Impact of Modern Digital Technologies on Film Industry Essay

Introduction

The importance of digital technologies is integral indeed: a number of cultural products, services, and ideas undergo considerable changes within a short period of time due to the possibilities available. With the help of numerous digital technologies, people from different industries are able to make their dreams and ideas come true in order to impress the viewer, amaze the critics, and meet the vast majority of expectations.

The film industry is considered to be one of those spheres that is under the influence of digital technologies, and the development of the technologies determines the development of the movie industry. “Movies challenged political, economic, and social systems for control of popular culture in foreign markets as much as they did at home, prompting attempts to keep American movies from destroying national identities as well as domestic film industries” (Daniel 2003, p. 224)

Digital technologies are defined as the integral driving force for movies between the 1990s and the 2000s. Though independent animations existed since the 1950s, their popularity was dated from the 1990s when animators got an access to digital technologies as well as many movie directors.

In this paper, the evaluation of the film industry and numerous impacts of modern digital technologies on the chosen sphere will be introduced; though the development of digital technologies cannot be constantly integrated with the existed business models in the movie industry, the impact of technologies remain to be considerable for in time identification of threats like competitions, high demands, and viewer’s expectations, there are still some challenges and risks which have to be evaluated and forecasted to achieve the desirable success in the chosen industry.

Film Industry in Modern Life

Film industry as it is and business models in the film industry. The film industry is a unity of numerous models which are responsible for various institutions of film making like support of production companies, screenwriting, post production, festivals, actors’ choice, etc. The main purpose of the film industry is to present a movie that “tells the story” and make the viewer conclude the idea (Lehman & Luhr 2003, p.357). In case one of the sectors of film making fails to achieve good results, the rest of the work may be under a threat.

This is why it is crucially important to understand what method is better to choose and take as many steps as possible to achieve good results. The possible business models which may be applied for the film industry are an appropriate distribution of content online, successful choice and cooperation of screenwriters, directors, and production companies, or attention to consumers’ needs and demands.

Movie making as a good means to earn good money. Talking about the success of modern film industry, it is very important to consider the fact that making movie is one of the activities which bring good money.

In case a team of people succeeds in developing a powerful work, they have all chances to gain recognition through the whole world, to get a number of credits for their further development, and to get an access to approved technologies. Dixon is one of the writers who has the most optimistic attitude towards the film industry and defines the idea of movie-making as a process similar to “writing on water” during which some images and ideas may survive, and some cannot (Dixon 2007).

Animation movie industry. Fast development of 2D and 3D frames of the movie industry has already attracted a number of people. The animation industry has spread over the United States of America, Hong Kong, and many European countries. Though not all attempts of movie-makers are successful in animation, their works are still recognized and discussed.

For the last several years, animation movie industry has undergone many changes and become a significant part of modern culture. The budgets as well as the number of viewers increased considerably, this is why many expectations are set. Interesting ideas, amazing backgrounds, and captivating plots – all this becomes inherent to observe from the screens. So, due to such expectations, the use of digital technologies is obligatory in this kind of film industry.

Competitions in the movie industry. There is one significant factor that promotes the use of digital technologies in the film industry: there are so many people who are eager to contribute the chosen industry, and the level of competitions increases.

Competitions in the movie industry may be based on different factors: preferences of directors and actors, interests of people, plots, and so on. To succeed in this kind of competition, it is very important to choose appropriate strategies, make use of digital technologies available, and develop an idea in the most interesting way.

Modern Digital Technologies

Digital technologies and their impact on every day life. The spread of digital technologies influenced many spheres of life, and the film industry is not an exception. “The arrival and increasing ubiquity of digital imagining has sparked renewed debates” which are inhere to the film industry (Purse 2007, p. 5).

Digital technologies are probably one of the most widely and fast spread advancements in the movie industry. In fact, it is not that easy to provide a clear and powerful definition of digital technologies because it touches upon many cultural, economic, and even social factors. For example, one organization is eager to make use of digital technologies to achieve success in one particular activity.

