1. How you watch films…
‘Your consumption’

2. Your Consumption

3. Your Consumption
You can’t answer this question with ‘I don’t really watch films…’
Equally, your response can’t be a list of everything you’ve watched recently and whether you liked it or not…
The best answers will give a range of examples of the different ways an viewer could watch films, and will explain how this links to wider patterns in the industry.

4. Mr Gooda’s Film Diary Batman v Superman The Prestige
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Trainwreck
Little Miss Sunshine

5. Mr Taylor’s Film Diary Film When/Where/How/Why? Link to the industry
Batman v Superman The Prestige Star Wars: The Force Awakens Trainwreck Little Miss Sunshine
April, Kings Lynn. Cinema, Hype, spectacle (big screen), 3D ‘occasion movie’, sequel
March, Illegal download, recommendation from friend
December, Toronto. Hype, spectacle (big screen), 3D ‘occasion movie’
Decemeber, Toronto, diversion (needed to kill 2 hours), alone
Sky On Demand, with friends, critical acclaim
Large budget, blanket release, CGI blockbuster. Cross media convergence in marketing made it hard to miss! Viral marketing, above and below the line
Directorial appeal (Christopher Nolan), interesting theme, historical piece, some star power (Bale/Jackman/ScarJo/Caine/Bowie)
Directorial appeal, franchise, cultural event, global marketing, genre, classification (12)
Genre, classification/rating, specific demographic (not me)
Independent Film, Big 6 Global Distributor through Fox Searchlight. Critical darling. Some star appeal
Mr Taylor’s Film Diary

6. Your Consumption Now create your diary How are you watching films?
Please remember that the Truth Police (or the piracy police) are not coming to get you

7. Film
When/Where/How/Why?
Link to the industry
Your film diaries…

9. Your Consumption
This question lets you show off and mould it to whatever element of the course you best understand
I’ve structured this via technology but it links in nicely with studio ownership while we’re at it
My essay plan would be
Cinema (Link to Avatar)
VOD (Link to This Is England)
Piracy (Link to TBTR)

10. For example…Introduction
In a world in which changes in technology are a daily event, audiences are now able to consume films in a huge variety of ways. Proliferation of technology, along with increased technological convergence, has meant that films can be accessed anywhere and at any time, provided an internet connection is available. My film viewing habits largely reflect those of most teenagers in Britain today. They are influenced by both convenience and the highly effective distribution strategies that film institutions employ. The most common way in which I watch films is…

11. For example…Main Paragraph
Cinema – ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Why – Source material (Original trilogy), sequel, US Blockbuster (Buena Vista), CGI, Release Strategy (Christmas), Cinema as a social occasion, Blanket Marketing, Directorial Appeal, return of loved stars (some star appeal), classification (12), Above & Below the line blanket marketing, global release date, marketing via synergy and cross-media convergence Link to wider trends – This reflects wider audience trends as similar to Avatar this film is designed for maximum effect on the big screen which would reduce piracy as even with the advancement of home viewing technology. Also the high demand to see the film in 3D is a key contributor to both film’s successes as both have made over 2 billion USD. Also the Christmas release, combined with the multi-media, synergistic marketing approach, meant that there was a lot of hype created for the release. Also, the fact that this is a sequel, taken from a bestselling franchise, would encourage audiences to make the effort to see it as soon as possible. Furthermore, the fantasy-like nature of the plot ensures that it has the potential to reach a global audience as we all delve into the escapism of the narrative.

12. For example…Main Paragraph
On Demand – ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ Why – Critical appeal and success, positive word of mouth, some star appeal Link to wider trends – This reflects wider audience trends as similar to This Is England, this film is not penalised by exhibition on a smaller home screen as the appeal is the acting and themes covered. This is England did not receive a lot of traditional marketing in high volume, nor was it available to view on many screens. However, advancements in digital distribution have made it more cost effective to distribute the films globally thanks to VOD services like Netflix. As such, the distribution companies are able to license VOD providers to exhibit the film to a variety of nations or specify individual national markets. This is become ever more important as despite efforts made by the Digital Film Network (via the UK film council), we are not seeing a rise in independent films being shown (in fact, the most recent data suggests that in the Uk, the percentage of films in theatres by the ten biggest distributors in actually growing, not diminishing. Considering this, digital distribution and subscription platform (Netflix) exhibition may be the future of independent film.

13. For example…Main Paragraph
For both I could now easily do a 2nd paragraph
One for the Hollywood blockbuster where I discuss marketing strategies (including ancillary revenues being tied to 12 classifications) or the importance of global release dates or the advantages of media ownership
One for the Netflix/Independent film where I talk about the importance of debuting at a film festival (in the case of LMS to attract a distributor) in order to compensate for a lack of financial support when you’re seeking horizontal integration
Or I could do my 3rd paragraph where I talk about piracy and the ease of pirating material (especially months after the distribution window has closed)

14. Time To Plan
Plan the structure of a response of your own. Remember, you don’t actually have to have seen the film you claim you have (in fact, you don’t have to name a specific other film in your essay). You can just say you traditionally go to the cinema to watch big event type films from U.S. Blockbusters and then use that to segue into your discussion on Avatar.