LFTVD - Audience and Industry

Film Keyword Recap

• This process is the link between making and releasing a film. The process ensures that a film reaches the intended audience to make maximum profit. It heavily involves marketing strategies such as actor interviews and teaser trailers. -- Distribution
• This is the process of releasing a film to audiences. The process begins with a premiere gala event, followed by cinema release and finally, , the film will be made available for home exhibition through physical retail and digital platforms. -- Exhibition
• This is the process of making a film. It begins with developing a script, scouting locations and casting actors, followed by the shooting of a film on set and ends with post-production editing. -- Production

Industry and Audience

(focuses and theorists)

Focus

So far, we have focused our attention on the media language and representation aspects of our two set dramas. 

• We are going to turn our focus to the industry behind LFTVD 
• Who makes, markets and distributes the dramas?
• Who owns them?
• How are the dramas regulated?
• How is the money made? 
• How have evolving technologies impacted the industry?
• We will also think about how audience 
• How are the dramas received by audiences?
• How are audiences defined and categorised and is this beneficial?
• How do audiences interact with the dramas?
• Do audiences have any influence or power in the media?
• How have evolving technologies changed consumption of LFTVD?

Theorists

• Industry
• Curran and Seaton – power and media industries
• Hesmondalgh – cultural industries
• Bandura – media effects
• Audience
• Gerbner – cultivation theory
• Hall – reception theory
• Jenkins – fandom
• Shirky – end of audience

Although the course divides theorist up across the boundaries of industry and audience, we need to combine an understanding of all to effectively analyse and evaluate our dramas. The industry cannot exist without an audience and vice versa. 

LFTVD - Evolving Technology

• Unlike film, long form television drama is a relatively new format in the media industry history.
• Although televisions existed in various forms in the early 20th century, the technology was not mass produced or affordable until the 1950s. Even then, only a handful of people owned TVs, meaning that audiences would watch big events in a communal fashion. 
• People were still huddling round their neighbour's television sets for the 1969 moon landings.  
• It was not until the late 1970s that colour television sets became affordable and TVs were commonplace in family homes for more individual viewing over communal viewing. 
• In the 1990s, digital televisions made it possible for more channels and programmes to be broadcast to single televisions. This was good for the industry as it expanded the scope for  producers to create diverse content and good for audiences as it meant more choice. 
• However, like previous technological updates to television (such as colour), digital TVs took a while to become affordable for the masses.
• In October 2012, the digital switchover meant that analogue (non-digital) TV signals would end in the UK.
• The biggest change in technology in recent years is the onset of online streaming platforms from iPlayer to Netflix. 
• Traditionally, television broadcasters would make money from advertising (not the case for public service broadcasters like BBC)
• This created a relatively simple formula: invest in buying or making good LFTVD, attract bigger audiences, sell more advertising, make more money. 
• At first, online streaming services from existing TV channels such as ITV player and All 4 kept this formula since they would still show adverts – which can be tailored to each viewer using their internet browsing history, making it more valuable (and expensive) for advertisers to buy advertising spots. 
• However, paid subscription streaming services turned this business model on its head...