Audience and Institutions – Film
You need to know what the exam board specification for this exam is (Exam Board Wording) and you need to understand what
each of the seven areas you are asked to focus on requires you to do (see Translation). You could be asked a question on one of
the first six areas.
The exam question will ask you to talk about contemporary film industry that targets a British audience and its patterns of
production, distribution, exhibition and consumption by audiences. This should be accompanied by study of contemporary film
distribution practices (digital cinemas, DVD, HD-DVD, downloads, etc) and their impact upon production, marketing and
consumption
To answer this question you will need to use the examples from the case studies we have studied. I have prepared a handbook
and PowerPoints which you can use to revise from for each of these potential questions I would suggest you either use Warp Films
and Working Title as your main studios then compare it with 20th Century Fox. These case studies have been chosen to show the
different types of ownership and production and distribution in the industry, which target a British audience.
Candidates should be familiar with:
Exam Board Wording
1. The issues raised by media ownership in
contemporary media practice.
Translation
How the ownership of the
production, distribution and
exhibition companies affects the
type of films that are made.
Examples
Research both independent and mainstream
production companies – as case studies, use
Working Title or Warp films as your main
companies, if you can use both. Working Title
owned by a larger company, and Warp Films who
are a small independent British film company who
along with Film 4 Created this is ‘This is England’.
The distributor of this was film was Optimum
releasing which is a UK based distributor and a
subsidiary of Vivendi.
Compare the types of films that these companies
2. The importance of cross media
convergence and synergy in production,
distribution and marketing.
Understand how all aspects of the
media (websites, newspapers,
television etc) are used to market a
film and show you understand how
companies work together to
produce and distribute films.
3. The technologies that have been produced
in recent years at the levels of production,
distribution, marketing and exchange.
Show you are aware of how new
technology has been used to
improve the making, distributing,
marketing and exhibition on film.
4. The significance of the proliferation of
hardware and content for institutions and
audiences.
Show you understand how the
increase and improvements made
in technology are affecting the
ways that films are made and
distributed today. Also, be able to
assess how technological
improvements have impacted the
viewing experience, at home and in
the cinema.
Understand how new technologies
can combine to produce, market,
5. The importance of technological
convergence for institutions and audiences.
make and how they make sure they reach their
target audience.
Look at Twentieth Century Fox’s role in
distributing Avatar remember a different studio’s
produced this and it wasn’t the first 3d film
Research independent and mainstream
production companies – Twentieth Century Fox
(owned by News Corps) and Working Title or
Warp films – compare how their films are
marketed through other aspects of the media.
Find out who distributes their films. Look at
specific example. As supporting material you
should also look at films like ‘This is England’,
(Warp Film) and ‘The Boat That Rocked’, ‘A
Serious Man’ (Working Title)
Find out about filming in HD, SPFX and how they
are added at the editing stage of film production,
how the internet influences the ways films are
marketed and distributed, digital distribution of film
(research DSN -Digital Screen Network) and
digital exhibition of film. Refer to case study.
You need to be able to explore how the
affordability of new technology has impacted on
the making, distribution and exhibition of film. The
DSN is relevant to this area too – how has it
improved our access to film? What about Bluray
and the affordability of DVDs? Piracy? Refer to
case study. Information researched for bullet point
3 is relevant here too.
Information from bullet point 3 and 4 relevant here
too but you need to have specific examples of
distribute and exhibit a film
successfully.
6. The issues raised in the targeting of
national and local audiences (specifically
British) by international or global institutions
7. The ways in which the candidates’ own
experience of media consumption illustrate
wider patterns and trends in audience
behaviour.
how technologies can combine to reach a target
audience (Eg, ‘The Boat that Rocked’ –
soundtrack was advertised on mp3.com. Vivendi
own Universal and mp3.com. ‘This is England’ Greenroom digital (marketing agency) approached
Britfilm.tv to launch a ‘site take-over’ to market the
film to target audience. )
Show you know how international
‘Working Title’ is owned by ‘Universal’, why is it in
and global institutions target a
Universal’s interest to have a subsidiary such as
national and local British audience. WT. Compare WT’s films to ‘blockbusting’ movies
such as ‘Avatar’. How do films, such as this, target
such massive audiences?
Include reference to how your own You will not be asked a question on this
experience of the media shows how however you will need to incorporate this
an audience may behave.
element in each one of the six potential areas
above.
Types of questions they may ask
• Discuss the issues raised by an institution’s need to target specific audiences within a media industry which you
have studied
•
Discuss the ways in which media products are produced and distributed to audiences?
•
Media production is dominated by global institutions, which sell their products and services to national audiences.
To what extent do you agree with this statement
•
What significance does the continuing development of digital media technology have for media institutions and
audiences?
Regardless of the question you must discuss such key concepts: Audience, Production, Distribution, Exhibition and
Exchange.
•
Remember to also use and apply concepts such as Technological Convergence, Synergies, Media Convergence
(for media ownership) etc.
Mark scheme
• Explanation/analysis/argument (16-20 marks)
•
Shows excellent understanding of the task
•
Excellent knowledge and understanding of institutional/audience practices – factual knowledge is relevant and
accurate
•
A clear and developed argument, substantiated by detailed reference to case study material
•
Clearly relevant to set question
•
•
Use of examples (16-20 marks)
•
Offers frequent evidence from case study material – award marks to reflect the range and appropriateness of
examples
•
Offers a full range of examples from case study and own experience
•
Offers examples which are clearly relevant to the set question
•
Use of terminology (8-10 marks)
How to answer the question
Explanation
Here you must explain your
answer, using you case
studies, remember compare
and contrast is also high level
thinking.
Look at handbook for key
points.
Evidence
Here you must
use evidence to
support your
point from your
case study i.e.
how Warp
distributes films
compare and
contrast or the
different
audiences etc.
Argument i.e.
Analyse and
provide an
argument using
explanation,
evidence from
your case
studies, this
should also be a
compare and
contrast
Terminology
Synergy
Convergence
Conglomerate
Tent pole
Above the line
Below the line
Read
handbook for
terminology