Issues raised by media in ownership and funding in contemporary media practice.

Issues raised by media in ownership and funding in contemporary media practice

Ownership of the production, distribution and exhibition companies affects the type of films that are

being made.

20th Century Fox Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (Twentieth Century-Fox Film

Corporation, with hyphen, from 1935 to 1985)—also known as 20th Century Fox, or 20th Century Fox Pictures, is one of the six major American film studios

as of 2011. Located in the Century City area of Los Angeles, just west of Beverly Hills, the studio used to be a subsidiary of News Corporation, but now

it's currently a subsidiary of 21st Century Fox.The company was founded on May 31, 1935,[1] as the result of the merger of Fox Film Corporation, founded by William Fox in 1915, and Twentieth Century

Pictures, founded in 1933 by Darryl F. Zanuck and Joseph M. Schenck.20th Century Fox has distributed various commercially successful film series, including Star Wars, Ice Age, X-Men, Die Hard, Planet of the Apes, Fantastic

Four, Alien and Predator. Television series produced by Fox include The Simpsons, M*A*S*H, The X-Files, Family Guy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, How I

Met Your Mother, Glee, Modern Family and 24. Among the most famous actresses to come out of this studio were Shirley Temple, who was 20th

Century Fox's first film star, Betty Grable, Gene Tierney, Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield. The studio also contracted the first African-American cinema

star, Dorothy Dandridge.20th Century Fox is a member of the Motion Picture Association of America

(MPAA).[2]

Ownership

When we are talking about ownership we are talking about a monopoly where a few powerful institutions control pretty much everything you see here and read. Although there are other independent companies, these global media giants referred to as parent companies control the production companies and the means to distribute.

Vertical Ownership(Different parts of the organisation involved in the same process)

Distribution company

Cinema

Horizontal IntegrationParent companyNEWS CORPS

Subsidiary companyMYSPACE

Subsidiary companyTHE SUN

Subsidiary company20th CENTURY

FOX

Production

Production: Is the creation of the film, however it also means the decisions and processes that go into making a film. There are different types of companies involved in the production process: Both major studios and also production companies

Production Company

A production company is the company that is responsible for making of a film and also maybe responsible for raising finance for that film, but this is not always the case. A production company maybe a small company, which sells its idea to a major studio or may co-produce a film. This is often the case because films are so expensive to make that.

6 Major Studios

There are 6 major studios in the world that they are a subsidiary company of a handful of dominant media companies which own most of media in the world from TV, Film and even music. The same parent companies who own the film studios also own the music industry

News Corporation-owns 20th Century Fox, The Sun, MyspaceTime Warner: Warner Brothers, IPC magazinesDisney: Walt Disney Motion pictures, Disney Channel, PixarBertelsmann: Channel 5Viacom-owns Paramount Pictures, Nickolodian, MTVSony-Sony Pictures-Columbia PicturesVivendi-Universal

Independent vs. Studio FilmsIndependent films are different from film studios because they do not have as much money to both product, distribute and market films this means they often have to work with other companies to produce their films. Some institutions need to join with other institutions which distribute films. Vertigo Films is able to distribute its own films, Channel Four distributed Slumdog Millionaire through Pathe. ,Working Title's distribution partner is Universal, a huge US company which can make, distribute and show films. The type of owner ship within an institution matters as, for instance, Channel 4 and the BBC are able to show their own films at an earlier stage than other films made by other institutions. They are also better placed to cross-promote their in-house films within their media organisations. The BBC makes films with their BBC Films arm; Channel4's Film Four produces films, Working Title also produce films, as does Vertigo Films, etc.

How does ownership effect the production of a film?

The first stage of production is getting financial backing.Independent companies and particularly smaller British companies, which are not linked to a an American conglomerate have to rely mainly on money from the National Lottery fund and also other government organizations i.e. EM media, East Midlands development agency, or an other regional agency ,which wants to develop local talent . If they are lucky a private investor or through pre-sales i.e. selling shares before a film is made, or through sales of television rightsIndependent and smaller companies like Film 4 have to focus on social realism as these films are cheaper to make as they don't have the big Hollywood finance for production or distribution to market their films. They may also link up with one of the main distribution companies by selling the distributor pre-sales in order to get money for the production.

