the visual elements of a project for all different media such as film, animation, video game etc. This is a good example of a convergent technology as it combines traditional art techniques used for planning with digital tools to create an efficient and cheap way to plan and visualize a project. 

Technological convergence = Technology coming together (Web 2.0)

Web 2.0 consists of - advertise, apps, communicate, film/TV/radio content, video games

Devices are now multifunctional (internet, games, music...)

Blackbox devices (consoles, phones, Smart TV's)

•  Download - copying data from one computer system to another usually via the internet (film, music, video, documents....) however this can take up a lot of storage.

• Stream - transmit or receive audio/video data over the internet at a constant flow.

• Simulcast - the same programme (TV/Audio) being played at the same time. (simultaneous broadcasting) 

• VOD - (video on demand) video content (movies, TV....) sent to a person directly and immediately. (platform you can stream content from without downloading it) 

• Time shifting - recording a TV programme for later viewing.

• Debate - 'fragmented audiences' (Livingstone 2002) - a mass audience becoming more diverse in the content that they watch over time.

• TV - traditionally to watch TV you needed a tv licence unlike nowadays where you can watch it on any platform like ITV or BBC...

• Film - Before modern technology to watch movies you would have to visit the cinema or play them through a tape and VHS compare to nowadays where you can play it on media platforms such as Netflix.

• Video games - video games used to be played on big consoles which required a large amount of wires and other things unlike today where you can simply just play them on your phone or a console.

• Magazines/newspapers - traditionally newspapers had to be bought at a newsagents for a physical copy. however now you can just view it via the internet

• Radio - traditionally radio had to be listened to on a radio that wasn't very portable due to the size and weight however now they are built into are cars and we can listen anywhere

• Music - music used to have to be played via cassette tapes and to change song you would have to manually change the tape unlike nowadays where we can listen anywhere via our phones.

Technological convergence has impacted all of the above as when things where initially invented they all required a bit of manual effort to use and were not the most robust, however due to technological convergence devices have become very compact, portable, and robust. This change in technology makes all of the media much more accessible meaning it reaches a wider demographic compare to the traditional media as it was generally more expensive due to having to buy multiple pieces of hardware and meaning there is a higher power consumption, not to mention the small storage, large amount of wires, and maintenance issues.

An advantage of technological convergence is that is allows multiple tasks to be performed on a single device and makes it possible to save energy. Being able to multi task on a single device also means performance and productivity increases meaning you can be very optimal in work places etc.

A few companies or conglomerates that have benefited from technological convergence are ITV, Disney, BBC, and many more this means that for example if you wanted to watch a movie all you would have to do is open Netflix on your Phone, TV, game Console, Phone and watch immediately.