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Task 2: Discuss Technology
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P2 (U24): Explain the use of converging technologies within an identified sector
M1 (U24): Discuss how the industry has utilised developments in technologies
Converging technologies within the advertising sector
Converging technologies has allowed for a lot better results in media products and has allowed for the improvement of media and film technologies and has improved media drastically from what it was ten years ago. The quality of sound, effects, visual quality
Pre-production
In the early days of media books and manuals were the best way of conducting primary research due to the lack of information available, the internet wasn’t around meaning they couldn’t access info like us now and they had to use physical things to find info. We can access information in seconds with devices such as tablets, phones, computers and home help devices such as Alexa’s.
In regards to pre-production there are 10 main stages which a producer would utilise to create something like a film.
These stages are:
Brainstorming – Creating ideas and drafting ideas for the production
Research- primary and secondary. This can consist of things such as focus groups and interviews for primary and for secondary things like academic journals or files from online.
Proposal-Pitch – proposing a pitch to the company show them exactly what the plan is and methodical entry into the plan.
Production Schedule - Budget - Gantt charts and contingency planning is an important part of creating a media product as It gives the team a goal and a time to do it within which is important as if you are creating a media product for another company.
Storyboard - Location Recce -Risk Assessment – Storyboard shows a plan on the chronological method of the production. Location recce and risk assessment are used when finding the location for filming and getting things like: permissions, shops and hospitals nearby, permission from owner to film in the area. Risk assessments are created for the filming process and point out associated risk
Contingency Plan -Back up Plan – when creating a media product, you must have back up plans. Actors can fall ill, drop out or plans can change when filming at a location meaning back up plans are vital.
Shooting Schedule - For actors and crew to know exactly what time they are needed to be available and also to help with your schedule.
Call Sheets - these go out to every single member of the cast and crew.
Examples of technological convergence
Primary and secondary data collection:
The collection of data has become far easier as we now have access to online technologies which results in the collection of data almost being instantaneous. A world of data is at the fingertips of any mobile device user. For primary research an interview for example can be carried out on a video conference app. This is an improvement on previous methods of interviews as you would have to be there in person for the interview to take place. In regards to secondary data, it has changed with technology as you can search the internet for information rather than books and journals. This is a huge improvement as it means there everything is more accessible and specific search results allow for specific data collection which is so much better than having to search through the blurb of a book to find what you want. an example of a digital innovation would be monday.com which allows all of the above pre production documentation to be distributed and shared digitally online which is economical quicker, cost effective and environmentally friendly
Technology convergence has also enabled us to carry out risk assessments more easily. Risk assessments are something you carry out when you’re going to a location to film something and you fill out a form which identifies the risks involved with the process of filming. The point of the risk assessment is to find the problems or dangerous issues and find solutions and causes for why these things happen. Also to identify what equipment or things should be undertaken to minimize the risk caused by the threat. Before technology we would have to write out a risk assessment form which is a time consuming task whereas now with technologies we can make risk assessment forms digital and in a short time with apps like risk assessor or download pre-designed template from online and fill them in with your own information and risks. Call sheets can also be made using online technologies. Call sheets contained detailed run down of filming times and information about the scene and what is involved in the filming for the actor. Similarly, to the risk assessment forms you can fill these in quite easily with online tech. apps lie pocket call sheet are used to create the sheet and then send them over mobile devices to the other people working on the project.
The production schedule is listed by call time, the time when people are expected to start work on a film set.
Project management is also a factor in this as it can be used to create timetables and manage the team and the work they need to do. With technology we are able to control this through technologies and complete work and allocate tasks virtually.
Another aspect of project management is that you can view progress virtually. Before technology checklists and written lists would be used and remembered through memory. Now I can all be logged on a computer which makes the process a lot easier and efficient.
The tool Asana allows for project managers to create tasks on an app and makes it easily accessible to the team that are using the app and allows them to mark their task as done or upload evidence that they are working on their tasks. This is good as it doesn’t allow for people to slack off and claim miscommunication and creates synergy for the team to work well together.
Production
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Modern day technology has allowed for easier and better quality of filming. This is due to the quality of the technology improving exponentially and the cameras becoming smaller and smaller. Current cameras record the film in the best resolution possible and make the film look incredible to the viewer. Cameras before technological advancements were filmed using strips and would take pictures of individual scenes and then play them very fast. This was low quality as there was gaps between each scene and is nothing in comparison to new tech. Another example of production technologies is portable recording devices such as Go Pros and drones. These are cost effective methods of personal filming, they are easy to use and understand. Each item will be priced around £1000 which is extremely cheap in comparison to Film cameras. The benefits of these devices is you can film POV shots to enhance action and viewing experience for the audience. Green screen is effective for changing the backgrounds, particularly in print advertising. Reduces risk assessment as you're virtually there not actually there.
Location scouting
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When producers visit the location and take photos and document what they see. This is important as it is involved in the planning of camera angles and the whole filming situation. With mobile devices they can take photos and send them straight to producers via messaging services meaning information can be exchanged instantaneously.
Post-Production
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On mobile devices we now have fully fledged editing and filming apps that allow you to make films and videos with editing option available such as iMovie which is available for any apple device owner. This means that there video creation I easier than ever and is accessible by almost anyone. Users can use clips they already have and compile them together to create a video and they can also be exported via email. Message, drop box and many other ways.