In case there is no appropriate financial basis for the use of technologies and a strong cultural background to rely one, the digital technology can hardly be applied properly. However, talking about digital technologies in the movie industry, it is necessary to mind that technologies usually influence a number of aspects such as “how films are made, viewed, and thought about” (Lehman & Luhr 2003, p. 354).

Use of digital technologies in the film-making industry. “The film industry straddles the old analogue and the new digital technology. It creates film both in analogue and digital formats but continues to distribute its products in analogue format” (Black 2002, p. 60). The impact of digital technologies on the film industry is evident, and to get as many benefits as possible, it is obligatory to consider possible new opportunities, valuable assets, cooperation with customers, and playback experience.

To comprehend better how digital technologies may influence the film industry, it is better to use some business model of the chosen sphere and evaluate all services possible. There are two main stages in the process of movie-making – film production and film distribution. With the help of different digital technologies, the producer is able to develop a story using as many captivating techniques as possible.

The best examples of how digital technologies influenced the industry may be observed in the movies Gladiator with its marvellous fights and the “cheering crowds all in the gigantic coliseum at the same time” (Lehman & Luhr 2003, p. 353), Avatar with its unbelievable blue-skinned characters and crowded fights, or Terminator with its robots which can move and react to the dangers around.

Distribution of movies and the impact of digital technologies. Another important point in the film industry is the way of how movies can be distributed with the help of digital technologies. As a rule, a movie may be distributed through hard drivers, DVDs, flash drives, satellites, etc.

Actually, the distribution of movies through digital technologies is rather beneficial for all distributors. First, it helps to save money; second, it saves time; and finally, it promotes qualified products and services which are always in demand. Nowadays, the vast majority of people prefer to download and get movies via the Internet so that they have the right to choose and rely on personal interests and wishes. Due to the possibilities to watch any movie at home, some people refuse an idea of visiting cinemas or having a lot of TV channels.

They have any kind of movie on their PCs and can watch them any time under any conditions. This is why cinema theatres suffer from customers’ loss. However, to attract people’s attention to cinemas, another considerable step was taken: James Cameron’s Avatar made millions of people visit cinemas and even repeat their visits several times. It is another example of how powerful digital technologies impact the film industry and make the director earn much money.

Film industry dependence on digital technologies, risks, and challenges. Considering the success of digital technologies and their benefits in regard to the film industry, it is still necessary to admit that there are many risks and challenges for those people who are connected with the movie-making.

One of the widely spread risks in the movie industry is to spend a considerable amount of money but still not to be compensated. Nowadays, many directors try to use 3D technologies as frequent as possible but they forget about the necessity to develop an interesting plot.

The example of how digital technologies challenge the film industry is observed in the movie Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore. Though its gross revenue exceeds its budget over $15 millions, the vast majority of critics were pure negative. This is why to reduce the number of risks connected with digital technologies in the movie industry, people should consider all aspects of movie making but not to rely on some particular aspects and neglect everything else.

Conclusion

In general, it is hard to define what kind of industry is more influenced by the development of digital technologies because much depends on the objectives set in a certain industry, nature of work required, professionalism, etc. The impact of digital distribution is crucial indeed and not only for film making industry but also for those industries which advertise movies and translate them on theatres and on TV.

Digital technologies improve considerably the achievements in the film industry, however, to succeed in everything, it is very important to remember about the existed threats and challenges which may worsen the situation. This is why the impact of modern digital technologies in the film industry is huge, and the analysis of its business models helps to comprehend how film makers may overcome challenges, achieve good results, and define the priorities in their work.

Reference List

Black, T. 2002, Intellectual Property in the Digital Era. Sweet & Maxwell, London.

Daniel, D. K. 2003, ‘Selling Hollywood to the World: U.S. and European Struggles for Mastery of the Global Film Industry, 1920-1950’, Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, vol. 80, no. 1, pp. 224+.

Dixon, W. 2007, ‘Vanishing Point: The Last Days of Film’, Senses of Cinema, no, 43. Web.

Lehman, P. & Luhr, W. 2003, Thinking about Movies: Watching, Questioning, Enjoying. Wiley-Blackwell, Malden.

Purse, L. 2007, ‘Digital Heroes in Contemporary Hollywood Exertion, Identification, and the Virtual Action Body’, Film Criticism, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 5+.