Finance• Major studios can make big budget films because they are part of a bigger

conglomerate and have more money to make the big blockbusters. This means that their films will focus on blockbusters, special effects and big marketing campaigns. Avatar for instance cost as much in marketing as it did in production Further, advertisers, and tie in deals with companies like McDonalds, and Coca Cola will be more likely to want to be involved in big budget films because they have a wider audience and are shown at more exhibition houses.

• This is because independent films are often low budget and focus particularly in Britain on social realism as they do not have the funds for CGI and 3D and are shot in digital because it is cheaper than 35mm film.

• They also do not have the money to act as distributor which means they have to rely on either co-funding or using film festivals to promote their films. Major studios can get a lot of private investment because they have a proven track record, a lot of independent film companies have to rely on getting

• Money from UK film council and other regional development agencies.

Case Study(Avatar)

AvatarAvatar is a science fiction film written and directed by James Cameron, starring Sam Worthington , Zoë Saldaña, Stephen Lang,Michelle Rodriguez, and Sigourney Weaver. It was made byLightstorm Entertainment and released by 20th Century Fox on December 18, 2009. The film is set in the year 2154 on Pandora, a fictional Earth-like moon in a distant planetary system. Humans are engaged in mining Pandora's reserves of a precious mineral known as unobtanium, while the Na'vi — the sapient and sentient race of humanoids indigenous to the moon — resist the colonists' expansion, which threatens the continued existence of the Na'vi and the Pandoran ecosystem. The film's title refers to the remotely controlled, genetically engineered human-Na'vi bodies used by the film's human characters to interact with the indigenous population.Avatar had been in development since 1994 by James Cameron, who wrote a 114-page scriptment for the film. Filming was supposed to take place after the completion of Titanic, and the film would have been released in 1999, but according to James Cameron, "technology needed to catch up" with his vision of the film. In early 2006, James Cameron developed the script, the language, and the culture of Pandora. He stated that since Avatar was successful, there will be at least two sequels.

Casting

Michael Biehn was considered for the role of Colonel Quaritch. He met with James Cameron three times and saw some of the 3D footage, but in the end it simply came down to the fact that Cameron didn't want people thinking it was Aliens (1986) all over again, as Sigourney Weaver had already been cast.Sigourney Weaver plays a "James Cameron" persona for her character in Avatar. Sigourney stated in an interview, "I teased him because to me I'm playing Jim Cameron in the movie as this kind of brilliant, approach-driven, idealistic perfectionist. But that same somebody has a great heart underneath. So I have to say I was always kind of channeling him."The second James Cameron film that doesn't feature either Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton, Jennette Goldstein, or Arnold Schwarzennegger, the first being Piranha 2: The Spawning.

ProductionAnnounced on June 14, 2005 in the Hollywood Reporter, James Cameron's untitled "Project 880" is a parallel project being developed alongside Battle Angel (2011). It will use the same digital-3D camera system (developed by Vince Pace) and virtual production studio (developed by Robert Legato) that Cameron will use on Battle Angel.James Cameron originally attempted to get the film made in 1999 as his immediate follow-up to Titanic (1997). However, at the time, the special effects he wanted for the movie ran the proposed budget up to $400 million. No studio would fund the film, and it was subsequently shelved for almost ten years.James Cameron's first feature film since Titanic (1997).The movie is 40% live action and 60% photo-realistic CGI. A large amount of motion capture technology was used for the CGI scenes.Seeing the character of Gollum in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) convinced James Cameron that CGI effects had progressed enough to make Avatar (2009).

