Timed Essay 1
Explain how the arrival of digitally convergent media platforms has impacted
on film producers. Refer to Disney and its 1967 and 2016 versions of The
Jungle Book to support your answer.
The arrival of digitally convergent media platforms has impacted film producers such as Walt Disney Studios, changing the way they interact with their audiences, which therefore impacted their production processes. Both the 1967 and 2016 versions of ‘The Jungle Book’ highlight the way that digitally convergent media platforms have allowed the company to expand their audience and reach.
In 1967, promotion of audio-visual products such as ‘The Jungle Book’ appeared as posters, billboards, cinematic trailers, newspaper articles, and perhaps the rare mention on the radio. The lack of digitally convergent media platforms meant that Disney had limited ways to promote their products, and therefore did not have a global reach. However, the company and the film were still largely successful at the time, with the original version of ‘The Jungle Book’ earning $73 million at the domestic box office. At this stage, Disney were still a film company that were slowly beginning to diversify and expand, rather than the large conglomerate that they are today.
The arrival of Web 2.0 in 2004 caused a significant shift in how individuals interact on the internet – this was the beginning of digitally convergent media platforms. Audiences had now become active and could upload their own personal information onto sites such as MySpace. Shirky’s End of Audience theory can be applied to the development of the internet, as the change from the passive Web 1.0 audience to the active audience that Web 2.0 introduced meant that the distance between producers and consumers was decreasing. Access to user-generated content allowed companies to view their audience’s interests and could therefore begin to tailor their products to target their interests. Similarly, this meant that audiences, particularly passionate fans, were slowly gaining influence on media production, distribution and consumption processes, which Jenkins examines in his theory of Fandom. Companies such as Disney were now able to utilise social media platforms to promote their products and engage their audience, as seen with the 2016 release of ‘The Jungle Book’.
Accounts on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube were created during the distribution process of the 2016 version of ‘The Jungle Book’, which allowed Disney to gather and reengage an audience prior to the release. Disney used synergy to promote the film, creating an interactive Snapchat filter, in which users of the app could become Kaa and share their images, and partnered with The Guardian newspaper where audiences could enter competitions to win a Jungle Book themed prize. This use of synergy and digitally convergent media platforms allowed the producers to establish a global reach – whilst the original film only earned grossing in the domestic box office, the 2016 version achieved $966 million worldwide. 62.3% of that figure was from international sales, which demonstrates the importance of digitally convergent media platforms for film producers as they establish a larger audience and therefore produce more profit.
Hesmondhalgh’s Cultural Industries theory is applicable to both versions of ‘The Jungle Book’, because as a large conglomerate Disney are continually pursuing ways to create safe and successful products that will continue to produce profit. Despite the lack of merchandise in 1967, Disney were able to continue to produce income by remarketing the original film, using back catalogues to add unseen content for special anniversary additions. These re-releases amplified the original $73 million box office earnings to $205 worldwide. The 2016 version uses a cast of big Hollywood names such as Idris Elba, Scarlett Johansson, Christopher Walken etc, which targets the fans of these actors and widens the film’s audience. ‘The Jungle Book’ 2016 also uses the same narrative structure as the original film to engage the secondary audience of parents and grandparents of the target audience, who are familiar with the film and perhaps watched the original in 1967. In comparison, the 2016 film has a slightly older target audience (10-13year olds) than the original, due to the darker themes that are presented. This complies to Neale’s theory of genre in which producers should comprise their genre full of instances of repetition and difference to both establish the genre whilst creating new, engaging content.
In conclusion, the arrival of digitally convergent media platforms has allowed film producers to interact with their audiences, expanding their global reach which consequently increases their revenue.
The arrival of digitally convergent media platforms has impacted film producers such as Walt Disney Studios, changing the way they interact with their audiences, which therefore impacted their production processes. Both the 1967 and 2016 versions of ‘The Jungle Book’ highlight the way that digitally convergent media platforms have allowed the company to expand their audience and reach.
In 1967, promotion of audio-visual products such as ‘The Jungle Book’ appeared as posters, billboards, cinematic trailers, newspaper articles, and perhaps the rare mention on the radio. The lack of digitally convergent media platforms meant that Disney had limited ways to promote their products, and therefore did not have a global reach. However, the company and the film were still largely successful at the time, with the original version of ‘The Jungle Book’ earning $73 million at the domestic box office. At this stage, Disney were still a film company that were slowly beginning to diversify and expand, rather than the large conglomerate that they are today.
The arrival of Web 2.0 in 2004 caused a significant shift in how individuals interact on the internet – this was the beginning of digitally convergent media platforms. Audiences had now become active and could upload their own personal information onto sites such as MySpace. Shirky’s End of Audience theory can be applied to the development of the internet, as the change from the passive Web 1.0 audience to the active audience that Web 2.0 introduced meant that the distance between producers and consumers was decreasing. Access to user-generated content allowed companies to view their audience’s interests and could therefore begin to tailor their products to target their interests. Similarly, this meant that audiences, particularly passionate fans, were slowly gaining influence on media production, distribution and consumption processes, which Jenkins examines in his theory of Fandom. Companies such as Disney were now able to utilise social media platforms to promote their products and engage their audience, as seen with the 2016 release of ‘The Jungle Book’.
Accounts on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube were created during the distribution process of the 2016 version of ‘The Jungle Book’, which allowed Disney to gather and reengage an audience prior to the release. Disney used synergy to promote the film, creating an interactive Snapchat filter, in which users of the app could become Kaa and share their images, and partnered with The Guardian newspaper where audiences could enter competitions to win a Jungle Book themed prize. This use of synergy and digitally convergent media platforms allowed the producers to establish a global reach – whilst the original film only earned grossing in the domestic box office, the 2016 version achieved $966 million worldwide. 62.3% of that figure was from international sales, which demonstrates the importance of digitally convergent media platforms for film producers as they establish a larger audience and therefore produce more profit.
Hesmondhalgh’s Cultural Industries theory is applicable to both versions of ‘The Jungle Book’, because as a large conglomerate Disney are continually pursuing ways to create safe and successful products that will continue to produce profit. Despite the lack of merchandise in 1967, Disney were able to continue to produce income by remarketing the original film, using back catalogues to add unseen content for special anniversary additions. These re-releases amplified the original $73 million box office earnings to $205 worldwide. The 2016 version uses a cast of big Hollywood names such as Idris Elba, Scarlett Johansson, Christopher Walken etc, which targets the fans of these actors and widens the film’s audience. ‘The Jungle Book’ 2016 also uses the same narrative structure as the original film to engage the secondary audience of parents and grandparents of the target audience, who are familiar with the film and perhaps watched the original in 1967. In comparison, the 2016 film has a slightly older target audience (10-13year olds) than the original, due to the darker themes that are presented. This complies to Neale’s theory of genre in which producers should comprise their genre full of instances of repetition and difference to both establish the genre whilst creating new, engaging content.
In conclusion, the arrival of digitally convergent media platforms has allowed film producers to interact with their audiences, expanding their global reach which consequently increases their revenue.
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