With IMovie user can create videos with 4k ultra quality and record with the front of the camera which has a 4 option. It is as simple as selecting clips and of video that you have filmed and loading them into the iMovie app to crop and edit. The garage band app can be used coherently with the IMovie app and can create music for the video or upload songs too and placed into the IMovie. This is as simple as it gets and does not take hours of learning or lessons to understand and can be learnt by anyone.
Video editing and filming has improved drastically. Due to current technology the quality of the film is far better than it was in the past. For basic films there is editing software such as Sony Vegas however, professional companies would use high tech editing software. Before technology there would have been very little editing or none. The only methods that would have been used were cut frames and the use of music to aid the transition.
Cameras have advanced drastically and can now record sound which was never possible in the early days of films. This means that sound does not need to be recorded separately to the visual. The software allows for the sound to be edited , this means that if you use the same mic for scene sounds and actors voices the editing software cannot distinguish the difference between the two when adding sound effects etc. that’s why it’s better to record audio on different devices sometimes.
The main aspect of post-production technology is to do with the distribution methods it has provided. Due to the technologies we can share fil on a variety of different social medias. An example of a social media that is used regularly to share video footage is YouTube due to it being based around video sharing. This means that the best place to distribute this content too will be YouTube as it is best for sharing videos.
Converging technologies are great to use for advertising also, this is because of the use of mobile devices and access being easy. A huge proportion of the world’s population has social media making it a great tool for running advertisements on. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and snap chat can be used to spread the advertisement round rapidly. To create the graphics and content for the advertisements, apps such as photo pea can be used to make the visuals. This shows the way in which modern technologies have helped advertise and create advertisements.
Interactive adds will pop up on your phone regularly and show that when you click them will direct you to the website.
M1 (U24): Discuss how the industry has utilized developments in technologies
Technology has seen huge changes in the past decade, from the advancements in mobile devices to the quality of the cameras on our phones it only keeps getting better. This change has changed the way companies advertise and distribute their media, the way to keep up with the trend is to gain approval through social media and make your companies social media engaging so consumers are more likely to purchase.
The digital age has seen a great change to the way we do things. An example of this is now buying vinyl records and CDs is almost obsolete and people will now pay subscription to providers like Spotify to have unlimited access to most music across the globe.
The revolution of tech has allowed for people to start online businesses with ease through website apps which allow you to create amazing professional websites for very cheap. It has created a completely new market and is going to replace the need for retail outlets and shop fronts as everything can be viewed online. Store owners have responded to this by creating online versions of their stores and upload all their stock as pictures so then customers can buy items online and collect or get them delivered to their house. Shop owners have done this by creating the online store and advertising via social media. This shows the way companies have changed from traditional methods to match consumer demands and trends.
20 years ago if you wanted to post about something exciting that happened in your life, you would write a letter or tell your friends or family in person. Now it is easy as taking a picture, writing a caption and posting it onto your socials for all your followers to see. Therefore, when we talk about the change advancement in tech, social media needs to be taken into account as it is arguably the biggest force behind the need to advance technologically.
Companies use advertising to sell products and advertise new ones, the way they reach their audiences is changing however. They are using traditional methods such as billboards and posters and making them digital. An example of this would be at a football game the banners show animations of company’s products and can be seen throughout the duration of the football game.
As technology has advanced the use of TV adverts have become lower and lower as the consumption of TV has decreased and people are watching streaming services now where they can watch their favorite TV shows without the ads, yet they have to pay membership for the subscription service the app is offering. This means companies have had to evolve and change advertising to social media where people spend a lot of time on. Consumers cannot not see the ads as they will pop up on the sides of the screen and will not disappear.
Production technologies have changed drastically. Media are changing how we communicate and interact with each other. We don’t only use snap chat to communicate we use it to subscribe to our favorite celebrities or news channels.
Television has changed from a one-way medium of the audience watching and being entertained, informed and educated. When watching live shows we are encouraged to get involved by texting, tweeting or emailing. This use of interactivity has changed the way tv works and has allowed for shows to increase their viewer counts drastically and also earn money as sometimes the text messages will cost money.
QR codes are another great example of how media technology has advanced as QR codes can be used on traditional methods of advertising like posters and leaflets and technological convergence means the consumer can use their smartphone or tablet to scan the code which takes them to a website or online store. Another example of traditional methods of advertising being digitized is billboards. Companies can put their video adverts on digital billboards that will run their advertisement. These will be placed in areas with high traffic and will target a mainstream audience.
A great example of digital billboards would be in New York time square.
Social media plays a huge part in marketing and this has been evidenced by these factors:
Social advertising:
As social media has progressed, the demand for social media advertising has increased drastically. Social media companies now have data to offer other companies wanting to advertise through their service. The introduction of targeted marketing allows for you to reach the exact audience you want.
Influencers
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With the boom of social media has come the introduction of people who have gained millions of followers due to their career, personality, content or looks and are a marketing dream for companies. Companies and brands can pay influencers to promote their brand through their own social medias in turn creating exposure for the brand and getting the company sales.
Celebrities with huge followings such as Kim Kardashian, David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo can charge up to 1 million for a singular post on their social medias due to the amount of exposure they give the brand they are advertising for.
Most companies have apps now that consumers can access on their mobile devices and use to buy products. This again shows the huge impact of the use of social
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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