- 1. 1. Understand what is meant by the term New Media Technology
and how it is different to old media technology 2. Understand how
New Media Technology has revolutionised the way in which films are
produced. 3. Understand how New Media Technology in production has
impacted on audiences.
2. How could you answer this question? 3. The impact of new
technology on media industries The transformation of distribution
and marketing strategies by media institutions The use of new
technology to facilitate more accurate targeting of specific
audiences How audiences embrace the use of new digital media
technologies 4. New media technology is a term meant to encompass
the emergence of digital, computerized, or networked information
and communication technologies in the later part of the 20th
century. Most technologies described as "new media" are digital.
This is simply a quicker, smaller, more efficient and compressed
form of data-storage when compared with older analogue methods. Q:
What digital/new media technologies can you think of that are used
in the production of films? 5. Before the introduction of digital
technology all films were shot on film cameras like this one. The
film would be recorded onto big reels of 8mm, 16mm or 35mm film.
Once the filming was completed, it would be edited on a machine
like this one (a moviola). The editor would literally have to cut
and paste the film together frame by frame. Special effects were
primitive and had to be created by the props department. They often
looked very unrealistic, barely representing reality. Producing a
film before New Media Technology was far more time consuming and
expensive. Q: Why? 6. Digital cinematography has only established
itself in the last 10 years. Instead of recording to film the
footage can be recorded onto tape, hard disk or memory stick as
long as the camera is digital. The first major Hollywood film to be
recorded entirely digitally was Star Wars Episode II in 2002. Since
then films such as Sin City and Superman Returns have used this
technology. A number of Film 4 films have also made use of digital
cinematography including 2002s 24 Hour Party People. 7. HD video is
an upgraded version of digital video. It has a higher resolution
(meaning more DPI or dots per inch). By having a higher DPI the
picture quality is far higher than normal DV and retains a higher
quality picture on a large screen. However, whilst being far easier
to edit, even the highest quality HD DV is not as clear as a 35mm
or 70mm film. There has also been a resurgence in 3D film-making
over the last ten years. New digital techniques, using a
combination of very HD DV and high quality film stock have produced
better 3D effects than ever before. There is now a move towards
glasses-free 3D viewing, which using a trick of the mind creates
almost holographic images. 8. Portability Digital cameras are far
less bulky and difficult to transport than a traditional film
camera. They are also far more manoeuvrable when shooting. Sound
Recording Film cameras require sound to be recorded separately
(hence the invention of clapper-boards to match sound to visuals).
Digital cameras can record sound internally, halving the amount of
equipment needed to record a film. Budget Traditional 16mm or 35mm
film is incredibly expensive to buy a decent film camera and the
stock (tape) to shoot a film costs at least $50,000. In contrast
digital tape is incredibly cheap, as are digital cameras and a
professional film could be easily shot for under $10,000 using
digital methods. Rick McCallum, a producer on Star Wars Episode II,
states that the production spent $16,000 for 220 hours of digital
tape, where a comparable amount of film would have cost $1.8
million. Ease of editing Digital editing is today used as the
industry standard. Digital video is far easier to capture
especially if stored to a hard drive and far easier to manipulate
(add special effects and CGI). 9. How would the growth of digital
cinematography have helped companies like Film 4? How would a
Hollywood studio use digital video in a different way to an
independent production company? Some high-profile film-makers,
including Stephen Spielberg, have vowed to never use digital
cinematography, preferring to stick with traditional analogue
formats. Why would some film-makers, especially those in Hollywood,
take this stance? 10. Non-linear or digital editing
computer-generates a virtual editing environment, allowing the
editor to edit the film in any order they choose. This is unlike
traditional linear methods which require the editor to literally
cut and paste film sequences into a line. Programmes like Avid,
Final Cut and I-Movie have revolutionised film editing. Rather than
a large, expensive machine editing now only requires a reasonably
high-spec PC or MAC. Production companies from the lowest budget
independents to major Hollywood Studios use digital editing
programmes on almost all their productions, which now include a
variety of other features which allow the editor to manipulate the
visuals and audio. 11. Time It is far quicker to edit a film using
a digital editing programme, saving companies money on the amount
of time they need to stay in post-production. Convenience Digital
editing programmes allow the editor to assemble sequences, correct
mistakes, copy frames and add effects at the touch of a button.