ReleaseInitial screeningAvatar premiered in London on December 10, 2009, and was released theatrically worldwide from December 16 to 18.The film was originally set for release on May 22, 2009, during filming, but was pushed back to allow more post-production time (the last shots were delivered in November and to give more time for theatres worldwide to install 3D projectors.

Problems?During a 3D preview showing in Germany on December 16, the movie's DRM 'protection' system failed, and some copies delivered could not be watched at all in the theaters. The problems were fixed in time for the public premiere, however. Avatar was released in a total of 3,457 theatres in the US, of which 2,032 theatres ran it in 3D. In total 90% of all advance ticket sales for Avatar were for 3D screenings. Internationally, Avatar opened on a total of 14,604 screens in 106 territories, of which 3,671 were showing the film in 3D (producing 56% of the first weekend gross).] The film was simultaneously presented in IMAX 3D format, opening in 178 theaters in the United States on December 18. The international IMAX release included 58 theaters beginning on December 16, and 25 more theaters were to be added in the coming weeks. The IMAX release was the company's widest to date, a total of 261 theaters worldwide

Extended theatrical re-release• In July 2010, Cameron confirmed that there would be an extended

theatrical re-release of the film on August 27, 2010, exclusively in 3D theaters and IMAX 3D.[269] Avatar: Special Edition includes an additional nine minutes of footage, all of which is CG, including an extension of the sex scene and various other scenes that were cut from the original theatrical film. This extended re-release resulted in the film's run time approaching the current IMAX platter maximum of 170 minutes, thereby leaving less time for the end credits. Cameron stated that the nine minutes of added scenes cost more than $1 million a minute to produce and finish. During its 12-week re-release, Avatar: Special Edition grossed an additional $10.74 million in North America and $22.46 million overseas for a worldwide total of $33.2 million.

Home media20th Century Fox Home Entertainment released the film on DVD and Blu-ray in the US on April 22, 2010[272] and in the UK on April 26.[273] The US release was not on a Tuesday as is the norm, but was done to coincide with Earth Day.[274] The first DVD and Blu-ray release does not contain any supplemental features other than the theatrical film and the disc menu in favor of and to make space for optimal picture and sound.

BudgetUS $237,000,000

The film is estimated to have cost over $300 million to produce, and another estimated $200 million for the distribution and other costs, thus totaling to about half a billion dollars. Avatar is being touted as a breakthrough in terms of filmmaking technology, for its development of 3D viewing and stereoscopic filmmaking with cameras that were specially designed for the film's production.

Gross RevenueUS $2,781,132,032

The film was first titled Project 880, and was released in traditional 2D and 3D formats, along with an IMAX 3D release in selected theaters. The film is estimated to have cost over $300 million to produce, and another estimated $200 million for the distribution and other costs, thus totaling to about half a billion dollars. Avatar is being touted as a breakthrough in terms of filmmaking technology, for its development of 3D viewing and stereoscopic filmmaking with cameras that were specially designed for the film's production. Opening to critical acclaim, it earned an estimated $27 million on its opening day and an estimated $77,025,481 domestically its opening weekend. Worldwide, the film grossed an estimated $232,180,000 its opening weekend, the ninth largest opening-weekend gross of all time, and the largest for a non-franchise, non-sequel and original film. It is also considered to be a front-runner for awards and nominations at the 82nd Academy Awards. So far, it has been nominated to 4 Golden Globes, 2 of which it won: Best Director and Best Motion Picture (Drama). The film was rated PG-13 by the MPAA for intense epic battle sequences and warfare, sensuality, language and moderate tobacco usage.

