Developments in technology for film

 

Intro

New digital distribution technologies have had a vast impact on the film industry in the last few decades. Many technologies such as Netflix and amazon prime mean that smaller independent film production companies such as Belstone Pictures can now attempt to compete on the same stage as larger global film conglomerates like Warner Brothers.

 

 

Large global conglomerates like Warner Brothers, have billions of dollars of revenue each year. This has enabled them to dominate the film industry for decades as they could afford to use expensive film equipment such as 35mm film and shooting on IMAX so they can put it in as many cinemas as possible. This affects the distribution because they can then get paid more by cinemas as they have more screens that they can put it in and then the film company and the cinema earn more money. 

 

 

Smaller companies like Belstone Pictures were unable to compete with this due to a very limited budget. When kaleidoscope disturbiuted belstones first film Tank432 they were unable to afford to print it onto real film so therefore it was to expensive and difficult to sell it to the cinemas. This means that they were only able to distribute to digital sources and online streaming sites. This increased the rate of piracy and meant that they lost a lot of money.

 

 

More recently cinemas have been upgraded to allow them to exhibit films using digital projectors, which has meant that distribution companies no longer need to spend millions on producing 35mm versions of films. However the film company still has to be able to sell their film to the cinemas and make them interested in their film enough to invest in it. Normally this is harder because they won’t have a very high budget so less people will be interested

 

 

When Belstone Pictures distributed their second feature film Tucked, they experimented with the genre of lgbtq this meant they were able to get the film into some cinemas at pride festivals. This meant that people in that niche would all be gathered in one place and would be able to watch a touching film about something that they are deaply passionate about 

 

 

Larger conglomerates like Warner Brothers have often focused on theatrical distribution first and foremost because they can make the most amount of Money back with deals through cinemas. If they do not make back all of the money through box office sales then they will actually be known as a loss leader and can only make more money through merchandise and online streams.

 

 

Digital technologies have also had a huge impact on the distribution of marketing materials for film institutions. Companies often use social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as apps such as Snapchat, in order to promote their films to vast global audiences. Instagram filters of the tiara 

 

 

Social Media has also been used by smaller companies to distribute marketing. It is a popular choice amongst smaller independent companies with limited resources because it is free and has a larger audiences. Belstone Pictures and their distribution company Kaleidoscope used social media extensively to attempt to promote with tank 432 they got people in the niche to tweet about the film. This made people in their niche know about the film and they may want to then go out and buy a copy of the film. When belstone released tucked they got gay icons to tweet about the film who had massive followings.

 

 

In conclusion the developments in distribution due to technology is massive. This is because it is now more accessible to make an amazing film than ever before. Despite the ease of piracy it is actually quite a successful way of distribution as most people have access to the internet and it controls our lives daily. So having a place to now watch films wherever and whenever is easier than ever before.