Portability Rather than requiring a large, metal machine, digital
editing can be done on any PC or MAC with a high-spec and a digital
editing programme. Cost Linear film-editing machines were expensive
to manufacture and maintain, with access usually limited to those
in the film industry. An industry standard digital editing suite
can be assembled for as little as 2000 the cost of a high-spec PC,
good quality speakers and a professional level digital editing
programme. 12. How would the growth of digital editing have helped
companies like Film 4? How might editing actually be made more
difficult or complicated by using a computer programme? Even today,
many professional editors begin their careers with some training in
traditional, linear editing. Why would this be? 13.
Computer-generated imagery or CGI is the application of the field
of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to
special effects in films. The effects (characters, locations) are
created on a computer using a virtual wireframe and then
manipulated by the animator. The first major use of CGI came in
1991s Terminator II: Judgement Day. Using CGI the T-1000 was shown
to melt into liquid and morph into a variety of different people
and shapes. Today, virtually all special effects are created with
CGI. This includes The Lord of The Rings Trilogy, which used CGI to
create its epic battle scenes, Middle Earth and Gollum. James
Cameron has taken CGI a step further by computer animating not only
his sets but also his actors using motion capture suits. 14.
Manipulability Computer characters can be made to do anything
within the animators imagination. Before CGI, special effects were
created by the set or prop departments and had to be manually
operated, limited by the abilities of the operator and laws of
physics! Cost/Convenience Extras or even main characters can now be
computer animated, saving money and effort in finding and managing
people to actors in a film. Furthermore, a single animator can now
create far more fantastical visions than a whole props team could
have in the past. Increased Verisimilitude In the past special
effects and sets could easily be identified as fake. With todays
technology its near impossible to distinguish between real and
computer-generated elements of films, allowing film-makers to
realise their vision far more effectively. 15. If CGI has been so
revolutionary, how can you explain why independent production
companies like Film 4 so infrequently use it? Can you think of any
downsides for production companies with the increase in CGI? 16.
How will the use of digital technology have impacted on how
audiences experience films? How has the proliferation and
relatively low cost of digital production equipment blurred the
lines between film audiences and film producers? How might the
internet allow film audiences to influence films whilst they are
still production, in a way they would never have been able to
before? Can you think of any negative comments film audiences could
make about the digital revolution in film-making? 17. How has New
Media Technology revolutionised the following elements of film
production: - Cinematography - Editing - Special Effects What are
the drawbacks? How has New Media Technology in film production
impacted on film audiences? 18. Criteria Pro Con Quality Clearer,
most professional, increase verisimilitude More expensive
equipment, more complicated, Cost-cutting Saves the producer money
as they do not have to employ people May not be the most successful
way, could lose money or spend money in the wrong department Piracy
Enables people to watch the film a lot easier as they can watch it
from their own home Film producers lose money as they do not get
any profit from box office takings Exhibition Allows the audience
to watch the work of producers and establish a name, helps the
company to make a profit through box office takings Expensive,
detailed process that involves researching release dates and
locations to persuade the target audience to pay to watch it so the
company can make a profit Marketing Advertises the film before it
is released to persuade the audience to watch it, meaning there is
a long awaited release date and a boom in profit for the box office
Expensive process that must involve a lot of research into the
target audience to make the advertisement process as effective as
possible 19. Criteria Pro Con Access The audience can watch and
appreciate the film and enjoy it Could be accessed through piracy
which means this is illegal, the company lose out on profit
Marketing The audience are made aware of the film so they can
decide whether they want to see it or not, it gives them an idea of
the storyline May not be directed to the correct audience, may not
look as appealing as the film actually is Audience as producers
Allows the audience to produce something they know other people
will enjoy, they have first hand experience as to what the audience
enjoy and dont enjoy and effective techniques and storylines They
do not have a very professional background and could run into
trouble when trying to find a marketing or exhibiting company as
they are not very well known Tip: there is a PRO ad CON for
each