The movie has grossed over $2 billion worldwide, the first movie to ever do so. On January 25, 2010, Avatar surpassed Titanic as the highest grossing film of all time, worldwide

Distribution Exhibition

• Released 16th December 2009• 3,457 US theaters, 2032 3D• 90% tickets were 3D• Film Value =Cinema-DVD-Blue Ray, Download,

Subscription, Terrestrial TV

Marketing

• R-Marketing:• Avatarmovie.com• trailer released 21 august 2009• Action figures for sale• Tie in Merchandising deals with Mcdonands• Avatar book deals and Art work

Case Study 2Titanic

Titanic• Titanic is a Titanic poster• The theatrical poster for Titanic.1997 epic romance, drama and

disaster film starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, and Billy Zane. It was directed by James Cameron. It was a fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic and followed the forbidden romance of a beautiful first-class woman (Kate Winslet) and a penniless third-class artist (Leonardo DiCaprio) aboard the ill-fated maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic. The film also stars Gloria Stuart, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates, Frances Fisher, Bernard Hill, Jonathan Hyde, Danny Nucci, David Warner, Victor Garber, and Bill Paxton. Cameron saw the love story as a way to engage the audience with the real life tragedy.

Production• In 1995, production began on the film when Cameron shot footage of the

actual Titanic wreck. The modern scenes were shot on board the Akademik Mstislav Keldysh, which Cameron used as a base while filming the actual wreck. A reconstruction of the Titanic was built in Baja, California, at Playas de Rosarito. Scale models and CGI effects were also used to create a more realistic version of the ship. The film was partially funded by Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox, its distributors. At the time, it was the most expensive film ever made, with an estimated budget of US$200 million. In 2009, James Cameron's Avatar (the first film Cameron had made since Titanic) topped Titanic, however. The film was originally scheduled to open on July 2, 1997; however, post-production delays pushed back its release to December 19 instead. Titanic was an enormous critical and commercial success. It was nominated for fourteen Academy Awards, eventually winning eleven, including Best Picture and Best Director. In 2012, the film was re-released to theaters in 3D.

Casting• Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson: Cameron said he needed the cast to feel as

though they were really on the Titanic, relive its liveliness, and "to take that energy and give it to Jack, he's an artist who is able to have his heart soar". Within the film, Jack is portrayed as a penniless Wisonsin man who has toured various parts of the world, including Paris. He wins two tickets onto the RMS Titanic in a poker game and travels as a third-class passenger with his friend Fabrizio. He is attracted to Rose at first sight and meets her when she attempts to throw herself off the stern of the ship. This enables him to mix with the first-class passengers for a night. When casting the role, various established actors, including Matthew McConaughey, Chris O'Donnell, Billy Crudup and Stephen Dorf, were considered. Tom Cruise expressed an interest in portraying the character, though his superstar asking price was never taken seriously." DiCaprio, 22 years old at the time, was brought to Cameron's attention by casting director Mali Finn. Initially, he did not want to portray the character, and refused to read his first romantic scene on the set. Cameron said, "He read it once, then started goofing around, and I could never get him to focus on it again. But for one split second, a shaft of light came down from the heavens and lit up the forest." Cameron strongly believed in DiCaprio's acting ability, and told him, "Look, I'm not going to make this guy brooding and neurotic. I'm not going to give him a tic and a limp and all the things you want." Cameron rather envisioned the character as a James Stewart type.

Kate Winsletas Rose DeWitt Bukater: Cameron said Winslet "had the thing that you look for" and that there was "a quality in her face, in her eyes," that he "just knew people would be ready to go the distance with her". Rose is a 17-year-old girl, originally from Philadelphia, who is forced into an engagement to 30-year-old Caledon Hockley so she and her mother, Ruth, can maintain their high-class status after her father's death had left the family debt-ridden. Rose boards the RMS Titanic with Cal and Ruth, as a first-class passenger, and meets Jack. Winslet said of her character, "She has got a lot to give, and she's got a very open heart. And she wants to explore and adventure the world, but she [feels] that's not going to happen." Gwyneth Paltrow, Claire Danes, and Gabrielle Anwar had been considered for the role. When they turned it down, 22-year-old Winslet campaigned heavily for the role. She sent Cameron daily notes from England, which led Cameron to invite her to Hollywood for auditions. As with DiCaprio, casting director Mali Finn originally brought her to Cameron's attention. When looking for a Rose, Cameron described the character as "an Audrey Hepburn type" and was initially uncertain about casting Winslet even after her screen test impressed him. After she screen tested with DiCaprio, Winslet was so thoroughly impressed with him, that she whispered to Cameron, "He's great. Even if you don't pick me, pick him." Winslet sent Cameron a single rose with a card signed "From Your Rose" and lobbied him by phone. "You don't understand!" she pleaded one day when she reached him by mobile phone in his Humvee. "I am Rose! I don't know why you're even seeing anyone else!" Her persistence, as well as her talent, eventually convinced him to cast her in the role.

• Billy Zane as Caledon Hockley: • The part was originally offered to Matthew McConaughey.• Frances Fisher as Ruth DeWitt Bukater• Gloria Stuart as Rose Dawson Calvert:• Cameron stated, "In order to see the present and the past, I decided to

create a fictional survivor who is close to 101 years, and she connects us in a way through history."

• David Warner as Spicer Lovejoy• Danny Nucci as Fabrizio De Rossi• Bill Paxton as Brock Lovett• Lewis Abernathy as Lewis Bodine• Suzy Amis as Lizzy Calvert• Jason Barry as Thomas Ryan: • Jenette Goldstein as Irish Mother: • Camilla Overbye Roos as Helga Dahl• Linda Kerns as Third Class Woman• Amy Gaipa as Trudy Bolt

Release20th Century Fox co-financed Titanic, and expected Cameron to complete the film for a release on July 2, 1997. The film was to be released on this date "in order to exploit the lucrative summer season ticket sales when blockbuster films usually do better". In April, Cameron said the film's special effects were too complicated and that releasing the film for summer would not be possible. With production delays, Paramount pushed back the release date to December 19, 1997. "This fueled speculation that the film itself was a disaster." However, a preview screening in Minneapolis on July 14 "generated positive reviews" and "[c]hatter on the internet was responsible for more favorable word of mouth about the [film]". This eventually led to more positive media coverage.

The film premiered on November 1, 1997, at the Tokyo International Film Festival, where reaction was described as "tepid" by The New York Times. However, positive reviews started to appear back in the United States; the official Hollywood premiere occurred on December 14, 1997, where "the big movie stars who attended the opening were enthusiastically gushing about the film to the world media".

Box OfficeBudget of Titanic was $200 million.Including revenue from the 2012 reissue, Titanic earned $658,672,302 in North America and $1,526,700,000 in other countries, for a worldwide total of $2,185,372,302. It became the highest-grossing film of all time worldwide in 1998, and remained so for twelve years, until Avatar, also written and directed by Cameron, surpassed it in 2010. On March 1, 1998, it became the first film to earn more than $1 billion worldwide, and on the weekend April 13–15, 2012—a century after the original vessel's foundering—Titanic became the second film to cross the $2 billion threshold during its 3D re-release. Box Office Mojo estimates that Titanic is the fifth highest-grossing film of all time in North America when adjusting for ticket price inflation.

Promotion

Cameron convinced 20th Century Fox to promote the film based on the publicity afforded by shooting the Titanic wreck itself, and organized several dives to the site over a period of two years. "My pitch on that had to be a little more detailed,"

said Cameron. "So I said, ‘Look, we’ve got to do this whole opening where they’re exploring the Titanic and they find the diamond, so we’re going to have all these shots of the ship."

Cameron stated, "Now, we can either do them with elaborate models and motion control shots and CG and all that, which will cost X amount of money – or we can spend X plus 30 per

cent and actually go shoot it at the real wreck.“

Judging by all the facts and figures, the only reason why Avatar beat all the records of Titanic was because technology at the time of Titanic (1997) was not developed. Internet wasn’t very commonly used and even computers were rare. Any other kind of technology was extremely rare to have access to. So when Avatar was released in 2009, modern 2D/3D technology was beyond developed. Everyone had access to internet, had smartphones etc. Obviously revenue was going to be doubled.Hence Avatar was a big time success,

Done By:Moona Farhan